by Posey Parks
I flashed a cocky grin. “Thought this would be the best place to meet. You know since you burned down my strip club.” I peeled the gray tinted sunglasses off my face and slipped them inside the blue jean denim blazer pocket.
He chuckled, planting his ass on the end of a wooden table. My eyes fell across the back of one of his guy’s leather vest. The words Knights of Hell were sprawled across the back over a red robed, hooded Knight holding a sword. The words below read New Jersey. He lined up his shot with the pool stick. The crack of the end of the stick, breaking the balls filled the air.
“Apeshit, chill,” their leader ordered.
His eyes fell on me again. “I’ve been looking for you since the beginning of December.”
“Oh, yeah?” My forehead creased.
I took a long pull of my cigar. The sweet smoke released from my lips. “What for?”
He snapped his fingers and one of his men stepped over and placed a bottle of beer in his hand.
“Vanisha.” He chugged the beer.
“I haven’t seen my daughter in a long time.” He pointed the mouth of the bottle toward me.
“Funny thing. Vanisha told me she planned to pay you a visit.” His jaw ticked.
“That means nothing. I’ve seen Vanisha off and on for years. She wasn’t my woman, Griff. You burned my business down because she said she planned to see me.” I chuckled. “Give me a fucking break.”
The big blond guy turned from his pool game and growled.
My eyes narrowed on their leader.
“Oh, yeah, congratulations. I understand you tied the knot.” His eyes fell over the room.
“I heard she’s a nice-looking piece of ass.”
Laughter bellowed throughout.
“Don’t disrespect my wife.” My jaw tightened.
“Or what?” He snarled.
“Your men not in attendance here today will continue your motorcycle club without everyone here. You see, I came prepared. I have men surrounding this building and on the roof tops of others.” I pointed at the ear piece. “All I have to do is give the word. And we’ll have a blood bath on our hands. I don’t think you want that to happen.”
“We don’t scare easy,” he snickered.
“I know you don’t. Nor do I.”
“There was chatter around your strip club. You allowed your woman to orchestrate a shutdown of sorts. She told the strippers you were off limits. She and Vanisha got into a little scuffle.”
“You burned down my strip club because my woman fired her.”
I took a step closer. “She disrespected the future Mrs. Esposito. All because I wouldn’t take care of her financially anymore.”
I smirked. “She wasn’t my woman. I didn’t owe her shit. She’s your daughter. You bank roll her. You own businesses all over this town.” I spread my arms.
“Vanisha’s her own woman. She didn’t want any part of this world. But she wanted a part of yours. She told me she was in love with you.”
I puffed my cigar, then blew three smoke O’s. “A part of my world? If a part of my world means my money. Then yeah, she wanted a part of my world.” My guys and I chuckled.
“Sorry to burst your bubble. Vanisha loved being taken care of financially. Maybe she chose me because I had plenty of cash. As long as I passed her my black card, she was a happy woman. She knew if I ever settled down, our play time would come to an end. So if she said she was coming to talk to me. It would have been to discuss our sexual arrangement. The moment Emoni walked into the picture, all the other women became obsolete. The only woman that gets my undivided attention is my wife, Emoni Esposito. But let’s talk about what’s most important to me right now. Your revenge. For what?” I widened my arms.
“Because my woman fired your daughter? Because Vanisha and I are over? Every last one of those women at the clubs knew our arrangement. Yes, I said clubs. Vanisha wasn’t the only woman I was fucking.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Get mad. Stay mad. I don’t care. All the women were upset the day Emoni brought the hammer down. But they knew their places so not one of them would approach me.” I pointed at Griff.
“While I rebuild my strip club, you’ll pay me for the income I am losing every day.”
His fist came down like a hammer on the table. “Hell no,” he growled.
“Don’t try to deflect. Where’s my daughter? What have you done to her?”
My blood boiled through my veins. “What the fuck are you asking me?” I walked toward him.
“Marco,” Gage bit out.
Amongst my guards, the three guys I trusted the most were Tadeas, Maceo, and Gage. They’d lay down their lives for the Esposito family.
Griff’s men inched closer.
“Everyone back the fuck up,” Catch ordered.
“This is between those two men.”
My boots halted at the tips of Griff’s. I towered over him and glared into his eyes. “One more time. What the fuck are you asking me? And think about how you answer that question,” I warned.
He puffed out his chest I’d assume to save face in front of his men. Wrong move.
“My daughter said she was coming to see you. That was weeks ago. I tried to meet with you. Wanted to know the last time you saw Vanisha. Your men said you were busy. Figured burning down your strip club would get your attention. My daughter has vanished. Did you kill my Vanisha?”
I wanted to wipe the floor with this bastard. Our gazes remained locked. “No, I did not.”
I was telling the truth, I didn’t kill Vanisha. Emoni said she did. No one mentioned Griff was looking for me. My men failed to provide that important information.
“Sunday evening by eight I expect fifty thousand to be delivered. Gage will give Apeshit to my left the address.”
I snickered, pointing my thumb toward the blond bulked up guy.
“We could have done business together. But you fucked that up. If I don’t get my money, I’ll take it as a sign of disrespect, then we’ll be at war.” Holding a framed grin on my face, I placed my cigar between my lips.
“Remember I have the support of the four families.”
“And I have an entire charter behind me,” he snarled.
I shrugged. “Suit yourself. It’s your funeral.”
Turning on my heels, I peered into each set of narrowed eyes drilling holes through me.
I wasn’t worried. Nadir, Isaac, Eli, and Axel had the building surrounded.
One false move and Nadir would have blown his head off from the roof of the building across the street.
I could afford to turn my back on a man standing a few feet away who posed a threat, because my men had my back. They always had my back.
In Portland I understood I was working with limited resources. Today on my turf, I had my entire crew at my disposal.
Emoni had the Magarelli’s’ watching her back. Due to possibly being at war with two enemies I knew I had to ask for my best friend’s assistance.
I bet you’re wondering how I was able to speak to the chain of events that occurred at the strip club the day Emoni informed the strippers I was off limits? I asked Maceo and Emoni again about the events that day. It was important, I didn’t slip up.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
EMONI
Staring out the rear passenger window the snow filled trees appeared pink behind my aviator sunglasses as Maceo whisked past them.
For a man who didn’t remember me Marco was beside himself. Not sure what he hated more, not handling the situation himself or allowing me to hunt down our enemy without him. Pretty sure he’d rather I’d sit this one out.
I hated leaving Marco. Would he take care of himself while I was gone or would he rush his recovery time? He called me stubborn. Shit, he was the stubborn one.
Maceo drove down the long drive way.
My brows rustled together. “Maceo, what are we doing at Sierra’s?”
“Following Marco’s orders.” He peeked at me through the rear
view mirror. The garage door slid up until it disappeared. Maceo drove inside.
Guess I’d wait until we were inside to ask Dillon why my trip to the airport was delayed.
I scanned the empty kitchen as I stepped inside the mansion.
Laughter echoed through the air in the distance.
“Cut it out, kitten. We have work to do.”
I padded across the tile floor toward the voices.
The woman hemmed the tall, stalky man against the wall of the family room. Not sure where Dillon and Sierra were.
“Baby, I just need five minutes,” the woman moaned against his lips.
Maceo stepped ahead of me. I grabbed his arm. His eyes met mine. I placed my index finger over my lips. He halted and I continued into the room.
“Five minutes wouldn’t be enough time for you, kitten.”
“Don’t call me kitten. You’re making me…”
I cleared my throat.
Her head swiveled in my direction and her big round dark eyes widened. “You must be Emoni.”
I smirked, stepping to the middle of the spacious room.
“Yes, and you are?”
“Mrs. Tony Magarelli.” She tore her hands away from the man and walked toward me. “But you can call me Nadine.”
His smile turned into a scowl. He probably wished I hadn’t interrupted their play time.
She and I shook hands.
He overshadowed her, stretching his hand toward me. “Tony Magarelli, Dillon’s cousin.” His blue eyes darkened.
I palmed his hand. “Nice to meet you both. Where are Dillon and Sierra?” I glanced over my shoulder toward the dining room.
“They’re at the office.”
My brows wrinkled. “Office?”
“Yes, Magarelli Enterprises,” Tony stated.
“I need you to look at a couple of prosthetic masks before we leave.” He stepped over to the sofa and shuffled through a duffel bag.
“For what?” I quirked a brow.
“The trip to Mexico.” Tony placed a coffee brown mask on the sofa.
“You’re traveling with me?” I gawked in his direction.
Nadine leaned to the side, grabbing my attention. “We are traveling with you to Mexico.” She added emphasis to the word we.
“No need to use mixed words. We’re all trained killers.” She grinned from ear to ear, walking backwards until her bottom landed on the soft sofa.
I glared to my left. “Maceo, were you aware of my travel companions?” I asked through a framed smile.
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, Mrs. Esposito.” He ignored my question.
My lips tightened.
Maceo’s eyes landed on the big guy. “Good to see you, Tone.”
He peeked over his shoulder. “Likewise. We’ll have to catch up once we return.”
“Sounds good.” Maceo sauntered toward the exit.
I stepped closer, hesitant to scoop up the mask.
“Why do I need to wear a mask?” I stared at the holes for eyes.
“Because your enemy knows what you look like. If you step onto the jet as yourself you could send him deeper into hiding. We want to present the element of surprise. We don’t want him to see you coming. That’s how we’ll get ahead of this.” He sat on the arm of the sofa.
“I’ve been in this business for years. Trust me when I tell you this is my specialty.” He slipped his fingers through his short black hair. His biceps bulged under the rim of the short sleeve black T-shirt.
I peeked at Nadine from my peripheral. Her tongue ran across her lips as she stared at her husband. “Sure, is his specialty.”
He cut his eyes at her. “Nadine, baby, come on.”
“Sorry I’m still in the honeymoon stage. We were recently married.”
“Congratulations.” I smiled. “I apologize for pulling you two away from your life to assist me.” My hand slid over the side of my slicked hair and down my ponytail.
Nadine waved her finger. “You are a friend of Sierra and Dillon’s and wife of Marco Esposito which makes you family. We look out for each other.” A warm smile fell across her beautiful features.
“Thank you both.”
Tony rose. “Let’s get this mask on you. We’ll leave in an hour.”
I nodded.
After Tony molded the mask to my face and Nadine applied foundation to blend the color of the mask with my skin, I stared in the mirror.
Blinking several times, I marveled the new me.
“What is your name,” Tony grilled.
“Maria Jordan.” I tugged at the long brown lace front ponytail wig.
“Good and where are you from?”
“Atlanta, Georgia,” I stated with a southern twang.
“Good.” He smiled.
Can’t believe he flashed a grin. I thought the only person his cheeks dipped upward for was his wife.
While applying the mask, Nadine and Tony drilled into my head important information about my new identity. I absorbed every word that fell from their lips.
∞
Plopping in the plush white leather captain chair by the window, I sighed.
“I take it we are flying the chartered jet to also deter my enemy?” My brow rose as I peeked at Tony.
He stood in the aisle, leaning against the leather chair across from me.
“Correct. In this situation, I’d prefer we fly chartered. It’s best we don’t utilize our private jets.” He tapped the seat.
“Get comfortable. The second we’re in the air we’ll talk more. But it’s a priority you feed that baby. You remind me of my friend Samantha. Feisty, stubborn, and a fighter.”
“This wouldn’t be the same Samantha who sent the armor suit to Sierra for me to wear?” I quizzed.
“One in the same.” He winked before sitting beside Nadine a row ahead of me to the left.
Who was this Samantha? I’d be sure to ask. Really who stored an armor suit for pregnant women in their closet? You know just because. I laughed on the inside.
The moment the pilot said it was safe to walk about I strolled toward the back of the jet.
“Hey guys.” I sat in a seat next to Kagan across from Romeo and Rémy.
Kagan removed one of his Powerbeats from his ear. “Emoni, did you order breakfast?”
I scanned their concerned faces. “Yes. I ordered a big breakfast.”
They sighed one by one.
“What?” I threw my hands in the air.
Romeo leaned forward. “Marco would kill us if we didn’t make sure you were taking care of, you and the little bambino in your belly. Fanculo, you’re killing me.” He waved his large hand toward me.
Fanculo in Italian meant fuck. One of the first words I learned in Italian. Marco said it several times on the flight leaving Vegas after his argument with José.
Rémy nodded. He was a man of few words. Between the brothers it appeared Romeo did most of the talking.
“I’ll eat in front of you guys. Would that make you all feel better?”
They each grunted, “Yes.”
“Is this whole conversation we’re having weird? You know the whole mask thing?” I circled my finger around my face.
“Yeah, it’s like the new you has a sort of cuteness, but nowhere near as attractive as you really are,” Kagan squinted trying to absorb every detail in my face.
The guys chuckled.
The flight attendant placed our meals before us.
I shoved a forkful of scrambled eggs into my mouth.
“So good. I was starving.”
“You think?” Kagan shook his head.
“This morning you were so ready to travel to Culiacan Sinaloa I think food was the farthest thing from your mind.”
“Yeah, you’re right, Kagan. I hate Marco couldn’t come with us though.”
“Trust me. He hates it more,” Rémy bit out, adjusting his black cap.
My shoulders drooped against the soft leather chair. Not sure that was true. Suddenly,
I wasn’t hungry anymore. Silently, I cried crocodile tears in the shower earlier. All I could do was cradle myself and our child.
“You are a strong little person,” I whispered as the hot water thudded my skin.
“You’ve survived this long. Keep going for your mommy and daddy. Not sure who wants you more, me or your father.” A small smile curled my lips.
“Know we love you.” A chill crept up my spine at the memory.
“What was Marco like growing up?” I sipped the cold tangy orange juice. Even though, I lost my appetite I continued to eat. Not sure they’d allow me to return to my seat before I joined the clean plate club.
“Evil,” Romeo laughed.
Rémy bent over laughing and Kagan dropped his head back against the seat chuckling.
“What?” I arched a brow.
“I encountered a guy recently who may want revenge for what Marco did to his leg years ago. We spoke to Marco about it the other day.” Romeo forked a triangle of pancakes into his mouth.
“Gage better fucking handle it,” Rémy’s green eyes darkened.
“That fucker had it coming. You don’t throw a brick at someone as they ride away. He was lucky that’s all he received was a gimp leg and a bruised ego. If Marco’s dad didn’t pull him off that kid he would’ve been in a coma.”
Romeo nodded.
“We were a close-knit group. We grew up in this life. Our fathers respected the five families now four. So yeah, no outsiders were allowed in our circle of trust. I know we looked cool on our bikes. All the chicks dug us even at a young age.” Romeo flashed a cocky grin.
Kagan snorted. “You conceited bastard.”
“Kagan, you’re the conceited one. You swear you can pull any chick.”
“Brother, that’s a fucking fact.” He smirked as he sipped his scotch.
These guys drank liquor whenever they desired. Didn’t matter if it was morning or night.
Romeo shook his head. “Marco was a stand-up guy. I never thought he’d settle down, but I guess a man can only fuck so many chicks before he wants the whole package. Marriage.”
“I ain’t settling down,” Kagan grunted.
