by Harley Stone
I tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears, letting my hand linger against her face. Eyes bright and full of passion, she stared at me. I leaned in and covered her mouth with mine. Warmth exploded on my lips and spread through my entire body. Her arms wrapped around me, and she pressed in, opening her lips to me. As I explored her mouth, my hands roamed, sliding down her back and to her waist. I instantly grew hard. My hands slid up her shirt, but Markie broke away and rested her forehead on my collar bone.
"There's something I need to tell you, Angel," she said, her voice somber.
"Okay?"
"I really can't stay in Vegas." Her chest expanded as she sucked in air. She took a step back, putting distance between us I couldn't seem to breach. "This weekend was incredible, but it doesn't change anything. I don't want to hurt you, so I need to make sure you understand that."
Regardless, her words did hurt. And they pissed me off. "Why do you have to leave?" I asked.
"I don't want to talk about it. Just know that it's unavoidable. I couldn't get out of it if I wanted to."
What the fuck?
"How long do you have here?"
She frowned. "I'm not sure. I never expected this. Never expected you. I'm sorry. I..." Tears flooded her eyes and she turned her back on me. "I need to get to these dishes. Will you please lock the door on your way out?"
"That's it?" I asked. "You're just kicking me out?"
Her shoulders shook with a sob. Straightening, she let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. I should have done it a long time ago. I'm sorry."
"Markie, whatever this is, tell me. We can get through it."
She looked at me over her shoulder and shook her head. "No. We really can't. I told you from the beginning, and the longer we do this, the harder it's going to be. On both of us. I'm sorry, Angel. Please go." It was barely more than a whisper, yet it shattered me like a roar.
"Yeah. Me too." Pissed and frustrated, I fled from the apartment.
The one person who made me feel like I was something more than a mob boss's son had rejected me. My chest hurt so damn bad I wanted to punch something. Vacation was over, and I was back to business as usual.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Angel
AFTER BONES AND I filled my father in on our San Diego trip and everything that had transpired between me and Markie, he asked Bones what we thought Markie was up to.
Bones shrugged. "I've been trying to figure that out, Boss. The broad seems genuine, but I don't know. The way she's been brushin' Angel off... Never seen anything like it. Could be she's an undercover cop or a mole for one of the families who caught a feeling and now she's tryin' to back out of it."
Father nodded and looked to me. "What do you think?"
I was too fucked up to think. "I don't know. I'd peg her for a cop before a mole."
The old man pulled a picture out of his pocket, holding it out for me to see. Markie sat beside a silver-haired older man, probably about father's age. Mouth open, hands gesturing, he appeared to be talking, and Markie's eyes were red and pooling with tears.
"That's Adamo Pelino right there," Father said. "Bastard looks old, and he's lost some weight, but that's him."
I took the picture from him, studying it, memorizing the face of the man who'd crippled Uncle Michael. "How did you get this?"
"Bones ran a background check on her, and I was curious as to why. Had Tech keep an eye on her. This picture was taken the day before you left for San Diego."
That surprised me. "You knew Markie could be dirty and you let us take her to the coast?"
He nodded. "If the two of you can't handle one woman, you deserve whatever she does to you."
He had a point there. Only Markie had done more damage than I would have ever imagined possible. The old man couldn't see it, but it was there.
"You're gonna have to bring her in," he said. "I'm gonna need to question her."
I nodded. "Yessir."
"First I need you two to have a come to Jesus meeting with Dante. Your brother's been shackin' up with some stripper and must have lost his fuckin' mind. Slackin' on his duties and layin' around in bed like some school kid bonin' his first crush. Set him straight and remind him who he is. Tech will send you the details."
And with that, we were released to go find my brother and bring in Markie.
***
For Dante's sixteenth birthday, our parents had bought him a shiny red BMW, tricked out with more horsepower than his now nineteen-year-old self knew what to do with. The Bimmer had a system like mine which kept him connected to Tech, and allowed our technical overlord to send me Dante's exact location and the details of his most recent screwup.
Bones and I navigated to the Bimmer, parked on West Baltimore Avenue in front of a rundown two-story apartment building. I idled behind my brother's car and checked out the area. The few working streetlights didn't show me much. A chest-high chain-link fence surrounded the building, and a sign on the gate warned of security camera monitoring. Across the street lay a vacant field, cloaked in darkness. A dented old truck parked in front of Dante's Bimmer was up on a jack and missing a back tire.
I put the Hummer in park, killed the engine, and dialed Dante's cell. No answer. I hung up and called again. Still no answer. On the third call, Dante picked up sounding frustrated and out of breath.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"What, no hello? No 'how was your trip'? I'm hurt, little bro."
"Kinda busy right now. Can I call you back in a bit?"
"Nope. In fact, I'm going to need you to come outside. We got shit to discuss."
Bones and I climbed out of the Hummer and leaned against it, watching the apartment building.
A mini-blind flickered in the window of the upstairs center unit. Dante swore. "You're here? Why?"
Some girl in the background asked what was going on.
"Is that a girl?" I gasped in mock outrage. "You bonin' a broad up there? Is that why you're too busy to answer my calls?"
"Come on, Angel, stop screwin' around. You know how it is."
"Sounds like you're the one screwin' around."
My frustrated little brother was flexing his independence by shirking his duties and spending the night at his girlfriend's place. Too bad he hadn't yet realized his independence was a high-interest loan he couldn't afford, and Father had sent me to repossess his ass.
"You want us to come up there and drag you down with your pants around your ankles?" I asked.
"Don't be a dick, Angel."
"Don't make me. Get your ass down here. Now." I glanced at my watch. "You have one minute."
I disconnected the call and waited. Dante knew I wasn't playing, and within moments, his feet hit the landing. Rusted metal stairs creaked under his weight as he pounded down the steps. Fifty-three seconds after I'd made the demand, a six-foot-two disgruntled Italian stormed toward us. His feet were bare, and as he walked, he buttoned his rumpled shirt.
"D'Angelo. Bones." He nodded to each of us in turn, as little sparks of anger ignited in his eyes. Dante had our father's temper, but not the old man's power. If he didn't learn to rein it in, the kid would be pushing up daisies in no time. As his big brother, it was my job to set him straight and serve him a little piece of humble pie.
Talking on the street was out of the question, even in times of peace between the families. I greeted my brother and ushered him into the front seat of the Hummer before settling myself back behind the wheel.
Bones climbed into the back. "Where's Pietro?" he asked Dante.
Pietro was my brother's full-time security guard, and the son of one of Father's soldiers.
"How am I supposed to know?" Dante asked.
I leveled a glare at him. "Answer the goddamn question."
"I sent him to go get us weed. I wanted a little privacy with my girl and could use a relax. No big deal."
I shook my head, chuckling. Adamo was back in town, father was on edge, and my little brother was without a guard so the two of t
hem could get high. It was the very definition of a big deal. "So, you're alone in this neighborhood at night? Might wanna call Father and reassure him it's cool. Especially since you're supposed to be working with Renzo tonight."
Dante swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with the effort. "Renzo's got it handled. He doesn't need me."
"Renzo's family and you're supposed to have his back. He's out there down a man and one of our old enemies is in town. Father and Uncle Carlo send us out in groups for our protection... so we don't end up outgunned and sittin' in a wheelchair or gutted and dumped in a goddamn landfill. What the fuck makes you think you're man enough to set your own schedule and leave our cousin vulnerable?"
"I hear ya. I get it. It was stupid. I won't do it again."
Rehearsed, meaningless words and I didn't buy them for a second. I flicked them aside with a wave. "Tell me about this broad you're with."
"What girl?" Dante asked. His gaze flickered toward the apartment before returning to me.
I chuckled. "My guess? The one you're trying to be alone with."
He sighed. "All right, fine, there's a girl. We're just having fun."
"Having so much fun you paid both her rent and her car payment last month?" I asked.
He shrugged.
"Father says you need to end it. Yesterday."
He paled. "What? Why?"
"Your buddy Rodge has been skimping on what he's been sending up to Father. The old man confronted him about it and Rodge rolled over on you. He says you shacked up with his best girl and now she's not showing up to work. Not only are you slackin', but your broad's slackin', too."
He glanced up at the apartment window. "Mia and I are together now. I don't want her hooking anymore."
If only it were that easy. "Everything comes with a price, bro, you know that." I leaned closer to him, lowering my voice. "You and me, we're privileged. We drive fast cars, we wear designer clothes, chicks throw themselves at us, we get whatever we want. But it all comes with a price. We have to play the game by his rules. Father says end it, and you damn well better end it."
"Yeah? Well, I'm sick of playing by his rules."
Bones cracked his neck and leaned forward, putting a hand on my brother's shoulder.
Dante rolled his eyes. "You can quit flexing, Bones. You wouldn't hurt me. Neither of you would."
Curious, I cocked my head. "Why don't you think I'd hurt you?" I asked.
"We're family. Father would never allow it."
Bones and I both got a good chuckle out of that.
"What?" Dante asked.
"You really think being family exempts you from being punished? How many times has Father beat your ass good for you?"
"That was different. I'm not a kid anymore."
"You think he gives a shit how old you are? No. Father will hurt you. Hell, I will hurt you, Dante. You're my brother and I love you, but if I call in and my capo orders me to whack you, I will. I would pull the piece out of my pocket and put two in your pig-headed brain. It would be quick and clean, and you would be dead. Anyone in the family would do the same: Cousin Alberto, Uncle Carlo, even Pietro will put you on ice if the old man orders it. Because in the end, it's not about you or me or even Father. It's about the family and we all do what we need to do for the family."
"You're just sayin' this shit to scare me."
"No, I'm not. Bones is my best friend. You know we've been tight since grade school. He's always had my back... shit, he's like a brother. But if Father were to put out a hit on me, Bones would have to take it. If he didn't, Father would take me out anyway, and then send someone after Bones next. You get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, but come on, Angel. This is bullshit. I like her, I should get to be with her."
"You also got a fuckin' job, dipshit. Had you shown up to work and done what you're supposed to be doing, Father probably would have let this slide. At least for a little while. But what you're doin' is just showin' him how immature you still are."
"Come on, Angel. Haven't you ever dated someone the old man didn't want you to?"
I laughed, suddenly feeling manic. "Yeah, I have. She's our next stop, in fact. Father wants me to bring her to him for questioning, so that's where Bones and I are headed. Now give me your wallet."
He hesitated.
Bones leaned forward. "Don't make me take it from you, Dante."
My brother looked from me to Bones before ripping it out of his back pocket and handing it over. He had no credit cards, none of us did, but I took all his cash and stuffed it into my pocket.
"What the fuck, Angel?"
"You don't get a free pass because you're a son, Dante. Your blood got you the courtesy of this conversation. No more. You want money, get your ass out there and hustle like you're supposed to and quit acting like a lazy, privileged pussy-whipped little bitch."
I handed him back his wallet and he stuck it back in his pocket.
"You won't get any more warnings, Dante. Father said next time he'll take your car. Believe that."
I released him, and he turned to climb out of the Hummer.
"Wait." I grabbed his shoulder, remembering the bomb I'd found under my Hummer. If Dante wasn't being careful, I wouldn't need to take his car. "Be sure to use the scanner Father gave you. I found a bomb under the Hummer today."
His eyes grew round. "No shit?"
"Yeah. I don't know what's going on, but Father thinks some serious shit's about to go down. We need to be prepared. Now go handle your business with the broad. I'll see you at Sunday dinner."
Head down, Dante lumbered back to the apartment building. Bones took his place and we sat for a moment, watching the area.
"I wouldn't take the hit," Bones said, breaking the silence.
Wondering what the hell he was talking about, I raised my eyebrows.
"If the boss put out a hit on you, I wouldn't take it. I still got your back, Angel. No matter what."
The broad I was interested in could be a cop or a mole, the families were warring, and I just threatened my little brother and told him to leave his girlfriend. My world was a shitstorm, but at least I didn't have to worry about Bones's loyalty.
He held out his hand, waiting.
I tapped my fist to his, agreeing. "No matter what."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Markie
THE MOMENT ANGEL walked out, I turned off the burner and tossed my grilled cheese in the garbage, knowing there was no way I could eat now. The look on his face had destroyed me. Disgusted with circumstances and myself, I left the dishes in the sink and stumbled over to the sofa. Pulling the blanket over my head, I sobbed until my eyes were dry and my head was pounding again.
I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, the sound of loud pounding woke me up.
My headache was back down to a dull throb. Not wanting to make it worse, I stood slowly and grabbed my phone from the coffee table as I headed to the door. Expecting Ariana, I swung it open and found Angel and Bones standing on my doorstep wearing identical scowls.
The sight made my chest ache.
Why wouldn't Angel just leave me alone?
"I can't do this again," I said, backing into the apartment to shut the door.
Bones grabbed it, stopping me. "We're not here for our goddamn health, Markie, we need to talk to you."
His tone and the set of his jaw left no room for argument. Inviting them in would be the polite thing to do, but every time I let Angel in, it got harder to push him out again. Squaring my shoulders, I returned Bones's scowl.
"Okay, talk."
"Not out here." Bones pushed his way in with Angel following behind.
Irritated, but unable to physically remove them, I stepped aside and followed them to the living room. Bones sat beside me on the sofa while Angel pulled something out of his pocket, powered it up, and started walking around the room.
"What's he doing?" I asked.
"Checking for bugs."
Certain he meant
the electronic type and wondering why they thought any would be in Ariana's apartment, I asked, "Why?"
"It's clean," Angel said.
He leaned against a wall, crossing his arms as he watched me through a mask of cold indifference. The room temperature seemed to drop, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up and my pulse quicken.
"What's going on?" I asked, studying their hard expressions.
"Who are you?" Bones asked.
My mouth hung open as I tried to process what he was asking. Who am I? Shaking my head I said, "You've seen my ID. You know who I am."
His jaw tightened. "You a cop?"
"No. I currently don't have a job. You know this." I looked to Angel, but he just stood there, expression still hard and unreadable.
"But you wanted to be one. Even went to school for it," Bones said.
"How do you know that?"
Instead of answering, he asked, "Why did you drop out?"
My mind spun with memories I didn't want. Pushing them aside, I spoke through gritted teeth. "That's personal."
Bones chuckled. It sounded hollow and angry, only increasing my unease. "Here's what I think. You were recruited. Now we just need to figure out who the fuck hired you."
"Nobody hired me." His words weren't making any sense. "I haven't had a job since college."
"Yet your bank account has monthly deposits. Where's your money coming from, Markie?"
Now I definitely needed to throw up. "I can't talk about that."
"What about Adamo? He personal too?"
Having never in my life heard that name before, I blinked. "Adamo?"
Bones tugged something out of his jacket pocket and turned it over, holding it out for me to see. A photo. Me sitting in cafe beside an older man in a suit. "Yeah, Adamo."
I had no idea that was his name. Bones and Angel knew more about my life and contacts than I do. I felt so violated. My hands began to shake as I reached for the photo. "How did you get this? Have you been stalking me?" My stomach twisted in knots and if I'd had anything in it, I'm sure I would have threw it up. Angel had been sweet, wonderful, caring. I didn't expect this.
