My life used to be get laid and get paid, get paid lots and have the finest women at my beck and call.
I shed that man I used to be from the minute I set eyes on Amelia. Right there in that restaurant as she arrested Montgomery. Then, in the weeks that followed, I took the time to get to know her, and she trusted me.
I trusted her.
I had to trust myself now to get her back. To get her back in whatever form Victor would give her to me. And… I knew he wouldn’t just hand her over either.
He’d mentioned arena, and I knew the games were just starting.
It was like some damn battle to the death.
“Millicent,” Raphael breathed, dabbing his eyes with a tissue.
I nodded. “She’s the rat, Raphael, has to be. I can’t think of anyone else who it could be. It fits. She’s not here, and there’s no mention of her.”
“Yeah. I have to confess that I suspected her after those guys broke into the library. There were no tapped phone lines, no hidden crevices for anyone to hide and see Amelia put the key in the safe in the library. Amelia and I were talking about it in the garden, and it was then I gave her the key and told her the password. She said she’d put the key in the safe in the library. At that moment, we saw Millicent, but I thought she’d just come up to us. I didn’t realize she must have been there long enough to hear what we were saying.”
“Jesus, Raphael, why didn’t you tell me that before?” Once again, he’d proven to be an asshole. Had he voiced his concerns with me, his second most trusted advisor, we could have put more eyes on Millicent. We could have stopped her from coming here.
He winced and shook his head. “It’s a hard thing to accuse someone of something like that, especially when it’s a trusted friend. Luc, she’s been in this family since before Amelia was born. I took her on to help my wife when she was pregnant with Amelia. She’s looked after Amelia ever since. It was her who came and alerted me to my wife’s affair with Tag. Why would I think she would betray me like this?” He shook his head again and wiped more tears away. “There’s no way that I could conceive that someone like her could betray me, not like this. So many have died because of her hand in this. Helping them.”
“Why do you think she did it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve sat here going over the whole thing in my mind. I knew it had to be her because of tonight. If you guys had been here, they wouldn’t have come. You, Claudius, The Four, Saul. God, even if Marcus had been here, they wouldn’t have set foot on the premises.”
Pa was at home. Claudius had called him on the way here. As far as I knew, he was on his way.
“They knew we weren’t going to be here, and the only way they knew that was by someone telling them,” I filled in.
Raphael nodded.
The idea was to take the best, and if we got Victor and a chance to get Gigi back, we’d take it, but to do that we needed the best. That damned Victor must have known we’d retaliate after that last phone call. He knew this would happen. He knew I would go after him. He knew I would fail.
We’d played right into his trap.
“Someone told them, and I realized the only someone that could have been was Millicent. The sick thing is that I was here when all this shit was happening, and I couldn’t do anything. I was asleep in my bed; my meds knock me out when I take them. Millicent usually brings me up a glass of juice before she leaves. I woke up thirsty and decided to go downstairs to get some water. That was when I saw the bloodbath. When I went to check on Amelia, she was gone. They took her right from underneath my nose. When I pieced it together, I abandoned all that shit about long-term family friends, and fucking shit. I knew, I knew it had to be her. It was all too nicely played for it not to be. Specific.”
At least we could agree on something.
“Victor wants the diamonds, Raphael.”
“In exchange for Amelia?” He looked hopeful.
“He didn’t mention anything about an exchange.”
Raphael bit the inside of his lip. “He just wants you to get the diamonds. Then what?”
“Well, that’s the part I need to work on. I won’t give him anything until he gives me Amelia and Gigi.”
“It won’t work that way.”
“I know, Raphael, but right now, you’re going to give me the details I need to get the diamonds.” I was past showing respect. It was time to start demanding.
“Of course, of course, I will give it to you.”
“Raphael, I don’t know how this is going to play out, but we need help.”
I’d thought of that on the way here too. This was bigger than us. We couldn’t find Victor or Tag. They had the assistance of the worst people I knew, and that made them one step ahead of us.
“I’ll call in resources. I’ll get everyone I know.”
“While I’m gone, I need you to work on finding out where the fuck they are. I can’t sit here and wait for Victor’s call. It will be too late then. It will be far too late, and God knows what he’ll do to Amelia. It might already be too late.”
“Please don’t say that.” His eyes displayed a wealth of soul-wrenching sadness that mirrored my own.
“I have to be realistic, Raphael. I have to, which is why I’m asking for help. We can’t go to wherever he is by ourselves. We need guns. We need muscle. We need anyone you can think of who can help. Good and bad.”
He nodded. “Okay. When are you leaving?”
“A few hours, so I can get to the facility when it opens.” Rockford was about a two-hour drive from here. “Do you know opening times?”
“Nine o’clock.”
Great, I would get there for then and be ready for action.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow had to be the day this nightmare ended.
It had to be the day when I killed Victor once and for all. No more games, no more shit, no more messing with my mind and the people I loved,
Just no more.
If I made it and saved Amelia, we’d leave. Leave this life.
Put it all behind us and start fresh. We’d leave just the way she did years ago.
Claudius insisted on going to Rockford with me.
I refused his offer because I wanted time to think, but when I got to the facility, that seventh sense of mine kicked in.
Felt like we were being watched.
Amazing how I could always sense trouble. Trouble at its fullest and finest.
But I was stupid to think that Victor or Tag would just allow me to get the diamonds and wait to be told what to do next.
Claudius and I were checked before we were allowed inside the facility. We handed over our guns. Unknown to the guards, however, was that we each carried pocket knives that looked like a key holder.
And we had our fists.
We were led to the vault by a large bald man with a scar on his face. Didn’t exactly look like a guard for a place like this that housed antique paintings and family heirlooms. As far as I knew, there wasn’t money as such kept here, but there were gold bars and diamonds.
Claudius and I had exchanged glances when the guard first approached us. The look in Claudius’ expression told me he was thinking the same as me. That we needed to be ready as hell for an ambush once we got our hands on the diamonds.
The guard stayed outside the vault when we went in.
“Luc, I hear footsteps,” Claudius muttered under his breath.
There was shuffling just outside the vault door.
“Me too.” I typed the password into the keypad on the panel outside the glass case, and it opened. The case opened first, then another layer opened, revealing a little silver box. It was the same size as a jewelry box. I’d imagined it to be bigger, but I guess it would be the contents inside that would make up the volume. I grabbed it, snapped it open, and widened my eyes.
I’d heard about these diamonds. Imagined that they would be what royalty of olden days used to wear, and not just any old royal either. These diamonds were very rare, and their value was alway
s prevalent.
The box was full. I knew I held a few billion in my hands. All this trouble for these little things.
Claudius looked at them too. “Jesus Christ, I could only dream of the wealth contained in this box.” He chuckled and tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear.
“Who wouldn’t?” came a voice from behind us.
It was the guard, and he had company. Three tough guys had joined him.
I snapped the box shut and placed it inside my pocket.
“Can I help you with something?” I asked in a cool, even tone, rocking back on my heels like I didn’t have a care in the world.
“The diamonds, please.” The guard put out his hand. The other guys walked up to us. Claudius started laughing.
“Really, you think you can take us?” Claudius challenged.
That was when more men walked into the room. Ten of them.
Fuck, we were fucking outnumbered, but no way in hell was I going to let this end here. These fuckers would get theirs.
I sprang into action when one of them fired at me and two rushed at me. I landed a kick in one guy’s throat, snapping his neck. The other I gave an uppercut and grabbed for a headbutt that smashed his nose in and cracked his teeth.
Several men rushed Claudius, but my brother held his own and fought like a demon.
We worked our way through eight of them in a mass of punches, kicks, and finally, I grabbed a gun and was able to kill the guard.
But fuck, more guys came in. Like the plague. One fired a shotgun that split the bullets out in several directions. I almost got hit, and Claudius pushed me out of the way.
We both dove behind the stand that had held the diamonds to take cover.
“We need to get out of here. Just focus on retreat,” Claudius cried.
When we stood up, more guys were in the room. Another ten of them.
I didn’t know if we were going to make it. I couldn’t let them take me. A really tall ex-military-looking guy rushed me, and I kicked out at him, but he whipped out a kick to me too, throwing me off balance. I fell, and he grabbed me. I sent a knee to his balls, but it did nothing. Claudius was fighting, giving his best, but there were too many of them.
The hulk of a guy holding me pulled out a gun and held it to my head.
He laughed. “Lucian Morientz, people will remember me for killing you.” He pulled the trigger.
That click-clack sound pierced through me because I thought this was my last moment.
Amelia
I love you…
My last thoughts. I’d love her with my last breath. It was like slow motion. I was sure I saw him release the trigger, but his hand blew up. Something pierced his hand, and blood spurted all over my face.
I fell to the ground and looked ahead in disbelief as I saw Maurice come in guns blazing. Beside him were Sinclaire and a guy I only knew by picture to be Max. Max, Amelia’s old partner back in LA.
Holy fucking hell.
They came in like vengeful gods firing shots. Shooting until all the goons were dead.
Chapter 12
Luc
Sinclaire walked up to me as I stood and landed a fist straight in my face. He would have done it again if Max hadn’t held him back. Maurice just shook his head.
“Fucking asshole,” Sinclaire cried, looking at me with death-filled eyes.
I didn’t say anything or retaliate because he was probably right to do that. In his book, I’d stolen his girl and put her right in the arms of danger.
“Cool off, man,” Max told him. “The last thing we want is to get in trouble here. More trouble. The kind that could get you benched from the precinct.”
“Cops, Maurice?” Claudius asked with narrowed eyes and a deep scowl. He hated cops worse than me.
“They’re not just cops; they’re Amelia’s friends.” Maurice was right, and these were possibly the help I needed. They loved her and had her back. They may hate me, but they loved her.
Having them here gave me hope.
“Still cops.”
“Cops that came to your rescue, asshole,” Max retorted. He looked to me, and a lock of his dark hair fell over his eye. “Where is she, Luc?”
“Taken,” I replied, looking at Maurice, whose shoulders fell on hearing that.
“We’ll get her back,” Maurice said, sounding positive. I had to admire him for it.
“Taken!” Sinclaire cried now looking feral. “You! This is your fault, you fucking gangster. All you did was mess everything up. Why couldn’t you just leave her alone?”
“I don’t have time for this, Sinclaire. I need to focus on getting her back. We can argue all you want then. Not now.”
“She called me and gave the code. I knew she was in trouble.”
I didn’t know she’d done that. I’d heard her speaking to him, but I didn’t know anything about a code.
“What code?”
“Golden eagle riding a horse. It means I’m going through deep shit, but I’m dealing with it.”
“You came based on that?”
“Of course I came. I had my bags packed and got Max back when I heard about the shootout at Amelia’s place.”
“Then I got involved and asked them to come,” Maurice said with a nod.
Didn’t matter how they got here. They were here, and they’d saved our asses.
I looked from Sinclaire to Max. “Help me get her back.” Maybe it was the way I said it, but it seemed to throw Sinclaire.
The last time I saw Sinclaire, I practically had my hands around his throat.
Now, I’d take help wherever it came from. Anything to get Amelia back.
“If anything happens to her, I’ll kill you.” He pointed at me.
Claudius tensed.
All I did was look at him, then proceed to walk through the door.
He didn’t know that if anything did happen to Amelia, I wouldn’t want to go on living.
When we got back to Raphael’s place, there was a rather interesting woman waiting for us inside.
She was an addition to the team that had come from LA. Her name was Cora, and she was a high-tech hacker. Max explained that the LAPD had used her for a number of special secret projects.
At first, I didn’t think much of her because she had purple hair and seemed more at home in a cyber bar at college, but she surely put me in my place from the minute she opened her mouth.
Apparently, she thought she could track Victor’s location from the number that was on Amelia’s phone. The number he’d sent the text message from with Gigi’s picture. Thankfully, Amelia’s phone was still in her purse and hadn’t been taken with her.
I tried to tell Cora that we’d already tried to locate him this way, but she was still of the belief that she could do it.
It gave me some hope. Hope I hadn’t felt since this whole nightmare took off.
We all sat in the living room, and tension was thick in the air, to say the least.
Cora sat near the coffee table with a laptop in front of her. Sinclaire and Max stood side by side behind her. I sat opposite her with Maurice and Saul. At least we were near them.
On the other side of the room were Raphael, Pa, Claudius, and The Four. They kept to themselves, and the looks they cast this side was enough to kill.
Cops and mobsters. Cops, mobsters, and one tech hacker.
Maurice had brought him and Max up to speed with what was going and who Amelia really was.
Neither of them had asked me about it. While Sinclaire was very vocal, I noticed Max said very little. I’d never spoken to the guy, and knowing him for the hour or so I’d known him, I didn’t know what to make of him except that he didn’t like our kind. I guess I had to understand since Raphael had threatened him to take his family and uproot to Florida to make room for me to slip in as Amelia’s fake partner.
I’d become a cop, a thing I hated most. Back then. My tolerance had grown substantially over the last few months.
“I think this should work,”
Cora announced. She glanced at me and looked away instantly. Her skin flushed, and she looked uncomfortable.
I didn’t mean to look the way I did with the harsh expression on my face. And quite frankly, I didn’t care how I looked. My concern was whether or not she could help.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“More than you,” Sinclaire muttered under his breath.
Fucking asshole was working my last nerve. He kept dropping remarks like that the whole time. Like this was all my fault.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I looked him straight in the eye, and the fool looked back at me. It didn’t help that he was standing and I was sitting down. It made it look like he had the upper hand over me. Authority.
“Go figure.” He smirked.
I glanced at Claudius, who leaned forward with a grin on his face. It wasn’t a grin of amusement; it was the expression he wore right before a fight.
Of the two of us, I was considered the more even-tempered brother. Claudius wouldn’t stand for this shit.
“Go figure?” Claudius challenged. His voice reverberated across the walls.
Sinclaire looked at him. I felt jealous of the wary look that washed over him, because he seemed to be more afraid of Claudius than me.
Saul started laughing.
“This is real interesting,” Saul commented. “Cops and mobsters. It’s like a game.”
“Can we just keep quiet, so Cora can focus?” I offered.
Again, she looked at me, nervously, but she faced me.
“I’m screwing with their firewalls.”
“They have firewalls on a phone number?” Never heard of anyone doing that.
“Yeah, big time. They hired the best to do this. It basically stops any trace from being made on them. Very clever.”
“This is what you call resourceful,” Sinclaire intoned, still with that taunting.
“We have resources too,” I informed him.
“Looks like they did fuck all to me.”
“Right, you know what, Sinclaire, you can go fuck yourself.” I’d had enough, and this pissing contest was breaking my cool.
“Easy, guys.” Max put out his hands to both of us.
Mafia Love (The Accidental Mafia Queen Book 3) Page 10
