by Jane Henry
He pushed his plate away from him, and drew his coffee mug closer, nearly hunching over it. “So, Stella and Luis were dating, like I said. Her family fucking hated him, mostly for being Hispanic, or so Luis thought.” His eyes flickered to Walker, who grimaced. I guessed he’d encountered bigoted bullshit like that more than once.
“Could also have been because Luis’ parents ran a bodega in Queens, and as you know, the Bianchis only like to associate with the richest assholes they can find.” Ethan shrugged. “In any case, there was no love lost.”
“Stella must’ve been fucking hot, if mi hermano put up with that shit,” Walker said, shaking his head angrily.
“She’s very good looking,” Xavier confirmed. “Very.”
I looked at Sabrina, who appeared as startled as I was. From anyone else, that might have been a tepid endorsement, but from Xavier, it was tantamount to him jumping up on a couch and proclaiming his devotion.
“What happened?” Walker demanded. “Thinking with his dick was stupid, but not exactly a crime in New York State.”
“Thank God for that,” Anson remarked, pulling Sabrina against him. She batted his chest lightly with her palm.
“He and Stella went to a seedy little bar in Vinegar Hill one night,” Ethan said. He gave Anson a significant look.
“Silver?” Sabrina guessed, eyes wide and excited.
“He can’t recall the name,” Ethan cautioned, even as he nodded. “But the description he gave fits perfectly with what we know about the bar.”
“Did he know anything about my mom?” Anson demanded. “Shit. Does he remember seeing her?”
“No,” Ethan said gently. “No, man. He didn’t say anything about your mom. They didn’t exactly hang out there, given Luis’ relationship with her family. But they went one night because Stella and Luis were planning on leaving town, and Stella said Carmen owed her some money.”
“Carmen? The Carmen Bianchi Luis was convicted of raping?” I demanded.
“The very same.”
Caelan frowned. “Thought you said this wasn’t the love affair of the century. Why were they running away together?”
“Because Luis’ dad died, and his mom was struggling to keep the bodega open on her own. Luis wanted to get a job somewhere else, so he could send money back. Stella just wanted to disappear from her family.” Ethan paused. “Or so she said.”
He took a sip of coffee, then stared into the black liquid. “When they went to Silver that night, though, everything changed. Stella’s cousins were guarding the back room, and they didn’t stop her when she dragged Luis back there to meet Carmen. Stella said she didn’t care who was partying back there, she wanted what she was owed. But what they walked in on wasn’t a party.” He looked up, his glance making a circuit of the table before landing on me. “It was an execution.”
I bit my lip and pushed my own plate away. The food was delicious, but I couldn’t stomach it now, not after listening to this tale. I put a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “Go on,” I urged, but Ethan shook his head.
“Luis doesn’t know many details. Some guy the Bianchis had hired to put together an online scam had ended up stealing money from them. Skimming from their accounts, maybe.”
Walker frowned. “When was this, again?”
“Four years ago,” Ethan repeated. “Maybe a little longer. Why?”
Walker shook his head. “Never mind for now. Go on.”
“Well, Luis freaked. I mean, there was blood all over the place. He tried to play it cool, of course, but he said he could see from Carmen’s face that she wasn’t buying it. Carmen, meanwhile, freaked out at Stella. And Stella vomited on the floor. It was a nightmare.”
“Stella freaked out too?” Sabrina asked. “Thought she might be used to scenes like that, growing up with a family of mobsters.”
“Guess not,” Ethan said. “I mean, it sounded like they tried to keep Stella away from all that. She was a society princess, not a killer.” He shrugged again. “I have no fucking clue, kiddo. You’d have to ask her.”
Sabrina nodded, looking troubled.
“They kept him and Stella there until the next morning. Put the fear of God into both of them. Stella was practically bargaining her soul away to keep them from killing Luis just to shut him up.”
Walker snorted. “Too little, too fucking late. Jesus.”
“At least she didn’t hang him out to dry,” Caelan noted, still chewing his French toast thoughtfully. “She stuck up for him.”
“Well, kinda,” Ethan said. “See, after they left, Luis wasn’t feeling the love at all. Not toward Stella, and sure as fuck not toward her family.”
“Fair,” Xavier said. “I don’t know that I would have trusted any of them.”
“Right. So he did what any law-abiding citizen would do. He went to the police.”
“Aw, fuck,” Anson said. Walker winced. Caelan shook his head. Even Xavier pursed his lips regretfully.
“What?” Sabrina demanded. “What’s wrong with that?”
“What’s wrong is that the Bianchis, like most criminal organizations, have cops on their payroll,” I said sadly.
Ethan’s arm came around my shoulders once again. “Exactly. Most cops aren’t bribable—and believe me, I know this for a fact—but there are a few who get tired of living hand-to-mouth on a civil servant’s salary, and still more who can be blackmailed or coerced into doing things. Once you’ve worked for a criminal just once, you’re in their pocket for life.” He shook his head bleakly.
I sighed. This was the part of Ethan’s past I hated—hated hearing about it and hated that he had to relive it.
“Anyway,” he said, shaking off his despondency. “Grab your computer, Walk. I’ve also got the name of the detective Luis spoke to, and we definitely need to look that up.”
“Fuck yeah,” Walker said, popping up from the table and striding out the kitchen door. He returned a moment later with his tablet in hand. “Shoot.”
“Detective Wyatt Porter,” Ethan said grimly, and Walker began typing. “Took down all of Luis’s information, told Luis he could protect him—hide him—until the trial. He and Luis set up a meeting, all cloak and dagger, back at Silver so Porter could nab the Bianchis red-handed.”
“The poor fucker,” Anson said, and Caelan nodded.
“Exactly,” Ethan agreed. “So, obviously, he goes in and the Bianchis are already waiting for him. On the spot, Carmen swears out a statement that Luis physically and sexually assaulted her, and the next thing he knows, Luis is the one in handcuffs, being led away.”
“Jesus,” Walker breathed, looking up from the tablet. “And Stella, what? Watched it happen?”
“She wasn’t there. But later, she testified in court that he’d confessed his crime to her.”
“You are fucking kidding me,” Walker said. “That traitorous bitch!”
“But I’m confused,” Caelan interjected, holding up a hand. “Why didn’t they kill Luis? I mean, we’re all glad that didn’t happen, of course, but… why frame him for something and put him in prison? Why keep him alive at all, when he could start talking at any time?”
“Well, two things. First, he couldn’t talk.” Ethan shook his head. “Remember that mother I mentioned, who owns the bodega?”
“Motherfucker,” Anson said.
“Uh huh. And as to why they didn’t kill him…” Ethan rubbed the back of his neck with the hand not wrapped around me. “Luis heard down the line that Stella negotiated this deal for him. She testified against him, got him put away, and came back into the family fold—no more talking about running away, no more dating men her brother didn’t approve of. And in exchange, Luis got sent away, but lived to tell the tale.”
Walker snorted. “Some bargain.”
“I dunno,” Anson shrugged. “Seems decent to me.”
“Might seem decent to anyone who hasn’t spent time in a cage,” Caelan said solemnly. “I don’t know if I’d consider it a good deal, myself.”
“That they were doing someone a favor? Yeah,” I agreed. “I mean, where there’s life there’s hope. If Luis had died, we wouldn’t be hearing this now. I think it was a decent bargain.”
“And not necessarily easy on her part,” Xavier said thoughtfully. “To have to live on someone else’s sufferance is a kind of cage, too, isn’t it? Especially when that someone is Alberto Bianchi?”
“Spare me,” Walker retorted. “Poor little rich girl has to do what big brother wants. Boo hoo.” His tablet beeped, and he paused for a second. “Got him! Detective Wyatt Porter. Let’s see… from Cherry Township, New Jersey… age forty… tall, blonde, built like Caelan, if C-man were into performance enhancing drugs.”
Caelan shook his head, but Anson laughed softly.
“Oh, look. Lovely brownstone in Harlem.” Walker looked around the table. “That’s a chunk of change.”
“Depends how gentrified the neighborhood is,” Caelan allowed. “But yes, for a man living alone that’s quite a coup.”
Walker gave Caelan a fond look. “You know this dude’s on the take, and you still wanna give him the benefit of the doubt. You’re a funny guy, Caelan.”
“Just because a person is guilty of a crime, doesn’t mean that they’re a terrible human. Some are, maybe. But I think all of us know better than to see things like this in black and white.”
Caelan winked at me, and I burrowed more deeply into Ethan’s side. He was absolutely right. Ethan had grown up in a life where hustling was normal and expected behavior, and conning people successfully felt like winning. He’d never had any reason to challenge that assumption, until he’d met me. And I couldn’t judge him too harshly for the things he’d done before that.
“Anyway,” Walker said, typing again, “I’m gonna run this guy’s financials. If he spends too much money on gum and powdered donuts, I’m gonna know it. In the meantime, I can tell you which precinct he works out of. And… huh. He used to be in cyber-crimes but is now in sex-crimes.” He looked up. “You don’t know any more details on the guy who was killed at Silver, Ethan?”
Ethan shook his head, leaning back in his chair. “Sorry, no. You seeing a connection?”
“Could be nothing.” Walker frowned. “This detective is connected to the Bianchis, right? The guy Luis saw murdered was involved in some online scheme, and the detective used to work in cyber-crimes. It’s a lot of circumstantial stuff, but it’s making me think. You know my friend LC is dead. That’s, uh… that’s why I’m here.” He raised a hand, indicating the Masters’ apartment, his tie to the group. “It was a suicide. Self-inflicted gunshot wound. LC had PTSD after his tour, so it sucked but it… fit, I guess? I never got how it was connected to the rest of you, the people you’d lost.”
Caelan’s eyes narrowed. “And now you think it might be?”
“No clue. I mean, LC was not the only hacker on the planet, but…”
“But sometimes you just get a feeling,” I interrupted, remembering how I’d felt the first day I’d arrive at this penthouse. “Sometimes you just know.”
Walker nodded. “Exactly, yeah.”
“Follow it up,” Xavier instructed. “If Ethan says Luis doesn’t have any more information on the man who was killed, maybe you can look through Detective Porter’s records. Maybe check out the cases he closed. Or maybe we can ask Ms. Bianchi herself.”
Walker scowled. “You’re seriously going to contact her? Dude, with what we’ve found out already, I can hack the system and get at least grounds for a mistrial for Pederson and exonerate Luis. They can’t have physical evidence, since he didn’t do it.”
“I’m with you,” Ethan said. “I wanna bust his ass out of that place today.” He was vibrating with tension beside me, and I laid a comforting hand on his thigh.
“Of course we should talk to her,” Xavier said, tugging down the cuff of his Oxford shirt. “Luis indicated that she could confirm all of this information he provided, and I think we’d be fools not to see what else she knows.”
“Plus, you know, not to talk shit about Luis,” Caelan interrupted, giving Ethan an apologetic glance, “but I’ve been in prison, man. Everybody and their brother has got a sob story. A little independent confirmation before we go around hacking law enforcement systems and getting convicted felons out of prison would go a long way toward helping me sleep at night. You know?”
Ethan nodded once, tightly. I got the sense that if anyone else had made the suggestion, he would have balked, but Caelan’s words weren’t taken lightly.
“It’s settled then,” Xavier said. “I’ll call Bianchi and set up the date.”
“You have Stella’s number?” I asked.
“No, I have her brother’s number,” he corrected. “I’m pretty sure that’s how this game is played. I’ll need to ask her brother for permission before I take her out.”
Walker made a disgusted noise. “Pampered princesses need to be protected, after all.”
Sabrina and I swapped pitying glances. The guys might not get it, but the situation sounded less like her being protected and more like her being contained. It was every bit as much of a prison as what Caelan had lived through, and Ethan too. Except Stella had no end date for her sentence, no hope of ever tasting freedom again.
“I want to be there when you talk to her,” Ethan said. “When you bring her back here.”
“A con-man assistant who already knows Ms. Bianchi? No. She’d run a mile.” Xavier pushed himself to his feet, and I was wildly glad for one brief second that he wasn’t in favor of Ethan’s participation. I wanted Ethan out of this as much as possible.
“I know all the players in this game,” Ethan argued. “I’ll let you take the lead, but I want to be involved.”
“Not necessary,” Xavier said, waving a dismissive hand. “After I talk to Alberto and make arrangements, Walker will come with me as my driver and provide protection. He can also jam the signal on any tracking devices Ms. Bianchi might have on her person.” He gave Walker a significant glance, and Walker nodded.
“I’ll source the equipment we need,” he confirmed.
“Good.” Xavier looked at Ethan again. “Alberto Bianchi doesn’t know that I see him as anything but a prosperous businessman, and neither does his sister. Once I get her out of their house and into our car, I’ll plan to bring her back here and have a friendly conversation. I’ll let you know if you’re needed.”
Xavier began to walk toward the kitchen door, but Ethan stopped him with a restraining hand on his forearm. “I’m serious, X. Don’t cut me out on this one,” he said solemnly. “I need to see this through. For Eli. For myself.”
Xavier hesitated, staring into Ethan’s eyes before flicking a glance at me. I’m not sure what was on my face, but it seemed to decide the matter for him. “Fine,” he said. “Alright. I’ll let you know how my conversation goes and when I can arrange a time to take Ms. Bianchi out.”
Ethan nodded and let go. He took a deep breath and turned to me, as the others got up and began clearing the table, like Xavier’s departure had been a silent signal that the meal was over. “I know you probably don’t get why I need to be involved…”
“You’re wrong,” I told him. “I do get it. I wish it were different, but I get it. You have a job to do, and someone is counting on you. It’s the same reason I’m going to keep representing Max Pederson, even though it’s dangerous.”
I’d actually been anticipating this conversation since witnessing Ethan’s possessive, dominant display yesterday at the prison, and again last night. There were many, many ways in which I would yield to Ethan—and enjoy the fuck out of doing so—but this wasn’t one.
His eyes narrowed. “And if I forbid it?”
I swallowed, glancing around and making sure that no one was taking notice of us, before
looking deep into those summer blue eyes. “You wouldn’t,” I said with utter confidence. “Because you want me to be happy, and you know that I can’t be locked in a cage any more than you can.”
He sighed. “If you take a single unnecessary risk…”
“I know,” I said seriously, though I’m pretty sure my eyes were sparking with the memory of the demonstration he’d given me last night. “I know exactly what you’ll do.”
“I think I’ll feel better if I remind you,” he said, leaning over to nip at the junction of my shoulder and neck. He breathed the words into my skin. “In fact, I think we both will.”
I tried to hide my smile with a stern frown. “I thought you wanted me to rest today?” I reminded him. “Recuperate.”
“Absolutely,” he whispered. “In fact, my plan is to get you into our bed, and if you so much as move a muscle, I’ll spank you.”
“And do you plan to be in the bed with me?” I demanded. I could just imagine those roving hands, that dangerous mouth, making it nearly impossible for me to keep still and then exacting a punishment when I failed to comply. The man was fucking devious, and I loved it.
So I wasn’t prepared when he dropped his teasing tone entirely and fixed his gaze on mine. “Haven,” he said softly. “From now on wherever you are is where I plan to be.”
Eight
The pounding of steamy water drowned out any noises the others would hear, the door to my bathroom shut tight, and beyond it, the bedroom. Xavier and Walker were getting ready to leave for Xavier’s date with Stella, and I was making good on my promise to remind Haven she was mine. Hell, I needed it as much as she did.
I stood in my boxers, arms crossed on my chest, and Haven stood in front of me, her wide eyes half-lidded, her lower lip caught between her teeth. Her gaze wandered to the vanity, where my belt lay curled, the buckle dangling.
“Clothes off.” My voice came out huskier than I’d expected, my hands eager to mark her as mine. We’d spent the past two days together, as Xavier arranged his date with Stella—who, thankfully, had agreed to meet him tonight—and they were leaving in an hour. Before I left, I’d make sure she knew who she belonged to, so when she sat in the living room, running interference back at the penthouse with Anson and Caelan, she’d feel the reminder on her ass when she sat down.
