by Ali Parker
It was tough love, but love nevertheless.
"They shot him. Marco held him while he died." Joe tilted his chin back down and ran his hand down his face. "Edward called me in a panic... looking for you."
"Fuck." I turned my back to Joe and cupped my hands over my face, forcing a silent scream to be my only reaction. I'd messed up far worse than ever before. Never had anyone died on my watch. Never.
"But here's the part that I want to understand, and you're going to figure it out for me. Now."
I turned and nodded. "Anything to make this up to-"
"You can't make this up. You fucked up. A family member died because pussy was more important than duty to you." He growled softly. "Why did the Kallups leave Marco and Edward alive? There were only two of them and you know as well as I do that the Kallups run in six or seven members at all times. They walked away from the warehouse, D. Why?"
His words tore me apart. He was right though. The one thing I never wanted to happen had happened on my first fuck up. I'd chosen Izzy over my duty as the leader of the syndicate, and because of it, we lost Joe's youngest son.
"I'll find out."
He moved toward me, patting my chest hard and causing me to flinch. "Do, and set up something with Adam Cooper for next week after the funeral. If that little fucker is involved in this, I'm going to skin him alive, and you're going to help me. Understood?"
"Of course, Don Castaletta." I stood there, shock and horror racing around my insides. I'd fucked up far worse than I thought.
"Oh, and D."
I turned at the sound of Joe's voice, his humanity tucked behind a mask of indifference. "Don't rule Izabella out. We have a rat in our house, and just as likely as it could be you... it could be her as well. That pretty smile and fierce personality will hide a lot. Believe me, her mother did a few things I never thought her capable of."
"Joe. Seriously." I crossed my arms over my chest. "There's no way in hell that Izzy would do anything against you. Against me. Never. Ever."
He chuckled and shook his head. "Distance yourself from her and look at what I'm telling you. Do it without question, or I'll send the one person after you that you would never expect to show up with a loaded gun. Go to the Kallup warehouse and burn the place down. Call Edward for directions. Now."
I stood there, understanding quite well what he was promising. Izabella was our enforcer, and if we'd been forced to send her after Freddy, she'd have gone. If Joe sent her after me...
The thought of her taking my life left me cold. I'd promised myself years before to turn my back on a future with her and become the center of the Castaletta family so that it would be fully protected from all angles.
So that I could protect her.
*
"D, man... I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't-" Edward sat in the car next to me, his mouth running like it always was.
I lifted my hand and growled. "Shut the fuck up about it. You don't know shit about where I was or what I was up to. It's none of your goddamn business."
He nodded and fidgeted with his seatbelt, the preppy bastard, Izabella's oldest friend from childhood. He didn't fit into the syndicate, and yet between Izzy and Joe, the little uppity bastard had a spot helping with real estate and IT. He was handy at times, and where I hated to admit it, he'd done a great job with the Kallup situation. Especially seeing that he was inexperienced and basically alone. My cousin Daniel had been helping out, but being an arms dealer, he wasn't prepared for investigative type work.
What the fuck was Joe thinking? Sending these two?
"Where are we headed to? Tell me what the fuck happened while we go!" I barked at him, hating him far more than I should.
Joe pulled me back from Bella the minute I moved toward her, which left me with no choice. We were done before we even got started, and that meant one thing.
She'd be back in Edward's arms, seeking comfort that I wasn't allowed to give her. My stomach churned at the thought.
"Turn left up here and the warehouse is in the distance near the water." Edward lifted his hand, coughing into his fist. "Audrey is back at the house with Madam Giselle. She's a trooper and far tougher than I gave her credit for. I think-"
"Stop talking." I glanced sideways at him. "Freddy is dead and it's my fucking fault. I don't want to chat about anything right now, and even if I did, it wouldn't be with your preppy ass."
"Alright. Shit." He lifted his hands and let out an exasperated sigh.
"Tell me what happened and give me the short version. No dramatization." I reached up and turned the heater on as I tried to shake off the need for sleep. It would be four in the morning soon and my body was screaming for sex and sleep. I hadn't had nearly enough of either lately.
Fucking Izzy left me yearning for a lot more than one night. Tough shit. Never again. I would be the bad guy, once again. She'd think I was running from us and double down on stabbing me in the heart each chance she got. Awesome.
"Thomas Kallup picked up Audrey after requesting her and we thought everything was fine. She had on a wire and we were just a little ways behind her. All of a sudden, she's screaming and the wire is gone. We followed the tracker and-"
"We who?"
"Me and Marco. He was there with me."
"Where was Daniel?"
"He was busy, so Marco came with me. I don't know the details of why. I just got in the car with Marco and we raced out to follow the tracker in Audrey's stomach." He brushed his hand down his face and shifted in the seat. He was nervous. Out of his league. A guy like him could never keep Izzy happy. It wasn't possible. He was a tool, a toy. Some part of me was thrilled with the idea of her using him, but a large part ached over it. I'd rather be used by her than never feel her touch again, never experience her hunger.
"Listen, tomorrow talk with Marcus Blaine about adding Audrey to his team in narcotics. The girl deserves something for picking a fight with our number one enemy and going to bat for us."
"You sure?"
"I said it, right?"
"Yeah, sorry." He paled, which almost had me excited. I wanted the fucker to know who was boss, who ran the roost, who could fuck him up with nothing more than a flick of my finger. It was sick, and yet it was me. "Keep going. Pick up the pace." I pulled up to the warehouse and leaned forward, grabbing the pistol I had tucked under my seat.
"We rushed in and there were guys with guns everywhere. I shot a few and got Audrey out. She was smacked in the head, but nothing too bad. I ran back toward the warehouse and found a few more bodies lying around and followed the sound of Marco crying."
"He was crying?" That gave me pause.
"Wailing. He was holding Freddy in his arms as the kid bled out. It was-" Edward's voice broke and he reached for the door, getting out and leaving me in the silence of the car.
It was my fault. Whatever emotion swallowed Marco and left him a broken man once again... it was my fucking fault.
It always was.
Chapter 3
Audrey
"You sure you're going to be okay?" Madam Giselle stood at the bathroom door, a dark red towel in her hand, extended toward me. The tears lining her eyes told me one thing... the poor woman wasn't cut out for working with the mafia. She might have been a hooker looking to run a whore house, but belonging to the Castaletta's was going to rot her from the inside out.
"I promise I'm okay." I forced a smile, though the side of my face hurt like a bitch. Whatever I'd been clubbed with had done a mighty fine job. I couldn't remember shit after the gun shots were fired. Scary enough, I could remember everything up to that point though.
"Edward left with D a few minutes before you woke up. He should be back soon." She glanced down at her phone, as if hoping to gain a little bit of security from knowing that Eddy would be back soon. The only person that belonged less in the middle of the Castaletta's than Sandra Giselle was Edward, or Eddy as they lovingly called him.
He was a sweetheart stuck in a hole because he loved the wrong woman.
Not my problem.
"Sounds good. Thank you." I took the towel and closed the door before stripping down and turning the shower to the hottest setting it would allow. With all the other girls taking showers that morning, it was a run to the finish line to hope that the water wouldn't turn freezing before I got rinsed off.
The evening before rushed past my eyes, the conversation with Thomas Kallup so far beyond disturbing that it caused my stomach to ache.
Freddy belonged to Terrance Cooper and Vivian Castaletta. Did Joe know? Izabella? Demetri? Fuck, did Freddy know? And if he was Adam Cooper’s brother, then why were the Kallups treating him so damn bad?
The image of him cuddled up in the corner, a dirty blanket half strewn across his bloody body caused my chest to ache. I hated the Castaletta's for what they represented and who they were to my brother, Parker, but Freddy was a pawn, a messed up kid at best. He was just born into the wrong family.
Questions raced through my mind, and the need to tell someone overwhelmed me, but who? I couldn't tell Mike, my partner at the FBI. I couldn't trust him, or any of those fuckers for that matter. Thomas had a rat in the FBI, or something along those lines. How did he know about my orgasms being a little out of control?
"The FBI, Julie. They don't give a shit about you, baby. You're just a casualty to them... bait really. I'm gonna enjoy this. You come like a fountain? One of the guys in the agency said you did."
Tears burned my eyes. I'd given up on relationships after my last one turned into a joke with another agent in my previous division. After that, no more lovers, no more one night stands, no more men. It was lonely and I yearned desperately for the right man to lord over me, but that day wasn't coming anytime soon.
I was on a mission. A mission I needed to stand by.
"So what if they treated Freddy like an animal. So the hell what if he's not Joe's kid. Who cares? This is none of my business. He deserved what he got. They all do." I reached up and cupped my face as a sob rose up in my throat. I was starting to undermine my own cause by victimizing them. I had a horrible habit of doing it, of falling in love with the root cause of someone turning evil. There was always a reason, and usually it had little to do with something the person could control. "Stop it."
Parker. I had to remember what they'd done to my brother. He was so enthralled with the Castalettas, wanting so fucking badly to fit in with them, and in his hopes of impressing Joe, he fucked up.
"And they murdered him." I reached out to grab the shampoo. A knock at the door surprised me a little. "What?"
"Can I come in?" Edward sounded tired, beat-up.
"Yeah. I guess." I tugged the curtain on both sides of the shower to make sure it was fully closed. Thank God Madam Giselle had gone with cream-colored curtains and not translucent ones. Not that it would have mattered. Edward was a complete gentleman by the looks of things.
I peeked out one edge of the curtain as he closed the door, his back to me. The rounding of his shoulder and tucking of his head let me know that he was upset. Horribly so.
"What's going on?" I pulled the nasty wet plastic against my chest and brushed my wet hair from my eyes.
"Audrey." He glanced over his shoulder and turned back.
"Stop being a prude and turn around. You're not going to see anything for shits sake. Jeez," I grumbled, less than pleased with the fact that he was currently my only in with the Castalettas. He needed a fucking in from what I could tell.
"Who's Julie?" Edward turned around, the handsome frat boy tucked away. "Why did Thomas keep calling you Julie? What did he mean when he asked how long you'd been studying them?"
"No clue." I shrugged, fully aware that Edward was smart enough to blow my cover, but the question was... would he? "I'm Audrey, but you know how these guys are, or maybe you don't. We let them call us whatever the fuck they want to. Could be his ex-girlfriends name, or his dead mothers. I have no clue."
Edward flinched. Good. The frat boy was still in there. Sensitive and safe. "I don't know. It seemed like he knew you."
"Well, you're misreading the situation, Eddy. He didn't know me. I've never slept with him before, and the only people I know are these girls and some of my repeat clients." I shrugged and moved back under the spray, letting the curtain fall back into place. "Thank you for saving me. I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong."
"You sure there's nothing I should know, Audrey? I feel like I'm being punked here."
Glancing up toward the water-stained ceiling, I pulled in a silent breath and rolled my eyes. Something had to give. "There is nothing you're missing, but tell me this," I poked my head back out, trying to force a soft expression on my face, "why did the Kallup's leave when you showed up? Who was with you?"
"Marco. It was me and Marco." He dropped down on the toilet and pressed his face into his hands. "D was missing in action and so was Izzy."
"And they were together?" I reached out and brushed my hand down the back of his head.
He glanced over at me. "I don't know. I guess. Who the fuck knows. I don't honestly want to know."
"Why would the Kallups leave? That's an important question."
"Who were you before you became a hooker, Audrey?" He stood up and walked toward the door, opening it and glancing back toward me. "Honestly."
"I was the daughter of a police officer in Brooklyn. He was murdered in cold blood on my birthday when I was ten. I decided then that I wanted to be surrounded by warmth and love, and sex seemed the best way to experience that." I shrugged. "Speaking of... come join me in here. You could use it."
"It?" He snorted. "Sex or are you referring to yourself as an it?"
"Sex." I let the curtain fall and half expected him to join me. I was a little disappointed when the door closed softly and I was left alone.
Not that Edward was my first choice of men to spend the night with, but it'd been too long, and I'd have been lying to myself if I said that Thomas, with his naughty words, hadn't turned me on. I enjoyed a bad boy far more than I should.
Good thing I wasn't in danger of finding one anytime soon.
*
I checked my phone once more before tossing it into my closet and slipping into bed. Mike had texted a code that meant to get in touch with him, but I wasn't sure after his parting comment to me that talking with him would do me much good.
Thomas had been clear in that the agency was using me as bait. Bait for what? I'd volunteered for the Castaletta sting operation. It was personal and I was fully committed to taking them out whatever means necessary.
The door to my bedroom opened, and Sandra poked her head in. "Hey. You okay?"
"Yeah. I was just going to try and get some sleep before this day really got started. You need something from me?" I sat up and tugged my t-shirt down, making sure I was fully covered.
"No." She let out a soft sigh and glanced behind her. "Eddy took the tapes from your trip over to the warehouse and wouldn't let me listen to them. He said it was personal and not something you would want anyone to hear. What's he talking about? Did the guy hurt you?"
I moved back and patted the bed beside me. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with anyone, and yet the older woman that cared for the girls in the whore house was quickly worming her way into my heart. She was far more of a mother figure than she might have realized.
"Thomas Kallup was the one that picked me up, and he was just vulgar." I shrugged as she walked over and sat down beside me. "Eddy is a great guy. What in the world is he doing here?"
She snorted and reached out, brushing her hand down the side of my head. "He's in love with Izabella and wherever she goes, he will be only a few steps behind her."
"And she loves him too?" I feigned ignorance.
"No." Sandra glanced down. "She's in love with Demetri, but they will never be. D won't permit it, nor will Joe. It's a good thing though. The girl needs someone who can love her and protect her alone."
"And you don't think D's capable of that? D's what everyone calls him,
right?"
"Exactly." She glanced up at me, her beauty captivating. She should have been on a stage somewhere, wooing the crowd, not slutting herself up for the next gentleman caller. "But no, Demetri isn't capable of that. He's married to the family. His number one concern is Joe, and then all of us. Izabella cannot take the place of the family in D's heart, or we would all be in trouble."
"I see." I smiled softly. "I'm new to this mafia thing, but I like it. I want to help, Sandra. What can I do?"
"I don't know, but I honestly think you've outgrown the whore house." Her smile widened. "I'll talk to Joe soon to see if there's another place that you might be able to grow into the family if you're interested."
I nodded and feigned humility. "I'd like that, but only if it won't put you out."
She snorted. "No, we're good here. We take on all the gentleman callers we can handle, and if we get too many, I'll just hire more girls. A life of loving men is far better than the lives some of us have had."
"Like you?" I took her hand in mine and let my judgements fall away.
"Yeah. Just like me." She patted my hand and stood up, stretching and let out a long yawn. "Some people look down on us, but I'd choose sex over sustaining a physical or emotional beating any day. No man is ever going to put his hands on me again in a way that is anything less than stimulating."
I nodded and pursed my lips, keeping my two cents to myself. I hated to admit it, but maybe I didn't understand everything about the world I'd immersed myself into.
Maybe there was a thing or two for me to learn and contribute.
Stop it. Here you go again... wanting to save the world no matter how dark it gets.
No, not the world.
Just Sandra. And maybe Eddy.
Chapter 4
Izabella
I laid in the bed for as long as I could manage and finally got up. Thoughts of the past and hopes for the future were making me sick to my stomach. After checking my phone and finding nothing but a short text from Marco, my brother, I got dressed and walked down the long elegant stairs that lead to the first floor of the Castaletta mansion.
