Omerta (The DeLuca Family #1)

by K. A. Ware

  “Mmm Hmm,” He mumbled into his pillow. It was early, the sun hadn’t even come up yet but I was wide awake. My mind was spinning, formulating my plan, going through the possible scenarios and outcomes.

  “Unless you think I could just call him?”

  Carlo groaned and rolled to his back, “No, the conversation needs to happen in person. Even if the phones aren’t tapped you need to be able to get a read on him in case it spooks him. Can’t risk him going to the cops.”

  “Mouse wouldn’t do that,” I stated simply.

  “Anyone is capable of anything. Just depends on the circumstance. Just because he’s your friend today doesn’t mean he couldn’t be your enemy tomorrow.”

  “Okay, so when is the shipment set to come in?” There was no use in arguing Mouse’s loyalty to Carlo. He’d been burned too many times to have complete trust in anyone, even me.

  And he’s right, you’re planning to go behind his back.

  “Two weeks, but we’ll need everyone on board before the end of the week.”

  “I’ll book a flight for Angelo and me for tonight.”

  “I need Angelo here tonight, we’re going over new security procedures for the men and I can’t postpone. You can take Enzo.”

  Shit! I couldn’t take Enzo with me. He’d never let me out of his sight and I needed to speak to Mouse alone. Angelo was my only option, he may be the head of security but he trusted me. Probably a little too much. Angelo was tough and could handle his own but I’d come to learn that he was more of a tech guy than the natural protector Enzo was.

  “Mouse has never met Enzo, having him there might spook him. Do you need Angelo tomorrow?”

  “No, that’s fine. You can book a flight for the morning and come back that evening. I don’t want to spend the night away from you.” He said slinging an arm around my middle and pulling me closer, effectively ending the conversation.

  Chapter 33

  Carlo

  The clock on the wall read 8 A.M. on the dot. Mia was probably flying over Montana right now and I was sitting in my office kicking myself for not going with her.

  She needed to do this on her own, I remind myself for the hundredth time. It was her idea and she had to execute it by herself. She didn’t need me there holding her hand, and I had plenty to do while she was gone.

  A knock at the door tore me from my internal debate.

  “Come in,” I called out.

  The door swung open and in walked a pixie of a woman dressed in ripped jeans and a superhero shirt. The buckles on her leather jacket and combat boots jingled as she stomped across the room and collapsed into one of the chairs in front of my desk. Frankie’s distain for professional attire used to grate on my nerves but I’d learned to accept her as she was. There was no use in fighting her on the subject, she knew what an asset she was and there was no way I was going to let her go just because she dressed like a teenager.

  “What do you have for me?” I said in way of greeting.

  “Hey boss man, nice to see you too,” she said as she tossed a thick file on the center of my desk.

  I pulled the file closer, inspecting the contents. Page after page of documents, receipts, maps and pictures. All of the Kashnikov’s. “You got all this in a day?” I asked, overwhelmed with the amount of information she was able to gather in such a short time.

  “What can I say? I’m the best.”

  “And modest too.”

  She simply raised an eyebrow at my comment, daring me to contradict her statement. I wouldn’t though, because she was right.

  “Give me a rundown of what you’ve found,” I said changing the subject.

  She settled back in the chair and tucked a leather clad foot underneath her before beginning. “It’s almost impossible not to leave an electronic trail nowadays and the Kashnikov boys have been busy. Ivan opened a strip club in Portland and they’ve both been staying at an upscale hotel in the downtown area. Vitaly has been flying under the radar more than his sons, I can’t pinpoint where he’s staying but I doubt it’s in the same hotel since there isn’t record of him. Previous records show that Vitaly is modest and low key, while his sons prefer to flash their money around. He’s most likely paying cash wherever he is. Their being careful not to be in the same place at the same time. The brothers are staying on different floors of the hotel and are almost never together. Boris doesn’t seem to be doing much of anything these days besides partying. His bar tabs are astronomical. I’ve included a list of places that have shown up numerous times on their credit cards, restaurants, clubs, and things like that. There’s also info on all the vehicles registered to either them or known associates. The phone records are in the back.”

  “Thank you, I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

  “Sounds good, I’ll keep an eye on them and let you know if there are any changes in their daily habits.”

  I nodded and turned my attention back to the file in front of me while Frankie let herself out.

  The information she gave me was invaluable. Now I just needed to figure out how to take them out. Mia wanted revenge, as did I, but I had to think about her safety as well. If I picked them off one by one the possibility of retribution increased tenfold and I couldn’t risk her having a target on her back. I had to find a way to get them in the same place so I could take them out simultaneously and limit the blowback.

  Chapter 34

  Mia

  I’d spent three years of college sneaking around Angelo, it was almost comical how easy it was to ditch the guy. Not that I did it often but sometimes a girl needs a little alone time.

  When we arrived in Chicago we checked into a hotel. I’d told Carlo I couldn’t find flights in and out of Chicago that would give us enough time to hash out the details with Mouse and still get us home that night. He wasn’t happy about it but he accepted my excuse without argument.

  After we’d settled into our rooms I asked Angelo to run out and get me some of the chocolate gelato I loved from this little deli across town. Since it was something I asked him to do often when we were living here he didn’t think twice before heading out. I didn’t waste any time hopping in a cab and heading over to the university.

  …

  I knocked on the dorm room door and waited, praying that he was home and not in class. I hadn’t told him I was coming. There was rustling and a thud before the door flew open.

  “Mia?”

  “Hey, Mouse,” I said with a small smile.

  He stood there, frozen in the doorway blinking at me like he couldn’t comprehend seeing me at his front door.

  “You going to let me in?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  That seemed to snap him out of his stupor, “Uh, yeah of course, come in,” he said gesturing me in.

  The room was cramped with a small twin bed shoved into one corner. Dirty clothes and books were scattered everywhere, exactly what you would expect from a college guy. The big difference between Mouse’s dorm room and most guys’ were the three giant monitors mounted to the wall in the corner with about a million cords hooked up to computer towers, modems and a bunch of other stuff that I couldn’t even begin to understand.

  Mouse walked further into the room and offered me the desk chair while he took a seat on the bed. “I heard about Gina, God I’m so sorry Mia,” he said staring at his hands.

  “Yeah me too,” I said softly.

  There was a long pause, Mouse was the first to break the silence, “Whatever you need Mia, you’ve got it. Just say the word.”

  I smiled. You couldn’t bullshit Mouse, he was way too smart. The guy had been accepted to practically every Ivy League school in the country. His IQ was off the charts even if his social skills were a little lacking.

  I heaved a sigh, “I need your help, but if you help me you have to be careful. This could be dangerous if you’re not cautious, and I can’t bear to lose another friend.”

  It was Mouse’s turn to sigh, “Gina didn’t die in a car acciden
t did she?”

  I looked down at my hands, “No.”

  “What do you need?”

  “I need you to find three people for me, but you have to do it in a way that no one will be able to trace it back to you. I think they might have gone semi-legitimate so you may have luck with public records. The thing is, I don’t know where in the country they are, and I don’t even know how to begin to search through all that information.”

  “Okay, what info do you have on them?” he asked, pulling his eyebrows together in contemplation. I could practically see the gears turning behind his brown eyes.

  I cringed, “Names and approximate age. I know it’s not a lot to go off of. The good thing is their surname is fairly unique, hopefully that will help.”

  “It won’t hurt, but with the limited information it may take me a couple days to pull anything.” He gestured for me to get up from the desk chair. Moving into the seat he pulled up several windows on the monitors and within seconds his fingers were flying over the keyboard. “Names?”

  “Vitaly, Ivan and Boris Kashnikov,” I said through gritted teeth. Even saying their names out loud made my heart race. “Vitaly should be mid to late-fifties and the other two are late twenties, Ivan possibly early thirties.”

  “These the guys that killed Gina?” he asked.

  I took a deep breath before I answered, “Yes.”

  “Let me guess, Russian mob?”

  My head snapped up, “What would make you say that?”

  He just shook his head, “I’m not stupid, Mia. Normal college girls don’t have round the clock security. He may have been discreet but I notice more than the average person. I’ve done my research, I know who your brother is.”

  I heaved a heavy sigh of relief, “Well that makes my next proposition a hell of a lot easier.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How do you feel about transferring to MIT next year?”

  He blinked at me, “I don’t understand.”

  “I know you didn’t go to MIT for your undergrad work because it was too expensive, I also know that your parents business is struggling. I have a solution.”

  I left Mouse’s dorm feeling confident. He assured me he would get whatever he could on the Kashnikov’s and that his parents would probably do just about anything at this point to keep their heads above water. Everything was falling into place, and my hands were itching for the carnage to begin.

  …

  I was met with a supremely pissed Angelo when I returned to the hotel. He was pacing in front of my bed but his head snapped up when I entered the room.

  “What the fuck, Mia?” The anger in his voice was coated in worry.

  “Calm down, I’m fine. I just had to talk to Mouse alone. I didn’t want you there intimidating him.”

  “That’s the whole point of having me here. Intimidation works. People tend not to do stupid shit like talk when the threat of physical pain is looming.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t understand. Mouse is my friend, and he’s smart enough to keep his damn mouth shut. I don’t need to force loyalty by using scare tactics.”

  Angelo shook his head in frustration. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

  “Nothing. I’m just taking an active role in the family business.”

  “That’s bullshit. I know you better than that, Mia. You’re planning something.”

  Fear of being discovered washed over me but I schooled my features and glared at him. “I’m planning my future. This is my life. I tried running away from it once and it just kept coming back at me. I can’t escape my destiny, I’ve accepted that. So instead of sitting back and letting shit happen to me I’m getting in front of it. Hopefully, next time I’ll see it coming.”

  “Mia—“ Angelo started, his tone full of pity.

  “Don’t. I don’t want to hear it. In fact, I just want to be alone. Goodnight, Angelo.”

  He stared at me for a moment before his shoulders sagged and he nodded, leaving the room. My explanation may have been meant as a diversion but it was true. I’d told Carlo the same thing. The old Mia was gone, that was a fact. What terrified me was that I didn’t know who I’d be when I’d finally tasted my revenge. When there was no more anger to drive me forward. When the empty hole in my heart returned and the only thing left were memories stained with sadness and despair.

  Chapter 35

  Carlo

  There was something wrong with Mia. It’d been two days since her trip to Chicago and something felt off. She’d been on the phone with Mouse quite often in the past few days, saying she was finalizing plans for the transport but I wasn’t buying it. Angelo had said she’d snuck off to see Mouse alone. I knew with complete certainty that Mia would never cheat on me but she was definitely up to something. I just had to figure it out before she did something stupid like start a war.

  “Yeah, boss?” Frankie’s raspy voice filtered through the phone line.

  “I need you do look into someone for me.”

  “Sure, name?” That was one of the things I liked most about Frankie. When it came to her job she didn’t waste time, she got straight to the point.

  “Mitchell Keller, he goes by Mouse. He’s a hacker, lives in Chicago, originally from the Eugene area.”

  “Okay, what do you want to know about him?”

  “I want you to track his computer, find out what he’s up to.”

  “Sure, it might take a couple of days, especially if he’s any good. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Good,” I said, and ended the call.

  Sitting back in my chair I stared up at the ceiling. “What are you up to, Mia?” I wondered aloud but the empty room didn’t have a response.

  Chapter 36

  Mia

  Tucking in the last few strands of brown hair into the wig I watched the woman in the reflection. Her face distorted in the cracked vanity mirror, detached brown eyes giving nothing away as she brushed yet another layer of gloss across her lips. This woman wasn’t me. She didn’t have a heart, she didn’t think about consequences, she didn’t know fear. She was vengeance incarnate.

  Tearing my gaze from the woman in the mirror I methodically gathered my discarded clothes and makeup. Stuffing my belongings into a small backpack that I placed on the center of the still made bed. I inspected the room to make sure I’d wiped away any trace of my presence.

  Beneath the bleach and pine scented cleaner the heavy stench of mildew lingered in the rundown motel room. The carpet was worn, walls yellowed from years of smoke, and the curtains were riddled with cigarette burns. It wasn’t pretty or even sanitary but it suited my needs just fine.

  The attendant at the front desk hadn’t even batted an eye when I’d shoved a hundred dollar bill at him without saying a word after he’d asked for my name and ID. Instead he’d reached behind the desk and placed a key in my hand. His sweaty palm had lingered on mine, with the way he’d been licking his puffy lips since I’d walked in I could only imagine what was going through his mind. Before he could say anything I’d fisted the key and made a beeline for the front door.

  The dingy white keychain marked with a black seven had led me to a door on the first floor of the two story horseshoe complex. I’d chosen the derelict motel right off the MAX line because it was the kind of place that hosted hookers and drug addicts on a regular basis. The common person wouldn’t look too closely, instead choosing to avert their eyes and pretend that seedy places like this didn’t exist in their town. Everyone else, the homeless, prostitutes, and meth addicts, were too busy with their own problems or too far out of their minds to pay any attention.

  I pulled out my pre-paid burner phone and checked the time. It was 9 o’clock, right on schedule. I needed to catch the MAX downtown and it would take at least a half hour to get where I needed to go. Leaving all evidence of myself on the center of the bed, I headed out. It would seem suspicious to be carrying a backpack around where I was going, especially the way I was dressed. I’d just have
to come back for it before going home.

  Making my way across the street, I kept my eyes alert. Even though the bottom feeders that frequented this area wouldn’t think twice about a girl in a short dress walking out of a dirty motel they would definitely take notice of a seemingly unprotected girl walking the streets. I picked up my pace as I crossed the overpass and started to descend the stairs to the light rail platform. I could see my breath coming out in puffs in front of me, the frigid winter air causing goosebumps to breakout along my bare legs and arms.

  Coming to a stop in front of the ticket booth, I slipped a few bills from my purse and fed them into the machine. I was careful not to pull out my wallet since there were a few people lurking in the shadows. I’d ridden the MAX enough times with Gina when we were teenagers to know without looking which line would take me into the heart of downtown Portland. I also knew from my experience that the platform was isolated and an optimal place for muggers to strike. I could handle a thug trying to shake me down on my own but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, and a woman in five inch heels and a clubbing dress kicking a grown man’s ass would definitely draw attention.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for the train to pull up to the station. I opted to stand, holding onto a pole for support as the train started to move. My position at the front of the car gave me a prime view of the occupants. Stepping onto the MAX at night was like walking into a portable melting pot. There were people from all walks of life, gangsters, teenagers, tweakers, homeless people trying to keep warm, and a lot of drunk people. Arriving at my stop I stepped back out into the icy night air but this time I didn’t feel it. The only thing I felt as I walked the two blocks to my destination was the buzz of anticipation humming through my body.

  …