Wade nods his head and looks at Henry.
“I’ll take care of that today. Maximum clearance for Luca and Cam,” Henry confirms, typing on his laptop.
“Any questions?” Wade asks the guards, and they shake their heads.
“Then we’re done here. Adriano, can I talk to you about Santino?” Wade throws on his suit jacket, and I notice that Cam’s interest is piqued immediately.
“In my office.” I proceed through the interconnected door with Wade, Luca, and Cam.
As Cam passes me, I brush my hand across her ass, and she smiles sweetly at me.
“What about Santino?” I inquire, resting on the edge of my desk as Luca sinks into the padded chair behind it.
“I still haven’t discovered anything irregular about him. His records are indeed too clean. Where’s he being held nowadays?”
“He’s still imprisoned in one of the cells on the underground floor,” I reply.
“You’ve just kept him for all these months?” Wade fails to hide his surprise.
“Well, I promised Cam I wouldn’t hurt him until I knew more, and I’m still in the dark.”
Cam pipes in, “If he’s simply a bodyguard, I don’t want him killed.”
“Why not?” Luca and Wade ask in unison.
I hold up both palms, letting her know that she’s on her own, because I’ve been asking her that same question over and over. It’s merely due to her guilt. Cam believes that without Santino, she probably would’ve never escaped Fat Sal.
“It doesn’t matter why not,” Cam retorts. “We’ve kept him alive this long, so you can keep digging. He’s not talking at all and hasn’t mentioned any aliases.”
“If he hasn’t talked after all this time, that means he’s probably been trained to keep quiet,” Wade remarks sarcastically.
“Are you suggesting he could be CIA or FBI?” Luca leans forward with both elbows on the desk.
“Not CIA,” Wade muses aloud. “FBI? It’s possible.”
“Keep digging then.”
“If he is undercover,” Cam states. “We need to find out what case he was working on, finding dirt on Sal and Club 7 or getting to the Syndicate? If the Syndicate is part of an FBI investigation, then we have much bigger problems than Santino. Perhaps he’ll talk to me now if I act as if I’m going to help him. Months ago, he pleaded with me to run with him.”
“That’s because he’s fucking in love with you, which is enough reason for me to kill him,” I mention, disgruntled.
Cam rolls her eyes.
“And no, you’re not talking to him.” I point my finger at her. “You’re staying away from him just like you have been.”
I snatch her elbow and swivel her around, pulling her back to my chest and securing my arms around her middle. Then I kiss her on the cheek, and she realizes she’s not going to win this argument, so she relaxes against me.
“Anything else?” I address Wade, who isn’t taken aback by our behavior, because we only hide the depth of our relationship in front of the rest of the members, associates, and clients.
“Well, yes. You asked me to find you a trustworthy contact to hire escorts for the sex club, but there’s no one. Most are Russian or Ukrainian human traffickers who deal with slaves, and you don’t want that. There’s only the one I mentioned.”
Cam turns her head to me, and I clench my jaw, glaring at Wade.
“Then I guess we’ll have to contact her. I don’t want slaves. I just need professional escorts.”
Wade fishes his phone from his pocket and texts back and forth with someone. “Do you have time for a meet tonight at seven?”
I crane my neck to Luca, and he nods that we’re free to discuss business.
“Yes.”
“Who are you meeting?” Cam steps forward, out of my grasp.
It’s a question I’ve dreaded. “There’s only one Italian madam in the Loop. I’m meeting the one person who can get me well-trained personnel for the sex club that aren’t illegal or slaves, but women who want to do this and get paid royally for it. “
“So a pimp?” Cam prompts.
Wade and Luca both laugh, and Cam just looks confused.
“She’s actually called The Sicilian Pimp,” I explain.
“Oh, how classy,” Cam mocks but doesn’t push for more information. Instead, she checks her phone. “Let’s go out to eat, and then we’ll come back at seven?” Then she glances past my shoulder to Luca. “Shall I call Fallon and tell her that we can pick her up?”
“I’ll call her,” Luca responds.
“Joining us, Wade?” she asks.
Suddenly, I realize that Cam is searching for moments of normalcy more and more.
“What are we eating?” Wade wants to know.
“Mexican?” I suggest because neither of the other two can ever decide.
“Yes, I’m in the mood for some spicy food.” Without waiting for us, Cam strolls out and expects us to follow.
I shrug at the other two and catch up with her, entwining our hands.
***
After dinner, we return to the club at six thirty p.m.
The room echoes as the crew readies the club for the night. Regrettably, my appointment shows up early, while Cam is still with me.
“Mr. Montesi,” an employee starts.
I turn around, along with Wade, Luca, Fallon, and Cam to see a long-legged, curly-haired brunette in a maroon dress approaching us.
“He knows who I am,” Serena mentions as she stops in front of me.
“Serena Bartoli,” I greet.
She edges closer and kisses me on each cheek. “Adriano Montesi. When the King of the Loop calls, I come.”
“Do you have what I need?” I ask, wanting to conclude this swiftly.
“I do.” She doesn’t back down, so I step back to create some distance, and her eyes thin.
Cam angles her body toward me and arcs a brow. Knowing Cam, she’s displeased with how familiar Serena is acting, but she keeps her composure.
“Then let’s talk business downstairs,” I say. “Wade, Luca, come with me.”
Luca whispers something to Fallon, but I don’t want Serena to know who Cam is to me, so without saying goodbye to Cam, I walk away – I don’t need her to interfere in this situation. For the first time since I’ve been boss, I leave her out of business.
I sense her stare at my back, and an unfamiliar feeling of guilt rises up, but I tamp it down and escort Serena to the elevator that takes us one floor down.
Heading down the hall, we enter the sex club, which is a spacious, round room with canopy beds along the wall and a bar in the center.
I keep my tone businesslike. “I need at least thirty women who can work here in the club, and there are also private rooms.”
“And the rates for the girls?” she inquires, glancing at the blue velvet curtain along the wall and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
“Are negotiable,” I answer.
“But,” Luca adds, “they need to speak perfect English and no refugees, slaves, or girls who’ve been purchased from human traffickers. I want willing, professional escorts who’ll get rewarded generously for their discretion. We have high rollers in here.”
She smirks at me. “Then you’ve come to the right person. This is a decadent place. I have trustworthy women, and I’ll make a selection.” Her attention shifts from me to Luca to Wade. “With whom will I be doing business?”
“Luca and I will set it up with you tonight at your club, and then my manager, Tez, will become your first point of contact.”
“Fine. We can discuss rates after I’ve made a selection.” She offers her hand, and I shake it. “We have a deal, Adriano.”
“Deal.”
She addresses Wade in a sultry voice, “Thank you for reintroducing us, Mr. Wade.”
He dips his chin as they eye-fuck each other, and Luca and I smile.
In a rush, Luca whispers, “I can’t go tonight. I’m going home with Fallon.”
�
�I can handle it. She’s being professional, so it’ll be fine.”
Luca sends me an inquisitive look. “Does Cam know about you and her?”
“No, not yet.”
What I didn’t tell Cam is that The Sicilian Pimp and I have a past. I used to date Serena, and she broke my heart long ago.
CHAPTER 7
Camilla
I stand there astounded as Adriano goes off with Serena without even acknowledging me. Her sugary greeting tells me there’s more between them than meets the eye.
“It sucks to be left out, right?” Fallon declares absentmindedly, also watching Serena sashay away with my man, but I ignore her comment.
“Who the hell is Serena Bartoli?”
A crease forms between her brows, and then her eyes widen. “Oh! She used to date Adriano.”
“What?!”
“Yes...Serena. Luca told me about her.”
Stunned, I gape at her. “She was important enough for Luca to remember her?”
Fallon’s lips turn down, informing me she’s about to relay bad news. “Yeah, she was kind of the only girl Adriano ever dated.”
“I thought he never dated before me? He was a fuck ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy.”
“After her, he became a man-whore,” she says apologetically.
“Wait, so she left him heartbroken? He was in love with her?”
“From what I understood from Luca, yes. But she was power-hungry, and Adriano wasn’t even a Capo back then. I’m talking about when Adriano was eighteen or nineteen. This all happened over ten years ago.”
“Okay, that does make me feel a little less worried. But he should’ve told me she was an ex. He would flip if I was with an ex.”
“Definitely.”
“And she’s beautiful,” I mumble.
“I know.”
“I hate it.”
“I hate it for you,” she says around a grin. “Don’t worry. Adriano adores you.”
“I’m not worried. I think I’ll go home. Want me to drop you off?”
“No, Luca told me to wait.”
“But it could take a while,” I state.
“I don’t mind waiting.”
“Okay, your choice.”
***
In the end, I’m the one left waiting until two a.m. before Adriano arrives at our loft.
As usual, I’m lying in bed, wearing his white dress shirt and black panties, when he spoons me, and just as he promised, he tries to wake me. “Cam.”
“I’m awake.”
Adriano’s arm slips around my waist.
“I know who she is.”
His movement stops.
“You should’ve told me who she was, Adriano.”
To my surprise, he doesn’t contradict me. “You’re right.”
“Do you still have feelings for her?”
“No. Of course not. It’s only business, Cam. She was professional, and so was I. And I only have to work with her for a few weeks, then Tez will handle her. She wants to supervise her girls for a while.” He lays his cheek against mine. “She was my last resort, Cam. We need those girls for the club to meet the demand.”
“Will you be involved with the sex club?”
“No, not after Tez takes it over. I don’t want to be seen by high powered men in that club.”
“Okay. Just be careful around her. She seemed very happy to see you.”
“Well, we only talked business or else I would’ve thrown her out. Are you jealous, Cam? Because that makes me fucking horny.” He palms my breast roughly, sending a jolt of desire to my core, while pressing his sculpted body against mine.
I laugh. “A little, maybe.”
“No need for jealousy. Ti amo. You’re the only woman I ever see.” His lips brush against the corner of my mouth.
“Ti amo. I know you come home to me every night.”
“Always,” he whispers, holding me tightly.
I choose right then to believe in the strength of our love because he’s not given me any reason to doubt him.
CHAPTER 8
Camilla
Adriano keeps his promise and comes home every night. But for two weeks, I barely see him during the day. Fallon’s also seen less and less of Luca, and I find myself drawn to her like a kindred spirit. Only she can truly understand what it’s like to live with a high ranking Mafia man.
However, I fall off cloud nine when our first few blissful months are rudely disturbed and I’m in conflict with Adriano. But it doesn’t start with Serena. No, it starts when I defy orders again, along with Luca, and the extent of Adriano’s discontent is unleashed upon us.
“I need to talk to Santino,” I implore Luca, who’s seated behind Adriano’s desk, when we’re alone in Adriano’s office.
Luca was adamantly against it at first, but I’ve been working on him for half an hour, and I’m starting to persuade him.
“I told him months ago that I would try to help him. Then I promised Adriano that I’d stay out of it, but if Santino is an FBI agent, keeping him here is too risky. Adriano has been too busy with the sex and dance clubs to actually recognize the threat. He says he knows about it, but then he doesn’t take action and just waits for Wade. I can be of help.”
Luca rubs a hand over his chin, contemplating my suggestion. “What did you have in mind?”
“I’ll tell Santino that I’ve finally discovered a window of opportunity to help him escape, but I need to know if he has connections who can help us once we’re out there, because we’ll be hunted people.”
He mulls it over, and after a long stretch of silence, he orders, “But you have to do it now while Adriano’s away from the club.”
“He told Wade to give me access everywhere in the building, but I can’t get into Santino’s cell. Obviously, Adriano didn’t grant me full clearance like he said he would. Can you get me into his cell?”
“Yes. Let’s go.” He rises to his feet and precedes the way down the stairs.
After we’ve accessed the underground floor, we walk past the sex club and through the maze of corridors I escaped from two years ago as Luca leads me to Santino’s cell.
He places his thumb on the scanner. “I’ll be waiting right outside. You need to get a confession out of Santino while you’re in there with him. And Cam, failure is not an option.”
Luca leans back against wall beside the door so that he’s out of sight as the system beeps and it unlocks.
Santino’s cuffed on the bed, and he looks healthy and clean, but his eyes are vacant. He’s been held for such a long time.
“Camilla...”
“Santino.” I drop down to my knees in front of him, acting frazzled. “What’s wrong with you?’
“Wrong?” he hisses, and I rear back. “I’m going stir crazy in here. What day is it?”
I clutch his shoulders. “Dammit. Pull yourself together.” And lean in close to his face because he knows there are cameras here. “I’m here to help you, but we need to leave now.”
His brows shoot up, and he pulls on the cuff, causing it to clang against the bedrail. “Uncuff me.”
Snatching the key Luca gave me from my pocket, I release his restraints.
Santino rubs his wrists forcefully while staring at me. “Now what?”
“The guards are changing shifts, so we can run. But once we’re outside, I don’t know what to do. I-I...” I stand up and scratch my brow.
He narrows his eyes at me and eats up the distance, coming way too close. “Why are you suddenly helping me?”
“Because you helped me, and you don’t deserve to be locked up in here.”
We’re face-to-face, and abruptly, he cradles my head and I’m afraid he’s going to kiss me, but he murmurs, “Just get us outside, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
I press my hands to his chest. “How? It won’t be easy, Santino. I don’t have any funds, and I don’t have any contacts out there. And these guys know where I live.”
He looks pained as
he studies me closely. Then he seizes my hand and pulls me forward to the door.
I dig in my heels because I need him to confess to something before he opens the door. “No! Santino, I’m not risking my life without knowing if we even stand a chance.”
“We stand a chance. Come on.”
“How?” I plead.
He glances back at me over his shoulder with his hand on the lever. “Because I have contacts with the FBI.”
He pushes down the handle, and I yank my hand loose as the door is smashed open. Luca darkens the doorway and punches Santino in his nose, causing him to stammer back, but he holds his footing.
“That’s all we needed to know,” Luca expresses.
All of a sudden, Santino jumps forward, hitting Luca in the stomach and hurling him against the wall, and Luca grunts from the blow.
Hurriedly, I take the cuffs from the bed as Luca blocks a punch from Santino and manages to switch positions with him, slamming Santino’s head against the wall with a thunderous growl.
“Cam, cuffs.” Luca’s out of breath.
I click the metal around Santino’s wrist, and Luca grabs a fistful of his shirt, shoving him onto the bed and securing the other end to the bedrail again.
Santino’s spitting fire at us as Luca stands back, brushing a hand through his hair.
“You fucking set me up!” Santino bellows.
I pay him no attention and exit with Luca on my trail.
“I’ll have Wade investigate who he is exactly in the FBI.” Luca falls into step beside me.
“He must be undercover, because he worked for Sal for a long time. Perhaps he’s presumed dead?”
“No, not without a body. They’re looking for him, or maybe they wanted him inside here?” Luca suggests.
“Either way, this is not good.”
“Well, at least we’ve gotten more information within five minutes than we’ve obtained in the last three months,” he declares.
“I wonder if Adriano will see it that way.”
“Are you afraid of him, Cam?” Luca teases.
“Aren’t you?”
“Nah. I’ve known him since I was seventeen. He’s defied my orders in the past as well when I was his superior. We’ll be fine as long as one of us tells him about our little stunt. I can handle him.”
For Cam (Chicago Syndicate Book 4) Page 6
