by Soraya Naomi
“Okay.” She presses her lips to mine. “Go shower. I don’t have to get up too, do I?”
“No, lazy girl. I only woke you to get our stories straight. But do put on some clothes.” I wink and jump off the bed.
***
I button my grey dress shirt while Cam watches me through the glass panels.
By the time I’m dressed, she’s asleep on her stomach, a leg peeking out from under the sheet.
Bending down, I bite the swell of her ass, and she groans.
After smoking my morning cig and drinking my coffee on the terrace of the master suite while taking in Cam’s sleeping form on my rumpled sheets, I snatch a pillow from the bed and go downstairs to throw it on my sofa with a blanket.
The receptionist notifies me my visitors are coming up, and I let them in.
“How’s Camilla?” James asks as Luca and Salvatore follow him to the bar.
“Cam’s still sleeping. She was quiet, but fine, last night.” I start the coffee machine.
“Good. She needs to learn not to let this affect her mood if she wants to be involved with the Syndicate.” James sets his phone on the counter across from me with Salvatore next to him.
Luca is as impatient as I am and begins, “Let’s discuss Fat Sal before Cam comes down.”
James responds, “He hasn’t been spotted in days. He’s hiding in the underground club, executing his plan. I haven’t figured out if he’s working alone, except for Aubrey, the ‘woman’ who sold him the tracking device. I talked to the New York Syndicate, and Fat Sal has contacted them to supply his drugs, since we cut him off. And he offered them some kind of deal because he said we’re becoming a problem. They called me, and I revealed what he’s been up to.”
“What kind of deal? A new partnership? He’s trying to overpower us?” I ask James.
“It seems so; he’s desperate. He’s dependent on a steady stream of drug supply for his club; he wants to be the boss of the drug world in Chicago. I believe he sees that as a last resort to save his club.”
Luca asks before I do, “And how does Cam fit it?”
James answers, “I don’t think he was ever very interested in Cam when she escaped his establishment, until he discovered she started to work for the Syndicate two years ago. And he especially became interested when we started asking questions about her months ago. He knows she’s my daughter, although he doesn’t have proof. This also lines up with Cam’s story about Santino. Santino hasn’t been tortured for the entire two years since Cam escaped, because you two saw him fine and well a while ago. I also found out that Capo John didn’t deliver two batches of cocaine, because Fat Sal’s soldier didn’t have enough money. And Sal lost clientele due to the lack of drugs. All the patrons of his club are addicts, and without drugs, no one comes to his club, which was already losing business. He started investigating all the parties he’s working with so he could find out who’s most powerful. His underground club has gone from successful to almost empty within months. The dance club is doing well, but he needs to pay off many people in the city to keep his underground club a secret. And I believe he’s too obstinate to give it up; he gets a kick from having that depraved club. He’d rather try to become larger and take over Chicago’s underground drug business. And he knows we won’t retaliate because of his location and the risk of exposure. When we attack, it will be an enormous and meticulously planned operation. Apart from the physical aspect that we’ll have to invade the club without outside notice, we also need to figure out how to either dissolve the business or sell it to someone. I’m not taking it over.”
Disappointment settles inside when he mentions ‘meticulous’. “This means we’ll be planning and training for days. In the meantime, we’re walking targets.”
“Do you have a better plan?” James challenges.
I plow a hand through my hair. “I don’t. We have to start recruiting soldiers for the raid of Club 7. And this mission is going to be expensive; we’ll need to pay off a lot of law enforcement and media to ensure this doesn’t make the nine o’clock news.”
“Capo Alessandro has been assigned to round up soldiers; we meet tomorrow night. And you’re right – it’s going to be expensive; we’ll need cash for pay-offs and also for equipment. Salvatore and Henry will be on top of breaching the club’s security system. Luca, you, and I will lead the team. She”—he gestures upstairs—“is going to demand to be involved.”
“Tell her no,” Luca replies, so that I don’t have to.
James doesn’t accept or refute Luca’s advice.
And Salvatore cuts in, “We’ll need to start moving money around.”
“We already did that once this week. Now, again? My money is draining like wildfire. Luca and I are keeping Security Simplicity afloat. There’ll be no profit this year if we continue like this.” I take the filled coffee cups from behind me and slide an espresso to each of them.
Luca adds, “Salvatore, we’ll need to know exactly how much as soon as possible.”
“After tomorrow, when we know how large the operation will be, I can at least give a more accurate estimate,” he replies.
“We have to go see Aubrey in Chinatown. Perhaps we have an ally in ‘her’. James brings the cup to his lips and checks his phone screen. “Adriano, can you wake Cam? I’d liked to talk to her.”
Returning upstairs, I see Cam sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed. She’s been eavesdropping.
“James wants to talk to you.”
She comes up to me, resting her palms on my chest. “Promise me that you’ll be careful.”
I cover her hands with mine. “I will. Go talk to him. And Cam, a guard will stay with you here. Don’t go out alone, and pick up your phone when I call, okay?”
“Of course. I do have self-defense class tonight. I’d like to go if that’s okay?” she asks, which surprises me.
Still, training will be good for her since I don’t know what our future will bring. And the stronger she is physically, the less I’ll worry. Those classes will also teach her to be more observant, a skill that’s vital to survive in this Syndicate.
“You can go. I’ll inform the guard.”
She presses her lips against mine, and I welcome the intoxicating assault on my mouth as our tongues and teeth clash. All my blood streams south when she scrapes her nails down my chest.
Wrapping my fingers around her wrist, I halt her descent. “Go talk to James before I fuck you while they’re downstairs.”
Her eyes twinkle, and she’s about to dare me with that salacious smile.
“Hmmm...” She inches closer, but I hold her away and spank her behind a little too loudly.
“Go,” I whisper, and she goes.
Kneeling down on one knee, I slide open the drawer in the bedframe and take out my ankle holsters. I attach them both: one holding my knife and the other, my handgun.
Back on the first floor, James and Cam are having a tête-à-tête at the sofa. Salvatore’s left already, and Luca glances at the pillow, then at me meaningfully with a lifted brow.
Smirking, I shrug lightly. He knows exactly what Cam and I did.
“Let’s go, Adriano,” James orders.
Last in line so that no one sees me touching Cam, I pinch her ass while she holds the door open.
***
The Chinatown neighborhood is located on the South Side, and unfortunately, we drive together in one car – mine, so I can’t talk to Luca about Cam.
“Aubrey is Chinese Mafia?” I ask James in my rearview mirror while steering through the compact streets of this mostly ethnic Chinese village.
“Could be, but I don’t think so. I think this place operates as a front.” James checks the restaurant I’m pulling up to.
A red banner with golden Chinese symbols and a flashy colored dragon statue adorns the entrance. The door is unlocked, and a redhead with black rimmed teacher glasses welcomes us in through the deserted dining room and kitchen, fragrant in spices, to a small office in th
e back with only a desk with a laptop and two plastic chairs.
This is the place from where someone who has access to the latest technology works?
“Welcome.” Aubrey closes the door to the crammed office and glides past us to the desk.
“Aubrey, I know you’re a front. I need to talk to the boss around here.” James speaks impatiently.
She presses a button behind her on the desk. “I just needed to ensure with whom you showed up.”
Another entry opens behind the desk and Leonardo DiCaprio...err...Wade appears.
“You have got to be kidding me,” both Luca and I mutter under our breath.
“Gentlemen”—he holds open both arms dramatically—“finally our masks come off. I knew you were the Chicago Syndicate.”
“Wade,” James says, “Introduce yourself properly, since you know who we are.”
“Well, I’m Richard Wade, former Chicago P.D. Now also known as ‘Aubrey’, the person who can get you the most wicked gadgets you’ll never buy on the market.” He joins Aubrey. “This is the real Aubrey, my partner and first point of contact. So, what can I do for you?”
When his hand moves inside his suit jacket, Luca’s comes around the small of his back, resting on his weapon.
“Easy,” Wade warns. “I’m just taking out my phone.” And he holds it up between his fingers while it vibrates.
James agitation increases. “I want to know how you got in contact with Fat Sal?”
“And how the hell do you have access to these gadgets? It’s CIA professional spy equipment,” Luca finishes, probably a little more irritated than James is.
“Why do you want to know? I’m willing to share information, but you have to give me straight answers too.”
Luca, James, and I trade a speaking glance.
Then James says, “Fat Sal is my enemy, and he’s attacked us. Yesterday, snipers targeted Luca and Adriano. One of my men has been held captive by him, and he sent a guard’s body part to Cam, to Luca’s home residence,” James partly reveals the truth; he doesn’t say it was Santino’s ear to avoid more questioning.
“Where my wife lives!” A dark cloud passes over Luca’s face.
Wade straightens, and his eyes widen. “Fallon saw it?”
“Yes, Fallon and Cam opened the package,” Luca replies.
“Who is Cam to you?” His out-of-the-blue question is directed at me.
“No, Wade,” I retort. “Now you give me something too. What exactly is your relation to Fat Sal? And how are you getting your hands on the gadgets?”
Wade cocks his head and places his phone back inside his jacket, and again, his stare is pinned on me. “Seems like many people are interested in Fat Sal lately.”
What the fuck does that mean?
Then he continues, also speaking to Luca and James. “Fat Sal still has to send me his last payment. I’m at odds with him as well.”
“And the microchip? Where are you getting them from?” James prompts him.
“Exactly from where you think I get them: CIA. I have many connections in the CIA as I used to work undercover.”
He never was just a Chicago P.D. He’s CIA.
“You were CIA?” I demand clarification because he’s playing word games.
“No, technically I am CIA.”
This is becoming more and more intriguing by the minute. “And you provide for the underworld?”
“Yes. But I’m not a functioning agent in the way you suspect. I’m part of a sub-division that generates revenue for research and development. There are only a few who know of my existence. And I’ve been trying to get in contact with you for years.”
“So you used Fallon to get to me?” Luca charges forward and grabs his jacket, but I tug him off.
“No,” Wade denies, straightening his attire. “She’s my friend, Luca, and you know it. But yes, initially I did find her through the connection with you.”
“You son of a bitch!” Luca practically jumps on him, so I clutch one of his arms as Aubrey steps aside, and I grin at Wade’s laidback composure. Luca looks as if he wants to plant his fist in my face too.
James orders, “Datti una calmata, Luca.” Reel it in, Luca.
I shake my head to Wade and point to Luca. “You get Luca mad within seconds; no one’s ever accomplished that.”
James shoots me a stern look.
“I’m not against you. I’m only offering you my connections,” Wade defends, staying calm.
“Why?” I ask and release Luca.
“Because you’re the Chicago Syndicate. You’re my ticket into the most powerful Mafia of the United States. Together, we can make a fortune. Money is in the underworld, not in the legal world, and we need that money for research.”
“So the CIA is also Mafia then?” I joke. “And they call us the bad guys? You betray an entire population.”
“I’ve never claimed we’re the good guys. I’m interested in a prosperous relationship with your Syndicate. Evidently, the risk I took with Sal blew up in my face since I’m not getting any money and he’s losing business rapidly.”
“If I decide to eliminate Fat Sal,” James says.
“Then I can help,” Wade finishes.
Luca’s chest is still heaving, so James wraps it up. “I’ll contact you this week.”
“Fine,” Wade comments. “But this offer is only on the table for a limited amount of time.”
“I will contact you this week,” James repeats and provides him a challenging glare.
Luca smashes open the door and strides out to the car first.
“Wade,” I say goodbye with a salute, and he grins.
I’m impressed with how he’s kept this a secret for so long.
In the car, James and I are trying to calm down Luca, who’s not rational when it comes to Fallon.
“Luca, Wade has proven to be trustworthy so far. You have to look beyond your annoyance regarding Fallon,” I advise him.
He nods as the shock is wearing off.
“Henry can verify Wade’s story, then we decide what to do with his offer. We have to consider any new business that generates income. Adriano, I’ll pick up my car at your building, and then I’ll retrieve the cash I have stashed in various houses. Today, we all move money around. Get as much cash as possible, Salvatore will let you know how much you’ll need to pay,” James instructs us as I drive out of Chinatown.
All I want is to spend my time inside Cam. We have so much lost time to make up for. And that’s exactly what I’ll do when I go home.
CHAPTER 29
Camilla
I take a long shower under the hot stream of water in Adriano’s bathroom. Last night has lifted a burden from my shoulders.
For a moment, I was afraid he might have regrets about making love. But at last, we finally talked openly about our desires. And that moment dissolved the shadow that’s been over my heart since I first met him – when he was never solely mine, or I his.
Adriano’s secured his grip on my heart and soul. We’ve opened Pandora’s Box, and once again, I’m agreeing to an uncertain future. But I know I want to be by his side. I’ve waited long enough to be with him.
I haven’t known these men as long as Adriano, yet there’s still a part of me that holds out hope. Hope that we can build a relationship within the Syndicate. Luca will back us.
Scrubbing my body down with his soap brings back memories of the previous night. He remembered exactly how to touch me, where to touch me. It was more than making love. It was a long overdue reunion I was anticipating for what felt like an eternity. In the middle of my highlighted memory, when Adriano’s pistoning into me, I’m smacked by Santino, and my daydream is destroyed.
I finish up my shower and put on stone-washed jeans topped with a lilac blouse. Combing my hair, the short strands fall perfectly straight, and I tuck them behind my ear.
After taking my phone from my purse, I go downstairs in search of breakfast.
Opening the metallic double d
oors of the fridge, I see that I have a wide array of choices: fruit, salads, smoothies. On the bar counter is a box filled with biscotti. I settle for the biscotti and a cup of coffee while the minutes drag by.
I’m restless for it to be nighttime so I can meet Wade. I text him, and he confirms our appointment. Then I delete the messages.
Boredom leads to snooping around in Adriano’s personal belongings in his bedroom, where I notice the drawer under the bed. Hunching down, I glide it open and find an arsenal of weapons inside. My fingers trace the cold silver and black metal guns and accessories. Taking out a Smith & Wesson, I discover that it’s surprisingly heavy. I see different long, metal objects: silencers. I hold one up, and again, it’s heavier than I thought.
I wrap both hands around the handle of the gun and aim it straight ahead, through the glass walls, at the sink. It feels exhilarating to hold it.
“Training to become a sniper, Cam?”
Startled by Adriano’s voice, I swirl my upper body around, landing my aim on him, and he ducks.
“Aim down! Aim down, Cam!” He sends me a charmed, yet shocked look.
“Shit, sorry.” I lower my arms and smile at his comically stunned expression.
“They’re all loaded.” He joins me on the ground and sits behind me, dropping a kiss on my shoulder. “Were you bored?”
“Yes.”
His hands slide down my arm, and he directs them up, showing me how to hold it. “Tighten your grip on the handle. Your target is the faucet.” Adriano’s fingers cover mine as we both aim the weapon, his cheek pressed to mine. “Close your right eye.” The warmth of his body against my back and his arms over mine have me sucking in a breath, and I wiggle my ass.
“Focus.” He strengthens my aim, holds it steady. “When you pull the hammer back on any gun, you set it to be fired and reduce the pressure needed to do so. Once your target is in focus, pull the trigger with your index finger. The mechanism will have a pull back; you have to control your shot. It’s not as easy as it looks.” He places a kiss on my cheek. “That was your first lesson, but you’re not shooting in my loft.” And he takes the gun out of my clutch, storing it back in the drawer.
