Buttons and Grace

by Penelope Sky

  Crow was silent.

  “She would rather suffer for the rest of her life than let you die.”

  Again, silence.

  “Goddammit, Crow. Just tell me. Would you really deny your wife’s wishes?” I had to make this convincing, and Crow couldn’t give in too easily. If he did, it would be obvious this was just a ploy.

  “I’m supposed to protect her. If I give her up, I’d be worthless.”

  “Not if she wants you to. Marriage is a two-way street. This way, you both get to live.”

  Crow was quiet.

  “Please.”

  Nothing.

  “I need you, Crow. Don’t make me be the only Barsetti left.”

  “You can carry on our legacy, Cane.”

  “No, I can’t,” I snapped. “I’m not the better brother. You are. I should be in that chair right now. I should be the one being held as a prisoner. I can’t live with this guilt, Crow. I can’t live knowing I’m the reason you…” I didn’t finish the sentence.

  Crow didn’t say anything else.

  There was silence, which was followed by more silence.

  I continued to wait for him to make a move.

  But nothing came.

  “We’re running out of time, Crow. Just tell—”

  “Serengeti, Tanzania.”

  It was a random place, and the exact opposite direction of Pearl. It was remote and unremarkable, which made it believable.

  “She’s staying at the Four Seasons,” Crow whispered.

  I knew he was in Rome, somewhere close to the Colosseum. He also mentioned Bones, who had lived in Rome. Those were the two clues, and once I looked at a map, I’d probably be able to narrow it down.

  The plan worked.

  Tristan took the phone. “I’ll send men to fetch her now. But I’m not letting him go until she’s in my custody.” He hung up without giving me the opportunity to say another word.

  I grabbed my laptop and did some research into the area. I identified the coffee shop Crow had mentioned, and I also put in the coordinates of Bones’s residence. It was fifteen miles to the east, so that didn’t narrow it down enough.

  Then I realized he was talking about a different address.

  Bones’s factory.

  I entered that in next. Between the coffee shop and his warehouse, there was just a single road. The road led to an abandoned compound with old warehouses. The property had been purchased by a hotel company, and it was going to be built for tourists.

  Now I knew where he was.

  It was time to get my brother out of there.

  * * *

  We met at a rendezvous point two miles away so we wouldn’t arouse the suspicion of Tristan and his men. Crow was smart to pick a location that was at least a twenty-hour plane ride away. They wouldn’t figure out Crow was lying for at least ten hours, at the earliest.

  Bran was in one of the Hummers parked in the alleyway, speaking to the tech guys back on the base. He was waiting for a scan of the area to determine the lay of the land. I assumed Tristan only had a few men working for him, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

  I had shit to do, but I knew it was my obligation to call Pearl. She was undoubtedly a mess right now, alternating between pacing and sobbing. The phone barely rang once before she answered. “What happened?”

  “Your idea worked.”

  “It did?” she blurted into the phone, slightly maniacal. “What does that mean? Did you find his location?”

  “Crow dropped hints and helped me pinpoint his location.”

  “Where is he?” she demanded.

  “Rome.”

  “Then why are you on the phone with me? Go get him, Cane.” She was more ruthless and aggressive than I’d ever heard her. Even when I first met her, she wasn’t nearly as fiery. All of her emotions were heightened when it came to Crow.

  “We’re doing a satellite sweep of the area. We need to know what we’re up against. We have time. Crow told them you were in Africa, so it’ll take a while before they figure out he’s full of shit.”

  “We have time?” she hissed. “Crow is in there suffering, and you think we have time?”

  The only reason I was putting up with her shit was because this was my fault in the first place. “We have to do this right, Pearl—for his sake. I’m certain we didn’t tip off Tristan, so we’re going to hit him hard.”

  “Don’t kill him.”

  I cocked my head even though we weren’t talking face-to-face. “What?”

  “I want to kill that asshole myself. I want to look him in the eye and shoot him right in the skull. He took my husband from me, and no one fucks with a Barsetti like that.” She even had a slight Italian accent as she said it. “He tried to hurt my family. He threatened to hurt me. I want to kill him, Cane.”

  I knew she was just angry right now, not that I judged her for it. She had it in her. She’d stabbed Bones without thinking twice about it. She wanted revenge for what Tristan had done to Crow. I didn’t tell her Crow had already been tortured because that would just hurt her. But I knew letting her kill Tristan wasn’t a good idea. “I can’t do that, Pearl. I have to kill everyone in that complex. No one gets out alive.”

  “Then you’d better let Crow do it,” she hissed. “That man tried to come between us. He deserves to pull the trigger.”

  I deserved to pull the trigger as much as either of them after what Tristan did to Adelina, but that wasn’t appropriate to say right now. “I’ll see what happens when I’m in there.”

  “Do not let him get away, Cane. I mean it.”

  “I know, Pearl.”

  She sighed into the phone, announcing all of her stress in the single sound. “I’m sorry… I’m just so scared. I can’t stop thinking about what they’re doing to him. I keep crying. I can’t stop.” A few quiet sobs erupted over the line.

  The same fears plagued me too. “I can promise you there’s nothing they could do to Crow to hurt him. That guy is made of steel. He’s the strongest guy I’ve ever known. They may not have even done anything to him. Tristan thinks he got what he wanted, so there’s no reason to antagonize Crow.” It was effortless for me to lie because I was doing it for the right reason. Crow would want me to keep her calm, especially since she was carrying his kid. “I’ll let you know when we’re about to move in.”

  “Okay,” she whispered. “Please don’t take too long. I might have a heart attack. I’m usually so calm about things but…I just can’t relax. I’m losing my mind.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “I know how you feel about him. You’ve never been scared when your own life is at risk because you’re brave. But when it comes to someone else, it’s much more terrifying.”

  “God, now I know how he feels when I do stupid shit.”

  I normally would chuckle, but I wasn’t in the mood. “Yeah.”

  She sniffled over the line. “Tell me when it’s done. Put him on the phone…I need to hear his voice.”

  “I promise.”

  “Okay…” She hung up.

  I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and walked to the Hummer where Bran was. He was in the back with the tech gear and staring at the computer screen. “You got anything?”

  “Yeah…but it’s not good.”

  “Why do you say that?” He had more men than we realized? He wasn’t in the location that Crow gave us?

  Bran pulled up the satellite feed of the area, picking up heat-generated sensors that showed the dynamics of the compound. All the warehouses had people inside, silhouettes of people working. “I think all of these men are Tristan’s….and there are nearly a hundred of them.”

  “They could just be neighbors.”

  “Unlikely.” Bran zoomed in on one of the images, the stacks of cargo and the way the facility was outlined. “I think this is where he keeps the shipments of weapons he bought from you.”

  “Why would he have us deliver them to France if he brought them back to Italy?”

  “No idea
. But I don’t know what else he would be keeping. I doubt two different clans of criminals are working in such close proximity to each other. Also…” He pulled up another image. “I dug this up from government records. The compound is being bought by a hotel company.”

  “I saw the same thing.”

  “But if you look at the deed of trust…it has Tristan’s name on it.”

  My heart fell into my stomach. “Shit.”

  “So, he owns all of this. I doubt he’s renting it out to someone.”

  “Fuck.”

  “So we’re up against at least a hundred men…all of whom are heavily armed.”

  I had to sit down because the news was depressing. It was a blow to the head, chest, and heart. My brother wasn’t surrounded by a few dozen men. Tristan outnumbered us ten to one.

  I didn’t like those odds.

  “You know I’d do anything for Crow, but this is a suicide mission.”

  I couldn’t deny that.

  “Our only option is to bomb the entire place, but that would be counterproductive since Crow wouldn’t survive either.”

  I stared at the screen and tried to search for an answer to my problem. Doing nothing wasn’t an option. Even if I died, I had to try to get Crow out of there. I would never forgive myself for turning the other cheek. And Pearl wouldn’t forgive me either.

  “I don’t see a way around this,” Bran said. “It will take weeks to find enough men to pull this off.”

  “I know…”

  “I can probably pinpoint Crow’s location and we could attempt to sneak in, but it looks like he has guards posted all over the place.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You got any ideas?”

  I dragged my hands down my face and cupped my mouth. “No.”

  “Well, you better think of something quick. We only have a few hours until they figure out Crow is lying. And Tristan will definitely kill him, then.”

  I covered my face and tried not to give in to the panic. “I know.”

  * * *

  I made a few phone calls and tried to round up as many men as I could, but I only managed to pick up a few dozen. I was still down by half, and that wasn’t enough to storm the compound. These men would lay down their lives if they thought they had good odds, but in this case, it was still a mission doomed to fail.

  I might have to go in there alone.

  I was at a stalemate and didn’t know what to do. The person I would normally turn to was Crow, but he wasn’t there. I called Crewe Donoghue, a friend of ours in Scotland, but he didn’t have enough time to send me the aid I needed.

  I was screwed.

  I was running out of time but had no idea what to do next. I called Adelina, needing someone to talk to. She wasn’t my first pick, but at least she was someone. Pearl wasn’t an option. If I told her about our problem, she would have a meltdown.

  “Is everything over?” Adelina asked the second our lines were connected. “Is he okay?”

  “I haven’t moved in yet. I know where he’s at, but Tristan’s got at least a hundred men in the compound and unlimited ammunition. I don’t know what to do. I’ve commissioned as many men as possible, but it’s still not enough…” I leaned against the wall of the alleyway and stared at the puddle of water sitting at my feet. “I’ll go in alone if I have to, but that’s not going to end well. We’ll both be dead.”

  “Please don’t say that,” she whispered.

  I didn’t care about sparing her feelings. This was reality. This was the truth. I’d thought getting Crow out of there would be simple. I thought we’d already be done by now. But now that seemed impossible. “I’ve never been so scared…”

  “What does Pearl think?”

  “I can’t call her.”

  “Why not?” she asked. “She has no idea what’s going on?”

  “No. She’s the one who told me to pretend to hand her over. It was a good idea. But now she thinks I’m moving in to get him at this very moment. I can’t call her and tell her there’s no hope. I can’t listen to that woman cry…especially since she never cries.”

  “Cane, this is too important to keep her in the dark. You can’t spare her feelings. If Crow dies, she’s going to feel all that pain anyway.”

  “I’d rather protect her for as long as possible…”

  “She gave you that idea. Maybe she can help you find a solution.”

  “Pearl is smart, but she’s not a criminal mastermind.”

  “You need to give her more credit. I know exactly what she went through, and neither one of us is weaker because of it. We are stronger, more powerful. We both have experience you lack. She might have something to offer.”

  Adelina was right. “Maybe…”

  “I wasn’t with Tristan very long, but I know he’s not stupid. He’s very paranoid, and I’ve heard him speak on the phone to his associates. He plans things far in advance, and he’s a lot smarter than he seems. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted you to break Crow out.”

  “He has no idea I know where he is.”

  “Or does he?” she challenged. “The only reason you wiped out his compound is because he thought you weren’t going to hand me over in the first place. He had all of his men armed and ready to attack in France before you pulled up to the compound. He told me himself. He expected you to keep me. The only reason you got me out of there was because he never anticipated you would do it.”

  He was smarter than I gave him credit for.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if he anticipated all of this, and he’s waiting for you to move in, assuming he only has a few men by his side. He probably wants to wipe out both of you for good. As long as one of you is still alive, he’ll always have to look over his shoulder. Speaking in code to Crow sounds too easy, if you ask me.”

  Now my heart was pounding. Adelina was making sense—completely.

  “That’s my input. Now you should ask Pearl for hers. She knows how psychopaths work. She was a prisoner a lot longer than I was.”

  I didn’t want to bring Pearl this terrible news, but I knew it was unavoidable. I needed every bit of insight if I were going to pull this off. Adelina just gave me a perspective that I hadn’t anticipated. I was too stressed out to critically evaluate the situation—that I was being played. “I’ll call her.”

  “I think that’s a good idea. I hope it works out.”

  “Me too.” I hung up and called Pearl.

  She answered before the phone even rang. “Is he okay? Did you get him?”

  I hated to disappoint her. “I haven’t moved in yet.”

  “Oh…” Her depression was heavy in the words.

  “I’ve run into some complications.”

  “No, please don’t say that to me.” Her voice started to crack again.

  “I spoke to Adelina, and she thinks Tristan might be setting me up. He knows my conversation with Crow meant more than we let on, and he’s waiting for me to show up. Bran looked at the satellite footage, and Tristan has a hundred armed men in the compound.”

  “No man has an army unless he’s expecting a war. I think Adelina is right.” Her voice was full of sorrow, but she didn’t burst into tears like last time.

  “I’m starting to think she is too. He probably thinks I’ll break in to the compound with twelve men. Then he’ll slaughter us.”

  “You need more men, Cane.”

  “I’ve called everyone I know. I only managed to pick up twenty more men.”

  “That’s not enough.”

  “I know. I’ll go in there alone if I have to…but I know it’ll kill me.”

  “There’s a solution to every problem. Crow always tells me that.”

  “I wish he were here… He would know what to do.”

  She sighed into the phone. “But we’re all he has, Cane. And we’re getting him out of there one way or another. We aren’t giving up.”

  “Never.”

  “Then you need to think of something, Cane. And think fast.” Her
usual strength resurfaced, the attitude Crow noticed when he first saw her. She turned hard and fierce, knowing she didn’t have time to shed a single tear when Crow’s life was on the line.

  “I’ve thought of everything, Pearl.”

  “If you had, we would have a plan right now.”

  “I’ve called everyone I know. Even if I could make it back to our base in Florence, I wouldn’t have enough men to bring all our weapons and trucks. The issue is the number of men. I just don’t have enough.”

  “Then you need to find them.”

  “I already told you I called everyone. I even called some of Crow’s contacts too.”

  “There’s gotta be somebody…”

  I wished there were.

  “What about money? What if we offer him everything we have?”

  “He doesn’t care about money, Pearl. This is personal now. I could offer him a hundred million, and he wouldn’t blink an eye.”

  “Then we have nothing else to offer…except me.”

  “We aren’t even going to talk about that.”

  When Pearl didn’t argue, I knew she agreed with me. The second Tristan realized she was pregnant, he would kill the baby. Pearl couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let that happen to my future niece or nephew. We had to protect that child no matter what. “Wait…”

  “What?” Maybe Adelina was right, and Pearl would have a trick up her sleeve.

  “Crow mentioned your beef with the Skull Kings. They’re trying to push you out of the market.”

  How was that relevant? “Not important right now, Pearl.”

  “It is important. Aren’t they the biggest assassins in the world?”

  They were ruthless, merciless, and terrifying. “I wouldn’t fuck with them, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “They want the business. It sounds like they aren’t going to stop until they get it.”

  “Again, I don’t see the point of this.”

  “They are exactly what we need right now, Cane. They have the means to get this done. They probably have all the men, and they obviously have the weapons. They could be the leverage we need.”

  “They wouldn’t help me, Pearl. They aren’t the kind of crew that does favors.”

  “You wouldn’t ask them for a favor, Cane. You would make an exchange with them. Crow’s life for the business.”