Covert (The Clans Book 9)

by Elizabeth Knox

  The brown eyed man who I picked as the womanizer of the bunch looks at me with saddened eyes today. Almost like he’s ashamed of what’s being done to me. Is Lupo the one with the heart in this family? If he is, I may be able to use him to my advantage to get Madigan and I out of this hell hole. I refuse to only think about myself. No matter what role she had in Vinny Falcone’s disappearance, if she had any, she doesn’t deserve this. “You wanted to see what I’m doing with her, so here we are. What do you think?” Franco asks his youngest, who is barely over twenty-one.

  “This is . . . asinine. Al found her going through drawers and here she is in meat locker, bloodied and bruised, violated by our staff. What is wrong with you?” Much to my surprise, the younger Falcone challenges his father.

  “That is what we do to those who and try to cross us, son. We show them we’ll make their lives hell. We are Falcones, not average idiots. She could’ve fooled anyone, but not me. I’ve been in the game for far too long. Women like Teresa though . . . if that’s even her name, pfft. They shouldn’t be trusted. I will give you this advice, women like her try to take down families like ours. They plant themselves in our lives for a reason. Now, tell me, what was hers?”

  Lupo approaches me, sliding his hands into his pockets and stares intently. Moments go by of pure silence with nothing said from any party when Lupo turns to face his father. “This is a woman who wants to be safe. Someone betrayed her in a horrible way and now she can’t trust anyone. Teresa here is only trying to do what is right.” I narrow my eyes at what Lupo is saying. Z had told me there was an informant close to the Falcones, but is the informant one of his sons?

  Franco steps in front of his son and pushes him back, staring down at his boy. “It sounds to me like you’re smitten for Teresa, Lupo. Is that the case?”

  Lupo looks back to me and for a moment we share a silent look. He hasn’t said a word and yet I know he’s the informant. He’s working with the government to take his father down. Now I’m only left with one question—why?

  “Ah, don’t answer that. I know you, son. You’ve always had big eyes when it comes to the ladies. Now I’ll be blunt with you. I told Teresa she was to be a sex slave to me now and that is my plan . . . however, if you want her as your own I will respect that. There is one condition, though.”

  Lupo turns to look back at his father and I watch as Franco’s smile turns into a sneer. “If you want her, you have to prove to me how much you want her.” Franco’s eyes lock with mine and I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to sense if his son is bluffing or not.

  “Fine, I’ll bite.”

  “Now are you going to tell me what I did to Madigan was too over the top?” Lupo looks over to Madigan and for a split second I see something flash across his eyes, but he quickly recovers.

  “No, fuck her. If she had anything to do with Vinny disappearing, then she deserves this and so much more.” While Franco might be fooled, I’m sure as fuck not.

  Lupo turns toward me, makes me stand and yanks a pocket knife from his pants, cutting the zip ties from my wrists. Grinding his hips into my stomach, he speaks loudly “Let’s see if you prefer father or son, shall we?”

  I yank away from him but he wraps his hand around my throat and holds me against the wall while I hear his zipper coming down. Lupo presses his mouth against my ear and whispers lowly, “I’m sorry I have to do this, but the agencies need you and I alive. You’re the in for the CIA and I have a handler at the FBI. If I don’t do this, he’ll kill me. Don’t put it past him.”

  Suddenly, I’m realizing there’s a side to Franco Falcone I don’t know. One that’s far worse than the monster I thought I understood.

  Chapter 22

  Isabella

  “You done fucking her yet?” Franco asks Lupo who’s standing a couple feet in front of me, eyes trained on me like I belong to him. He’s using sex as a way to whisper things in my ear, giving me more information.

  Lupo looks back to his father and clears his throat before he speaks. “I’ll tell you when I’m done fucking her. This is my bitch now, not yours. You wanted me to prove it and I’ve proved it. How about you fuck off old man?”

  Franco slaps his hands together, causing Madigan to lift her head up. From her slight movement we all look over toward her and I suck in a sharp breath, afraid for what Franco will do. “She’s still alive? What a shame.” Instead of Franco harming her in some way, he simply walks out of the refrigerator and leaves his son alone with Madigan and I.

  "Please allow me to apologize profusely for what I did.” Lupo starts off, keeping his tone low so no one would be able to successfully eavesdrop.

  “What you had to do. If you didn’t, he might’ve killed me or you. I’ll admit, you make me curious on why you said what you did. He’s going to such lengths to ensure Madigan suffers a great deal because of your brother, Vinny. Why would he kill you?”

  Lupo chuckles lowly, “Because I’m not like my brothers. They’re . . . aggravated, seasoned and know the game. I’m much younger, naïve if you ask my father. There’s a level of trust he doesn’t have with me, finding me replaceable.”

  I nod, but stop as shooting pains fly down my neck. “I could see him thinking in such a way. So, you said the agencies. Does that mean you’re in the same boat I am, or you know my name?”

  “My handler Kristie told me she had a connection with the CIA, a friend of hers name Z apparently had a woman who was going to help me take my father down. All they told me was that you had long black hair and a rose tattoo on your left arm. Didn’t take me long to figure it out, but because I didn’t get a good look at you the night of the gala I wasn’t sure. I only saw your tattoo the other day and then my Dad did what he always does, made a few moves. I had to dig to discover where you were. Now I can’t make promises on when I can get you out of here, but I will.”

  “What about Madigan?” I question. I bet we’ll get me out, but she needs to see a doctor as soon as possible.

  Lupo looks over to her and bows his head, shrugging. “I don’t know. If I make certain moves he’ll know it was me. We can’t have that. It would blow my cover and all the hard work Kristie and I have accomplished.”

  I cock a brow, reading between the lines. “Sounds like you’re into this Kristie woman.”

  “I am, but she’s not into me. I’m not her type.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Yes I do, she prefers breasts and juicy cunts.”

  I make a small ‘o’ with my mouth and shut it closed. Lupo lifts up his watch, starts to turn and speaks to me. “I will try to get you out of here as soon as possible. My Dad believes I want you which should deter him from acting out in specific ways. I need you to do me a favor and try to keep Madigan with us.”

  “When will you come for us?” I ask. He needs to come back soon. There aren’t any other options.

  “A couple of days,”

  “She doesn’t have a couple days. Have you looked at her?” I snarl out in a whisper.

  Lupo’s eyes fall to the ground as he turns on his heel, “I’ll do the best that I can.”

  ***

  It feels like hours have passed since I’ve seen anyone and with it Lupo’s words replay in my mind. He said days. We simply don’t have days. Madigan will surely be dead by then and who knows what Franco will do to the naïve bitch who went through his drawers.

  Franco reminds me of a cat playing with their mouse before they kill it. In this scenario I’m the mouse.

  Groaning comes from the other side of the room as Madigan wakes up again. She keeps going in and out of consciousness, looking paler by the hour. I’m so fearful that she will end up dying today if I don’t figure some way to get her out of here.

  Planting my hands underneath me I go over to Madigan, careful not to touch her because I know she must be in the worst amount of pain. “Madigan, you need to stay awake. Okay?”

  Whatever she says back is completely unintelligible.

  I
move too fast when a wave of dizziness hits me, landing me on the ground underneath Madigan and I feel at a loss. While discovering Lupo is on my side, I feel stuck. I feel like nothing is going the way it should’ve and I may die here alongside Madigan. Any bit of hope I had left is now gone.

  I lay on the ground for ages until the door flies open again but I can’t get up. Moving hurts, and I realize I haven’t eaten or drunken anything since I’ve been in this meat locker. Lazzaro comes up to me with a gun pointed in my face, “Who the fuck are you and why is there an army of people outside?!”

  My eyes widen at what he says. Is this the government? No. They wouldn’t ever do something like this. The only people this could be are my people —the Clans. Ion has done this in the past, where he’s allowed main clan leaders to make a ruckus if someone they love has been taken.

  “Me? Obviously, whoever they are want Madigan. She’s the important one here, asshole. Not me.” I’m pretty fucking tired of playing this naïve woman and the sassiness I naturally have is starting to spill out.

  Lazzaro pulls his trigger finger back and before I even realize it I feel a bullet flying through my arm. I fall back down onto the cold ground and check my upper arm, seeing an entry wound and immediately look for an exit. Thank fuck I find it within a second but that’s when I hear another shot and I prepare for the worst. For my world to go completely dark but what surprises me is Lazzaro’s body falling to the ground and when I look up . . . my eyes meet with the one man I’ve missed more than anything else on this planet.

  Marcellus Funar.

  “Baby, fuck!” He runs over to me and while my world feels amazing at the sight of him, a rush of exhaustion swarms over me.

  My eyelids flutter and I feel myself passing out. Maybe it’s my bodies way of shutting me down as a way to recuperate, but the timing couldn’t be worse. “Call Stefan, he’ll know what to do. Promise me you’ll call Stefan.” And just like that, as the last vowel passes through my lips I’m out like a light.

  Chapter 23

  Marcel

  Isabella asked me to call Stefan, and I’ll admit I forgot about that small detail. The most important thing was getting her to a local hospital. It’s obvious she needed treatment, but the tricky part of it all was finding someone who would discreetly treat her. Within twenty minutes we were at a hospital. Isabella was being rushed back on a gurney while I made sure to hand the doctor who took her a decent tip, ensuring she’d be in the most private of areas, unseen by wandering eyes. A nurse told me they’d come out and speak to me in a few minutes to give me a status update so I call Stefan while I sit down in the waiting room.

  It rings a couple times before he greets me, “I take it everything is ready?”

  I cock a brow, realizing these two must’ve had some sort of plan. Truthfully, it irritates me a bit that Stefan Dalca of all people knew this about Isabella and I didn’t. He’s scum in my opinion. Rich, overprivileged Romanian scum. “Yes, Isabella said you’d know what to do.”

  “That I do, Marcellus. That I do. I’ll fill you in. I have men in New York right now. Even though I chose Presley over Isabella when it came down to it, I always felt the need to make sure Isabella had somewhat of a team behind her, even if she didn’t realize it. My eyes were always on the one who was supposed to marry me. Isabella knows the type of men I hire, but never knew they were watching her. I can send them after Franco at this point considering she’s safe.”

  I didn’t like Stefan, but knowing he’s had members of his team watching over Isabella for this long does make me feel better about him. Even though he’s an asshole, it gives me hope this man is one of his word. “Don’t send them, I have a connection of someone who’s supposed to be close by. Hold on a sec.” I pull my phone from my ear and text Enzo, the half-brother of the Morettis, who is in the Skulls Renegade MC and tell him it’s a go to continue after Franco and finish him.

  I’d love to be there and do the deed myself, although that’s only a selfish action. The man doesn’t deserve to breathe another moment and prolonging his life isn’t something I’d ever allow. The Skulls Renegade will have no problem ending a man’s life, especially Franco’s.

  I put the phone back to my ear, “I’m back.”

  “Do me a favor and don’t waste my time. I’m a high commodity these days, Marcellus. Although, let me give you a word of advice. You should make sure Isabella lays low for a while. She’s gonna have an entire army of people after her. The Falcones aren’t the type of people who don’t have friends. Any close associates will be searching for her. I have no doubt you can figure out a way to make sure she steers clear of the people looking for her.”

  “I can figure something out.” I state, thinking how Isabella and I can take the first flight out of here to a warm locale as soon as she’s cleared by the doctor.

  Stefan snickers from the other end, “I’m sure you can. Well, I’d better get going. I’ll see you soon enough.”

  Stefan ends the phone call while I’m certain the two of us will cross paths very soon.

  “Sir, you can come back with me now.” The nurse states, calling me from a few feet away. I rise and head toward her, watching as she pulls out an electronic key card that gains us entry to the back.

  We head to the right, walk about a hundred feet or so and make a sharp left. The entire corridor doesn’t have any lights on so I instantly think something is going on. Every red flag inside my body flies up until we go into a room where the lights are dim and I see Isabella on the bed.

  The doctor is asking her a series of questions. She furrows her brows, “I’m sorry . . . I don’t remember. It just hurts.”

  “Alright, well that could be from the obvious malnutrition you’ve experienced. We have you hooked up to some fluids. I’m running a complete blood panel to be safe. Now . . . I’m going to forewarn you. This next question won’t be an easy one to answer. I’ve seen women like you come in time and time again, usually enduring the same thing. Should I prepare a rape kit for you?” The doc’s question blows me away.

  “Is that necessary?” I ask,

  The doctor doesn’t waver his eyes from Isabella’s. “No. No thank you.” She murmurs quietly, diverting her eyes to the wall.

  “Alright. I’ll be back in an hour to check on you. In the meantime, get some rest.” He exits the tiny hospital room and I approach Isabella’s bedside, taking a seat on the shitty chair next to her bed and pull her hand into my palm. Emotion overwhelms me but I do my best to stay strong and not allow her to see the worry that’s been eating me alive these last few days.

  I press my lips on the top of her hand and look up to her glistening eyes. Her hair is a mess, raggedy and bunched up but she hasn’t looked more beautiful to me. Isabella is truly one of the strongest women I’ve ever known.

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost you.” I confess, keeping my voice strong. I don’t want her to see how this experience affected me.

  “You didn’t. I’m okay. I was the lucky one,”

  The two of us share a look before she asks me what I know is coming. “How is Madigan? Do you know anything yet?”

  Shifting my head down to the floor I take in a deep breath, “The update I’ve gotten isn’t a good one, Isa. The conditions you were both in combined with her wounds are extensive at best. The only thing that helped was how cold it was. That’s the only reason she didn’t bleed out. I’ll give you another update when I can, but it’s touch and go.”

  Unlike me, they called an ambulance for the younger Steele sister. She was in far worse condition and it didn’t matter if her identity got out on the streets. The Steele family has an entire public relations team dedicated to situations like this. They’d be able to twist it and turn it into Madigan being a strong survivor. Me on the other hand, my only concern was getting Isabella to a hospital as soon as we could without making a ruckus.

  “God, I hope she makes it through. She didn’t deserve everything that Franco did to her, Marcel.�
�

  I shake my head, “No, babygirl. I can’t imagine she did. Let’s not think about that right now, okay? You need to rest. Let me worry about everything else. That’s what I’m here for.”

  Chapter 24

  Marcel

  Six hours have passed us by and Isabella has been asleep almost during the entire time. While she’s been resting, I’ve been tapping away on my phone gaining whatever information I can about what happened in that meat locker. From what I saw, it couldn’t have been good.

  I shut down my email app on my cell phone and go to my text messages, sending one off to Stefan.

  Any updates?

  It takes only a few moments before I see three little dots appearing on the screen and a reply is sent back to me.

  We’ve caught the snake. It’s being held for the moment and transported.

  Hmm, I didn’t realize Stefan would put this much effort in moving Franco Falcone. I think about what I’ll say to him for a moment, but decide to keep it plain and simple.

  Why not cut the head off the animal?

  Dots appear back on the screen before they disappear altogether. I divert my attention back at Isabella, figuring I won’t get an answer. At least I can breathe a little easier knowing the bastard has been caught. Surprisingly, a few minutes later I have a response.

  It’s personal. That’s all you need to know.

  Isabella stirs in her bed, brings her hands up to her eyes and rubs them. Upon opening them she looks terrified, as if maybe she thought getting rescued and into the hospital was only but a dream. “Relax, babygirl. I’m here.” I whisper out from across the room. When her eyes land on me she instantly takes in a deep breath.

  “Sorry, I thought it was all a dream.”

  I nod, “Of course you did. It wasn’t, though.” Standing up from the chair I go back to sit in the one directly next to her bed. “I won’t pressure you to tell me what happened while you were there, but I hope you’d let me in on your nightmare. It’s the only way I can fully be here for you, sweetheart.” I take my hand out and tuck her dark locks behind her ears. My movement is calculating, doing something so simple yet letting her know I’m here for her in whatever way she needs me to be.