I open my eyes and momentarily forget where I am, but I see a phone buzzing on the nightstand. It’s dark, pitch black outside, and I hear Massimo inside the bathroom.
Instinct must make me reach for the phone believing it’s mine, although I haven’t slept with my phone nearby in months and the person who would have contacted me at this hour is now dead.
I’m about to put the phone back when I realize it’s Massimo’s. I almost feel afraid for him to catch me with it, but what stops me from all but throwing it far from me is the preview of the text that’s just come through.
It’s from Gabriella.
A stone drops in my stomach when I see her name, but fury flies through me when I read the preview.
My pussy misses you. Come to my place, and we can fuck for the rest of the night. I’m sure that girl can’t be pleasuring you the way I can. See you later x
That’s what the message says. This bitch knows we’ve been married for over a month and thinks it’s appropriate to message my husband this.
Under normal circumstances, I’d call her. I’d call her and tell her to delete his number and never call again. I can’t do that, though, because she must be messaging him because she thinks it’s okay.
His footsteps echo off the bathroom floor. I set the phone back down quickly, falling back onto the pillow, pretending to be asleep.
He walks in, and the phone buzzes again. This time it’s ringing, but it’s on silent. He picks it up and answers it.
“I’m on my way,” he says in a low voice, careful not to wake me. I press down hard on my back teeth to keep myself from screaming.
He’s going to see her.
Fuck.
He’s actually going to see her.
He walks out of the room, and when the door closes, I open my eyes and wonder what the hell I’m supposed to do.
Chapter Thirty
Massimo
Emelia is the last thing I should have on my mind right now as I walk down the alleyway leading to the chamber. That’s what we call it.
It’s the place where we question people.
Question? That’s a mild way to put it since most people we question don’t make it out alive. In fact, I can’t remember when last that happened.
My brothers found a guy who’s been working with Vlad.
They have this fucker now chained to a wall, waiting for me to interrogate him since he has decided he’s not talking. I’m here to make him talk or pay with his life. We’ll see about defiance when I get there.
It’s going to be one of those difficult nights, so I need to put my mind in the right frame.
I continue down the alley, my gun in my side pocket, at the ready in case some wiseguy thinks he can take me out.
Most don’t mess with me when they see me, and most stay clear of this area, gangsters and mobsters alike. They know it belongs to us.
I get to the door and steel my spine when Dominic steps out from the shadows. It was he who called me to come down here.
“Hey,” I say.
“Massimo, this fucker is one crazy son of a bitch. Tried to gouge my fucking eyes out with a knife.” He smirks.
“Fuck. You alright?” I still think of him as my kid brother, but he can more than take care of himself.
He nods. “Don’t worry about me, bro. Let’s do this.”
We continue down the path and head down into the basement. Above is a bookie office we own.
It’s busier during the day. At this time of night, we have just one guard on site by the front entrance. Tonight, we have three, just in case any shit happens.
I push open the metal door, and Dominic and I walk into the room, where our guest is indeed chained to the wall. He’s been beaten badly. Tristan is standing in front of him, sharpening my knives.
The fucker on the wall is a fat balding asshole with two missing teeth. I don’t know if that came from his encounter with my brothers, or if he already looked like that when he got here. It doesn’t matter to me either way. Missing teeth will be the last of his problems when I finish with him.
“Knives are ready, Boss,” Tristan says with a dark smile.
I tip my head. “Wonderful, now on to business,” I state, looking back at my guest. “Name?”
“Yev Lobochev,” Dominic replies. “Age thirty-seven, although he looks like shit. He’s from Russia, of the Pelov Brotherhood, or so he used to be until he joined the Circle of Shadows.”
“Motherfucker!” Yev shouts at Dominic.
I answer him with a kick to his stomach, which makes him howl with pain.
“Speak when you are spoken to,” I hiss and eye him sharply. I look back to Tristan and hold out my hand. He passes me two knives. Throwing knives. I have a set of ten. Usually, on the tenth the victim dies, but by then, I have the intel I need.
I focus on Yev, and the room goes quiet.
Clearing my throat, I move a few paces forward, keeping my gaze trained on this fucker the whole time. I don’t even blink.
“Tell me, Yev, where is Vlad,” I demand.
“Fuck you,” he snarls. “I’m not fucking telling you shit. You can go fuck yourselves, all of you.”
That’s it. My patience is gone. I throw one knife into his thigh. He screams, howling like a wild animal trapped in a snare.
A wild animal I would show mercy. I have none for him.
As blood pours from his thigh, Yev looks back at me like he can’t believe what I just did.
Just as he’s about to catch his breath, I throw the second knife into his other leg. Not only does the motherfucker scream louder than before, he pisses himself. Piss trails down his leg and runs onto the floor, pooling around his shoes.
“Fuck, man,” Dominic says with a chuckle, looking at Yev with disgust.
“If you shit yourself, you’re dead,” I tell Yev. “I will put a bullet in your fucking head if I even smell anything more than the stench of your piss.”
My tone and my words are hard, and I get the desired effect when he starts to tremble. From the sneer on his face, though, I know I don’t have him where I need him to be just yet.
“You animal, I will not tell you anything.”
That’s what I thought. I put my hand out, and Tristan passes me two more knives. I send both into Yev’s left arm. He heaves like he’s going to vomit after the screams and cries of agony.
“Ready to talk yet?” I taunt. “We can do this all night. I don’t mind, and neither do my brothers. We’ll be here until you draw your last miserable breath if we have to. Know why? Vlad is an enemy to us. He’s killed our loved ones, and I’m pretty sure he killed my best guy, Pierbo.”
Yev wrenches and the chains clink. He looks like shit and worse for being covered in blood.
“Ready to talk, Yev?” I ask, readying to throw another knife. I’m aiming for his stomach. He sees that and starts sputtering.
“Wait, please… no more,” he wails. More tears seep out of his eyes. “Please. I was just hired to set up some computers for a job. Surveillance. That’s what I do.”
“What kind of job?” I demand, holding the knife out to slice him up.
“Vlad is working with Riccardo Balesteri,” he blurts. My eyes nearly pop out of my head.
“What?”
“Riccardo Balesteri has been working with him. They want to take down the syndicate.”
I look at Tristan because he’s the closest to me, then Dominic. Both look shocked.
“You’re certain of this?” I demand.
“Yes.”
Riccardo wants to take down the syndicate? Holy fuck. What the fuck?
I recall what Jacob said. He mentioned a plan. Vlad was going to come for me when the plan was completed. Fucking Riccardo. They’ve been working together on this plan. A plan to take out the syndicate. I don’t know anybody who’s successfully gone up against the Syndicate and managed to take any of the members out. They’re practically invincible. Then again, so are the Circle of Shadows. No one’s ever en
listed them to take out the Syndicate before.
How the fuck did Riccardo manage to do it? They don’t work with Italians. They’re Bratva.
I push past the shock in my mind and try to focus. I need to get everything I can from this fucker.
“What is he planning?” I ask.
“They’re waiting for some important transaction to take place, then they’ll unleash the plan.”
“What transaction?” That could anything. They have transactions taking place daily. Everything from million-dollar to billion-dollar deals in drugs or diamonds, or some other shit.
“I don’t know what it is,” Yev rasps.
Fucking Riccardo. Damn him. This goes right back to all that money he owed. I should have guessed he would be up to shit.
What the hell is he up to?
Yev starts to laugh. “Look at you, caught in a net. I hope Vlad wipes you out. Maybe take that pretty little wife you have and fuck her while you watch. Maybe chop off her head too, like the last girl. Pretty girl. She begged for her life before he killed her. What was her name? Alyssa?”
I pull my gun and fire one bullet, getting to him before Tristan can. The bullet lodges right between his eyes, and blood splatters all over me.
Four more bullets echo next to me, leaving my brother’s gun. Tristan shoots, firing one bullet after another until the life leaves Yev’s body and all that’s left is a bloody mash-up of blood and gore.
Fuck, he was one of the guys who took Alyssa, and he was talking about my wife. I understand Tristan’s pain now more than ever. I understand his loss. I understand how he must blame himself because neither he nor I could stop them from taking Alyssa.
They killed her because she married him.
I don’t realize I’m shaking, seething with rage with the gun in my hand, until Dominic rests his hand on my shoulder.
I look at him and grit my teeth.
“Focus,” he says, but I can see the storm brewing in his eyes. “We need to focus.”
Shit. How can I focus after hearing that? I try because I have to.
I turn to Tristan, who lowers his gun.
“I need to cool off,” he says and walks out. I allow him to go. He needs to walk off his distress. We watch him go.
“I have to contact the syndicate,” I say. I’ll call Pa first. “I need to find out what transaction Vlad is waiting on.”
“I can look into that and see what I can find out,” Dominic says.
“Thank you, brother.”
“Don’t worry. Try not to worry about Emelia,” he tells me.
If anyone can see straight through me, it’s him. He has a way of seeing past my hard exterior. That’s why he needed to be my consigliere. Even if it’s just to calm me the fuck down.
I won’t allow anything to happen to Emelia.
Once again, Daddy Dearest strikes.
Pa has been going over the Syndicate creed of protocols and policies. I think of them and know straightaway what the fucker is up to.
You keep what you kill. The Syndicate has a protocol called Code Ten. It’s a way of preserving the wealth accumulated and keeping it within the group.
It provides that when one member dies, the remaining members receive their shares and wealth. Ten percent of yearly earnings are put into the Syndicate funds That currently stands at five hundred billion. That’s just the money side of it. There is also the value of services and business specialties the group owns together. If Riccardo wiped out the Syndicate and was the last man standing, the fucker would get everything.
We screwed with him, but little did we know he must have been planning this shit for a while. When his cartel deal went bust and we shit all over his plans, that must have really pissed him off.
Now I know what’s going on.
He wants to kill us all. Me included. And take everything.
That will be how he gets his daughter back.
Chapter Thirty-One
Massimo
Matteo’s hands tense as he gazes down at the image of Vlad laid out on his office table. He looks enraged
It’s the image we got from Pierbo’s camera.
Pa and I are sitting before him, waiting for him to say something. We’ve just filled him in on what’s happening.
He looks up and aims a cold stare at Pa.
“I have no idea what transaction he’s waiting on,” he states. “It could be anything. There are a number of things happening over the next few weeks that amount in the billion-dollar region. Obviously, though, he must wish to enact Code Ten. Kill us fucking dead and take everything.”
Pa nods. “Yes, it could only be that.”
Phillipe looks at me now, then back at Pa. “What is going on between you and Riccardo? I’m asking as a friend, Giacomo.”
Pa glances at me. I don’t know what to do here. We’ve accomplished our own mission, but what will it mean? It could mean all kinds of shit.
“As your friend, I will tell you that I’m not at liberty to discuss that. As my friend, I will expect you to respect my wishes and those of my son.”
Phillipe gives him an exasperated sigh. “Fucking hell, Giacomo, shit has always been brewing between you and Riccardo. Something happened between you two recently. Something to make him give up his voting rights in the Syndicate and his daughter. That’s one hell of debt repayment. You have more dirt on him. More than this with this madman from the circle of Shadows. Dirt you definitely weren’t supposed to stumble over. I think it’s to do with the syndicate.”
“We signed in blood, and I’m a man of honor. I am not at liberty to tell you anything. I took care of the shit, and this is new shit you have hanging over your head,” Pa tells him firmly, homing in on his old self as boss.
“So, what should I do? My allegiance is to the syndicate. Just for this shit I should recommend the blood death to the Brotherhood.”
I bolt to my feet. Pa has to hold me back. He knows I’m about knock Matteo’s teeth down his throat or kill his ass. Blood death means killing Riccardo and his family. He means to kill Emelia. That’s who they would start with.
“Fucking bastard, you leave my wife out of this. Leave her the fuck out of this!” I shout.
Matteo’s face softens somewhat when he sees my response.
“If you even think of hurting my wife, I’ll slit your throat right where you stand, and you won’t get the fucking chance to recommend shit to anybody,” I threaten. Pa tightens his grip on my arm. “I didn’t have to tell you anything. I could have taken my family and fled. I could have run away with my girl like a motherfucker and leave you to die.”
He stands too and dips his head. “My apologies,” he says and cuts Pa a glance. “I won’t ask again about the feud between you and Riccardo, and I won’t recommend the blood death. I am, however, recommending death to him. So, he’ll get the chance to come and plea his innocence if he chooses to accept the chance.”
Pa releases me, and I clench my jaw. Death to Riccardo is better than being uninitiated. I don’t care about him. He deserves everything he gets. The Syndicate are ruthless bastards. That invitation he’s talking about basically means death by firing squad.
“You think Riccardo will just come to a meeting he knows he’ll most likely die at?”
“No, so we’ll be looking for him. I think it goes without saying that we’re all in danger until we figure out what transaction he’s waiting for. So, we’ll be looking for him, and when we find him, we’ll lock him up and then give him the chance to talk.”
“He could pull this off, couldn’t he? He must think he can.”
“The significant thing about the Shadows is that they always have help and you never know who’s helping them,” Phillipe answers. His pale blue eyes look even paler. “They are enemies who have allies you may be close to you, and you would never know until it is too late. We are powerful, but even the mighty can fall. I’ll get the best men working on it. I suggest you do the same. More hands, less work.”
I alrea
dy have my best man working. Dominic.
“Okay, we’ll check back in when we can,” Pa says.
Phillipe nods and we leave. I’m the first to go through the door. When we get outside, I throw a fist in the wall.
“Son… calm down,” Pa says.
I turn to face him. “Pa, I don’t fucking trust him. What if he does come for her?”
“We have to protect against everyone and all eventualities. I don’t think he will. He’s just pissed we won’t tell him what Riccardo did initially. If we do, it’s death to us too. No question about it. When I found out Riccardo was stealing from them, I should have reported it, but I decided to screw with him.”
“We, not just you. Now that it’s done, I can’t feel the redemption I sought.” I shake my head at him.
“I know. Don’t let it get to you. Go home to your wife and cool off. You’ve been back and forth for hours.”
I sigh. I’m fucking exhausted, but I don’t think I can rest until I have some plan in motion. I saw Emelia earlier. She could tell something was up with me. I hate being around her when I feel like this.
“Pa, I’m sick of this shit with Riccardo. I don’t know how he got a man like Alexei in on this.”
“Eventually, all things will reveal themselves.” He dips his head. “Keep your ears to the ground, Massimo.”
“I will.”
One last look at me, and he head to his car.
I jump on my motorcycle and ride home, wanting to see my girl. All I want to do for the rest of the day is spend time with her. Then I’ll get back on track tomorrow. Maybe Dominic will have found something. Thank God, I have Andreas holding the fort at the company. I can’t do business when I’m like this.
I get home. I’m about to make my way upstairs when the sound of ice clinking against crystal has my head turning.
Gabriella stands in the doorway of the sitting room. The broad smile on her face suggests she’s here to cause trouble. What she’s wearing does too—a little kimono—and I’m pretty sure she’s naked under it.
Ruthless Prince : A Dark Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance (Dark Syndicate Book 1) Page 24
