by Kelsie Rae
“What does your associate want with her?” I counter.
“He didn’t say. But he did mention that you’d be generously compensated for any information you have in regards to her whereabouts.”
“I don’t need money.”
He laughs. “No. I don’t believe that money has ever really made you tick, now, has it? But power and respect?”
I stay silent.
“Yeah, I think both of those definitely hold more value to you. Especially when you’ve had so little for your entire life.”
“And your associate could provide these things?” I inquire, digging for information that might narrow down who his associate might be.
With a mischievous grin, he answers, “I think you’d be surprised.”
“Then why is he not speaking with me directly instead of sending someone else to do his bidding?”
Something isn’t adding up, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Did they find out that she outed herself as an FBI agent even though it was a bunch of bullshit? And why wouldn’t they just come to me directly instead of sending a dumbass like Dominic to retrieve answers? It doesn’t make sense…unless whoever is asking questions wants to keep his identity a secret.
My mind continues to churn with possibilities as Dominic remarks, “I don’t ask questions, Dex. I only follow orders and pocket the cash that follows.”
“What’s so special about this girl?”
He shrugs. “Like I said, I don’t ask questions. But I will say that he’s very confident you’ll deliver, and if you do, then he’ll be happy to help set things right.”
Scratching the scruff along my jaw, I look out at the gorgeous landscape below while contemplating the situation that just presented itself.
After a few tense seconds, I ask, “What kind of things?”
“The Allegrettis are in turmoil right now, Dex. They need a leader. They need someone to step up and take over. You’re the perfect candidate, don’t you think? Someone who’s spent years learning the ins and outs of Burlone’s business?” He shrugs, bringing the cigarette to his lips, but before taking another hit, he adds, “And who knows? Maybe the Romanos could use some new management, as well.”
I shake my head as every instinct in my body tells me to pull out my gun and end Dominic where he stands. “And you think your associate can deliver on something that big?”
Adam’s apple bobbing, he releases more smoke he’d been holding hostage in his lungs. “As I said, I think you’d be surprised.”
“When can I meet him?”
He scoffs, rolling his eyes at my ludicrous request. “That’s not possible.”
“If he wants her enough—”
“It’s not an option,” Dominic reiterates, growing frustrated. “I’ll be the go-between for the foreseeable future, and that’s not negotiable.”
Interesting.
“Will you be sticking around to enjoy the festivities?” I ask.
“Would you suggest that it would be in my best interest to do so?”
Probably not, I want to reply, but I keep my sarcasm in check before responding, “Yeah. I think it could potentially be beneficial for you. Give me a minute to do some digging. I’ll be back in a few.”
“Then it looks like I’ll be sticking around for a bit.” He turns around and rests his elbows on the dark railing before taking another puff from his cigarette that’s basically a nub. I watch a bit of ash fall from the tip of it then head inside.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Dex
The party is still in full swing, but I don’t acknowledge anyone as I search for Kingston. When I find him speaking with Matteo Moretti, my steps falter for an instant. Then I approach them.
Clearing my throat, I mutter, “Hey, Boss?”
Kingston turns his attention from Matteo to me. “Yes?”
“We need to talk.”
Sensing my urgency, he excuses himself from Matteo and follows me as I search for some privacy.
“Come in here,” Kingston orders as we pass the door Regina and I had sex in.
My jaw tightens, but I do as I’m told, praying the scent of sex has dissipated.
Once the door is closed behind us, Kingston demands, “What is it?”
“I received an interesting proposition tonight.”
He quirks his brow. “And?”
“And I think you might be interested to know that it involved me becoming the new head of the Allegretti and the Romano families,” I quip, nearly rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of it all.
Gaze narrowing in suspicion, he probes, “And who made this proposition?”
“Dominic Castello. Which reminds me, why the hell was Dominic Castello, or even Matteo fucking Moretti, invited tonight?”
He grins. “There’s a saying, Dex. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. We had a statement to make this evening, and I think it came across perfectly. I think the real question is, how would Dominic Castello deliver the Allegretti and the Romano families into your care? And what would he want enough to put himself at that much risk?”
“That’s the interesting part,” I divulge. “He’s working for someone but wouldn’t tell me who. Whoever it is, he wants Q.”
Kingston’s eyes open wide in surprise. “What the hell does he want with Q?”
I shrug. “No idea. Maybe someone found out that she outed herself as a Fed, and they want to deliver their own form of retribution.”
“I told the men I’d take care of it.”
“Yeah, but there wasn’t a body in the newspapers to corroborate your story.” Rubbing my face in frustration, I offer, “Maybe someone saw her alive? I don’t really know, but he’s risking a hell of a lot to get her. She’s still with Diece, right?”
With a nod, a curious Kingston inspects the situation from all sides before asking, “I think Dominic and I need to have a little chat. Is he still here?”
“I told him to wait on the balcony.”
“Why the hell would he do that?”
“Because I gave him the impression that I was interested in his proposition.”
His face looks like it’s been made from stone as he assesses me closely. “Are you?”
“Do you really even need to ask that?” I return. “I’m your man, Kingston. I’ve already proven that, haven’t I?”
His expression stays calm and indifferent, but I can see the wheels turning inside his head as he weighs my comment, searching for its validity. After a few moments, he finally throws me a bone.
“If Dominic has a connection with whoever’s been screwing with the Romanos, then yes. You’ve proven your loyalty.”
Again, I want to point out. It’s as if returning his sister and saving his ass did nothing to clear my name.
Biting my tongue, I go a different route and ask, “What do you mean?”
“Since my father died, I’ve had a suspicion that there’s a rat in the organization. We found the first one, but….”
“But something still felt off,” I finish for him. “And you were using me to flesh out any more.”
It makes sense. I’m the black sheep in the Romano family. If someone was looking for an ally to bring the Romanos down, I’d be the perfect candidate. Apparently, Kingston surmised the same thing.
He doesn’t confirm my suspicion. “Let’s hope that Dominic holds the answers.”
“If you approach Dominic, and we let him walk out of here, he’ll tip off whoever he’s working with that I can’t be trusted, and we’ll lose the only lead we have.”
“Who said Dominic is walking out of here?” Kingston returns.
My eyes widen in surprise. “You want to put him in the ground too?”
“The sooner our enemies learn the consequences of messing with the Romanos, the sooner they’ll figure out it’s a terrible idea, and I’ll be able to focus on more important shit.”
I don’t miss the way he says our enemies as he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to
someone.
Shifting my weight between my feet, I offer, “I should probably tell you that Dominic Castello is the one who gave Burlone Regina’s picture.”
“I know,” he admits, glancing up at me from his phone before putting it back into his pocket.
“What?”
“It’s another reason why he won’t be walking out of here tonight.”
I’m so damn sick of all these secrets that I want to rip my hair out. “Were you planning on gutting him before he approached me? And will there be any major consequences of his death?”
With a dark laugh, he explains, “My enemies need to understand that I’m not soft. And I won’t let them get away with the shit my dad did. As far as consequences for Dominic’s death”––he grins, showcasing that he really is batshit crazy––“let’s go find out.”
A soft knock on the door grabs our attention a few seconds later.
“Got your text,” Stefan tells Kingston as he enters the room. “You sure that it’s a good idea to do this with guests in the house?”
“I don’t see a better time in the foreseeable future, so we’ll deal with the hand we’ve been dealt. Let’s try to keep this discreet, though. Once we get him to the shed, we’ll get him to sing like a songbird. But for now, we need to keep him quiet until we have some privacy. Dex, do you think you can convince him to follow you outside?”
I nod. “Yeah. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good. We’ll meet you around back.” Kingston stops near the door before turning back to me and stating, “And if it wasn’t clear, this is me trusting you. Don’t screw it up.”
Then he leaves.
Chapter Forty
Dex
I step out of the room a few minutes later, nearly toppling over Regina as she passes by.
“Shit! You okay?” I ask, gripping her shoulders to keep her steady.
She nods before glancing left and right to confirm we’re relatively alone. When she finds the hall empty, she whispers sharply, “Where have you been? I’ve been freaking out! You went missing, then my brother disappeared, and I thought—”
“Shh…,” I croon, rubbing my hands up and down her bare skin. “It’s fine. Ace didn’t say anything.” Yet. “But I have somewhere I need to be. I’ll come find you later, okay?”
Breathing a sigh of relief, she nods. “Okay. I’ll uh, I’ll see you later. Be careful.”
I grin. “Always, Little Bird.”
Then I step around her and saunter toward the balcony, praying Dominic’s still out there. His silhouette is still where I left him. As I open the door, I approach with a casual swagger to put his rigid posture at ease. “I have the information you’re looking for.”
“Already?”
“You’d be surprised what a guy like me can turn up when I’m given the right motivation.”
His eyes light up, and his triumph tugs at his lips. “Great! Where is it?”
“Follow me.” Tilting my head toward the exit, I wait for him to push off from the railing and accompany me to the shed.
Spine straightening, he questions, “Why can’t you give the information to me right now?”
I drop my voice low. “This might seem like a relatively private location, but I’m not stupid. Follow me, or I’m out. You decide.” Sauntering back to the exit, I don’t wait to see if he joins me because I already know he will. Weaving between people, I step through the front door then down a small set of stairs before rounding the side of the house. The sound of footsteps follows me, confirming my assumption that Dominic’s a good little dog who knows how to obey orders.
Once we’re out of sight from the regular party-goers, I pull him to the side.
“What are you doing?” he asks, his gaze darting around the grassy yard like a deer during hunting season.
I lift my chin toward the shed tucked to the side of the estate. “She’s in there.”
Jaw dropping, he asks, “She’s…she’s in there?”
“Yeah. Head inside. I’ll pull a car around, and we’ll take her wherever you want.”
“B-but I have no idea where we’d need to take her yet. I—”
“Do you want her or not?” I grit out, feigning frustration.
“Well, yeah, but—”
“Then get your ass in there. She’s already drugged out of her mind. I guarantee she won’t make a fuss, and you’ll have plenty of privacy if you want to spend a few minutes to sample anything….” I let my voice trail off, giving him a chance to let his imagination run wild. I’ve dealt with scum like him in the past. For too long, if I’m being honest, and I know that it doesn’t take much for their judgment to be clouded when given the opportunity to sample the fruit beforehand.
Sick bastard.
“Oh. Uh…sure. I’ll just…go check then.” He walks toward the shed door before glancing over his shoulder. He’s close to backing out as his self-preservation instinct starts to rear its ugly head, so I march toward him and seethe, “Don’t forget to hold up your end of the deal, Castello. I’m not putting my neck on the line for an asshole who can’t deliver. We clear?”
His eyes darken. “Yeah.”
“Good. I’ll go get the car. The door is unlocked. I checked on her a few minutes ago and left it unlatched for you. Like I said, she isn’t going anywhere, but stay quiet. I’ll be back in ten.”
Then I storm off, banking that he’ll do as I ask.
Once I’m out of sight, I count to ten before heading back to the shed. When I step inside, Stefan has his hand over Dominic’s mouth and is wrestling him into the chair that sits in the center of the empty room. I’ve never been here before, but it looks almost exactly as I would expect it to. The floor is gray cement with a slight slant that leads to a drain in the center of the room. It’s conveniently located beneath the chair to help clean up any messes that inevitably happen here. Along the back wall, there’s a locked cabinet that I assume holds a variety of instruments needed for pulling information out of any of Kingston’s guests. The walls are metal too, made for easy cleaning with a power hose and a little elbow grease. I can only imagine the scenes they’ve hidden from public view, but I have a feeling I’ll get front row seats tonight.
Stepping toward Stefan as he continues to wrestle with our guest of honor, I pull out my Glock and press it to Dominic’s head.
“Stop fighting, or I’ll blow your brains out. We just want to chat.” The lie is delivered with smooth indifference like I don’t care which option he chooses. His eyes practically cross as he looks down the barrel of my gun before nodding his head up and down. After shoving a more compliant Dominic into the metal chair, Stefan cuffs his wrists to the arms and makes sure he can’t go anywhere.
Kingston watches with his arms crossed from beside the cabinet. Once he deems Dominic situated, he retrieves a key from his front pocket and opens the gray cabinet.
“Nice to officially meet you, Dominic,” Kingston says conversationally while sorting through his stash. “I’m so glad you received our invitation and decided to attend the gathering. Our good friend, Dex, says you had a proposition for him. Care to talk about it?”
Dominic’s mouth stays firmly shut, encouraging Kingston to glance over at him before turning his attention back to the cabinet that holds an assortment of instruments used for extracting information. The variety is staggering. Tiny bottles with indistinguishable liquids. A brand new baseball bat. Knives of all shapes and sizes. Hammers. Screws. Hell, there’s even a saw in there and a cigar cutter.
“Interesting…. Dex said you were awfully chatty with him, but you seem pretty quiet to me. Dex,” he addresses me. “Think you could get this boy talking?”
His question surprises me, especially when he’s known for being the king of interrogation. Still, I’m not about to point that out to him, and who knows? This might be another test.
“Sure thing, Boss.”
I don’t bother to grab any of Kingston’s nifty tools. Instead, I raise my closed fist, cock my a
rm back, and nail him square in the nose. The crunch confirms it’s broken, causing a smile to stretch across my face. Dominic’s head snaps back as blood flows like a faucet over his lips and down his chin, staining his once white button-up shirt.
“What the hell?!” he screams.
“You’re surprised?” I laugh. “I’m a Romano, Dominic. Bribery won’t be changing that. Now, we can do this the easy way, and you can start talking, or we can do this the hard way, and I can have Kingston show me how handy his little cabinet is. What do you say?”
He shakes his head, so I hit him again.
And again.
And again.
My fists ache, and my knuckles swell from the abuse, but it doesn’t stop me from taking another swing. Crimson-stained saliva spews from his mouth before his head rolls forward, and his chin drops to his chest.
“F-fine,” Dominic grunts in defeat. “Fine. J-just…stop.”
“I stop when you start talking,” I tell him.
“W-what….” He groans in pain. “What do you want to know?”
“We want to know who you’re working for.”
His eyes roll back in his head, but Stefan steps closer and squeezes his neck in warning. “Don’t pass out, Dominic. You won’t like how we wake you up.”
Heavy lids snapping open, Dominic tries to concentrate and answer the question. “I’ve never met him. I-I don’t know his name. He, uh…he reached out to me. Offered a shitton of money. All I had to do was contact Sei or Dex.”
“Sei’s in custody,” I correct him.
Shaking his head back and forth, Dominic argues, “No. He wasn’t picked up with everyone else. Thank God I had the flu and couldn’t attend, either, or I’d have been screwed like the rest of them. Then again, I think that’s why the guy contacted me in the first place. He knew we ran in the same circle. That I could reach you.”
“Stefan,” Kingston barks. “Ask Leo to confirm Sei’s whereabouts.” Turning to Dominic, he continues his interrogation. “What did he want you to contact Dex about?”
