Controlled: A Dark Mafia Romance

Chapter 13

Creed

Stalking.

I’d never considered myself a stalker before, but I’d wanted to catch Bella’s every nuance, grabbing a moment of her innocence all over again.

So, I’d followed her. Hell, I’d even considered breaking into her apartment, placing listening devices and cameras, but the logistics given her roommates would be a pain in my ass. Something I didn’t need. Besides, I had every intention of following through with the promise I’d made to her.

Or the warning.

It depended on how you looked at it.

To me, wanting to learn everything I could about her was as natural as breathing. How else did you discover all the dirty little secrets about someone you wanted to kill or keep?

Desiring to keep my perfect flower protected and nourished was also natural, although there were those who would call it a savage sin. Not that I’d given a damn about what anyone thought my entire life. It wasn’t going to change now.

At first, I’d done what I could to remain in the shadows, not wanting to draw her attention, but the savage inside of me had wanted her to feel the burning desire I had for her. When she’d finally realized she was being followed, the little vixen did her best to avoid my prying eyes.

Of course, she’d failed.

I’d enjoyed just watching her deep in thought riding the subway after she’d left the facility where she’d placed her mother. Bella had seemed more forlorn, twisting her long fingers together before wrapping her index finger around a long, thick strand of hair. She’d been nervous, but not by my presence. Something had bothered her and I’d had the urge to hunt and kill whoever was responsible.

Curtailing my beast had almost proven impossible.

My, oh, my. The lovely woman had already broken through my foolproof armor. My father had taught all of us how to wear masks to avoid scrutiny and to be able to blend in with society.

Like proper sociopaths.

Whap. Whap. Whap. Whap.

I hit the punching bag even harder, jumping from one foot to the other to avoid the swinging weight. I’d exerted enough energy given my state of mind that I had to rub my forearm across both eyes, the sweat stinging like a swarm of bees.

Why the hell had I given the woman so much time in the first place? My moments of strange behavior were starting to infuriate me more than trying to recapture my patience. What I knew was that for some insane reason, Carmine Rothschild, as disgusting as she’d become, hadn’t managed to sully my beautiful dancer. And she’d never be allowed the chance.

I’d even made inquiries as to her mother’s health, told almost nothing given the fucking HIPAA laws.

I remained furious and on edge, needing to drive my cock deep inside in order to calm the fuck down.

Learning patience had been a feat, not one I’d accomplished very well. So I boxed instead, trying to rid myself of the rage and the demons at least temporarily.

Whap. Whap. Whap.

I pounded the hanging red bag in front of me, watching it swing wildly. I’d had one installed in my office months ago, realizing how often I needed something to release tension, so I didn’t go off the deep end. The punching bag usually did the trick, but not today.

Whap. Thump. Wham.

I moved around the bag as I’d been doing for over forty minutes and the tension had yet to ease.

Wham. Wham. Wham!

Beads of sweat rolled down both sides of my face and my breathing was more labored than normal. I walked away, grabbing a towel from the cabinet near my desk. After wiping my face, I yanked a bottle of water from the small fridge, twisting off the top and chugging almost all of it.

Nothing had calmed the beast or his needs. I was quite certain nothing would until my lovely dancer was safely secured inside my house.

Why was it I was certain the taste of her lingered? As my office door was opened without anyone knocking, I was prepared to launch into the asshole who dared interrupt me. However, when Styx walked in an hour ahead of the board meeting, that meant he had something for me. I’d asked him for a favor.

That had prompted me to call my dear brother to find out what I needed to know. I turned around a couple of seconds later, studying his pinched face. It would seem he was far too much on the right side of the law as of late.

For now.

It wouldn’t last long.

He was glaring at me as usual. “Here’s what you need to know, Creed, but don’t ask me to break the law again. I’m trying to be a respectable citizen.”

“You mean pretending.”

“Fuck you.”

For a man who’d been the world’s greatest assassin, his methods either perfectly clean or bloody as hell, to act self-righteous was comical. He knew it. I knew it. His attempt at avoiding who and what he truly was exactly what Easton was doing as well. They would come to their senses.

“How was finding simple information on an unsavory bitch breaking the law? You’re a doctor. Bella’s mother is a patient at a facility where I know you’ve been before. There’s nothing wrong with finding out how her mother is. I’m a kind man.”

“You’re full of shit is what you are. How do you know Carmine Rothschild is a bitch?”

“Because she attacked Bella, scratching her face.” Now I sounded insane. Who the hell cared? “Because of her reputation in the past.”

Styx lifted his eyebrows. “Jesus Christ. You’re already obsessed with this girl. Did that happen last night after the ballet? If so, you’re a quick moving man.” When I grinned, he closed the door behind him, glaring at me once again and having the nerve to roll his eyes. “You might not want to hear this, but you need to be careful.”

“Why? You weren’t. Should I refresh your memory how you kidnapped your bride, holding her against her will for what, weeks? Months?”

He tossed the information he’d gathered on my desk, remaining quiet. “Asshole,” he finally said under his breath because he knew I was right.

“I’m just interested in the girl’s wellbeing. You know how close girls are to their mothers. No matter how disgusting they are.”

Just like we’d been to Daddy dearest. At first. We’d learned.

“You don’t do anything without a selfish reason behind it. Since you’ll bypass me if necessary, I will tell you that her mother isn’t doing very well and if you read anything about the woman when she was in her heyday, which I’m sure you have, you learned she and her daughter weren’t that close. In fact, the woman has been violent toward the staff and labeled as such. I guess now she’s attacking her daughter as well. There’s a note on Carmine’s file about wanting to move her to another facility. Given what I was told, I don’t blame the staff for wanting to do so.”

I’d been right. That’s why I’d seen a scratch on Bella’s face. Her mother had caused it. Maybe I should worry less about the woman’s care and more about ending her obvious suffering.

“Jesus. You’ve told me about those facilities. She’ll be left to die.” There was no conviction in my voice.

“They aren’t as bad as they used to be, but they aren’t ideal. Don’t lie to me. You think you know me, but I know when a woman grabs your attention. You really like Bella. But you couldn’t give a shit about the girl’s mother. It’s just an angle you’re using.”

“I don’t use angles and I certainly don’t need to buy someone’s affection. However, Bella is… the one. I’m certain of it.” I was trying not to laugh but just saying the words felt ridiculous.

“But what does that mean to you, brother? Are you going to dress her up as a Barbie doll, keeping her inside a locked room? Are you going to force her on sexual hunts to satisfy your sadistic cravings?”

“That sounds pretty tasty.” I was teasing, although I would need to lock her away.

“My God. Grow the fuck up. You’re forty-two years old.”

“You mean am I too obsessed?” I would have followed her home had I not needed to finish getting ready for today’s board meeting. Yet all I’d been able to do was think about her, hunger for her. I’d watched the damn video three times and still had only gotten a couple of hours’ sleep. “Not any more than you were when you were getting to know your lovely wife. True?”

Berating me after how he’d snagged his wife was ridiculous and I refused to accept it.

“Just be careful. Whatever you’re doing could backfire on you, just like you warned me,” Styx said oh-so quietly as if he cared. While I didn’t mind tormenting my brothers, he was right, even if I hated to admit it. Being this obsessed with Bella could be dangerous on many levels.

“Yes, well, it’s worth the risk.” I picked up the file, taking note of what the hospital staff had said about Carmine. I also noticed sweet Bella hadn’t paid off the woman’s bills in their entirety. No wonder she was dancing in a shitty club, fighting off dirty men who pawed at her. No more.

“Just keep in mind what I said. Get ready for the board meeting. I’m eager to get back to Boston.”

“There are private facilities and other drugs that could help her mother at least to some degree. Right?”

Styx was more perplexed than before. “Yeah, but that takes money. And it’s obvious you don’t give a shit about her welfare.”

“Money I have. And while I might not care, Bella obviously does. Send me a list.”

“You really are serious about this girl. Why do I have a bad feeling you’re going to need my help in the next month or so?”

I finished off the water, crushing the bottle and tossing it into the trash. I couldn’t stop a grin from crossing my face. “Help, no. You by my side crushing our enemies like we enjoyed doing years ago? Why the fuck not? We used to be good together.”

“That was a long time ago. We’re different people.”

“No, we’re not. Oh, and I was serious about another hunt. You game?”

“Why would you dredge up the past? Why do you want to remind me about the scars and the anguish, the anger exploding in our father given his lack of control? Why do you want to remind me or Easton that we’re almost as fucked up as that worthless piece of scum who spawned us?” He was almost foaming at the mouth. Of the three of us, he bore the most scars from our father’s anger, bullwhip marks permanently branded into his skin. I had my share but not nearly to the degree he did. My scars were more internal.

“Because it’s when we were at our best, working together as a team.”

Styx didn’t usually mince words, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to admit he missed it as well. “I’ll see you at the board meeting.”

He was stiffer than usual, which meant I was right. I laughed softly until Kane caught the door before my brother could slam it.

I eyed my Capo carefully as I unwrapped the tape from around my hands. A quick glance highlighted how bloody my knuckles had become. I’d been hard on the bag this morning and hadn’t felt a damn thing. Pain was the great equalizer for a man like me. “You found something out?”

“Yep. I had Mr. Abbott followed as you asked.” When I didn’t respond, he chortled. “You know, the fake Arabian dude.”

“Ah, yes. Anything?”

“Definitely sent by one of the Italian assholes but if I’m right, not by the Don himself.” He used a singsong voice.

“Are we talking New York or Chicago?”

“Right here in our backyard just like you thought.”

I laughed. There was always some level of treachery inside the family of every crime syndicate. Brothers killing fathers. Fathers murdering sons. Mothers stealing babies or fucking other men. It was almost like a rite of passage. I’d read enough about Frederico’s family, his wife little more than a cunt for him to use, his only son Antonio more than just rough around the edges.

We’d sparred with the Italian pricks over the years, the Don becoming at odds with Daddy dearest from time to time.

“Interesting. Maybe Antonio is trying to take the reins early,” I said more in passing. “Maybe I’ll set up a meeting with Daddy dearest for fun.”

“You like risking your life.”

“Hardly. It’s better to face the challenge head on. Besides, I could be saving Frederico’s life. For that, he would need to be eternally grateful. What else? I know you discovered something juicy.”

“Maybe. You might find this tough to believe and I double checked the information three times before I decided you need to learn what I found.”

“Cut to the chase, Kane. I need to take a shower.”

“You ever heard of Armand Marcello?”

I wasn’t certain he wasn’t asking a trick question, but Kane knew better than to do so. “I’m not certain. Who the hell is he?”

“Italian mafia out of New York, one of the sons of the original five families. He was supposedly responsible for killing his father to grab the throne. From what I was told, Armand was big in the day, making a shit ton of money and very vocal about it. He made it fashionable to be a mobster, the darling of media and women everywhere. He was like some fucking celebrity, if you can believe that.”

Yeah, I could. Bad boys were hot.

“Okay, I remember him to some degree. Didn’t he go to prison for shooting some other guy?”

“Yeah, a DA and guess where he did his crime?”

“Not New York?” I was already growing bored with the conversation. The truth was that there were enough mafia guys in the United States to fill up the state of New York. So the fuck what? If the Italians thoughts they could play games while trying to get a piece of our pie, they were dead wrong.

“Chicago. He used to travel a lot, like all over the world. Anyway, he was convicted, which was a shocking situation. I’m surprised you don’t remember it.”

“I remember dear old Dad talking about an enemy lost, meaning the DA but at that point in my life, I didn’t give a shit about my father or his business. I’ll repeat myself once. Don’t make me do it again. What the fuck does this have to do with anything?” DAs would always try to make a name for themselves. I hadn’t bothered learning the name of the current piranha courting the mayor’s ear. They were a dime a dozen.

“Well, the man has skin in the game, or so I think. I need to double check the information since nothing is in black and white.”

I glared at him, my patience now gone.

“I think there’s a possibility he’s Bella Rothschild’s father.”

Very little in the world truly shocked me, having seen the worst my rivals could offer, but this was enough to cause me to pause.

And for my blood pressure to rise.

“What did you say?’’

“Yeah, you heard me. It certainly wasn’t made public, nor do I think Carmine wants it made public. As a matter of fact, Bella’s mother hired some private dick years ago to scour for any pictures of the two of them. She was in Chicago where they met, which must have been the trip he made to kill the DA. Now, this DA was the son of some bigwig politician from New York, so I think it was a retaliation kill. Nevertheless, after Armand did the dirty deed, he took a trip to the Cayman Islands and guess where Carmine Rothschild booked a flight to.”

“Really? She needed a little R R. And let me guess. Nine months later she gave birth to a bouncing baby girl.”

“You got it.” My Capo was obviously pleased with himself. However, sometimes breadcrumbs were distributed to scatter the birds in all directions. If that was what Frederico was doing, then I’d carve out his tongue.

“I need real proof,” I told him. I wondered if Bella had any idea. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say no, she did not.

“I have everything that I found on the internet, which isn’t much. And I’m shoving the pieces together but it’s far too much of a coincidence. I did find one picture that confirms they met.” He pulled a photograph from the file, handing it to me. “I know it’s not a smoking gun, but it adds credence to my theory.”

How many fucking theories were there in the world?

I glanced at the photograph, chuckling under my breath.

The woman looked remarkably like Bella only her hair was much lighter. The man was dressed in a suit, his smile more a leer. It was obvious by how close they were dancing that they were very close. “Where is he now?”

“Released from prison less than a month ago.”

Maybe Kane was right. In my world, if you believed in coincidences, you were dead.

“Hunt him down. I want to know exactly where he is at all times. Do you understand?”

“I figured you’d say that. I already some feelers out but he disappeared into the woodwork.”

“Find him. Don’t fuck with me on this. It’s entirely possible the man kept tabs on his daughter, which could mean he was at her performance.”

Kane opened his eyes wide. “That’s a longshot, boss.”

“Maybe so, but I want him tracked down. If he’s dared step foot in Chicago, you will bring him to my hunting grounds. Is that clear?”

“Will do. I don’t need to tell you that he has a lot of enemies. But he also had a lot of friends. The Italians like to stick together, blood or no blood.”

“Perhaps but the hunger for wealth and power allows them to eat their own with a dash of hot sauce. Keep that in mind. I’m going to set up that meeting with Frederico. Perhaps we’ll get to enjoy some fireworks in the upcoming days.”

“You are one evil man.”

“Yes, I am.”

As he walked toward the door, I fumed more than I had in years. Why did I have the feeling that my lovely Bella had no clue who she was or the level of danger she was likely in? If she really was the man’s biological daughter, then she had a target on her back. If my Capo could discover the information about who she was, anyone could.

“Before you leave, I need you to do something else for me.”

“Sure, boss. What do you need?”

I grabbed the file regarding her mother, tossing it to him. “I’m going to send you the name of a facility later. I want you to make arrangements to have Carmine Rothschild transferred there. I’m paying all the expenses.”

He opened his eyes wide. “Okay. I’ll take care of it.”

It was time to get ready for the board meeting because I had something to do afterward. Her forty-eight hours were almost up and it couldn’t be too soon.

She needed my protection the way I needed her light to my darkness.

“Soon, perfect dancer. Soon.”