Heartless Sinner (Empire of Sinners #5)

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Micah

I continue trying to balance my thoughts the next evening at the check-in meeting.

My father wanted us all to meet again to give everyone an update on the leadership transition.

It’s just seven of us tonight. The main guys—my father, Antonio, Gio, Mario, Lorenzo, Brahm, and me.

This time, my father chose for us to meet at the company office, which was great because I didn’t want to travel all the way to the hotel.

My work has doubled since my father placed me in charge of certain things, and during the next three months, that will increase as the final transitions are completed.

Tonight, people will want to hear if I’ve made decisions on the leadership. They won’t be pleased to learn that I’ve only allocated some positions.

Apart from Brahm, who hasn’t given me a straight answer yet, it’s hard for me to select anyone when I still don’t know who I can trust.

As my father talks enthusiastically about the latest acquisition and the work he’ll be doing in Italy when he retires, I study the faces of the men around me, wondering which of them betrayed me.

The meeting has been going for a little over an hour, and that’s all I keep thinking.

I’ve investigated everyone here with exceptions to Brahm and my father and found nothing. It’s getting frustrating, and I’m finding it hard not to resort to more drastic measures.

“I think it’s time we hear from you now, Micah,” Papà says, taking a quick breath. “It would be great if you could share some more insight into your decisions and any progress with our real estate venture.”

I lean forward. “Let’s talk about the real estate first.”

Neither of my uncles likes that. Gio practically rolls his eyes at me, and Mario doesn’t bother to hide his frown. Antonio is the only one who manages to keep his composure free of his annoyance, but his eyes give him away.

I launch into a forty-minute discussion where I tell them we’ll be a hundred million dollars richer within the next three months, but they’re all greedy bastards.

Wealth is wealth. Power is another thing. They want in on the leadership badly.

“Unless you have questions, I’ll move on to the leadership positions,” I announce, looking at each of them.

Of course, just as I thought—no one has questions. They just want me to get to the point.

I’ve come to the decision that if I choose the guy who’s playing sides, I can always choose the next best person.

I glance at Brahm before I speak, noting the tension on his face. I guessed that he hasn’t spoken to me yet because he’s still in limbo, so I won’t make things worse by applying pressure. “I have only made a selection for the positions of capo and consigliere. The position of underboss is still being contemplated. So, without further ado, I have chosen Antonio to be my consigliere and Lorenzo to be our capo.”

Father and son. They both stare at each other and look happy with my decision. My father looks pleased with it, too.

Mario and Gio are the only ones with deepened frowns, which is understandable because they’re older than Antonio. But not wiser.

Antonio has always been that uncle who likes to think he’s also your father and takes care of you like you’re no different to his children. Since he offers his wisdom and love every chance he gets, no one is more suited to be consigliere than him.

Lorenzo has Antonio’s qualities and has the brute strength required to lead an army. At thirty years old, he’s the youngest of the cousins and perfect to take over the leadership if something happens to me.

I have positions for Mario and Gio, but not in the famiglia. Mario would have always been a no-go for me because of his ties to the Enclave, and Gio is my least favorite uncle. He only looks out for himself.

“What about us?” Mario asks, referring to himself, Gio, and Brahm, but what he’s really asking is if I’m considering either of them for the underboss position.

I’ll put him out of his misery. “I have allocated you positions in the company. Mario, you will be the new CFO, while Gio will be the COO.”

They both exchange surprised glances as neither of them held such high positions in the company. I can tell they’re both satisfied with the positions, but they want more.

“I’d like Brahm, Antonio, and Lorenzo to jointly hold the position of chief technology officer, if they agree.”

They all nod. At least Brahm is agreeable to something.

“Good. That’s all for now.” I dip my head. “I hope to come to a decision about the underboss position as soon as possible.”

Brahm cuts me a glance but quickly looks away.

“Wonderful. Meeting adjourned,” my father says.

The room clears, leaving my father and me to pack up the paperwork. This is where we get into that zone of silence.

It gets worse every time I see him. We appear to be okay in front of everyone else, but then this happens.

I gather my paperwork and shove it in my briefcase, eager to get out.

“Is this how we’re going to be, mio figlio? Not talking to each other for the last few weeks we work together?” His words surprise me.

I glance up and stare at him, wondering how I’m supposed to answer. “That’s not my fault. It’s yours.”

He presses his lips together in displeasure, looking me over partly with scrutiny and the other half admiration. “You know what I love about you most?”

“What?”

“You’re definitely your mother’s son with that sharp tongue, and you’re as stubborn as me. You’re not afraid to hand me my ass when you think I’m wrong.”

I cock my head and give him a thin stare, trying to see where he’s going with this. “That sounds like all the things you hate about me.”

“No. It’s not. They’re the qualities you’ll need to rule the empire. You’re born to lead, but tonight, I saw you own it and earn respect and power.”

“Thanks.”

“You chose well. I’m particularly pleased you chose Antionio and Lorenzo for the positions you did. They deserve it. I am curious to know if you’re going to ask Brahm to be underboss.”

“I already have and am waiting for him to get back to me.”

“He’d be good because you’ve always had each other’s backs. But give him all the time he needs if he asks for it. He’s been through hell and needs to find himself.” He pauses for a beat and rests his hands on the table. “Don’t rush and pick the likes of Mario or Gio. Gio is greedy. He won’t care about anyone besides himself. And Mario… He’s Brahms’s father, but his lust for power is greater than his love for his son. I wouldn’t pick him just for that. I also don’t trust him.”

“Don’t you?”

“Do you think he’s working with the hackers?”

Papà shakes his head. “No. He doesn’t need to do things like that. He already has too much. It’s not him, but I think there are other things at work with him. Things to do with the Enclave. Do not be surprised if he had something to do with his family’s murder.”

My blood leaps at the accusation. I’ve never heard my father say anything of the sort against any of his brothers. Especially Mario. “You really think so?”

“Micah, think about it. We’re Delarosas. Very protective of family.” He nods with conviction, and I do too. “If anything had happened to your mother, I would move heaven and earth and everything in between to find the head of the man who harmed her. Yet Mario has hardly done anything to find out what happened to his family. He accepted what he was told—that they don’t know who did it. That would never be enough for me. I also would never allow my son, who’s been through so much, to seek those answers. Ask yourself why Brahm allowed us all to think he was dead for so long.”

Again, I nod. He’s right. “I don’t think Brahm will ever be the same again.”

“Perhaps not, but it’s good he has you. It would be even better if he accepted the position. I think it would help him find himself.”

“We’ll see what happens.”

“I guess we will.” He gives me a reflective smile. “What are we going to do about us, Micah? I don’t want to end my reign as don with us not talking. It’s not good. People may let that slide here, but at the Creed meetings, we’ll look like we’re not united. That’s not good.”

“I agree.” He’s right. Here, people won’t question certain things because we’re family, but at the Creed, they will. Every representative of the Creed and their subordinate has that united front. It’s imperative. “But you still think Eloise would have been a better match for me.”

“I do. But there’s nothing I can do about that now besides fix the shit between us.”

“If you really want to do that, you can stop being pissed at me for not marrying Eloise and respect my wife,” I reply with ease.

To my surprise he smiles and gives me a curt nod. “I do respect your wife.”

“Then we’re good.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

I gather my things and head out feeling lighter in my heart and slightly better in my mind. I’m sure my mother would have spoken to my father about the situation between us, but that extension of an olive branch was all his doing.

When I turn the corner I find Brahm leaning against the wall, waiting for me.

I should have known to expect him to do this. He looks like he wants to talk to me—most likely about the underboss position.

I stop a few paces away and cock my head toward the elevator. “Do you want to grab a drink?”

“Yeah. I think I need to.”

“Come on, let’s go to my office.”

We move toward the elevator and head to the next floor where my office is based.

It’s late, so there’s no one around but us. Once we’re inside, I set my things down and grab a bottle of whiskey and vodka. I need a drink, too—something strong.

Brahm gets the glasses and when we sit, I pour us each a drink of whiskey.

We each take a big gulp before setting the glasses down, gearing up to talk. As I look at him, I think of what my father told me about his. Could Mario really have been involved in his family’s murder?

His wife, daughter, and mother-in-law. The fact that I wouldn’t be surprised means something.

“So, what’s going on?” I ask, still looking him over. “You look like you have the weight of the universe pulling you under.”

“That bad?”

“Yeah. Don’t tell me you feel bad you haven’t gotten back to me yet.”

He’s silent for a moment then takes another swig of his drink. “I don’t feel bad for many things. In fact, I don’t feel anything these days. But I do feel bad about that. Can you give me some more time to consider it?”

“As if I’d say no. Of course, I can give you more time.” I’m just happy he’s still considering it.

“Thanks. I know we’re still working on the hacker situation and nothing has happened so far, but nothing has happened for me, either, with my investigation in Boston. It’s frustrating as hell.”

“I can imagine. What are you going to do?”

“I think I may have to head out to Boston sooner rather than later.”

“Do what you need to do and remember you have my help. Just say when.”

He grins back at me. “I appreciate that. It’s funny how my cousin would run to my aid, yet my own father wants nothing to do with it.”

I widen my eyes. “He wants nothing to do with it?”

“Nope. He thinks I’m wrong and that the Enclave weren’t involved. He doesn’t want to piss them off.”

“That makes no sense. Doesn’t he want to find out what happened?”

His jaw clenches. “So he says.”

His answer makes me think he may share the same thoughts as my father.

“It’s cool. I’ll figure it out, and I don’t care who I piss off. Especially him. He better pray he’s not involved.”

My breath stills and we stare at each other for a moment of silence until Brahm takes another swig of his drink.

At that moment, my phone beeps. At first, I think it’s a message, but when Brahm’s phone makes the same noise, I realize it’s another security alert. This one is linked to the system Jaxon set up, but it does so much more than tell me if someone is trying to access the file. This alert tells me they’re here and actively trying to steal the blueprints.

“Fuck, the hackers are in the building,” I seethe, grabbing my phone.

We set an old-fashioned trap in case this happened.

Brahm pulls out his phone, too, and we both access the footage to the vault. Sure enough, there’s someone inside. They’re wearing full black with a balaclava over their head, heading straight to the vault.

“Do you want to trap him or should I?” Brahm gives me a maddening smile.

“I’ll do it, then we can question his ass.”

All I have to do is press a button on the phone to activate the trap. I do, so the moment our thief walks up to the vault, a metal cage drops from the ceiling over him and traps him like a wild animal.

The fool tries to escape, but that’s not going to happen tonight.

“Motherfucker,” Brahm says with a wild smirk. “Let’s go see who he is and who he’s working for.”

We’re up and out of the room. We head to the vault with guns ready to see our new friend.

We kick open the door and find that he’s still trying to escape. Oh, but the look on his face when he sees us is classic.

As it’s so late, he probably didn’t expect us to still be around. That tells me something. That whoever is working with him is possibly not anyone who was at the meeting earlier.

I’ve been purposely keeping my schedule to myself. So sometimes, not even my guards know where I am.

“Well, look at this.” I wave my gun in the air and tap the side of my head with the butt, allowing the asshole to see the unhinged side of me. “We just caught ourselves a rat, haven’t we, Brahm?”

“Sure have, cousin.”

“Get me the fuck out of here!” the guy shouts in a rich eastern European accent, rattling the rails as if he seriously thinks he can break free.

“Okay.” I taunt, cocking the hammer on my gun.

The guy’s eyes widen and he’s about to say something, but I shoot off his kneecaps. He goes down to the ground howling with pain and hugging his bloodied knees.

Only then do I open the cage. The rails move back up into the ceiling and we walk toward the guy.

“Let’s see who we’re talking to.” Brahm grabs him by the neck and rips off his balaclava.

It’s Estes Pokapieva. The motherfucker who was at the factory in Denver with Scarlett. The guy Brahm got the footage of.

Brahm glances at me, and I nod.

“So, Estes, this is how we’ll work. You’re going to tell me everything I want to know. I’d advise you not to fuck with me. Every time you do, I’ll shoot something.”

“You motherfucker!” he wails. “I’ll never tell you anything.”

I respond with a bullet to his shoulder. He screams so loudly I expect the windows to shatter. “I wonder how many bullets the human body can take before it bleeds out?”

“I’ve wondered the same thing.” Brahm smiles. “If this guy keeps up his fuckery, we may find out.”

“I’m counting on it.” I cock the hammer and shoot the guy in his stomach. “Ready to talk yet? That last wound there could kill you.”

Estes coughs blood and holds up his hand. “I’ll…talk.”

“Who are you working for?”

“Marcus Cage.” He coughs.

Brahm instantly looks at me, all the humor gone from his eyes on hearing that name.

We know Marcus Cage in the sense that we know to avoid him. He’s a big-time black market dealer who works with some of the world’s most dangerous criminals. He’s more dangerous than all of them because you can’t trust him.

“He’s working with one of our guys. Who is it?”

“I don’t know. I swear I don’t know. I just got the details to come here at this time. We’ve been watching the place.”

“You must know something more than that.” I hold up my gun again, ready to shoot.

“No, please.” He grits his teeth through obvious pain. “There’s a new guy from Russia. Someone who thinks he can get close to you. That’s all I know.”

My body tenses. “What’s his name?”

“Anton Chekhov.”

My shoulders slump, and I glance up at Brahm again.

Anton. “Is he in the States?”

“Yes. He’s here in New York.”

Holy fuck. Anton slipped right past us. That’s why everything is quiet. They’re still talking, but we can’t hear them because they may not be talking to the people we’ve been watching. And worse, my enemies have allied to become friends.

“When did he get here?”

“Last week. He’s been talking to some guy called Johnny and—” A bullet lodges in his head and takes him down.

Brahm and I both whip around to see that the extra security system has been activated. Because we keep high value items in here, the vault is armed to protect itself if there’s a break-in. I purposely deactivated it while the trap was in here because I needed answers.

We hear the sound of the security gun getting ready to fire again, so Brahm grabs me and practically hauls me out of the room before a rain of bullets fires at us.

Once we’re outside, we look at each other realizing how close we just came to being butchered.

Brahm grabs his phone and calls security. His voice blends into the white noise while pieces of the puzzle click into place in my mind.

Anton is here and he thinks he can get close to me.

The only way he can do that is through Scarlett.

“I have to get to my wife,” I say to Brahm, but I don’t wait for his answer. I’m already running.