Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
NIKO
“W hat the hell do you know, and how?” I demand, trying and mostly failing to stay calm and in control, as my hand darts out to grab Dominic by the throat in what is mostly a reflex action.
I manage to stop myself before I do something we’ll all regret, and with gritted teeth, I fist my hand and force it back to my side.
Fortunately for me, Dominic is well accustomed to the world of organized crime we both live in, and is also crazy in love with Roisin, so he’s tolerant of my outburst. Though he likely attributes it to far more stupidly romantic reasons.
If I’m honest, I’m not entirely certain of the root of the emotions barreling through me at this moment. Everything is muddled and confused. I’m used to things being black and white, and there are way too many shades of grey in between right now.
Roisin glares, but Dominic just raises his eyebrow, making me feel like a total asshole - also something I’m not used to. Well, I’m well acquainted with being an asshole, but usually I simply don’t give a shit.
Fucking feelings suck! This is why I avoid them.
“We need to get Kaiden here,” he says calmly, despite my outburst, as he pulls out his phone. “He’ll know the details… and then I’d like some information in return.”
Yeah, I knew that was coming.
It seems like forever as we wait, drinking coffee and making small talk, none of which helps my building frustration, though in reality, it’s less than thirty minutes.
Finally, Kaiden arrives, and I look at him with no small amount of suspicion. This is the man Vito Rossi claimed as the closest thing he had to a son, and the Viper was the very worst of our kind. Vicious, brutal, and ruthless.
Despite that, Kaiden doesn’t appear to display the Viper’s arrogance, and looks to Dominic for direction.
Finally, with a nod of assent from Roisin’s husband, I get answers.
“Vito abducted some woman in the UK,” Kaiden tells us. “Mika was livid because she was the girlfriend of a British Duke, and the Viper held her for ransom.”
My mind races, trying to process this new information. "When did this happen?" I demand.
Dominic furrows his brow, thinking, but it’s Roisin who answers. “Just before he was supposed to marry Maricela.”
We all turn to her in surprise.
“What?” she asks with a shrug. “Maricela overheard the conversation between Mika and the Viper.”
Kaiden nods his agreement. “Mika was furious because it put heat on all of us. The British authorities were involved, MI6 even. There are some things even the authorities can’t be paid off for, and messing with the British aristocracy turns out to be one of them."
"Jesus," I mutter, running a hand through my hair. "And you think this woman was Gabi, Emylyah’s sister? What happened, any idea?"
"As far as I know, she was rescued after a tip off.” His face darkens at that; it implies there’s a rat within La Cosa Nostra. “Vito’s death took a lot of the heat off, but Mika still had to smooth things over with a lot of people."
A couple of random thoughts distract me momentarily and I turn to Dominic “Do you think any of this is connected to Vito’s death?”
Dominic shrugs. “Who knows. The only lead we have on that is a woman in a red dress. Nobody knows who she was or how she got in, and there’s been no trace of her since - not that we got a decent view of her face. It was like she knew where all the cameras were.”
I feel the tension in both Dominic and Kaiden at that revelation, but that’s their shit to worry about, so I simply nod as I try to piece it all together. If Gabriella is married to a British Duke, and she was the one kidnapped... it all starts to make a twisted kind of sense.
"So, Vito kidnapped Emylyah's sister," I say slowly. "But why? What's the connection?"
Roisin leans forward, her eyes wide. “Do you think this has something to do with Lyah's past? The constant running? The child marriage?"
The likelihood hangs in the air between us, too much of a coincidence to ignore.
Standing abruptly, my mind races with possibilities. I know who I need to talk to. No more dodging tactics. It’s time Emylyah’s mother came clean. "I need to find Lenka,” I state. “She's the key to all of this. I don’t believe in coincidences,” I mutter under my breath.
“Me neither,” Dominic asserts, his eyes pinning me. “You mentioned Red Scorpion. Why?”
I press my temples between my fingers to stave off the headache I feel coming on. “Just whispers on the street right now. Whenever we try to get to the bottom of our recent… issues, their name comes up, but nothing more.”
" Cazzo! ” Dominic curses, while Kaiden’s jaw drops as they share a look.
“Red dress; Red Scorpion?” Kaiden states what Dominic must be thinking, since he gives a single terse nod.
“I'll make some calls, see if I can dig up any more information on Vito's activities. People will be more willing to talk now he’s dead," Dominic offers, shaking my hand. Kaiden follows suit.
"Thank you," I say, surprising myself with the sincerity in my voice. "I appreciate the help."
He purses his lips. “If Red Scorpion are making a resurgence, we all need to be on guard.”
I don’t respond to that. What is there to say?
All the old families know of the scourge who went by that name.
They were infamous. The lowest of the low.
Vicious, murdering bastards who would make every man in this room look like a fucking choirboy.
They cared for nothing and no one but themselves, and in the end, that was their downfall, because they reigned through terror instead of loyalty.
No one was sorry to see them annihilated, but it seems a decade is not long enough to keep them buried.
As I turn to leave, Roisin grabs my arm. Her green eyes bore into mine, filled with a mixture of worry and determination. "Find her, Niko. Whatever happened in the past, Lyah doesn't deserve to be alone and scared right now. It’s not her who should be paying for any of this."
I clench my jaw, guilt and anger warring inside me. "I will," I promise. "And when I do, I’ll bring her back.”
That’s not just a false promise. I mean it.
The drive to Lenka's home feels interminable. My fingers drum restlessly on my thigh as I stare out the window, barely seeing the city streets blur past. By the time we pull up to her modest brownstone, my patience is threadbare.
I don't bother knocking, using my key to let myself in, since the house belongs to me. Lenka would do well to remember she lives off my generosity.
The house is the same as always and I can hear my mother-in-law laughing gaily as if nothing at all is amiss. For her sake, I hope she’s on the phone and doesn’t have guests. Since I can’t hear anyone else, that’s likely.
I storm up the stairs, taking them two at a time. As I reach the landing, Lenka's laughter cuts off abruptly. She must have heard my approach.
“Hello? Niko?” Her voice wavers, uncertain. "Is that you?"
I burst into her bedroom without preamble. Lenka sits on her bed, phone still clutched in her hand, eyes wide with alarm.
"Where is she?" I demand, my voice a low growl.
Lenka blinks rapidly, confusion evident on her face. "Who? What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me," I snarl, advancing on her until I’m close enough to pluck the device from her fingers and cut off the call.
"Emylyah. Your daughter. My wife. Where the fuck is she?"
Lenka shrinks back against the headboard, alarm replacing confusion. "I-I don't know. Isn't she with you?"
I slam my palm against the wall, making her flinch. "No, she's not fucking with me. She's gone. And you're going to tell me everything you know about her past. Right. Now."
Lenka frowns, the expression looking all kinds of odd on her botoxed face. "What? I don’t understand. What happened?”
“Someone sent me a marriage certificate which makes your daughter a bigamist, and our marriage unlawful, remember?!” I bellow at her in disbelief. I know she’s not that dumb.
She tries to play it off. “Oh, it’s not that big of a deal,” she argues, waving her hand dismissively. She really should know better. I am not a man to toy with.
Crowding into her personal space, I cage her with my arms, forcing Lenka to lean back.
“Emylyah is pregnant with my child,” I force out between gritted teeth.
“And because of this, my son will be born a bastard, with no more legitimacy than if he were born to a mistress,” I tell her with deceptive calm.
Lenka's eyes widen in shock. "Pregnant?" she whispers. For a moment, genuine concern flashes across her face before she schools her features. "I... I didn't know."
"Start talking," I growl, my patience at its limit. "Who is Zack Kincaid and why did you marry your twelve-year-old daughter to him?"
Her facade crumbles, and she slumps against the pillows, suddenly looking every one of her fifty-five years.
She takes a shaky breath. "We were running. Always running. Emylyah’s no good asshole father all but handed her to Vito Rossi.
I couldn't let that vicious bastard have her. The marriage was meant to protect her. If she was married to someone else, the Viper couldn’t take her for his wife.
He didn’t want her until she was sixteen, so I had time to do something… ”
Ironically, and despite the swirling chaos of emotions churning within me, I can't help but grudgingly acknowledge the twisted brilliance of Lenka's desperate move.
In her own warped way, she shielded Emylyah from a fate far darker than I had ever imagined.
Her actions, though reckless and fraught with danger, were a testament to the fierce love that drove her to unimaginable lengths to protect her daughter from Vito Rossi's clutches.
The truth fires through my veins like ice and flame mixed together - a mother's desperation carving out a fragile defense against the merciless world we inhabit.
“Gordon Kincaid - Zack’s father - was an… acquaintance of mine.”