Chapter 16
LAKE
It was damn hard to get out of Beasty's bed this morning.
All three of the guys were tangled up around her in the largest puppy pile I'd ever seen.
The past few mornings, after I got up, there had been a desperation they hadn't been able to get rid of, even in sleep. Their arms had been tense around each other, fingers dug into the meaty parts of their arms and waists.
But today, they were all relaxed. Peaceful.
This is what we deserved. What we’d have just as soon as I could get rid of the other pieces on the board.
With a fire under my ass burning hotter than ever, I made my way downstairs, careful not to make a sound.
In the kitchen, I made my regular coffee and dialed Guy.
"It's early for you, boss." Despite the early hour, he was wide awake. The life of a security man.
"For good reason. Today, we're going on a field trip." I'd thought about it all day yesterday while we were at the fair. Watching my friends and the love of my life enjoy something as simple as a cheap sugar rush on questionable rides seemed to amp up the intensity of everything.
I was tired of waiting.
Standing still was the same as sliding backward, and that was unacceptable.
Something had to give now, and I had the perfect idea on how to nudge the pieces.
I wasn't stupid. I didn't think this would resolve anything today, but if I was right, it might make the Pescis nervous enough to make a mistake.
"Where are we going?" There was a note of curiosity but no hesitation. I'd gotten lucky with Guy. Outside of our family, he was the only one I trusted completely.
"I want to have a sit-down with the Pescis. And I want it on my terms." I raised the mug to my lips, inhaling the rich aroma that shocked my system into alertness.
Guy whistled. "You sure?"
I clenched my teeth at the implication. He thought it was a bad idea. "Positive. We leave in an hour. Be at my house and pick the best five men we can spare for back-up."
"The club?"
"Snatched needs covered too. If all goes how I want it to, Beasty will be at the club running it.
" On second thought…"The best men stay at Snatched, but make sure the men we take are men who have families close to Snatched. Make sure they know what will happen if they betray us. Then let them know we’ll protect their people if they bring them to the club. " I was learning from Parker.
"Got it." He clicked off and I stood at the window, enjoying watching the sun rise and the early morning fog shifting through the backyard.
"Why are you so intense today?" Joaquin grumbled as he stumbled his way to the coffee maker.
He was always the worst one to wake up. Kim was the sweetest. Never in a bad mood in the morning.
Atlas was neutral. Somehow the man didn't seem affected by exhaustion or early morning grogginess.
Probably because he was a devious shit. But he was our devious shit.
"I have a plan. I need you all to be onboard and aware before I go."
The sound of the espresso machine stopped and I turned, leaning my ass against the windowsill.
Slowly, Joaquin faced me just as Beasty and Kim walked in, huddled together like the sweetest lovebirds. My chest burned at the sight of them. This was what was important. And I would die before someone took it away from me.
"Call me crazy, but I don't like the sound of that." Joaquin gave one shake of his head, his mop of brown hair swaying with the movement.
"What's going on?" Beasty's brow was furrowed, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss it away.
"Where's Atlas?" Might as well get this over with at the same time.
"Here," he said, raising two fingers in greeting as he walked around Kim and Beasty. "I'll make your coffee, sit down." He patted her on the ass.
The look of pure joy on her face had Atlas doubling back to steal a kiss so lust-filled, my dick twitched. When he pulled back, Beasty nodded and walked to the table.
I waited for a minute, letting Kim start his tea while Joaquin and Atlas worked in tandem to make their coffees. When they were all seated at the table, eyes on me, I finished off my own mug and set it on the table.
"I'm going to Ricosta's today." Their looks of confusion were immediate, and I held up my hand. Well, all except Beasty. The color drained from her face. "It's the main business for the Pescis. I'm going to force a sit-down, see what I can figure out that we haven't been able to collect from here."
"No!" Beasty shoved up from the table and her coffee sloshed. "Absolutely not! That's a death sentence! They'll kill you before you enter the door!"
"I'm taking precautions,” I assured her, keeping my voice calm. “There's going to be a team with me. You know where I'm going, and I'll have a direct line open so you can hear everything that happens. You can even call for additional backup if you need to.”
Beasty shook her head as Kim glared at me. Joaquin didn't seem any happier, while Atlas stuck his tongue in his cheek, studying me.
"I'm going to be armed to the teeth and I'll be wearing a bulletproof vest," I added to set their minds at ease.
"Lot of good that will do if they put a bullet in your forehead! Are you going to wear a bulletproof helmet too?" Beasty was hyperventilating. I started to round the table, but Kim stood, gathering Beasty in his arms and rubbed her back.
"Breathe with me. That's it. Good girl. In and out."
"We all go or no one goes," Joaquin said.
Was he serious? "No. They want Beasty dead more than us. She's not going anywhere near that place."
"But your life is expendable?" Joaquin barked.
"They're not going to shoot me in broad fucking daylight!" I tossed my hands up.
"He's right," Desiree said from the door, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Jesus fucking Christ." How did I keep forgetting she was here? Oh right, we never let people in our space and this woman was as quiet as a church mouse.
Heads swiveled her way, and she swallowed.
She looked good, miles better than the first day she showed up.
The bruises were gone or she had a good hand with concealer.
Her hair was washed and shiny and she even had some color in her face.
Much better than the skeleton we'd questioned in the Gray Room.
Rolling her lips, she continued. "The Pescis have a deal worked out with the police. They won't do any kind of crime within city limits. Especially in a public place." Her gaze darted from the others to me. "You could take me with you."
"No, we're not putting you in danger after you escaped." Beasty growled her displeasure.
Nodding, Desiree's expression clouded over in fear, but I could see the shine in her eyes. Like she hadn't expected Beasty to take up for her.
"They don't know I'm here, right?" She looked me in the eye.
"To my knowledge, no."
"You can take me as a hostage. I..." She gulped but pulled her shoulders back. "I know a lot of Donnie's secrets. He won't want me to be in your hands if he thinks you'll be able to get the information from me."
That was kind, but no. "We're not leaving you there."
"No." Her eyes widened. "I'm just saying, he won't kill you if he thinks he can steal me back."
Which meant he would try and it was very possible he’d succeed.
I exchanged a look with the others. We were heartless bastards sometimes but this was crossing the line.
"Thank you for the offer but we don't need it.
" I looked to Beasty first, then each of the guys.
"Desiree confirmed it. They won't hurt me in city limits.
I'll have a team of guys with me, and I'll even call in five more to sit outside of town and intervene if they chase after me. "
Silence stretched between us. None of them were happy with this plan, but at the same time, we couldn't live with these assholes hanging over our heads either. We had to be the aggressor.
"Call Guy,” Beasty demanded. “Everyone who goes with you needs to bring their closest loved ones to Snatched before you leave."
Desiree gasped, and Beasty sent her an apologetic look. "It's not what you think. We don't want them used against the men the same way you were used against Rocco."
"Done," I said, already typing out the message to let Guy know protecting their families wasn’t optional.
When I slipped my phone back into my pocket, Desiree was already gone. I walked to Beasty, and gave her a kiss so commanding, her nails dug into my nape, promising the pleasure of pain she'd give me later.
And I would have it. The Pescis wouldn't be able to keep me from her.
Instead of sitting in the back, I rode in the passenger seat, taking care of Snatched business as we drove. For the most part, it was a silent ride.
Then we hit city limits. Ricosta's was barely a ten-minute drive.
"It's early for an Italian restaurant to be open. If they're closed, are you sure it's safe to go in?" Guy checked the rearview mirror. We had two SUVs behind us, both with five guys each.
"They open at ten. I'll be fine."
"Okay, boss." He sighed like he wanted to argue.
That was the end of our conversation.
He pulled up to the curb, right in front of the doors. The restaurant was a freestanding building in the middle of the town. It was well-kept and everything you'd think an old family Italian restaurant would be.
One of our cars parked on the next block over, the other had pulled off and was waiting just outside city limits.
The sun was out, and the air was crisp. A beautiful day to confront the mafia.
Rolling my shoulders back, I called Joaquin. As soon as he answered, I placed my phone in the inside pocket of my suit jacket. They’d be able to hear everything as it happened, and hopefully, put their minds at ease.
The doors were frosted, and when I pushed on the glass, the bell dinged softly.
Warm scents of garlic and basil hung in the air as pots and pans banged somewhere in the kitchen. The place was cute and homey, not what I'd expect of a mafia family. But maybe that was the point.