14. Eli
14
ELI
T he sting seems simple enough. I’m going to call Gianni, let him know I’m alive, and offer up Noah to get back into his good graces. Meanwhile, the FBI will execute a search warrant of the Carbone estate and get his computer. I feel like Stacey might be fudging the rules a bit to get a warrant against someone like Gianni so quickly, but I’m not going to ask too many questions.
Surprisingly, I find that I’m looking forward to going into Witness Protection. True, my name is boring as all hell, and I do worry that living what’s objectively a “simple” life might feel that way, too, but it already seems like the fake Eli Jones is more authentically me than Eli Carbone, mafia royalty. At least in small-town California, I can openly be with the man I love.
I lean my head back in the shower and let the water run down my back. I know it’s probably stupid, but I’m choosing to trust Noah. He lied to me, and if I spend too much time thinking about that I still get angry, but we can work all that out later. We just have to get to the damn small town first, and to do that we have to face down the monster that is my uncle.
Shutting the water off, I step out of the shower and grab a towel. I scrub it quickly over my hair before wrapping it around my waist and leaving the bathroom. I jump when I see Stacey sitting at the small table across from Noah. A slight prickle of jealousy rushes through me at their proximity to one another, but I know that’s just because she knows the real Noah, and I still question whether or not I do.
“Damn,” she says, eyeing me up and down. “Not bad, Noah.” She waggles her eyebrows at him. I narrow my eyes at her, but feel a little flattered at her implied compliment. Still, I ignore her, grab my clothes, and head back to the bathroom to get dressed. Stacey went out and bought me a new suit. It doesn’t quite fit right, but it’s much better than showing up at the estate in Noah’s sweats.
“Are you ready?” Stacey asks when I emerge from the bathroom again.
“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” I say with a huff.
“You always have a choice, Eli,” Noah says with an apologetic look.
“I really don’t,” I say. I give him a look that I hope shows everything I’m feeling. He seems to understand, but I can’t be sure.
“Once we have Gianni in custody there will be a van waiting to transport both of you to the airport. We have a plane chartered to take you to LAX, and from there you’ll meet with the Wit-Pro handler,” she explains for the hundredth time.
“Got it,” I say as I slip my shoes on. Noah helps me to get my busted shoulder into the sling, and then I stand up and straighten my shoulders. One way or another, this ends tonight.
Stacey hands me a phone, something else she picked up today. Noah holds a set of heavy-duty zip ties that we’ll put on him when we get to the docks. I stare at the phone for a minute before flipping it open. I dial Gianni’s number and wait while it rings. Finally, he answers.
“Hello, uncle,” I say before he has a chance to speak.
“Eli, I’ve been expecting your call,” he purrs from the other end.
My pulse spikes and my chest tightens. Of course he’s arrogant enough to believe I’d come back despite the fact that he’s tried repeatedly to kill me, but the confirmation of his confidence is still unnerving.
“How can I help you?” he asks, and I steel my nerves.
“I have something for you,” I say, fighting to keep my voice even. I look at Noah, who’s standing at the table, his eyes locked on mine.
“And what would that be?” Gianni asks.
“The rat,” I say, and Noah flinches. “Noah Andriotta.”
“Ah, yes, the rat bastard who killed Reese and your father,” Gianni says with a chuckle. I can’t be sure if he’s testing me or not, so I keep my mouth shut. “What is it you want from me?”
“I want back in,” I say. “This should be payment enough for everything. I just want my place back.”
“That seems fair,” he says, but I can hear the deception in his voice.
“Meet me at the warehouse,” I say. “I’ll bring him to you and you can do what you want from there, but I want your assurance that I won’t be targeted.”
“You’re just willing to hand over your friend , then?” Gianni asks.
“He lied to me,” I say, allowing a little of my real anger to seep into my voice. I notice Noah’s eyes tighten as he catches it. “He should be punished for that alone, much less the trouble he’s caused for the family.”
“Good to hear, son,” Gianni says, and my skin prickles. He believes me, at least. That doesn’t mean I’m safe, but at least he’s not suspicious. “I’ll meet you in an hour. Make sure you’re alone.”
“Of course.” I snap the phone shut and look at Noah. The pain in his eyes fractures my heart, but I try to ignore it.
“I’m so sorry, Eli,” he whispers as he looks at the floor.
“Save it,” I snap. I need to hold on to this anger if I’m going to convince Gianni that I’m genuine.
* * *
Stacey immediately jumps on the phone to coordinate the next steps of the plan. For the briefest moment I consider the possibility that if I throw this sting, Gianni might let me back into my old life. Noah did lie to me. I could go back to being royalty, go back to my carefree life. I shake my head. I know that’s ridiculous, but I still hold on to the thought. I can use it. I look at Noah and allow my anger and frustration to bubble to the surface. He looks away from me, but thankfully stays silent.
We head to the bus station without saying a word to each other. There’s nothing left to say. I want to hold his hand, but I can’t risk anyone seeing. My uncle could have spies watching us. We make it to the docks, and I tie Noah’s wrists behind his back. I take a deep breath and head for the warehouse doors. I have a tiny recording device in my ear, but that’s it. There’s no code word and no distress signal, just our conversation with Gianni and the hope that Stacey will come for us if this goes wrong.
I wait by the warehouse door holding Noah’s arm. He hangs his head, looking defeated. I have my gun strapped to my waist, but I doubt it’ll be particularly useful.
A dark sedan rolls up next to us, and a driver I recognize jumps out of the car and opens to back door, letting Gianni out. I tighten my grip on Noah, who lowers his head, giving the impression of defeat.
“Eli, my boy. I was wondering what you were up to,” Gianni says with a smile that makes my skin crawl.
“I guess you assumed I was at the bottom of the harbor,” I answer, trying to keep my nerves in check. Noah cuts his eyes to me, then grimaces like he’s in pain.
“Well, I suppose so,” Gianni says thoughtfully. The driver of the car moves to stand just behind him.
I look around, searching for anyone else who might be waiting to ambush us.
“Don’t worry,” Gianni says. “It’s just us. No one else needs to know you’re here.”
I narrow my eyes at the implication. “So what now?” I ask.
“Hand over the rat and we’ll talk,” he says.
“Forgive me, but I’m struggling to trust you.” I pull Noah closer to me. “You’ve tried to have me killed. Twice.”
“No,” Gianni says. “You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Are you saying that you didn’t tell my father to bring me out here and kill me?” I snap.
“I told him to take care of a problem. How he decided to do it was his choice,” Gianni purrs. Sneaky bastard. He won’t admit to anything.
“And what about the police chief?” I ask, tightening my grip to the point where I’m bruising Noah’s arm.
“What about him?”
“You’re telling me you aren’t in talks with him to look the other way when all this shit falls apart?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We have a friendly relationship, yes, but I can’t say things have fallen apart,” Gianni says. I mentally kick myself. I’ve given too much away. The driver moves his hand to his hip, and I shift Noah in front of me. It’s time to try a different tactic.
“You don’t seem to have much control over your people,” I growl.
“I don’t need control, I need loyalty,” Gianni says, baring his teeth. “I would think you bringing Noah to me is your attempt at showing yours.”
“It is…” I say, trying to come up with what to say next. “But I need you to guarantee that I’m protected.”
“Protected from what, Eli?” He smiles at me, actually smiles .
“Protected from the fallout of what happened at the docks, protected from the police,” I say, then take a breath. “I’m the one who shot Reese.”
“Why would you do that?” Gianni asks, but he doesn’t seem too bothered, just slightly surprised.
“He was threatening me, and he tried to kill Noah.” I shake Noah’s arm.
“And that bothers you?”
“Of course it does!” I shout. “If he dies I can’t be exonerated!” I shove Noah to his knees. “I’m not giving up my place for a fucking asshole like Reese.”
“Fine,” Gianni says. My heart almost stops.
“Fine?”
“I’ll give you what you want, but I need an expression of loyalty,” Gianni says. A cold fear shivers down my spine.
“What’s that?” I ask, fighting to keep my voice steady.
“Noah dies,” Gianni says.
I can’t mask the shock on my face, and Gianni sees it immediately.
“Unless you aren’t really interested in getting back into my circle,” he says. Noah turns to look at me, his expression blank, but I can read the feelings in his eyes. “I know you have your gun on you. I can see it from here,” Gianni continues. “End him now, and I will guarantee your safety.”
My pulse quickens. Now would be a great time for the cavalry to ride in and save us both, but Stacey wanted an admission of his collusion with the police.
“You expect me to shoot him in broad daylight? The cops will be pounding down my door by tonight, and then what’s the fucking point of all this?” I ask, trying to stall.
“They won’t come after you. We have an understanding. Now do it or you’re both dead,” Gianni says, then turns to get back into the car. His driver pulls his weapon and trains it on me.
My heart starts pounding. I don’t know what to do here. The FBI team should be storming the place right now. Where the hell are they? Noah looks up at me. His dark eyes are full of resolve. I notice that he’s worked one of his hands free, and I pray that I understand what he wants to do.
I take my .45 out of the holster and train it on Noah. He closes his eyes and leans forward, the picture of defeat. I take one last look around for any sign of the FBI, but they’re nowhere. The only people visible are my uncle and the driver, but I’d be stupid to think they’re the only ones here. We’re both probably going to die right here and now, but maybe Stacey was able to at least get the warrant executed.
“Eli!” Gianni roars, and steps back out of the car holding his phone.
I lift my gun and pull the trigger, putting three bullets into the chest of his driver. Noah rips the small pistol he has hidden in his pants leg upward and gets a shot off at Gianni as the driver fires back. His shots are wild and miss, but Noah gets at least two bullets into Gianni.
Gunshots ring out all around us. I look around but don’t see anyone; they must be coming from the roof. We crouch and run over to Gianni’s car, and Noah shoves his body away from the door. We jump into the backseat. I can only hope that the windows are bulletproof. Noah climbs over to the driver’s seat, but the keys aren’t in the ignition. We both scramble around looking for them, but Gianni’s hired man must have them in his pockets.
When I look out the windows, people wearing FBI logos are finally firing back. I dive out the door against Noah’s shouted protests and grab the driver. I rifle through his pockets until I find the key fob. I jump back into the car and Noah pushes the button and we peel out and away from the gunfire.
“Where are we going?” I finally manage to ask from the backseat while Noah drives like a maniac.
“The airport,” he says without looking at me.
Within minutes we’re there, and Noah grabs my phone. He calls Stacey and she answers. He walks away while talking with her, and I find a place to sit down. Everything happened so fast I can’t think. He comes back once he’s done with the call and grabs my arm, lifting me off the bench.
“We need to stay out of sight,” he whispers, and we walk toward the men’s room. Once inside I lean against the wall, and all my emotions bubble to the surface.
“What the hell was that?” I whisper-shout at him.
“She was executing the warrant, and she wanted Gianni distracted as long as possible,” Noah says without looking at me. I grab his arm, and his muscles tense beneath my touch as I turn him to face me.
“What the hell was that?” I ask again, more slowly this time.
“She was willing to let us die if it bought her enough time to get the evidence she needed,” Noah says. His voice is cold, but resigned. I guess I should have expected this. “Look, we’re alive, we survived, and the coordinator is on his way here. As soon as he arrives we’ll be pushed through security and onto a flight, and we can leave and never look back.”
“What about testifying and all that bullshit?” I growl at him. Someone walks through the door, but takes one look at the two of us and walks right back out again. Noah steps closer to me, and my blood starts to heat.
“Gianni’s dead.” Noah puts his hand on the wall next to my head. My heart starts to race and my traitorous body reacts to his proximity. “It’s over.” Another man walks through the door, his eyes widening as both our faces turn to him. When he leaves, Noah goes over and locks the door.
Relief washes through me, but so does anger. We were left out to be sacrificed, and Noah expected it to happen. Was he willing to die for Stacey to get the evidence she was after?
“Stacey’s pissed, but we’re getting what we were promised,” Noah says. He takes my hand, and I want to collapse into his arms and punch him in the face.
“What the fuck does she have to be pissed about?” I almost shout.
“I killed Gianni,” he says, and looks away from me. “She wanted him alive. I knew we’d never be safe from him even if he went to jail. I had no intention of letting him walk away today.”
I narrow my eyes at him—the sharp lines of his face, his dark eyes. His full lips seem to beckon to me. “When were you planning on letting me in on this?” I snap, but I step closer to him, my face only inches from his.
“I wasn’t.” Noah tilts his face toward mine.
“More fucking lies,” I growl, and his breath catches.
“It won’t happen again,” he says without moving, but I don’t believe him. I want to hurt him. I want to hurt him the way he’s hurt me, but I can’t. I love him too much for that, so I grab the back of his neck and pull him into a crushing kiss. My dick instantly hardens as I push my tongue into his mouth. His hands fly to my face and he kisses me back, though it’s more akin to a fight than intimacy. I spin him around and shove him against the wall, then force myself against him. His cock presses into me, straining against his pants. I unbuckle them and let it free, my breath catching. I take his shaft in my hand, then lean in to bite his neck as I stroke him. It takes almost no time before he’s coming into my hand. I shove my fingers into his mouth, letting him clean his own juices from my hand.
He unbuckles my pants as I force my fingers down his throat. As my dick springs free of my pants I grab the back of his neck and shove him to his knees. He instantly takes my dick in his mouth, and I groan in pleasure. I pull his head into me, listening to him choking on my dick. It hits the back of his throat, but I don’t let up. And I don’t hold back. I fuck his mouth until I’m spurting down his throat and crying out in ecstasy.
From his position on his knees, Noah looks up at me. His expression is hard, but determined. “I love you, Eli, and I’m going to prove it to you.”
Before I can answer, someone starts pounding on the door. I quickly button up my pants and head to the sink to wash my hands while Noah answers the door to find the Witness Protection Coordinator on the other side. I watch Noah interact with him out of the corner of my eye. This is it. Our new lives are about to start.
“Ready?” Noah looks at me with concern shining in his eyes. I nod and adjust the sling over my shoulder.
“Ready.”