19. Ford
19
FORD
I sit in my truck in front of the diner Grace works at, getting ready to go inside to pick up her son. I called her boss and explained that her ex is in town and has Grace against her will. I assured him I’m handling it, but I needed to make sure that Asher was safe. It took a lot of work, and finally I had to call in a favor with the local police to visit Joe at his house. He agreed I could have Asher, if and only if Asher agreed he wanted to go with me. I’m fairly confident he will, but if he refuses, I’ll just have to put men on Joe’s house and move in for a bit. That’s all I can do. I know without a doubt that Grace’s ex will come after his son. I’m going to protect him, and I will get his mother back.
I’m more than a little frustrated. My entire day after finding the assholes who took Grace has been spent on the phone. First, I called Joe and then my contact on the local police force. Next, I called Vector. I let him know I had found Grace’s whereabouts. I warned him about the two men that had taken her, their names, as well as confirming they were part of the Wretched Rebels. I’m having Grunt follow-up with the Wretched Rebels and making sure they know Grace is off limits. If they are after her, there will be war. It’s up to them how they take that, but it’s not just a threat— it’s a promise . Honestly, I’m still unsure why those two assholes took her. I can’t figure out how Grace’s ex fits into any of this. Were they working for him ? That doesn’t seem likely because if they did, I doubt he would have left them dead beside the road. At the very least, he would have taken them somewhere more private. The Bratva has a certain way of dealing with traitors and loose ends. Nothing about this is making sense—which definitely adds to my frustration. Vector once again offered help in getting Grace back and I thanked him but let him know I already had a call into the Levkin brothers and was pretty sure I had it under control. I did agree to call him if Ivan didn’t call me back and agree to help. I like Vector, but I saw the pain in Grace’s eyes when she had to talk to him. I wanted him to know that as much as I appreciated it, I needed to make sure my woman comes first, and their past had hurt her. I didn’t want to take part in reminding her of whatever happened between the two of them. Vector is a good man from all I’ve ever seen, but he hurt Grace that much is clear. Still, his fuck-up is clearly my gain.
Just as I’m about to open the door to the truck Hangman lent me, my cell rings. For a second, it feels like my heart flips hard in my chest. I stare at the caller ID, willing it to be from Grace. The name, however, is Ivan Levkin.
“This is Ford.”
“I got your message, Mr. Ford, and I can admit to being intrigued. What is it you think you can help me with?”
“It’s something I think we can help each other with, or at least I’m hoping so. You can drop the mister, too. Mr. Ford was my father, and he was a bastard. It’s just Ford.”
“Very well. I’m an extremely busy man. I’m still not quite sure how you got my direct number. I’m not exactly happy about it. I have my hands full at the moment. I don’t have time to chit- chat, Ford . You have about two minutes to convince me not to hang up. So, why don’t you get to the point?”
“I need to know where Benny Martelli is hiding out.”
The line goes silent for a minute. I’m not a novice at this shit. I figure he’s put me on mute. It takes about a minute before he comes back on the phone. In the background, I can hear a door open and close.
“Okay, you have my attention. Who exactly are you, Ford? How did you get my number, and how in the hell do you know that slime secretion, Martelli?”
“I got your number from Detective Garcia. He told me that if anyone knew where Benny was holding out since getting out of jail, it would be you.”
“Say this was true,” he hedges. “Why in the hell would I share this information with you? You’re nothing to me.”
“True. But you are in the business of gaining markers. My club and I have a lot of control in Virginia. I have quite a few allies along the East Coast. I’m a good marker to have in your back pocket.”
“I spend millions on tailored suits. There’s not a back pocket to be found,” the asshole responds.
“Well, that’s a damn shame. I’ve found if you don’t have a pocket, you’re often found unprepared,” I respond. I can be as snarky as he is. If this is going to be a contest on who has the bigger dick, I’ve never had a worry in that type of fight.
I hear Ivan snort and the creak of leather—as if he’s leaning back in a chair. “How do you know, Martelli?”
“I don’t—at least not personally. I’ve recently claimed a woman that Martelli was married to. He made her life hell. Apparently, he has decided to start again now that he’s out of jail. He’s kidnapped my woman. I need to know where the fucker is so I can squeeze the life out of him. I’m told if anyone knows where he’s hiding, it’d be you. The way I look at it, I’ll be ridding the world of a thorn in your side. It’s a win-win.”
“Why would I even care about pond scum like Martelli?”
“Because the Korslova Brothers have you in their sights. They want to take over your holdings here in the US and replace you. Everyone knows that. I’d be more than willing to help stop that. I just need to bring my woman home to me and her son.”
“Grace Sutton belongs to you?” he questions, letting me know straight out he knows the players in this game.
“She does. All that woman wants is to be left alone, and she still keeps getting screwed over. I aim to put an end to that.”
“Perhaps the reason she keeps getting fucked is because she makes deals with the wrong people,” he suggests.
“I can’t deny that. I wasn’t around when the deal was struck. If I had been, there wouldn’t have been a deal—just a long line of dead bodies.”
Ivan laughs. “Now you seem like a man who does, in fact, speak my language.”
“I think so. The question is, are you going to help me?”
“I believe I might. We’ve had the Korslova Brothers under surveillance for a while. They think their moves are going on undiscovered. They’re very wrong. Dominic Korslova is the one that brought Benny into the family. He’s also the one who helped the man torture your woman. He’s the oldest of the two brothers by a mere two minutes. His twin brother Dimitri has more brains, but sadly is overly ambitious. Let me review some footage and get back with you.”
“I don’t have much time. He has his hands on Grace and every minute that passes is pretty fucking precious. I can’t allow that bastard to hurt her more than he already has,” I respond, laying all my cards on the table.
“I’ll be in touch within the hour. Perhaps an hour and a half, since I will need time to find a pair of jeans with a back pocket to carry your marker on me.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ll be waiting for your call,” I mutter, clicking the phone off. I probably just sold my soul to the devil, but I didn’t have much hope I was ever going to find myself lounging on the sandy beaches of heaven, anyway. Hard to ask for forgiveness when you have the blood I have on my hands. Besides, I’m not a hypocrite. I’m going to enjoy killing these bastards. I may even play with them before I send them to hell to wait for me.
I jump out of the truck, slamming the door. I walk inside the front door, and the instant I do, I hear the rushing sound of quick steps against the tiled floor. I look over to find Asher running toward me at full speed. I barely have time to reach down and feel his arms going around me.
“Ford!” he cries, holding me close. His body is trembling. Shit! Did they already tell him his mother was kidnapped?
“I’m here buddy,” I say gently, holding him close. “I’m here,” I repeat, vowing silently to make them all pay for hurting my family.
Because that’s exactly who Asher and Grace are— mine .