Four
Vito
A shadow falls over my table, and I slowly look up into the face of a nervous woman doing her best not to show me how nervous she is.
I lay my phone down and lean back in the booth trying to make myself less intimidating.
She slides a menu in front of me and sets a roll of silverware down to my right.
My phone vibrates on the table, and she nearly jumps out of her skin.
“Hi, I’m Loretta, and I’ll be your server this afternoon.” She smiles cautiously. “I apologize once again for trying to knock you down a few minutes ago.”
“It would take a lot more than you to knock me down.” I try to ease her embarrassment.
“Well, that’s good to know,” she sasses back.
I definitely like that on her a lot more than the cautious, scared woman that walked over to me.
“Do you know what you would like to drink?” she questions as she rubs her hands down the front of her pants.
“Am I making you nervous?” Once again, liking that I’m causing her to be off-kilter.
“Oh no, not at all,” she tries to play it off. “It’s just been a rough day, but that’s nothing for you to worry about. If it would make you more comfortable, I can have Mrs. Lottie come serve you.”
“Would that make you more comfortable, Blood Rose?” I allow my eyes to scan the room.
Her gaze finds mine once more, and I have the urge to pull her into the booth with me and not only shield her from the world but to taste that patch of skin just behind her ear.
I have to ball my hands into fists on the table so I don’t do just that.
She still hasn’t answered my question. She looks around as if someone is going to answer the question for her.
“Blood Rose, eyes right here.” This time my tone is demanding.
Her eyes snap back to mine. “Why do you call me that?”
“To be completely honest, I don’t know. It just feels right.” I give her a slight shrug, not wanting to tell the truth. That my being here with her will be my undoing, and I very well could end up six feet under if the family were ever to find out. She is the beauty to my violence.
“Oh, okay,” she says with a hint of disappointment in her voice. She begins to twist her hands together in front of her. “Well, thank you for the offer, but I’m happy to be your server. So, let’s start with what I can get you to drink?”
I give her a smirk. “I’ll take a coffee and ice water in a dark glass.”
She lifts an eyebrow at my request. “Dark glass?”
“Water is never purely clean, and I don’t want to see into my cup in case there is something I don’t want to know.” I try to be as honest as I can.
Loretta shakes her head. “Well then. I’ll get you your coffee and water in a dark glass.”
“Thank you!”
When she walks away, I allow my eyes to follow her every move.
Truly taking in how stunning this woman is, my cock goes rock hard as my imagination runs away with the thought of bending her over and fucking her until I am the only man she thinks about.
She finally makes her way around the counter and out of sight.
I look back over at the entire reason I am here.
I grab my phone, pulling up the information I was able to find on him.
His name is Alan Davis, and he is thirty-two years old.
He is living off daddy’s money with no ambition to do much else it seems. Not happy with the surface shit, I send off what I have to some of my contacts so I can get a deep dive done.
I can’t put my finger on it at this point, but there is something about this man that sets my teeth on edge, and it’s not just because he has his eyes set on my woman.
That thought is the one to bring all others to a screeching halt in my brain.
Loretta is not mine and never will be. My obsession with her is only because I need to make sure she doesn’t cause problems for the family since I let her live.
Her taking the fall was a last-minute decision and the only one that would make sure I could keep her alive.
Nothing more and nothing less. It’s time I leave and get my shit together before I do something fucking stupid.
Pulling out my wallet, I drop a hundred-dollar bill on the table before standing to make my way out.
Just before pushing through the door, I look back at the motherfucker I followed in here.
The smug asshole lifts his glass and winks at me.
The need to dispose of someone has never slammed into me so hard and fast before.
I give him a lift of my chin as I push through the door and into the cool October air.
With the sun falling behind the mountains, the wind is a little icy.
I march across the parking lot as the rage builds in my blood.
I slide into my SUV, and my phone starts ringing. As it connects to the vehicle, Andre’s name flashes onto the screen. Sighing, I lean my head back on the headrest because I know this isn’t going to be good.
I push the button, and before I can say anything at all, he is snapping, “Where the fuck are you? You were supposed to be at the farm twenty minutes ago. And why the fuck did you not tell me that you talked to your goddamn brother?”
My already simmering anger starts boiling.
I grab the steering wheel so tight I hear it creak under the force.
Taking a deep breath to settle the impending explosion, I look out my windshield to find Loretta standing just outside the door looking around.
I start to get out of the SUV when old man Dawson comes out and guides her back inside with an arm wrapped around her shoulders.
I must’ve been quiet for too long because Andre leads into another tirade.
“Are you going to fucking answer me or just sit there breathing like some creepy as fuck stalker?” he snaps.
I chuckle at his words because if only he knew how true they were. “Actually, I think of it as imitating a ghost, fuck you very much.”
Andre huffs out a laugh. “You really are a fucking asshole.”
“Yes, I am,” I agree, putting my car in drive, “And to answer your tirade of questions. I am leaving the diner at the base of the mountain, and as for talking to my brother, that is a conversation best had in person.”
“Had you been here when you were supposed to, we could have already had it,” Andre growls abnormally pissy.
“That we could have, but I was hungry and stopped for food. Now I am making my way to the farm and can meet you in your office in exactly twenty minutes.” I pause, working not to go off on him. “Are you good, man?”
“I’m good. There are things going on, and I don’t have enough answers for them.”
“We’ll figure it out when I get there,” I murmur as I make a sharp right, speeding toward the farm.
Something is wrong, and the last time something felt this wrong we lost Andre’s father.
As I speed through the dark night along the winding dark roads, it takes all of my training not to get lost in the thoughts of my failures to the family, to my mother, and how I truly failed some of the most innocent people I’ve come into contact with.
The farm comes into view, and a sense of peace falls over me, settling the spinning of my mind.
When I pull up in front of the house, I’m surprised to find Sylas sitting in his rocking chair.
What the fuck? Where the hell is his companion?
I stop my SUV right in front of the house, throwing it in park and turning it off before jumping out.
“Papa, what are you still doing outside?” I call to him as I make my way around the vehicle.
His eyes cut over to me, unclear. “I’m sorry, son. Who are you here to see?”
“Fuck,” I whisper under my breath because this is not good. “Yes, sir. I live here with you. I help run things for the family.”
I’m sure to be vague about what I say to him because we don’t know how gone he is most days and don’t want to set him off or cause him undo stress.
He smiles, looking me up and down. “Good, strong boys are needed, that’s for sure. Things are heating up. We’re going to need all the help we can get in the coming days.”
I make it over to him, and his words are like daggers to the chest. I’m not a believer in most things supernatural or anything, but I’ve learned that when Papa says there are things on the horizon, we should all take heed of this.
“Why don’t we go inside and talk more about what you feel is coming, Papa,” I tell him, hoping that will get him moving.
“I could go for a cup of coffee. It’s gotten mighty frigid out here.” Papa Sylas grunts as he fights to stand from his rocking chair.
Just as we make it to the front door, it’s snatched open, and standing there is Papa’s companion looking frazzled.
I know she is new and much younger than our normal ones.
I guess Andre figures it would take someone younger to keep up with the old man.
He may be getting up there in years, but he’s still quick.
Papa is fit and healthy, but his mind is quitting on him.
It seems that when you hold all the secrets and know where most of the bodies are hidden, the universe’s karma takes the one thing you prize most—your mind.
“You mind explaining why Sylas is sitting outside in his rocker after dark with no blanket or jacket?” I demand from her.
Her eyes go wide. “I … umm … I was …”
“Vito, get your ass in here and leave the help alone,” Andre calls, standing in the doorway of his office.
The girl’s eyes go wide at my name, and they fill with tears. “I apologize for my mistake. I stepped away to use the restroom. I’ll be more mindful going forward.”
“Be sure of that.” I step around her to make my way to Andre.
As I make my way down the hall, I smirk when I hear Sylas say, “Don’t worry, dear. My grandson will come around, and when he does, you’ll put every last one of these assholes in their place.”
“Why are you smirking like that?” Andre huffs, going back into his office and pouring us both a glass of whiskey.
He comes over and hands me a glass before taking a seat behind his desk. I take a good long look at him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes that are filled with bone-deep tiredness. It’s only been about two days since the last time I saw him. This could only mean something major has happened.
“What happened?” I ask, ready to get to the bottom of things.
“We’re missing a shipment and our counts aren’t adding up,” he says, annoyance clear in his voice.
“Would this missing shipment be coming out of Savannah?” I ask, taking a long pull off my drink.
His eyes go sharp as they narrow on me. “In fact, it is. Would like to tell me how you know this when you’ve been on a job the last two fucking days?”
Smirking, I take another pull from my drink before answering him. “I’m your second. It’s my job to know what’s going on at all times. That way I can be sure your ass is always covered.”
“Don’t be a fucking prick.” Andre mock glares at me.
“That’s my natural state of being.” I place my hand on my chest in mock indignation. “I can’t believe you would demand I change who I am.”
Andre chuckles, throwing back the last of his drink. “Fucking asshole. Excuse my insensitivity to your delicate being.”
“That’s more like it. Savannah was the reason your cousin called me.
” Once again, making sure to put distance between myself and the family.
“He was letting me know that they and their associates have been seeing some pushback and that their shipments haven’t been as smooth as they should be.
I let him know we’ve started seeing the same shit and we’ve already put stuff in motion to cover it. ”
“Do you believe the Irish can handle the load that we need?” Andre wonders as he looks over some of the paperwork on his desk.
“There is only one way to find out,” I shrug, pulling my phone out of my pocket and pulling up the number for Mason O’Malley and hitting dial, making sure it’s on speakerphone.
The phone rings exactly four times. “Mason O’Malley.”
“Mason, how are you, brother?” I drawl.
“Vito, how is it going?” he asks me, and I hear shuffling on the other side.
“Things could be better on our end,” I tell him honestly. “How are things on your side of the world?”
“Things are definitely better on my side of the mountain than yours if the rumors are true.” I can hear the grin Mason must be wearing through the phone.
“What exactly have you heard?” Andre cuts in.
“Well, if it’s not the reclusive Andre Vitale. I was starting to wonder if Vito had taken you out and taken over without telling anyone.” Mason pokes fun at Andre.
Andre growls at the dig. It’s no lie that since the assassination of his father, he hasn’t left the farm for much.
I handle all the face-to-face, shipments, and dealing with our men.
I hope that if we can get this deal with the Irish, it’ll make him finally snap out of whatever is holding him hostage on the farm.
“If you ever have any questions, you could always make a trip to the farm and verify for yourself,” Andre states. “As it stands, I’m alive and well. Right this second, I’m looking for some new real estate that I might be able to turn a profit on.”
“Finally looking to break away from that farm of yours?” Mason, the ever-present asshole, pushes.
Andre scowls before answering him, “Actually, we’re quite happy with the farm. Thinking of changing things from Savannah and taking a different direction.”
I hear O’Malley chuckle before answering, “I don’t do deals with men I can’t shake hands with. How quickly do you need the change in real estate?”
Andre goes stiff in front of me, and I can see the wheels turning in his brain.
We sit there not saying anything for long moments as Andre fights with demons only he can see.
It’s in the moment that I think the demons might win and very well cause trouble for the family that he makes the only decision he can.
“We’re not desperate but waiting could be detrimental. What do you have in mind?” Andre grits out, his teeth so tight I swear I hear them crack.
“That’s good to hear,” Mason replies. “How about this? My wife is throwing a huge Halloween party. Why don’t you, Vito, and anyone else you feel needs to accompany you come up and hang out for a bit? You can enjoy the party, and then we can talk business and options.”
Not surprising panic fills Andre’s eyes before he closes them and answers Mason. “I’ll send travel information as soon as possible.”
I hang up the phone and lean back in my chair. “Well, looks like we’re going to be traveling for Halloween.”
“Do we have enough to cover us until then is my biggest question,” Andre rubs his temples.
“Let me go out to the barn and do some digging to see if I can fix the inventory. You keep working on the missing shipment, and if worse comes to worst, we can always call your cousins out of Atlanta,” I tell him, standing and heading out of his office.