6. Alek #2
I’ve heard so much about him and his family over the last few months, and it’s hard to believe I’ve actually agreed to work with him.
I look away from him and toward Lucas. He’s distracted for the moment, which is good because I’m pretty sure Tommaso is headed right for me.
With a roll of my shoulders back, I focus on the fight and nothing else.
Trying to give the illusion like I don’t care that one of the Dresvanni is here.
There’s nothing for me to care about. As far as the crowd is concerned, I’m working with the Bianchis and me and Tommaso have beef, but I can’t let him think something big is being planned.
I have to make it all about just the two of us if need be.
I’m playing too many sides right now and it’s getting to my head.
Lucas and the crowd need to believe I’m loyal to the Bianchi family.
Tommaso needs to believe I’m loyal to the Dresvannis.
All while I’m stuck in public, stuck under this guise of a man not from Russia but from America.
With no dead wife, no family, no nothing, because I’m a man who carries no baggage except that of those I’ve killed.
Lucas only knows me as the man who would kill for a wrong look, not the man who intends to keep things from blowing out of proportion.
“Funny finding you here,” Tommaso tells me as he steps beside me, not standing directly next to me, but close enough.
I keep my American accent up, not letting any of my native tongue slip through. Even though it’s odd to talk to him this way, it feels wrong. It’s important that I keep up the facade while I’m here.
“Fuck off,” I tell him matter-of-factly.
“No one’s listening, you’re safe,” he assures me.
I glance toward Lucas, who still isn’t looking, but it doesn’t make me any less uneasy.
“Not interested in whatever you’re selling,” I tell him under my breath. “Here’s not the place.”
“I thought you were busy all-night cleaning the blood out from under your nails, maybe you didn’t get enough, huh?” Tommaso asks me with a smirk.
I hear mumbling behind us. Clearly people are trying to listen in. I step closer to the arena so that the sound of the fight is louder and our talking to each other is harder to eavesdrop on.
“Needed to get out,” I say. “What’s your excuse?”
Tommaso glances behind his shoulder for a second and then puts a hand up on the arena wiring.
I watch as the smaller woman finally pins the bigger one down onto the concrete floor and starts to pummel her, one punch by another. Seeming to have gotten a second wind.
The crowd goes wild. Some of them cheering, others booing. It’s clear who laid their bets where.
“I need to know more about the…explosive situation,” he tells me, carefully avoiding the word we both know will catch people’s attention.
“I don’t know anything else yet.” My voice is laced with irritation. “You couldn’t wait to ask about that?”
He shakes his head. “Things are starting to heat up,” he admits. “Carmine is prepared to go directly to Don Bianchi and if things don’t work out, well…” his words trail off. He doesn’t need to finish his sentence.
I know very well how much of a shit storm will occur.
“I’ll try to get more info from Lucas,” I tell him. I look over and see Lucas looking directly at me.
“What about the moles? You need to get them out of there, or they’re going to be killed,” Tommaso admits. “You care about the guys enough to do that?”
I bite down on the inside of my cheek. “We’ll see.”
Do I care about any of the Bianchis enough to warn them that they’ll be killed if they don’t get the fuck out of the Dresvanni estate? Not really… But it could mean pushing myself deeper into the Bianchi pocket if I use it as form of manipulation.
Tell them that the Dresvannis are planning to kill their men, they pull them out, the Bianchis thank me for saving their men, and their trust is built even higher.
“Get out of the fucking way,” I shove past him and over to Lucas who looks suspicious. I need to convince him that I have some personal beef with Tommaso and that’s why he approached me.
Tommaso stands in the way of me again, and I grab him by the front of his shirt. “You trying to cause problem, Dresvanni?” I ask him, growling low in my chest and I watch his eyes flare with excitement.
Is he trying to help me or is he doing this for another reason entirely?
He steps to the side and I walk over to Lucas who cocks one of his brows.
“What’s going on there?” he asks.
“Fucking Tommaso Dresvanni thinks he’s a tough guy,” I explain. “Thinks fucking with me is a good idea. He’s been getting on my nerves.”
“You got some kinda situation with him?” Lucas asks, bouncing his shoulders a bit.
“Some kinda fucked up situation is what,” I say. “You know the Dresvanni are onto us. I think they sent Tommaso to ruffle my feathers, but he can’t do shit.”
Lucas laughs. “Not with you he can’t,” he agrees. “He say anything weird?”
“Weird how?” I ask with narrowed eyes.
“Something that we need to know,” he waves a hand. “They slip these things in there; you might not even realize it until afterward. Crafty sons of bitches.”
I blink and look toward the arena again to give myself a moment to think.
“You know what…he did say something about our guys. Think they might be onto the ones we got running around their little estate,” I explain with a tilt of my head. “Sure wouldn’t be good if they know who they are.”
“Fuck. No, it wouldn’t,” Lucas pulls out his phone. “We’d better pull them before they get iced.”
“Yeah, sounds like a good idea. Besides, we need to pull them before the big item anyway, right?” I ask him.
“Big item…oh yeah, you’re right,” he shakes one of my shoulders and I ignore the urge to punch him.
“Any more word on that?” I ask. “Where it’s going to be specifically? I want a front row seat, you know?”
Lucas chuckles. “Course you do.” He glances around. “Not a good place to talk about it. Don’t know who’s listening, yeah? We’ll talk later.”
He puts his phone to his ear and steps away from me, signaling that he’s calling one of the higher ups. Likely telling them that “we” need to get the moles out of the Dresvanni estate right away.
That was easier than I expected.
When I look at the arena again, they’re getting it hosed out and it looks like the smaller woman did, in fact, win. I wonder how much richer I’d be if I had put money on it…
“He’s fighting next,” I hear someone say.
“Who?” I ask curiously. Wondering who the next contender is going to be.
They give me a long look and motion over toward the entrance to the arena.
“A big one. Lotta money on this at the last minute,” they explain. “Tommaso Dresvanni.”
I nearly choke on my own spit.
There he is, standing at the entrance to the arena, stretching one of his arms in front of his body.
“Motherfucker,” I mumble.
My stomach tenses and I look into the bloody wet arena and imagine him in there fighting whoever’s next in line, and…suddenly, I’m a lot more interested in fighting.
“You think I can take him?” I ask, trying to get the crowd interested in the idea.
“No fucking way,” someone says clear as day.
I glare at them. “You have no idea what I can do.”
“Prove it, pansy,” he laughs at me.
If it weren’t for Tommaso being in the ring right now, I’d send my fist directly through this guy’s head. I’m not usually big on fighting hand to hand…I’d rather be in the shadows with my gun.
My temper is a low simmering pot that I can ignore most of the time, but Tommaso’s smug face at the entrance of the arena makes my blood feel like fire in my veins.
Not to mention…the ache in my belly. Hunger. Need. Desire. I want to feel his body close to mine. Skin against skin. Blood against blood. This is the only way I can get that. This is the way.
Lucas knows there’s something brewing between us. This fight might just convince him that I’m willing to go all the way to take down the Dresvanni.
But am I really willing to kill Tommaso?
I don’t know.
What I do know is no one else is going to get the chance.
I make my way through the crowd and over to Tiger who looks at me with a bored expression. I don’t have money in my hands, and therefore he’s not interested.
“I need you to let me in the ring,” I tell him.
He eyes me head to toe. “Why should I do that? I’ve got a perfectly good fighter ready.”
I step closer to him and look deep into his eyes, my jaw set.
“Because if anyone is going to kill Tommaso Dresvanni, it’s going to be me.”