Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
B itter and Fed Up
Micheal
Three years later …
“You were looking for me?” I say as I walk into Uri’s office.
I saunter to his desk with a scowl on my face. These days, all I do is scowl. I rarely have anything to smile about. My days and nights have been darker than ever.
I don’t talk to Symphony anywhere near as much as I used to. That means I remain in the darkness. It is rare that I come across any light.
That night three years ago still haunts me. I took things too far and the two months that followed were awkward until the day I left. I ruined everything.
I wish I could turn back time. However, I can’t, so I’ve become a brooding shell of a man. I run things for Don Trovati, I carry out hits for the Donati family, and I brood.
I’m still in love with my wife, but I clearly don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to her. She’s brilliant, gorgeous, and so damn sexy, but I’m an idiot when it comes to her. I don’t know what I did wrong that night—whether I moved too fast or if she hated how I made her feel.
I can’t say I’m the most experienced. The whole thing kind of made me question myself. Maybe I’m just terrible at eating pussy.
I haven’t been able to bring myself to test that theory with anyone else. All I see is Sim when I even think about trying. The whole thing has me at a loss.
“I’m heading to America. I have someone I need to visit. I need you to get me a location,” Uri says, bringing me from my brooding thoughts.
“You have a name?”
“Howard Russ. He is a child molester and woman beater. This time, he put his hands on the wrong woman. Uncle Nicholas has made this request personally. The victim was Crivello’s niece.”
I release a low whistle. Crivello is a capo for the Donati family. It’s no wonder Uncle Nicholas made the request.
Russ is a dead man walking. I drop into the seat in front of Uri’s desk and pull my laptop from my bag. It takes me all of two seconds to have an address for him.
“Looks like you’re going to Connecticut.” I pause to think. I may not have much contact with Sim, but I know all about her life. She has been performing right outside of Connecticut.
“I can handle this one for you,” I offer.
“That won’t be necessary. I’m due for a visit with Uncle Nicholas and I should check in on Symphony while I’m there,” he replies absently.
Once the words are out, he stops what he’s doing with the papers on his desk and looks up at me. He studies me for a moment as if looking through me.
“If you want to go see her, do not use family business as an excuse. She would be happy to see you,” he says as if reading my mind.
“I’m not looking for an excuse,” I mumble.
“You lie. Is this how you repay my love by lying to my face?”
I give a genuine smile. A rare smile for a rare occasion. Uri doesn’t express his affection often. I know he loves me but it’s not often I hear him admit it.
“I have things here to look after. She’s better off without me.”
“You have things to do here, yet you offer to do this job. Piss off. I’m not going to play this game with you. I don’t know what happened when you went there last, but it has changed you.
“You can lie to yourself, but don’t try this with me. Don Trovati has noticed the change as well. I don’t want you losing yourself in all of this.
“You are my little brother. If this has become too much, say so. I will take over the responsibility.
“We can file for a divorce or have the marriage annulled or whatever. You don’t have to continue to carry this weight. You were a child when you agreed to this.
“I shouldn’t have allowed it. You just speak too quickly and … I should have put you first,” he sighs.
Hearing the guilt in his voice stings. This isn’t his fault. I wanted to do this. Even now, anger rises as I think of what he’s suggesting. If I’m not married to Symphony, then who?
The thought of another man taking my place makes me want to spit fire. I rub at my chest where I wear her name tattooed across my skin. I had it done the year after the incident.
It felt wrong to have Annabella drug her for me to spend the night with her in my arms. Not knowing what triggered her the year before, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. The chance that the sleeping aids could wear off and I would be there to frighten her turned something once innocent into something absolutely, without a doubt, creepy.
“I am fine. I have not changed my stance. Things are just complicated,” I say.
He snorts. “I do remember telling you they would be. I find I understand Sim more and how to handle her when I ask questions and allow her to do the same.
“Her unfiltered honesty reveals everything you need to know. I don’t think it’s as complicated as you make it. Capisce ?”
“ Capito .”
Symphony
“Ninety-nine,” I murmur to myself as I stand over my last two kills.
This husband and wife deserved this. They stole a child and have done nothing but abuse him for as long as they’ve had him. It was a visit to the hospital from one of their beatings that revealed the two weren’t his parents, putting in motion an investigation.
The boy’s parents turned out to be a wealthy art dealer and heiress to an oil family. The father was the one to seek out my services. After seeing the pictures of what was done to the boy and the mountain of hospital records, I would have done this one for free.
Never the same hospital more than once. The severity of the injuries increased with time. Black eyes and broken eye sockets, broken bones, and injured organs.
I want to go after everyone who neglected to get the child help, but they don’t fall into the guidelines. I will have to let it go and be satisfied with kills number ninety-eight and ninety-nine.
I turn and leave quietly the way I entered. My assignment is complete. Adriano nods to me as he opens the car door for me to slide in when I get to the location where he’s been waiting for me.
“I wish to speak with you,” I say once he is behind the wheel and pulls off.
“Oh really? What’s up this time, boss?”
“I keep telling you I am not your boss. Especially since you haven’t touched a dime of the money I pay you. Which is the topic of the conversation I wish to have.”
He sighs and glances in the rear-view mirror. I fold my arms over my chest. I don’t understand why he refuses my payments.
“How do you know I haven’t touched it?” he asks and lifts a brow.
“I hacked your account. I had a suspicion, so I’ve been underpaying you the last few jobs. When you said nothing, I hacked the account,” I reply.
“ Bella , you do know that’s an invasion of my privacy?” he chuckles.
I’ve become a great hacker since starting my business. I was subpar before then. I had watched enough videos for the basics.
Now, I would call myself an expert. I bet I could match Michael or Annabella’s skills. Again, Uri shared information with me when I asked about my family.
I have learned a lot about who they are and what they do. What he doesn’t tell me, I use my skills to find out. I smile as I think of Uri.
I never get the sense that he tells me things because he thinks I don’t or won’t understand. It’s more like he wants me to know and understand who we are. It’s not like when others speak around me, assuming my intelligence is too low to comprehend what’s said or how to apply the knowledge.
I’m okay with that. I have used it to my advantage. Needing to know more about organized crime organizations, I’ve inserted myself into a low-level Irish family here in Boston.
They hired me for my computer skills, but I have played my role and have come to earn their respect or at least their tolerance, leading to my presence in meetings they probably wouldn’t allow me in if they knew better.
I understand the ins and outs of a family like mine much better. Uri has filled in the blanks for the things I found challenging at first. Most of which were more of a cultural difference.
The Italians do things a bit differently. I believe I’ve learned of ways to help Michael and my grandfather run my family more efficiently. I will share these things when the time is right.
“What privacy is there between us? You know everything about me, and I know everything about you. You have spent your life with me, so tell me, why is my money no good for you?”
“You misunderstand. It is not that your money isn’t good enough. It is that I don’t believe I have earned it. You do all the work. I only helped you get started.”
“You drive me to every job. You have kept my secrets. You tell me when you feel I should pass on a job. You were the one to get me in with the O’Shea family. You have earned it,” I say firmly.
“Connecticut is such an easy place to travel through. I will get you to rehearsal early this evening, or do you wish to make a stop?”
“Traffic will make us late if I deviate from the scheduled course. I will go straight to rehearsal. I can shower there and be on time.”
“As you wish, boss.”
I grumble under my breath. I have not missed his avoidance. We will discuss this at a later time.