CHAPTER 17
DARIO
“Listen, I need to go, but I appreciate you reaching out. I’ll relay what you told me to the boss,” I told Killian Carroll – an enforcer for the Irish family we had dealings and a working relationship with, and cousin of the leader of that family – Marcus Kean.
He had called me with some information he had heard in one of the strip clubs that the family owned and Killian operated. He’d had some very interesting guests there the night before and gotten wind of a plan that might help Rafe and I to work out who the fuck was threatening Cara.
I ended the call and clutched my phone in my hand as I left the office and went in search of Rafe. We were both working from home that day. We’d just finished closing on two huge deals to add to Rafe’s portfolio of resorts, and we had worked insane hours to accomplish that.
Added to that, were the numerous calls and meetings we had needed to take, in order to reassure our allies, all of whom depended on us for their business at the docks, that things had calmed down after our handling of the Kozlov’s.
We had taken out several of the key players within the Kozlov family in retaliation for them involving Rafe’s sisters in their petty shit, and it had left the Russians scrambling to find their feet again.
It had reasserted our power and reminded everyone we dealt with that our legitimate concerns had not turned us soft, and that they would do well not to even consider fucking with us.
Now the other families and gangs that we did business with were fearing further retaliation and possible all out war, and we were the only ones who could calm them down.
Overall, it had been a really long couple of days, and I had spent the whole time terrified for Cara, and hating that she was so far from me, possibly in danger I couldn’t be there to protect her from.
I just wanted her back home. I understood why she felt that she needed to go and get answers about her manipulative bitch of a mother, and that she hoped to find the threat against her too, in one fell swoop, and I had tried not to object when Rafe told us she would be going because of that.
But now I wanted her home. She’d been there for two days and it was two days too long.
“Rafe?” I called as I landed on the ground floor. I assumed he had gone to the kitchen in search of food, since we’d skipped lunch.
We had wanted to get all of the paperwork on the new properties squared away, so that work could start on the resorts as soon as possible.
Usually, we would have a decent lunch and work late, but not that day.
That day Gia was due to return from her school trip and Rafe was determined to sit her down and get every word of truth from her about what she had been up to and what Isabella – her mother – had filled her head with.
It was time we got the situation between her and Cara in hand before Gia chased Cara off completely, all because of the poison and lies her mother had sold her.
“In here!” Rafe called back, and as predicted, I found him in the kitchen making a sandwich.
“Do you know how to do that unsupervised?” I joked as I nodded to where he was spreading butter on two slices of bread.
“Just about. Terza went food shopping, so I had to improvise,” he shrugged. “Do you want something?”
“Get out of the way and let me do it.” I walked around the counter and gave him a light shove, setting my phone down and taking over the task.
Rafe had many talents, but none of them involved domestic tasks.
He’d had my mother there to take care of his cooking, cleaning, washing, and everything else domestic, since the day he was born.
I wasn’t much better, but I could handle the basics.
“I can make a sandwich!” Rafe defended, but he also happily stepped aside and sat at the counter opposite me.
“I’m sure you can, but we need to talk anyway,” I told him as I set to work.
“About what?”
“Killian Carroll just rang me. He had some Armenians in his club last night,” I began.
“Adamian’s men. They got pretty messy, and started bragging to Killian and his brothers that they’re close to taking the Russian’s down completely.
Apparently Adamian plans to take their business and their turf, then the docks. ”
“Fighting talk,” Rafe said with a raise of his eyebrows. “It’s bollocks though. Maybe Adamian has the manpower to take over the Russian territory and business, but he’s a long way from taking the docks from us and our allies.”
“I agree,” I nodded. “I’m not worried, but it does make me think about why Kozlov took Gia and lured Cara in to get hands on her too.”
“You think they were hoping to leverage my sisters for the docks? That the Russians and Armenians were competing for it?”
“It sort of makes sense. Neither family has any hope of winning a war to get it, and they clearly weren’t willing to work together. Ransoming your sisters for it, likely seemed like a good plan to them,” I shrugged.
“It’s a possibility,” he nodded. “But a stupid idea. I’d have taken them both down to get Gia and Cara back. They couldn’t have won either way. Most of London will back us up if this comes to war.”
“Maybe Adamian is underestimating this family too,” I suggested.
The leader of the Armenian family, who mainly ran their drug and gun operations, quietly, in the most deprived areas of the city, had done so for many years.
He imported his goods through Scotland, hence why Rafe and I had never had any dealings with him.
He had always seemed like a smart and shrewd man from what we had heard of him, but he wasn’t acting so smart right then, if he thought he could come for our docks.
“Then he’s a fool and he will live to regret it,” Rafe announced, and I whole heartedly agreed.
What’s more, I hoped he came after us, because he was probably the bastard who had sent those monsters after Cara, the one’s who had violated her.
I’d relish the opportunity to kill that bastard, slowly and painfully.
“It just worries me how confident those pricks were last night. Killian said they were full of it, bragging to anyone who would listen once they’d drunk enough to loosen their tongues. They were sure they were going to take the docks from us. What if Adamian plans to take Gia or Cara this time?”
“He’d have to have some balls after our retaliation with the Russians.
” Rafe paused and looked pensive as he considered what I had been weighing up since Killian told me everything.
“Let’s call Dante. Let him know what’s going on, and to keep Cara extra close.
She was hopeful they would complete what needed to be done and could head back tomorrow anyway, but I’d rather be safe in the meantime. ”
I couldn’t have agreed more.
***
“Why must she always be the last one? It was the same when I collected her from school when she was little, always the last one out of the building,” Rafe groaned as we watched all of Gia’s classmates disembark from the coach that had brought them back to school from the airport.
“You know she runs on her own schedule. She’ll never hold a job down, and Christ knows how she’ll ever find anyone who’ll put up with her. She’s going to be your responsibility for life,” I laughed.
“Thanks for that,” Rafe sighed. We both looked up at the loud thud of the coach door snapping shut, then the engine started.
“Woah!” I shouted as I ran over, Rafe right behind me. I went to try and stop the coach but one of the staff members stepped in my way.
“Can I help?” the exhausted looking, middle aged woman asked.
“Mrs Hughes? Where’s my sister?” Rafe asked as he stepped up to my side, seemingly familiar with the teacher.
“Gia didn’t come on the trip, Mr. De Santis. She…she told us you had a family trip to France planned. I…there was an email, from you, confirming as much, and that Gia wouldn’t be in school either,” Mrs Hughes floundered, looking suddenly very nervous.
“Fuck!” I hissed under my breath.
“Where the fuck is she?” Rafe despaired as he looked to me.
“Is Gia not with you?” Mrs Hughes asked.
“It’s fine. We know where she’ll be. Thank you for your help. Please don’t worry any more about it,” I assured her, before she got too upset and started raising alarm bells. The last thing we wanted was the police turning up and getting into our business.
“Yes, thank you, Mrs Hughes. I think there’s been a misunderstanding with my sister, but I have it in hand,” Rafe agreed. I was relieved when the woman just nodded and walked away.
“What the hell is she up to now?” I uttered as we walked back to where we had left our car.
“Nothing good. I’m going to wring her neck when I get my hands on her. She’s called me every night with her bullshit lies about her trip. Where is she?”
“I don’t know, but wherever she is, she won’t be without her luxuries. I think a quick check of her bank account will clue us in on her location,” I assured him. “Let’s get back to the house.”
“What if someone took her? The Russians, or the Armenians?” he worried.
“No, Rafe. She planned this. She made excuses to school, and sent e-mails to back them up. She has called you every night, like you just said, phone calls filled with lies about her being in Germany. If she were in trouble, you’d have heard it in her voice.
She’d have tried to tell you in some way. This is just her playing more games.”
“I don’t know who she is anymore. What am I supposed to do? Her behaviour is so out of line, it’s insane. I have no idea where to even begin reining her back in!”
“Isabella has gotten to her. Who knows what that bitch filled her head with. We need to get her home, and then try to undo it all. Gia’s going to need to be honest and willing to listen to reason.
And if we get that far, she’s also likely going to need some professional help too, to handle the lies, but you will get her back.
We all will,” I tried to convince him, even though it sounded far fetched even to my ears, considering how messed up things with Gia had become.
Inside I was fuming with myself for not noticing sooner how much Gia had been changing.
I should have. She was a sister to me in every way that counted.
I hated the idea that she had been manipulated so badly, and filled with so much hatred, all because of Isabella’s lies.
Our mother had torn both of her daughters to pieces, all to feed her addiction and it was sickening.
I had to find a way to put an end to all of this.
Rafe needed his sisters safe, and preferably getting along.
I just wanted to help them all get over the hell that their parents had put them all through so they could each find some peace to move forwards – so we all could.
“Something’s going on. I don’t like it. Schedule the plane to get Cara back here first thing tomorrow. I want her at home, where I know she’s protected, and we need to find out where the hell Gia is too.”
“We’ll get them both home, Rafe. I’ll schedule the flight for the morning, and we’ll check Gia’s bank records as soon as we get home,” I assured him.
If I could, I’d have Cara on a flight home that night. I didn’t like any of what was happening either. I wanted Cara home, as soon as possible. I wouldn’t feel she was safe until she was in my arms.