45
The hidden truth
Five days…
Five days had passed since the kidnapping that almost cost Aleksa and Andrey their lives.
Five days during which Nikita and I held meetings with my entire family, telling them that we could not stand idly by in the face of the Chinese affront.
Five days during which Nonna, Don Giuliano, and Salvatore supported the motion for a confrontation and flexing our muscles to regain leadership. They wanted us to take the bull by the horns and send the damn Chinese on a one-way flight to hell with no chance of return.
With Xia Wang on the team, we had the locations, the strategic enclaves, and knew how to strike them hard enough to hurt.
The only problem was that if we went for the throat, we would spill a lot of blood and, no matter how many people we had bribed, the cops would be on our tails, and that was not in our best interest.
We covered up what happened at the hotel, camouflaging it under a blanket of explosives and enough money to silence experts and investigators.
Gas leak. That”s how the dramatic incident, which turned the new skyscraper hotel into a heap of rubble, broken bricks, and twisted iron, was officially described. A loud, clear, and forceful message that placed us in opposition to Cheng.
Logically, no one claimed the bodies of the deceased. Our cleanup team took them to a landfill, submerged in barrels full of acid.
We needed to get to know Cheng”s ghost better to devise the appropriate strategy. According to Xia, whom we spoke with via video call, her boss was never on the Peninsula. He visited Spain only a few times, and when he did, he didn”t notify anyone.
He remained hidden behind a mask that safeguarded his identity. This granted him absolute anonymity, which was very convenient for moving unseen and protecting his family, if he had one.
”Who is above Cheng?” my uncle questioned, looking at the Chinese woman through the screen. ”The one at the top of the pyramid.”
”Jing Guo. I thought you knew,” she commented nonchalantly.
”Isn”t he the guy who was charged in Operation Panda in 2012?” Nikita asked, observing Miss Wang. She nodded affirmatively.
”Yes, exactly.”
”I know who Mr. Guo is,” my father stated. ”He has a record of offenses ranging from organized crime to bribery, smuggling, money laundering, human trafficking, and crimes against the Public Treasury. I read in the newspaper that they are seeking forty-six years and five months of imprisonment for him.”
We hid what happened at the hotel, camouflaging it under a blanket of explosives and enough money to silence experts and investigators.
Gas leak. That”s how the dramatic incident that turned the new skyscraper hotel into a pile of rubble, bricks, and twisted metal was officially labeled. A loud, clear, and firm message that placed us in opposition to Cheng.
Logically, no one claimed the bodies of the deceased. Our cleanup team took them to a landfill, submerged in barrels full of acid.
We needed to know much more about Cheng”s ghost to adopt the right strategy. According to Xia, whom we spoke with via video call, her boss was never on the Peninsula. He visited Spain only occasionally, and when he did, he told no one.
He remained hidden behind a mask that safeguarded his identity. This granted him absolute anonymity, which served him well to move unseen and protect his family, if he had one.
”Who is above Cheng?” my uncle asked, looking at the Chinese woman through the screen. ”The one at the top of the pyramid.”
”Jing Guo. I thought you knew,” she remarked nonchalantly.
”Isn”t he the guy who was charged in Operation Panda in 2012?” Nikita inquired, observing Miss Wang. She nodded affirmatively.
”Yes, exactly.”
”I know who Mr. Guo is,” my father stated. ”He has a range of offenses from organized crime to bribery, smuggling, money laundering, human trafficking, and crimes against the Public Treasury. I read in the newspaper that they are asking for forty-six years and five months in prison for him.”
”Do you know him?” Xia pressed, amazed.
”By reputation.”
”They”ve been after him for a long time, a tip put him on the police radar. The operation has lasted several years. Jing Guo has always been a cautious man, his inner circle included family members and close associates. His wife handled the management and administration of the many companies that made up the economic structure, and his sister-in-law was the chief accountant.
”Recently, they expanded thanks to trusted men and women. Among them, Mr. Cheng.
”For example, northern Italy is being handled by Mr. Guo”s father-in-law, and a cousin of his is in charge of the French Riviera. His tentacles reach higher every day.
”We can”t tolerate them colonizing the world!” my cousin exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table, making the glassware shake.
”I”m sorry to say, Mr. Capulet, but it”s a bit late for that. It”s odd that there”s a single place where a member of the organization isn”t breathing.”
Nikita tapped her red nails on the table while my father, uncle, and cousin engaged in a heated discussion about how to regain control that we didn’t even realize we were losing.
”Why are you so important to them?” was the next question thrown by my Nonna. Everyone fell silent.
”Mrs. Koroleva already told you that I possess a lot of information, Mr. Cheng did not make a move without my supervision,” Xia responded. My grandmother shook her head.
”That”s not it. There”s something more here... Who are you really, Xia Wang?” For a moment, the woman’s eyes reflected fear, the same fear a mouse senses when it knows it’s about to be devoured by a snake.
Nikita looked toward the Chinese woman and then back at my Nonna, who appeared as if she were in the middle of a card game.
”I don’t know what you mean...” Her tone had lost its firmness.
”Of course, you do, Miss Wang, or should I call you, Mr. Cheng.”
We all looked at each other in astonishment, because either my grandmother was bluffing or she had just laid down a royal flush. It was always said at home that she had a sixth sense and could detect things that others couldn’t even imagine. That’s why my grandfather fell madly in love with her, because she was twenty times smarter and more dangerous than he was.
The transmission abruptly cut off.
”What happened?” Salvatore asked. ”Was it a network failure?” We were at my father”s house, so he got up to check the router.
”It wasn”t on our end,” he reported.
”Where is she?” muttered Don Giuliano, glaring at Nikita. My wife immediately responded with something she had been safeguarding from everyone.
”In a hotel. Two of my men are guarding her room.” She looked at my grandmother in denial. ”It can”t be; she can’t be...” she stammered.
”Of course, it is. You are too young to stare the devil in the face and realize it’s him. You lack the life experience to perceive these details, you have to look beyond what they want you to believe,” my Nonna explained. ”Nikita, call your men to make sure they are still alive and that she hasn’t already escaped.”
Nikita lifted her phone. It was the first time I saw her hand tremble. No one answered. She shouted something in Russian and threw the phone to the ground, shattering it.
”You couldn”t have known,” I tried to calm her. She met my gaze, distilling a hatred that belonged more to her than to me.
”That”s not enough.”
”Which hotel is she staying at?” Salvatore pressed, phone in hand. Nikita gave him the details; it was near the port of Marbella, a bad place for us and an ideal one for her.
”I”ll call our men to comb the area,” I said, reaching for my iPhone.
”She’s already gone,” my Nonna stated confidently, ”she has won this round, but that doesn’t mean we concede the war.” My grandmother’s knobby fingers grabbed the glass of Limoncello and downed it in one gulp.
”That”s why she accepted my protection,” Nikita muttered, ”to infiltrate my people and know my moves... She used me!” she roared angrily. My grandmother poured another drink and had Uncle Giuliano pass it to my wife.
”Drink, calm your nerves, and sit down. Now that we know the face of our enemy, we can find that porcona[4]. You”re not alone, Nikita Koroleva; once you”re in our family, you never leave. The mafia neither forgets nor forgives.”
When we got home, Nikita continued to blame herself. It didn”t matter that I told her I hadn”t seen what was so obvious to my grandmother either.
The mobilization of personnel did nothing; neither my men nor those of my father or uncle could find Xia Wang, or rather, Mr. Cheng.
He vanished, annihilating the two guards outside the hotel room with two damn butter knives he had kept from breakfast.
We kept going over the weekend altercation with Aleksa and Andrey. My man was recovering at home from a rib fracture, and the Russian was playing nurse.
If the hotel guys were Cheng”s men, why did they want to know Miss Wang”s whereabouts? It didn”t make sense; something was eluding us, and we didn”t know what.
Salvatore insisted it was a smokescreen, meant to further safeguard the Chinese woman”s anonymity and take out our trusted men. I didn”t buy that theory, and neither did Nikita.
After hours of discussion, Nonna sent us all to rest, saying she wanted to weigh things carefully before deciding how we were going to act.
Nikita didn”t even want to drive. She spent the ride in silence, massaging her temples and talking on my phone with her men to keep searching.
Upon reaching the kitchen, I asked Ana María for a paracetamol and a glass of water, which Nikita appreciated.
”And Adriano?” I asked. My wife settled on one of the counter stools and fixed her gaze on the window overlooking the garden.
”His sister took him shopping about an hour ago. She said they were meeting with their father and didn’t know how long they would be. By the way, a messenger brought this envelope.”
I recognized the letterhead; it was from the genetic labs where we had our test with Adri. It wasn”t the time to open it, Nikita was troubled enough, it could wait.
”Thanks, Ana, leave us alone.” I pushed the envelope aside and left it at the end of the counter.
Nikita was lost in a place only she knew.
”Come on, love, you can’t torture yourself like this,” I sighed, placing my fingers on her scalp to massage it. Her fine golden strands twined around them.
”I don’t understand how I could have missed it.”
”We’re not infallible, I never imagined Mr. Cheng was a woman.”
”But I was infallible, at least before...” I stopped the motion and turned the stool to face her.
”Before what?”
”Before meeting you! What else? I didn’t use to miss these details; I was too meticulous... And now I get caught up in trivial, superficial things... I feel scattered and my mind focuses on things it shouldn’t.” Her scowling face was an utter delight. I positioned myself between her legs and lifted her chin.
”Are you calling our high sexual activity trivial or superficial and blaming me for being your distraction?” She huffed.
”It”s not you! It”s me! When I”m with you, I feel swallowed by chaos, my order turns into an existential crisis, I question things that... Agrrr.”
”Hey, look at me, what happens to you happens to us both,” I acknowledged. ”We just got married, we”re getting to know each other, our attraction defies that damn law I believed in so much. It”s logical that your mind would cloud over in search of our storm.” My lips pulled at hers. ”You can”t ignore this.” I licked and sucked on her lower lip, drawing a gasp from my wife. ”Or this.” I grabbed her from behind, lifted her off the stool, lifted her dress and yanked down her panties—leaving her without them. ”And definitely not this.” I moved my fingers at her entrance, already moist, and slipped them inside.
”Damn it, R! Don’t do this to me,” she whispered, with my fingers delving into the warmth that welcomed me.
”What?” I growled, thrusting my fingers again. ”This?” She arched her back. ”Or perhaps you mean this?” My free hand reached to her neckline to pull out one of her breasts and pinch the nipple.
”God...” she moaned, grabbing the marble.
”You need me, babe, as much as I need you. Wicked queens require kings who match their needs.” I withdrew my hand from inside her and brought the fingers to her mouth, so she would understand that no matter what she said, her body knew who it opened the kingdom”s doors for.
Nikita sucked on my fingers while I hurriedly dropped my pants.
”Don”t run from this when you have no idea where you’re going.”
”Romeo...”
”Shhh.” I silenced her, placing my hands on her hips. ”People like you and me deserve someone by their side capable of leaving them breathless.”
I entered her, and she gasped, letting go, surrendering to my
body, embracing the chaos of our restless souls.
Maybe neither of us was prepared for the other, or maybe we were the best accident to happen to each other.
I never thought that my favorite place wouldn”t be a location but a person. And Nikita was becoming that place where I wanted to lose myself to find myself again, over and over.