Chapter 13
ALONZO
Maybe others would cower to her, considering who she is, but I find that I don’t care. I stare down at her, unmoved by her threat. I’m not arrogant enough to think that she won’t kill me, or that I can take her down and immobilize her, but if she were going to, she’d have done it already.
She doesn’t seem the type to play with her victims this way. She might torture them, but leaving me the ability to walk around, to even approach her, tells me that there is something else going on.
Or she’s just fucking insane and is planning on lulling me into a false sense of security before killing me.
Either way, it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I need to get to Rori.
“Maybe I should ask why I’m not dead yet,” I say calmly, eyes on hers, refusing to cower. “If you were really that angry that you knew I was following, you’d have killed me long before now.”
Her hard mask slips, making me blink, as she suddenly grins up at me, her eyes bright with pleasure. Her gun lowers, and she looks downright gleeful.
What. The. Fuck.
I fight hard not to let her see my unease. What the fuck is wrong with this woman? Has she finally just slipped off the edge into outright insanity?
“Well, look who has big brains after all,” she beams, her free hand coming up and slapping me on my bicep.
“Thank God. I’d have hated to deal with disposing of your giant ass.
The cleanup here would have my guys asking for a raise, and while they would definitely deserve it, I don’t want to ruin a good relationship. ”
Again—what the fuck?
No, I don’t have time to play these stupid games with this crazy bitch. Rori, she’s my only focus, and my only connection to her is this crazy woman in front of me.
“Where is Rori, Tatiana?” I demand, my voice sharp and impatient.
“Yes, yes, we’ll get to that. First, though, we have some other things to discuss.”
“I have nothing to discuss with you unless it’s about Rori.”
Her eyes roll as she steps back and rests comfortably against the back wall of the container, knee bent and close to a still sleepy Hades.
Some of his alertness is coming back, and I see his ears twitch toward me.
When I look back at Tatiana—or whatever persona she’s portraying now—I see her watching me, that creepy as shit gleeful grin still on her face.
“Don’t worry, I made sure that he would have a low dose.
I have no desire to hurt him. He and I actually have gotten quite close the last few times we’ve met, haven’t we boy? ” she coos down at him.
“You mean when you broke into Nico’s house and scurried around in the shadows like a rat?” I spit out, infuriated.
“Exactly.” Her tone is bright, pleased. “Rori was so helpful in making sure that I had plenty of time and space to bond with him.” There, right there, is the inflection in her tone, the subtle reminder and warning.
I’m not falling for that bullshit. “You get off on this shit, don’t you? Fucking people over, threatening them, all while making yourself seem like a nice person?”
Her smile widens even further. She looks like the damn Joker, and I can’t tell if I want to back away or not. It’s a disconcerting feeling.
“You’re trying to make me feel bad about that.
Trust me, Mr. Cattaneo, when it comes to feeling I’m as lacking as you think.
Call it the result of my upbringing. Feelings, my own thoughts, all of it was severely cut out from as early as I can remember.
So, do I enjoy the things I do? I don’t know anything else, and I’m very good at it.
I’m also very good at making sure that things go the way I want them to.
It’s another talent of mine. Which is where you come in. ”
I’m almost sorry to ask it, but at this point, what else am I going to say? “And how is that?”
She waves the gun imperviously. “Don’t rush me. First, we have a few things to settle between us so that we can make this relationship work.”
“Relationship?” I demand incredulously. “Jesus Christ, you’re fucking insane. I’m not having anything with you. I’m here to get Rori back. Simple. She’s not marrying anyone, and she’s not going to be a part of whatever sick game you’re planning.”
“And you think you get to decide that for her? You’re so sure that she’s not going to be a willing participant in this little exercise?
” Her head tilts slightly, regarding me curiously.
“And what makes you think that she wants you to rescue her? You were the one to break her heart after all, weren’t you? ”
The dagger to my gut hits true. I barely manage not to flinch. I fight back the guilt and the memories that threaten. I’ll never forgive myself for any of it.
“You know, I almost killed you that night,” she continues casually, like she’s telling me what she’s planning to have for breakfast in the morning.
“The hurt you caused her, I nearly put a bullet in your head. The only thing that stopped me was seeing you feel guilty instantly and work to fix it. Personally, I think you have far more to do to have that happen.”
My head reels as I try to process all that information. If all she wanted was to use Rori, why would she care that I upset her? The back of my neck itches. There’s more to this than this woman being hired to bring Rori back and knowing her from her old life.
“Are you in love with Rori?” I manage to ask. Is this some kind of jealous plot to get back at her and me by extension? Some kind of weird love triangle?
She blinks and then lets out a laugh of pure delight.
“Oh, I can’t wait to tell her that one,” she snickers, grinning at me again.
“Won’t she just be delighted by the thought?
Maybe lead with that when you’re grovelling.
Maybe tell her you were just jealous. See if she’s more willing to let all her anger at you go because of it. ”
I scowl at her. Is she mocking me? “Would you stop talking in riddles and get to the fucking point?” I demand furiously. “You’re wasting precious time to tell me whatever it is you dragged me in here to find out. My men will be looking for me, and they won’t hesitate to kill you when they find me.”
“Ah, yes, your men. I’m sure they’ll find you eventually, but not before I’m ready.”
“Ready for what? What the fuck is going on that you had to fucking tranq my dog and me?”
“You should probably work on that impatience and temper of yours before you get on your knees and beg, big guy. Also, that is not your dog, it’s Rori’s. You’re just dog-sitting him until we can get this entire business sorted out.”
Alright, this woman is insane.
She must realize my thoughts because she heaves out a hard sigh and straightens away from the wall.
She crouches down to give Hades a gentle stroke on the side of his face before getting back to her feet.
When her head turns back toward me, the jovial woman is gone and in its place is the hardened assassin.
Her eyes have gone cold, her smile sharp, and her demeanor fluid and authoritative.
How can she change so easily? It’s like a second skin to her. Unease builds, but I force myself to ignore it.
“You being here is going to cause a hell of a lot of trouble for me, but I’ve decided that instead of killing you for interfering in a perfectly laid out plan, I’m going to pivot and consider it as a new possibility,” she says, advancing.
I hold my place, but my brain is screaming at me to be cautious.
Ready to move. “You really should thank me for that, because I’ve been close enough to kill you and your men so many times that you never had an inkling. ”
A shiver works its way down my spine. How close is close? “You’ve been following us? Why? You have Rori, so what the fuck do you have to worry about us for?”
She gives me a you’re-an-idiot look. Do women practice that shit in the mirror?
“Because I knew that you wouldn’t follow fucking instructions and stay the fuck put. If you had, I would have eventually returned Rori to you when she was finished with everything, but no, you had to play white knight and fuck it all up.”
“How the fuck did you know where to find us in the first place? We were careful.”
She snorts. “Yeah, right. How I found you isn’t the important part. The important part is that you’ve now inserted yourself, and you either fall in line or you die. Simple, really.”
I give her a bemused smile. “Is that right? And what’s to stop me from killing you?”
“Because we both know that killing me won’t happen, and even if you manage to get the drop on me—again, very unlikely—you will never find Aurora O’Brien again. I always cover my bases, Mr. Cattaneo.”
Rage has me clenching my fists at my sides, my body itching to launch itself at her and get the information out of her one way or another. “Where is she, Tatiana?”
Again, she ignores my question. “In three days, Rayea Antonova will walk into the Belov estate, ready to marry Simeon Belov and take her place at his side as his wife. She will follow all their rules, she will be beaten until she complies, and Aurora O’Brien will cease to exist.”
“Over my fucking dead body.”
“I’ll make that happen if you don’t shut the fuck up and let me finish,” she tosses back sharply.
I manage to swallow back my retort, barely.
“Good boy. As I was saying, she is going to take her place and be the Belovs’ own personal hitman.
The exact reason she was married to the younger brother in the first place.
They wanted a couple of heirs out of her first, but since that didn’t happen, her true purpose was put aside.
That is going to change. Unless it’s stopped. ”
“By killing the Belovs?”
“Yes. They have also called in the Bratva Butcher to ensure her compliance. If not, then his orders are to leave no trace of her behind.”
My blood runs cold. “He’d kill his own daughter for not going through with a wedding and being a hired hitman?” I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but there must be some shred of love in him for his daughter.
“He has others he’ll gladly sacrifice for the connection to Timur Belov and their resources.”
“He has more than one daughter? All of them trained like Rori?” Why have we never heard of more?
Tatiana gives a humorless laugh. “You Italians do love to stick to your own corner, don’t you? You don’t pay attention to anything outside of your own borders and walls. You think that the Butcher would only allow himself to have one child? A girl child at that?”
Shit, this isn’t going to be good news. “How many does he have?”
Her lips curl into a cold smile. “At last count, he has twelve sons and eight daughters. One of those daughters is your lady. She was the first, actually. After she was gone, he realized his…mistake in only having one child. Especially when people were asking for them. Wanting their skills in their own armies.”
“He has twenty fucking children?” My mind can’t compute a man having so many children. “And they’re all trained?”
She shrugs. “Most. A few of them he killed because they were too weak or fucked up one too many times.”
My gut sours thinking of the horrors those children probably suffered before their own father ended their suffering. How do we not know about this? “How old is the youngest?”
“I believe he just had another boy two weeks ago. He’ll start training as soon as he turns five. I believe there will be four of them who will be turning five, actually.”
I can’t wrap my mind around it. How is that even possible?
Why would he want so many children? “Is he trying to build his own fucking army?” She stares at me, and my stomach sinks.
“That’s it, isn’t it? He’s having children so he can train them and sell them off to different families.
Some kind of way to keep his power over every major family. ”
“Look at you using that big brain. The drugs seem to have worn off, so the blood can flow all the way to the top.”
I ignore her insult. “I don’t understand what this has to do with Rori, though.
If he has all these kids, why doesn’t he just offer another one to the Belovs in her place?
Why bring her back into it?” Silence. My mind whirls with questions, trying to figure it out.
Then I stop and look back at her, finally realizing what she’s hinting at.
“He doesn’t want her back, does he? He’s going to kill her as punishment for leaving, and then he’ll replace her with someone else. ”
A slow clap. “Well done. And here I thought you were all brawn and no brains. Glad to see I’m not making a huge mistake in considering you for this role.”
I want to flip her off, but I don’t want to waste the energy.
“Who are they going to replace her with? You said she has other sisters, so it has to be someone close enough in looks to her, right? Or someone they think is better?” I start to pace.
“Or they could just replace her with one of her brothers who is old enough to be seen as a soldier. At least until this Simeon asshole takes charge. Or they’ll put him with Simeon to watch over him until he’s in power to make sure he’s doing whatever it is the Butcher is planning. ”
“Yes, I think this plan is going to work nicely. I might just step up and convince her to keep you so you can have some smart babies,” Tatiana muses, drawing my attention. I narrow my eyes at her, unamused. “We don’t have a lot of time, so we need to get moving.”
“To where?”
She pulls something out of her pocket and hands it to me. “This is all you’ll need. Go to the address listed and hand the note to the man in charge.”
“You’re not coming for this little showdown? This sounds like something up your alley.”
She doesn’t answer that, unsettling me. Her eyes turn hard, her smile deadly.
“I don’t think I need to remind you of what will happen if you tell anyone about this little meeting, or even hint at who I am.
I will kill you, Cattaneo, and I won’t feel a shred of remorse.
Then, I’ll do the same thing to every member of your family, the Carusos, Nico Armani, and Dante Esposito.
The only ones who will be safe are the women and the infant who are related to me.
That list does not include Aurora O’Brien, you’ll notice. Keep that in mind.”
If anyone can do it, I have a feeling it’s this woman. I still can’t figure out her relationship to Rori, or how Rori will be involved in all of this, other than as an unwilling bride. Whatever it is, it’s a problem for later.
“Just tell me where to find Rori.”
She lifts the gun again, firing it so quickly I don’t even have time to react. The dart in my neck stings like before, and I feel myself falling almost instantly.
No. No. I need to get to Rori. Damn her.