6. Luca
Luca
Chapter six
Four Years Later
Ifucking hate these warehouse meetings. They’re fucking dangerous and too many variables mean I could end up dead. Every time I have to drive Alberto out to the middle of nowhere to meet some shady asshole, the thought crosses my mind that the reason he’s taking me along is because they found out what I’d been up to. I’ve covered my tracks so well the last four years I’ve been on his crew. There were times I almost had myself convinced I belonged with these pricks. That’s what living a double life does to you. Makes you start believing what you’re trying to convince other people of. It eats at your humanity, bite by sickening bite.
This meeting, in particular, is the side of Alberto’s business that, until recently, I wasn’t to take part in. We’re meeting someone to buy a girl. It’s the second time he’s included me in a purchase. The first time was only a few months ago. I felt so disgusted with myself I went home and threw up then proceeded to drink myself into oblivion. I called Finn and told him what happened. He was glad Alberto had finally deemed me worthy to take part in that side of his business.
I’d been collecting from the girls he had on the streets and shaking down the pimps that were on Alberto’s payroll the last four years or so since I was moved to his crew. No one cares about prostitution, and that certainly isn’t going to bring down a criminal empire. But this skin trade shit? Yeah, that made a shit ton of money for the Cataldis, and Finn has decided that’s how we’re going to take them out. It’s risky as hell selling women. Seems a substantial amount of their take comes from it now. Topple that, we cripple the entire organization. I just hope to hell I get enough information before I have to sit through any more of these meetings.
I texted Finn the location we were at. Not because we’re ready for a full takedown but because the girl they’re bringing in is connected to the Black Roses, an MC my cousin does a lot of business with. Word is this girl, Charlie, has some information that could help the Cataldis take out my family. Her “handler,” as Alberto calls him, is some piece of shit that did some work for Finn in the past, but this asshole decided getting high on the shit he was supposed to be unloading was far more important.
The only reason he isn’t six feet under is because he’s Cillian’s cousin. In a rare show of loyalty to anyone other than Finn, Cillian asked for Jace’s life to be spared when it was obvious that Jace was coming up short on money and product. I don’t think it had so much to do with saving his cousin rather than saving his mom the heartache. His aunt died years ago, and the kid was raised with his dad, who apparently was a complete asshole. Cillian’s mom tried to take Jace, but his father refused. She always felt guilty about the distance she allowed to be put between them, especially seeing who he’d become. I guess she held out hope that Jace would turn his life around. Hate to be the one to break it to her that it’s most likely going to be a very short one. Jace was keeping tabs on drop locations and safe house sites that he had in a handy-dandy little notebook his ex-girlfriend stole from him. She ran with it after one of the enforcers for the Black Roses MC beat the shit out of him for abusing her. The girl got away, and Jace ended up in the hospital with a grudge the size of Texas.
When Jace found her, he wanted the book and revenge on the Black Roses, which led to him getting in contact with the Cataldis.
Pulling up to the abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere Massachusetts, I spot a beat-up old car but nothing else.
“He must be inside,” Alberto says next to me in the luxury sedan with blacked-out bulletproof windows. “Keep sharp. This guy is a fucking tweaker and jumpy as a stray alley cat. Not to mention he’s willing to sell out his cousin to the highest bidder. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.”
“Got it, boss.” Gee, he doesn’t trust a criminal. Shocker.
We exit the car along with Fausto and Ernesto, the other two goons he brings everywhere with him, and head into the warehouse, our eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. The warehouse smells musty, as most forgotten buildings do. Flecks of disturbed dust float through the air, illuminated by the sun streaming in through holes in the broken painted windows.
“Alberto, there you are. Glad you got my message.”
My eyes land on a greasy man who looks as though he hasn’t slept or showered in at least a week. Next to him is a girl in a red bikini tied to a chair with blood oozing from a cut above her brow and a blackening bruise around her eye. Charlie’s gaze scans the four of us, and though her eyes hold anger, they’re still unfocused as she realizes the predicament she’s in. He must have drugged her with something to keep her compliant.
“This is the girl, then?” Alberto asks, walking over to the girl strapped to the chair, studying his newest acquisition. Though the plan wasn’t to buy her from Jace, Alberto knew he had her and was more than willing to cut a deal for her and the notebook when we got here.
“Never let an opportunity to put a few extra dollars in your pocket pass you up,” he said on the way over here.
“Yeah, man, this is her,” Jace replies. I can tell the informal way Jace is addressing Alberto is getting under his skin. I have to hide the chuckle that threatens to escape. These Mafia assholes like to think of themselves as some sort of royalty, so I always get a kick out of it when they’re talked to like any common street thug by someone who doesn’t know better.
“Where’s the notebook you promised us?” Alberto asks, circling the girl and most likely counting the cash he thinks he’s going to get from the sale of her.
“Well, that’s the thing,” Jace starts. “She doesn’t have it. The dumb bitch gave it to Ozzy, so it’s at the clubhouse. But I’m sure we can work something else out since you’ve been helping me.”
With the promise of getting information on my family and the Black Roses, who do business with the Monaghans, Carlo has been keeping Jace hidden until he can get the notebook back. Too bad for him, his ex found herself under the protection of the Black Roses, and it’s taken a little longer. Now, it seems impossible since she handed it over to the club’s president, Ozzy.
“That was not our deal,” Alberto says, irritated that the plan isn’t going according to what was promised. “You were supposed to bring me the notebook, then we would pay you accordingly for the information. All you’ve brought me is a bruised-up girl and trouble from not only the Irish but the Black Roses.”
I see where Alberto’s going with this. He wants Charlie, but he’s going to try to undercut her sale price under the guise of him being inconvenienced.
“Right, yeah, but you know, sometimes things don’t work out like we planned.” Jace is starting to fidget and sweat, as he should, considering he wasn’t able to deliver on what he promised. Alberto isn’t known as the forgiving type. “I can’t get you the notebook, but what about her?”
And there it is. He’s desperate to prove he’s useful to the Cataldis, and Jace, the stupid fuck, just played right into Alberto’s hand. Charlie’s blue eyes widen into saucers, realizing her ex-boyfriend is about to sell her into human trafficking. Fuck, I hate how scared she looks. I want to sneer at the asshole standing in front of me, both of them, then grab the girl and get the hell out of here. But I can’t blow my cover, not when I’m finally in a position to get what Finn needs. Fuck, my cousin better hurry the hell up.
“I’ve heard you guys deal in more than blow and guns. You could get a pretty penny for her on the auction block, no?”
Alberto looks like he’s considering Jace’s offer, but I know it’s all for show. “Yes, she would do nicely, I think. What do you think, Luca?”
I cast a lascivious grin in Charlie’s direction and hate myself for it. “We would make a pretty penny off her, boss.”
The tweaker nods his head, looking between the scared girl and Alberto. “There you go. With a little training and a strong hand, I’m sure she could fall in line. She always did for me.”
The hardest part of this undercover bullshit has been having to stand by and watch shit like this happen. When I was a guard in the house, I didn’t see it as much as being on the street, but the abuse they inflict on people they deem weaker is fucking atrocious, especially with women. I hated the way I saw Carlo and Francesco treat Giada, but it’s nothing compared to what I’ve seen during my time with Alberto. The things I’ve had to participate in. It makes my fucking skin crawl.
I think of Giada then and the last time I saw her outside of her father’s office. The way she looked at me like I was going to be just like every other asshole in her life. I thank God she doesn’t know the half of what really goes on behind closed doors. She may have to deal with her father and brother treating her as though she’s nothing more than property to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in marriage, but at least she’s never been sold for a few hundred dollars for a couple hours on the street, or sold off as someone’s sex slave. The fire in this girl’s eyes reminds me of Giada’s. I hope like hell neither of them ever loses it.
“And what do you expect out of this new deal?” Alberto asks, shaking me out of my thoughts.
“Just a finder’s fee. I understand if she isn’t worth as much as what we originally agreed on, but I think something in the ballpark of ten thousand is fair, don’t you?”
Dumb fuck could have asked for double and Alberto would have paid.
“Fine, fine,” Alberto agrees as though he’s being magnanimous in settling for the girl he planned on buying anyways. “Luca.”
I step forward and hand Jace the cash from the inside pocket of my jacket. I don’t allow myself to look at Charlie, sure that if I do she’ll see the disgust I feel over this entire transaction. Buying humans makes me sick to my fucking stomach, along with the men currently negotiating for the price of her life.
Jace walks over to Charlie and unties her from the chair. They speak a few words to each other, but I can’t hear them over the blood rushing in my ears. Where the fuck is Finn? I can’t go through watching another girl be handed over to the monster who just paid for her, and if I step in, I’ll blow my cover.
Jace roughly grabs the girl by the arm and hauls her toward Alberto. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
Before Alberto can make a move toward Jace and Charlie, the door to the warehouse flies open, and three men walk in, opening fire.
Finally. Finn, Cillian and some other man who I don’t know are here. I quickly duck behind one of the stacked pallets and begin returning fire, purposely aiming away from my cousin and the rest of his crew. It’s absolute melee in the warehouse. One of Alberto’s men goes down, and I see the blood pouring from his unmoving chest. One more piece of shit I don’t have to worry about.
“Did you sell us out, you fucking cunt? How the hell did the Irish know you were here?” Alberto yells.
A smile crosses my lips. He thinks Jace called the Irish. Wrong, asshole.
I hear Alberto yell something else at Jace but don’t catch his exact words before another shot rings out. I duck low and see Alberto lying dead on the floor with a bullet between his eyes.
“We’re getting the fuck out of here,” Jace calls just before a metal door at the other end of the warehouse opens and light pours in.
I catch sight of Fausto when he pops around a large cement pillar off to the side of the warehouse he’d thrown himself behind when the shooting started.
“Get the girl!” he yells to me as he returns fire.
“On it,” I call back and head toward the door. When I’m behind Fausto, I lift my gun and put a bullet in the back of his head.
This isn’t the first time I’ve killed a man in my time with the Cataldis, and just like the other three times, satisfaction washes over me. One less piece of shit walks the planet today.
“Clear,” I call to my cousin as I turn to head toward the door Jace hurried Charlie through. Just as my hand reaches the knob, a gunshot rings out on the other side. I open the door, praying I don’t see a dead girl on the other side.
Charlie is bent over Jace, her shoulders shaking as she cries over his prone body. Just then the thunder of several motorcycles reaches my ear, and I quickly shut the door. The Black Roses are here, and I know they’ll take care of her. No one is supposed to know who I am. My cousin trusts the MC, but the fewer people who are aware of my involvement in this, the better. Not to mention that girl still has a gun in her hand, and there’s no doubt if she shot her ex, she’d have no problem turning the gun on me in a heartbeat.
Turning around, I see my cousin walking up to me with his gun raised, still playing the part of my enemy.
“Declan and Sean, go outside and see if Ozzy needs any help. I’ll take care of this piece of shit.”
Both men holster their guns, walking past me.
When they’ve cleared the building, Finn and Cillian lower their weapons.
“That was fucking close,” Cillian says.
“Your cousin is out there with a bullet to his gut,” I tell him.
Cillian nods and looks toward the door. There’s no remorse or sadness in his eyes over the fact that his cousin is probably lying dead in a gravel parking lot. “It was always going to end up this way,” he says, turning his back toward the door.
Finn clasps Cillian on the shoulder then turns to me. “Well, this is a shit show.”
“Yeah,” I agree, looking around the warehouse at the three dead men.
“It might be time to pull you,” Finn suggests.
I thought about this when I put a bullet in Ernesto’s head. There’s no easy way for me to stay with the Cataldis. It would be far too coincidental if I ran back to them without a scratch on me. Plus, I’d look like a coward in their eyes if I came back unharmed.
“You need to shoot me,” I tell him.
Both he and Cillian turn an incredulous gaze to me.
“Come again?” Finn asks, his eyebrow quirked in question.
“Think about it. If I walk back into that house unharmed, they’ll be suspicious immediately. It needs to look like I ran for my life after trying to save Alberto. The way I look at it, I’ll take a shot to the arm and tell them we were outgunned and I watched Alberto and the other men fall. Then I’ll tell them I got away when you were running after Jace to get him and the girl.”
“Fuck, Luca. I don’t know if that’s going to work. What if they get suspicious? The first place to look for a mole is at the one person left standing.”
“That’s why you need to shoot me, Finn. It sells it.”
“We could pull you now—”
“No.” My voice is resolute and leaves no room for argument. “Listen, I hate those fucks as much as you, and believe me, I’d love nothing more than to get the hell out of there, but the skin trade is booming and the Cataldis play a large role in it. Taking out Alberto is the tip of the iceberg. All that did was take away one man who was helping Carlo. It’s not enough. We need more information. With Alberto and the other two gone, he might move me up in his place.”
“That’s a big ‘might.’“
“It’s all we have right now.”
“He’s right,” Cillian says. “If Luca comes out now, we could very well be screwing ourselves in the long run.”
Finn looks anything but convinced as he contemplates the possible outcome of pulling me from the Cataldis too soon.
“Fuck,” he says, running a hand through his disheveled dark hair. When his gaze flicks back to me with eyes eerily similar to mine, I see the decision in them.
“Let the record show I hate this idea.”
“Noted,” I reply as he raises his gun and fires.
Once I’m a good distance from the warehouse, I call Carlo.
“Fuck, man! They knew we were there. It was a setup. I think that asshole Jace double-crossed us. The fucking Irish showed up then the Black Roses. I barely made it out.”
My arm hurts like a bitch and I’m getting blood all over Alberto’s car, but all in all, I think I’m selling my bullshit pretty well.
“Where’s Alberto?” Carlo barks.
“Dead, boss. Everyone’s dead.”
“Shit,” he hisses into the phone. “Okay. Are you whole?”
“I got shot when they barged in. It’s just a graze, but fuck, it’s a good one.”
At least that part I don’t have to fake. Finn refused to shoot me through and through, insisting a deep graze would be enough to sell it. Considering I’ve never been shot, I’d have to agree.
“Jesus. Okay, where are you?”
“About two hours north of Boston.”
“I’m going to send you the location of one of the docs we use out there. You have any cash on you?”
“Yeah. Jace only had half on him when the Irish showed up.”
“Alright. Give the doc five grand then bring me the rest. That should be enough to buy his silence.”
Should be, but not will be. Glad to know my staying out of the prying eyes of the police is so important to him.
“Where’s the girl and that fuckwit Jace?”
“She got away with the Black Roses. Pretty sure Jace is dead.” If he’s not now, he will be soon.
“Shit. The Black Roses are about to be even more of a pain in my ass than they were before,” he mumbles. “Get stitched up then meet me at the house.”
“Got it, boss.”
We hang up and my phone chimes with the location of the doctor a minute later with a message that he’s expecting me.
Thirty minutes out. Thank fuck.
After getting stitched up, I get back in the bloody car and head to the Cataldi compound. Carlo meets me at the door and looks me over, noting the scrub shirt the doc gave me, considering mine was a bloody mess.
“Let’s go into my office.”
I haven’t been here but once since I went to Alberto’s crew. The house looks the same. Same gaudy marble pillars and marble tiled floor. The staff keeps it looking clean with fresh flowers in the entryway, but the inhabitants are dirtier than ever. It was Alberto’s men who worked the human trafficking for Carlo. Carlo made it clear he didn’t want the other crews involved. I think it was because not everyone in the organization had the stomach for it, but Alberto was a twisted fuck who had no qualms about seeing the fear and desperation on young girls’ faces. In fact, he got off on it. That and he was making more money for the organization and himself than any of the other capos.
We step into Carlo’s office, which is significantly different from his father’s. Instead of the dark reds and old world feel his father’s office had, Carlo’s is cold and lifeless, much like the man himself. Modern black leather furniture with a glass-topped chrome desk fills the space along with large black and white photos of the Boston skyline hanging on dark gray walls. There’s almost a sterile feeling to everything. Maybe he thinks it makes him look more modern, like he’s taking the family in a new direction, stepping away from tradition.
He walks behind his desk and leans back in his chair before he waves to the square, low-back leather seat in front of him, signaling for me to sit.
“I’m putting a pause on the trafficking operation,” Carlo informs me.
My brows shoot up in surprise before he continues.
“My father isn’t happy with the heat we’re sure to get from the Irish and the Black Roses. He’s not interested in a war at the moment.”
The look of disgust on Carlo’s face tells me he doesn’t agree with his father, but since Francesco is still the head of the family, he can’t say shit about it.
This also puts me back to square one. The hope I had that Carlo and Francesco would put me in charge of a crew now is dead, right along with the three assholes at the warehouse.
“I’m putting you back on guard duty until this shit with the Black Roses and the Irish blows over. It won’t be forever, but you know how things worked with Alberto. As soon as I can convince my old man that pausing operations is a stupid way to handle things, you’ll be on a crew and earning again.”
“Anything you need, Carlo.”
“Your loyalty is noticed here, Luca. Don’t ever think we don’t see how you’ve always been willing to do what we ask without complaint. There’s been plenty of guys who come and go who don't share the same work ethic you do.”
By go, he probably means a bullet to the brain. That’s the only way you leave this life.
More than anything, I want to be the one to wipe his and his father’s existence from this planet. But again, I plaster a fake smile on my face like his praise means the world to me and quickly come to terms with the fact that I’m going to be stuck with this family for the foreseeable future.
“Thanks, boss.”
Carlo dismisses me with a nod.
I exit the door and remember the girl who was waiting on the other side of a different office the last time I was here. She had such fire, such rebellion in her eyes every time I saw her, much like the girl Jace brought to the warehouse today.
It’s been years since I’ve seen or heard anything about Giada Cataldi. I know she hasn’t married yet, so she’s still living in the house. Hopefully, she doesn’t act like the same bratty eighteen-year-old I left here four years ago. Then again, knowing what I do of her, I have a feeling that hope is going to die in vain.