Chapter 10
The damp airclung to me like a second skin, sending an unwelcome chill down my spine. I waited for Benito to arrive at our meeting point.
”You”re late,” I said to my older brother the moment he stepped through the double doors.
”Not easy getting away lately. There are FBI agents everywhere I turn.” His tone was clipped, giving away just how on edge all of this was making him.
”Well, you start an all-out war, what do you expect?”
Benito rolled his shoulders, his glare flat. ”Get them off us. I can”t make a move, but the Triads are hitting us every chance they get.”
Easier said than done, but there was no telling my brother that. I could tell by his face he wasn”t going to listen regardless.
”Don”t start asking for the impossible like Dad.”
Benito grunted. ”I know you”re doing what you can.” He pinched the bridge of his nose before blowing out a breath. I could see the stress on his face.
He moved closer and we briefly hugged. It felt good, this little tidbit of family.
”Still can”t get over the blond hair. You look like an idiot.”
I shoved him and he laughed, not the carefree kind but it was enough to make me feel a little better.
”Fanculo, stronzo,” I said.
Benito shook his head. ”Your Italian is sounding rough.”
I gave him the bird, relaxing a bit. ”Did Enzo find out why I was being followed?”
Benito shook his head. ”No, the guy was pretty much brain-dead.” He stared at me intently.
”What? It”s been a while.”
”You”re getting sloppy, Paolo.”
I blew out my own breath. ”Years of being this”—I gestured up and down my body—”is mentally taxing.”
Benito nodded. ”We appreciate it, believe me. Because of you, we”ve escaped some shit situations.”
”I”d sacrifice anything for the family.”
Benito placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. He didn”t say anything more and neither did I. We knew it was hard, especially being so far away from my twin and my other brothers. My entire life changed before I was really ready. If given the chance all over again, I”d still give up everything I knew in order to help them. Anything for my familia.
”Did you get me any useful info?” Benito asked, getting us back on task.
”Don”t insult me.” I passed over the flashdrive of what I could find on the Acetos and Triads. ”Qiang Zhao bought a ticket out of the country. We don”t have enough to hold him, but Yor—my boss is working on getting him on the no fly list. But it means shit when he can take a private plane.”
”He”s running?” Benito laughed. ”Sarebbe un peccato se lo lasciassi andare. è mio, posso ucciderlo.”
”What do you want to do?”
”Kill him.”
I nodded, knowing it was the only possibility where we all continued to thrive.
”I’ll find a way. The Acetos? Who’s leading them now?”
Benito grumbled under his breath in Italian. ”I”m working on something, but they are being stubborn. That damn fool Tasso is in charge now.”
I groaned. “Tasso is a moron.”
“Yeah, but he has Qiang on his side.”
“What does Tasso want?”
Benito growled. “They’re demanding I give them a life for a life. They want my husband.”
I lifted a brow. Knowing my brother prior to being married, he”d sacrifice anyone and anything for power. Now, the look in his eyes said it all. His stance was firm.
”Harlow is a mess, but he”s family. Not happening,” I said.
Benito nodded.
”Guessing Dad said yes?”
”Never told him and don”t plan to. I”ll wipe the Aceto”s off the face of the Earth before I let any of them so much as look at Harlow for too long.”
I whistled. Oh, to be that in love. I had no idea how my brothers, who were stone-cold most of their lives, had relationships where they truly felt something for someone. Even Enzo was obsessed with his partner, going as far as to share his space with the man.
”How did they find out about the auction house?” Benito asked.
This was the hard part, letting my paranoid brother know his careful selection of people was flawed. He was bound to either kill everyone outside of the family or go on on a rampage. The latter, he hadn”t done in a while.
”We have a rat.”
”Who?”
I rolled my shoulders. ”Right now, I”ve narrowed it down to five potential people.”
Benito nodded, encouraging me to go on.
”Melony Thomas, Chelsea Bennet, your secretary Ashley, Marianna Dega, and Teresa Hammer.”
”Melony would never,” Benito said with a finality.
I had to agree. They went to school together but Melony had been around us since we were teens. If there was one thing about her that we all respected, it was that she didn”t fuck with cops.
”Okay, that leaves her girlfriend, your secretary, and the house cleaner. Those were the only women close enough to you to get any kind of information.”
Benito scratched at his beard. ”Ashley only ever gets info on the business side of things. But it isn”t impossible.” He tilted his head. ”Chelsea isn”t exactly legal, she”d be putting herself in jeopardy, unless they have a case on her?”
I shook my head. ”I looked, there wasn”t anything. Her file is full of misdemeanors but most are sealed due to her being a minor when she committed the crimes.” I stared at my brother. ”Marianna?”
Benito shook his head, but I could see it on his face he wasn”t certain. He could deny it all he wanted but the truth was he wasn”t a hundred percent sure.
”She”s worked for me for years. Why now?”
”Why does anyone rat? You’re not paying her enough? Her morals shifted? Who the hell knows.”
”I pay her more than she”s worth, especially after the incident with Harlow.”
”Should I even ask?”
Benito waved his hand. ”He thought I was cheating and nearly killed her.” He said it as if it wasn”t a big deal that his husband was murder happy. Benito in the past would have called Harlow a liability and killed him. ”Who the fuck is Teresa?”
”She works at the auction house. Hired within the past two years or so. I wouldn”t have looked her way, but I know Gin recently bought someone there.”
”That idiot.” Benito sighed. ”Yes, he bought Ash.”
I wasn”t shocked, in fact it was probably the best thing for my twin to have a boyfriend. Gin was the clingy one out of us.
”We”re down to two. With so many eyes on me, I don”t know if I can get to both.” Benito had his phone out, thumbs working over the screen. ”Gin will handle Teresa and as for Marianna?” Benito looked torn.
”I”ll go.”
”Paolo, you can”t blow your cover.”
”No, but if she is the mole, I want her dealt with as well. It takes one slip up and they’ll find out that you have an inside man. I can”t have my boss finding out.” I fixed my ball cap over my head. ”Take Harlow out on a date or something.”
We stared at one another. If my brother expected me to cave, I wouldn’t. It was too big of a risk sending him to Marianna”s place. There was no doubt someone was watching out for her if she was the mole and if she wasn”t, no hard feelings. My brother would be able to keep his trusted house cleaner.
”Don”t get messy,” Benito warned.
”Now you”re taking all the fun out of it.”
”Lunatic.” He headed for the exit. ”I forget that you and Gin are similar in ways. You’re both fucking weirdos.”
I laughed. ”Weird or entertaining? You weren”t exactly sane either as a kid.”
Benito ignored my remark entirely. ”Anyway, I can get some free time from your FBI friends soon?”
”There is a tidbit about the Aceto”s I”m working on. York isn”t just gunning for you guys but all three.”
”He just has a hard-on for us,” Benito pointed out.
Well, for one of us.
Benito”s demeanor shifted, his gaze darkening as he stopped short of leaving the abandoned warehouse. ”If she”s the mole, I know you will take care of it. She”s given me good years. I don’t know that I would be able to do it, so thanks.”
I pulledup a few blocks away from Marianna’s house. The quiet suburban neighborhood was straight out of an eighties movie. A stark difference from where I lived now. A sense of rightness settled over me and seeped into my bones as I shed Paul the FBI agent and fully allowed myself to be Gianpaolo. It was like taking a hit off a cigarette after going cold turkey for six months. There was nothing like it.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, giving me pause. A smile instantly tugged at my lips as I looked at the screen. The girls had asked for my number and I was a sucker for their doe eyes and mischievous grins. I was in a group chat with ten-year-olds who used more emoticons than I knew were on the phone. If they made me feel old, York had to feel ancient when talking to his daughters.
Navy: Paul r u busy ????
Nyra: Want to come over for ????
Nyra: If you don’t know that means: games
Paul: Hi, girls. Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?
I checked the time just in case, and sure enough, it was well past their bedtime.
Navy: R u going to be a narc ??
Laughter bubbled free before I could catch myself. These kids were insane, maybe it was a twin thing.
Nyra: Navy, that’s not nice. Sorry, Paul. Don’t tell Dad.
Paul: I won’t tell him if you two go to bed. You have school in the morning.
Nyra: ????????Promise to come play games tomorrow?
Navy: BOO ???? BOO ????
I’d be some kind of monster if I ignored their request, and I kind of liked hanging out with all three of them. I had been without my family for years, and being around York’s touched that emptiness inside of me.
Navy: ??????????
Nyra: Pls ????????
Paul: Okay, you two win, stop using your evil powers on me. I’ll be there.
Navy: Yay
Nyra: ??????
I shook my head at them.
Paul: Good night, girls. Phones away or I”m calling your dad.
Navy: Night Night Paul
Nyra: Night
I pocketed my phone after making sure both girls were done texting me. The stupid grin on my face was impossible to get rid of ,even as I checked out my disguise in the reflection of the car. The black wig hid the bleached hair and for a second it looked like I was back. I was more Gianpaolo than I was Paul.
Abandoning the stolen car I picked up on Staten Island, I headed toward Marianna”s home. I kept my hood up as I got closer, quieting my steps. The tall white fence gave them full privacy in the backyard, and with them not having neighbors in the back, made it easier to infiltrate. I’d already picked up on the undercover car out front.
Grass and leaves crunched under my weight as I stepped over balls and toys from their kids. There was a life-size Barbie playhouse that I bet Navy and Nyra would like. Maybe paint it blue and put a TV in it and the girls would never leave their new spot.
Hanging out with them a few evenings ago was oddly one of my best nights. I was hoping for a repeat, but between finding the rat and work, my time was limited. I didn”t get to spend more time with York either. He”d been in meetings for a week and working late, which meant the girls were left with that bitch.
Note to self, go have a meeting with Shelly. I wasn”t going to get rid of her, it wasn”t my place, but scaring her a bit would certainly make her act right.
The lights were off in the house, only a dim, flickering one illuminated the back windows. The closer I got, I recognized the light was coming from a TV mounted on the wall. Their blinds were open enough for me to get the full layout of the house. An open kitchen led into a living room. There was a hallway leading to the left side of the house and another leading to the right. I checked out the windows on the left, recognizing the main bedroom.
I made my way to the back door, pulling out the lockpicking kit. Gin was better at these than me but I wasn”t complete shit at it either. I worked the tools into the keyhole, glad it wasn”t a sliding door for once. Those were a bitch to break into, not to mention when they had one of those bars in the track.
Sweat beaded my brow as I failed to get the damn lock. I was losing my patience to the point I contemplated breaking a window and handling it that way. If Gin was here, he”d already be inside breaking their windows for the fun of it, glass crunching under his feet. Somedays I wish I had my brother”s lack of inhibitions. I stopped as the sound of movement right outside the door hit my ears. I pulled back just in time as the doorknob turned.
“I”m checking to see if the boys cleaned up out here.”
”Do it tomorrow, Diego,” a woman”s voice carried outside just as the door opened all the way. “Seriously, leave it. Don’t go out there.”
“It’s fine, baby.”
Before the big man knew what was happening, I jammed the small lockpick in his throat. His soft flesh caved under the slightest pressure. Diego backpedaled, his eyes wide, giving me all the time I needed. I swept his feet from under him and slammed my fist into his temple just as he went down. A scream ripped through the air, settling deep into my bones. I punched him again for good measure, smiling at the way the cartilage in his nose crunched.
I miss this.
”Don”t move,” I warned.
Marianna had her phone in hand, shaking, and barely able to hold onto it.
”You got kids—” Threatening her children would have been the easiest way to get her to cooperate, but after spending time with Navy and Nyra, I couldn”t help but picture their faces. ”Shut the fuck up and toss your phone over here. Don”t make me come up with some fun way to make you do it.”
”Who are you?” Marianna asked as she followed my instructions.
Her phone skidded over the floor as I dropped her husband to the ground. His head bounced off the wood, dragging out a tortured groan from him. If he didn”t have a concussion from the blow to his temple, he had one now.
I shut the back door. ”Before I answer your question, how about you answer mine. Sit.”
Marianna sat down and shook in the chair. She glanced at her husband.
”Have you been in contact with any law enforcement lately?”
The first tell was Marianna”s slight sharp intake of breath along with the tightening of her muscles.
”No, I have not.” Her accent came through stronger with every word that passed her lips. ”I?—”
I drew my foot back and brought it full force into Diego”s face. His head whipped to the side, blood and a tooth sprayed out of his mouth.
She shot up. ”No, Dios mío. Diego!”
”Sit down,” I ordered. One look around, and I caught sight of just what I needed. In the backyard were a few baseballs which meant they had a bat. There it was behind the back door, as if someone had been afraid of an intruder.
I picked it up, twisting it around like old times sake and doing a few practice swings. The wood bat cut through the air with a whoosh.
”Lie again and I”ll break a leg or a rib.” I smiled at her. My blue contacts were gone but the dark wig was prominent instead of the blond that was tucked beneath it. I didn”t fully look at myself, but once I removed the ball cap, I knew she could see it. The similarities to Gin.
”No, no, no, lo sabía, sabía que esto sucedería.”
”And yet you did it.” I shook my head. ”You knew turning on my family would lead to this.”
”No, that”s not what happened.”
I drew the bat back, twisting my upper body till I couldn”t anymore before swinging as hard as I could against the guy’s side. Diego”s eyes flashed open as a gurgled scream left him. His words were a shaken mess, impossible to decipher.
My hands clenched and unclenched around the bat. It felt orgasmic to swing like the good old days. I groaned, tempted to do it again.
”Por favor no lastimes a mi familia. Lo lamento. Lo lamento. Por favor dios nos salve,” Marianna pleaded. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
”Sad really. You should have been this loyal to Benito.” I pointed the bat her way. ”He gave you nothing but respect but you turned around and spat in his face.”
She shook her head, her long thick hair falling out of the ponytail she wore. Marianna was truly a beautiful woman. It was too bad she was a traitor. I could see why my brother”s husband might have gotten the wrong idea.
”I had to do it.”
A single brow lift was all I gave her. I held my finger up, listening out for the kids I knew she had. ”Where are your kids?”
She shook her head. ”Please no. They are innocent.”
”You don”t love your husband, do you?” I slammed the bat down on his right leg. The moment the bat made contact, a delicious vibration shot up my arms, traveled down my body, and stroked along the length of my cock.
Diego couldn”t even move, his cry was pitiful as he spat more blood. His eyes closed and his mouth parted.
”No more.”
”I”m trying but you”re making this hard. My mom taught me to never hit a woman, but in your case.” I stepped over to her and whipped the back of my hand against her face. Marianna crashed to the ground, more tears streaming down her cheeks but she looked pleased it was her instead of her unconscious husband. ”Rats don”t count. Now talk.”
”They are with my sister.”
I grabbed a fistful of her hair and dragged her over to her husband before dropping her. I lifted the bat over my head and brought it down on his other leg.
Marianna screamed, but Diego didn’t make a sound. His body jerked from the blow.
”They are at a friend”s house in Florida. I sent them away when this all started.” Her words started to mesh together, making it nearly impossible to understand her. ”Notmychildren. They did nothingwrong.”
”I”m not going after them. I believe the parents” crime isn”t the child”s burden.” I patted her shoulder trying to get her to calm down. I picked her phone up, used her thumb to unlock it and called Benito.
”Hello?”
”Explain what happened,” I ordered.
Marianna shook her head and I tightened my hold on the baseball bat. She stared at me, more tears running down her face.
”Why?” Benito asked.
”I”m sorry.”
”Your apologies mean nothing. I want to know why you put my family in danger.”
”They had paperwork against Diego and we were going to be deported. I can”t have my family ripped apart or sent back. We”ve worked hard here and made a life of our own.”
”Is that all it took?” Benito”s voice was flat.
”You have to understand?—”
”No, I don”t. Paolo, take care of it. I’ll send a clean up crew your way,” Benito said.
”The kids?”
Marianna let out a cry and fell forward with her hands together as she started mumbling in spanish.
”She was good at her job. I”ll have something set up for them.”
I nodded, hung up and went through her phone. York”s name and number were clear evidence. I blew out a breath and dropped the bat away from us. Taking out my gun, I flicked off the safety and aimed it at her head.
”You”re monsters,” Marianna whispered.
”Mhm. You knew what kind of monsters we were when you started working for Benito. You were fine taking blood money, why have a moral high ground now?”
Marianna trembled, reaching for her husband.
”I”ll do you a favor and end your suffering quickly. Nothing like the normal rat treatment, and as a bonus, I”ll send your husband to the afterlife with you.” I grinned. ”I”m nice like that.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it free. Who in the hell was texting me at one in the morning? This was hoe hours and I’d dropped all my flings.
York: Are you busy?
My cock went hard and instantly twitched with want.
Paul: Never for you, sweet cheeks. What”s up?
Instead of texting, York did the unreasonable thing and called. I looked down at Marianna and before she could say a word, I pulled the trigger. The recoil from the gunshot ran up my arm and I did it again, placing a matching single bullet in her husband”s forehead.
I answered the phone before lowering my weapon.
”Hey. Missed me so much you had to hear my sexy voice?”
”I wanted to see if you were home,” York said.
Abandoning the house, I tugged the door behind me quietly. I made my way through the back gate, took the alley, and stepped out onto another street. My stolen car was waiting. I would have to ditch it, but for now it was just what I needed.
”I will be in a bit. Why? Want to come over and have some fun?”
York was silent for a second. My stomach tightened even with the endorphins of a kill rushing through my veins. I was hyperaware that something was wrong with him.
I”ll kill whoever pissed you off.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I calmed myself down. Can”t go on a killing spree. I got a little taste this past month and now my bloodlust had been reawakened. I needed to slip back into the headspace of Paul, not Gianpaolo.
”What? Did something happen?”
York blew out a breath. ”Yeah, but I want to not think about it for a bit.”
I nodded as if he could see me. ”Mi casa es su casa. Give me forty minutes and I”ll be there. I know exactly how to help you clear your mind.”