Chapter 41
Zamir
While Ellie and Nash have been gone, Marcello has been getting me caught up on all the shit he’s found out about the Albanian crew out here. They ran things slightly different than we did back in Chicago, but that’s also not saying much since I’ve been out of direct contact for so long. I wasn’t lying when I told Nash earlier that I missed getting dirty… The excitement and adrenaline you get from this is incomparable. It’s a drug to me, and I’m willing to relapse.
Marcello has Noah, his hacker, on the phone, and they’re going over the breech Marcello allowed when he thought it was just an innocent search from me to see how he was involved with Ellie, or more so why the hell he was stalking her. That also all makes so much more sense now that I have the whole picture.
He hangs up, shoving his phone into his suit pants, leaning up against the wall closest to his couch where I am. This fucker never has anything on besides a suit, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to wrinkle it by sitting, but fuck does he fill them out perfectly. He darts his eyes at me before saying, “We’re ninety-nine percent sure your hacker back home is who filled your father and uncle in on Ellie being someone important to me. I think Vito and Argon have their hands in a lot more shit than you know about since you’ve been gone.”
“I would’ve never seen it being Arben, but that’s the only thing that makes any sense. We were always so close back in the day.” Marcello’s been in charge for a long ass time here in Vegas, and he’s got plenty of enemies, but if he thinks it’s them, then I’m not arguing. They’re over 1,500 miles away, but that clearly didn’t stop them from getting their hands into whatever they have so far with Igor.
That jogs my memory to call Alex and see if he’s found anything else about the Igor situation. I would hate to have to kill every member of my family, but if Alex joined them in this… The skin trade is unforgivable and add on trying to hurt someone I care about—that’s the death wish they didn’t know they were ordering.
Shit has changed since I’ve been home. The reach we had back then was nothing. We were holding on by threads to keep what little territory we had under control.
Marcello sits down on his fancy as fuck couch beside me, oddly docile for an obsessed stalker, and utters, “You know as well as me that finding loyal people is pretty much impossible, let alone family… they’re the quickest to stab you in the back.” If he could burn a hole through whatever the hell he’s staring at, I think he would be right now. He must’ve had problems with family in the past. I store that information away for later… now is not the time.
Instead, I ask what’s been eating away at my brain, “Are you okay with what this is?”
He pinches his brows together. “Okay with what?”
“All of us being with Ellie. Not even just that, Nash and I are together too.” I guess we would be together? I have no clue anymore… I have feelings for both of them that aren’t going away anytime soon, so Bossman is gonna have to be good with Nash and me fucking like rabbits too. He didn’t seem to mind on that video call.
“As long as my Ragazza Dolce is happy, I don’t care what the hell happens. As far as you two go, I’m used to being in Sin’s watching all the time. Nothing bothers me, Uccisore, I promise.” He pats my thigh, and just that touch has me ready to beg for another from him.
1Before I can think further into that, my phone starts to ring. I pull it out, and it’s Nash. My stomach sinks. I answer and throw it on speaker so Marcello can hear as well.
I bark out, “Nash.”
I hear the engine roaring in whatever car they decided to take, and Nash finally talks. His voice is shaky. “Zamir… Somebody’s following us in a black car.”
“Breathe, are you driving?”
“No, Ellie is.” I whip my head over to look at Marcello in a slight panic. He nods his head, letting me know she’s good.
“They took the Viper, and Ellie can drive the fuck out of a car.” Marcello fills me in while fucking grinning from ear to ear like he’s the one that taught her to drive.
I hear Ellie start to explain, “I was actually driving like I had some sense on the way back, and the fuck behind me was taking turn after turn right behind me. If that didn’t tell me he was tailing us, he just tried to hit us a second ago; that’s when I made Nash finally call you all.” She doesn’t sound scared at all… if anything, excitement is lining her voice. “Hold on, Big Boy, they can’t keep up with this demon of a car.”
Nash murmurs a “fuck,” and the engine is booming again. Marcello is on the phone with the security downstairs, and his other two trusted guys are already in the parking garage waiting for them. He has her tracker pulled up from her phone, and they’re about two minutes out from the garage. We grab the Glocks from his closet closest to the door and head down there. Let’s hope the fucks following them are stupid enough to come into the parking garage. I’m ready.
We see everyone spread out in separate hiding spots, just in case there’s more in the car than we think. Marcello and I are right at the entrance, ready to meet them head-on.
I see the Viper come barreling into the parking garage. Goddamn, she can fucking drive. She’s slamming the brakes and pulling the E-brake simultaneously, causing the car to spin and face the entrance now. She is out of the car, pulling her Glock from the leg holster she has on her while standing behind the door for a little bit of extra protection. Nash is out doing the same but looking a hell of a lot more scared.
The SUV is a couple more seconds, and they’re turning in fast, hitting the attendant shack, and finally coming to a stop a couple of feet from the Viper. The door flies open, and I’m immediately hit with men speaking Albanian. I aim at the knee of the one whose feet just hit the ground and fire. He hits the ground instantly, clutching his already spewing knee wound.
The other one is screaming and apologizing in Albanian; Ellie can’t understand, so she follows suit and shoots the one from the passenger seat in the knee. She’s walking up to him, tormenting even further. “Oh look, matching boo-boos.” She throws her lip out, fake pouting at the man on the ground, rubbing a fake tear with the butt of her gun. Is this the time to tell my dick it can’t get hard from this?
Rhett and Dino pick the men up off the ground after zip-tying their hands. Honestly, I don’t know why. They’re clearly not running anywhere. Marcello barks out their instructions, “Take them to the warehouse. I’ll be right behind you.”
I walk up to Nash like I would a wounded animal. “Are you okay, Djale I Bukur?” He immediately turns his head and throws up all over the ground and down the side of Marcello’s precious car.
“Not the car, Big Boy,” Ellie chuckles. There’s so much amusement in her voice. She walks over to his bent-over body and starts rubbing his back in a soothing way, whispering, “That driving was still hot, right?” He looks up, staring daggers at her. I look down, and I’ll be damned; his cock is tenting his pants out. He must be one of those guys who gets turned on by danger or adrenaline, and if that’s the case, he’s with the right crew for that kink to be brought to life. Ellie pats his back and yells out, “Let’s go, boys, we’re about to have some fun.”
Marcello whips his head around so quickly I don’t know how he didn’t snap his neck. With his eyebrow raised, he questions Ellie, “Where do you think you’re going, Ellie?”
1.CONCRETE JUNGLE - Bad Omens