17. Not Just the Skulls
SEVENTEEN
Not Just the Skulls
ZANO
M y sister’s pregnant and Dante is going to go into overdrive to protect her. Dante’s a pretty even-keel, never-let-your-emotions-show kind of guy, but last night, he was smiling from ear to ear. And when it was time to go home, he called in extra soldiers to follow them. This means that the problem we’re looking into is going to take full priority.
Allegra looked on as Dante and Elena reveled in the happy news. She’s always wanted to have a family of her own, and I know she’ll be a wonderful mother. Elena has told me about Allegra’s doubts because of the trouble that Victorio got into, but plenty of kids can fall into a bad track. Victorio’s not a bad kid, but he has made terrible choices.
I hear Allegra in the shower. We’ve developed our own little routine. She insists on getting up with me every morning to make breakfast so we can eat together. That means she showers first while I put on the coffee. Then it’s my turn.
This morning, however, she’s humming while showering. The humming turns to singing, and I imagine her lathering her hair while belting out “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves. This is something I have to see. I open the bathroom door a crack. But it’s not the singing that catches my attention. It’s the silhouette of the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, tilting her head back and letting the pelting drops of water wash over her.
I drop my shorts and slide open the shower stall. Ally lets out a stunned squeal but doesn’t have time to react because within seconds, I have her pinned against the tiled wall, my hand at the back of her neck, and I kiss her passionately. Fuck! Every kiss gets better and better. Her body presses up to mine. Her fingers come to my shoulders, holding on tight. Her mouth opens for me, our tongues dueling and exploring, but it’s not enough.
My hard cock is throbbing, aching to be inside her. I lift her into my arms, bracing her back against the tiles, her legs wrapping around my waist. With a powerful surge, I thrust inside her hot, wet pussy. Ally drops her head back and lets out a quivering mewl. I pull out, then come back inside her hard and fast. I can’t seem to control my urge to consume her. Every moan and sound she emits from her lips spurs me forward, needing to see her face flush and her eyes burning with desire.
Unfortunately, my thick cock is looking for its own release, and I’m not sure how long I can hold out.
“Hurry, cuoricina,” I murmur before kissing her again. I swallow her groan of satisfaction as her pussy clenches around my cock like a vise. She tears her mouth from mine, her teeth sinking into my shoulder. I love that my sweet Ally can get wild for me.
I let go, unable to stop the roar that has been building. Ally locks her arms and legs around me, panting and desperately trying to catch her breath. I give us a moment before setting her down on her feet, then moving back under the water.
Ally is the first to get dressed as I finish up in the bathroom. When I walk to the kitchen, I smell the bacon frying and see that Ally is flipping an omelet. I give her a sheepish grin and stop beside her to kiss her temple. Ally places several strips of bacon on each of the plates on the counter, and I take them to the table.
This is one of the best parts of my day, this morning especially. I’m finishing up my omelet when my phone rings. Reno himself is calling me.
“Yes, Capo.”
“Risk called this morning and shared some information. You should come over immediately. Bring Allegra with you,” Reno says. He’s the only one who continues to call Allegra by her formal name.
“Should I worry?”
“Be cautious. Stay sharp and get here when you can. There’s a conference call scheduled with Raffaele, Alessio, and Marco in an hour. I’d like us all to be together when that takes place,” he states, and before I can ask anything further, he hangs up.
I glance at Ally, who is putting the dishes in the dishwasher. “Get ready, babe. You’re coming with me.”
“Me? Why?”
“Reno got news, and he specifically asked that you come with me.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
Sensing her panic, I come to my feet and take her by the shoulders, looking deeply into her eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll be there, and I promise you, you’re safe with me.” I pull her into my arms.
She clutches the back of my shirt, pressing her cheek to my heart. “This is the only place I feel safe. In your arms,” she says quietly.
“Nothing will touch you, Ally. You belong to me, and I take care of what’s mine,” I vow.
* * *
A lly is happily greeted by Anna, and the women disappear into Anna’s studio. Reno had it designed for her. I go right to the office and knock on the door before entering. Leo is standing by the unlit fireplace with an espresso in hand. Sebastian is with him, and Reno is standing by the window looking out.
“Sir,” I simply say.
Reno looks over his shoulder. “Good morning, Zano. Dante will be along shortly. He’s bringing Elena with him. Since he found out he’s going to be a father, he refuses to leave her alone,” he says with a hint of a smile.
“Please!” Sebastian says, rolling his eyes. “He’d take her everywhere given the chance.”
Dante enters and must have heard his twin, because he replies, “I wasn’t the one who slept on the floor in the nursery for a week just because Marcella might cry, so you would hear her.”
I want to laugh, but Dante seems on edge. That doesn’t stop Leo. He puts an arm around Dante, leading him farther into the room. “I’m the first to admit that when Lucia was pregnant, I was scared out of my mind. But nothing is going to happen to Elena. You know any one of us would die to protect her.”
He blows out a heavy breath. “Yeah,” he says, then looks to his older brother. “What’s going on, Reno?”
“Dial Marco, Raffaele, and Alessio in. I’d rather not repeat myself,” he tells him. Dante sets up the call, and each one of the capos responds quickly.
Nero and Luciano are with me,” Marco announces. I would expect that they would be. Everyone is aware that Nero will be taking over for his father when Marco retires. Marco continues to rule the family, but over the course of the last several years, Nero has taken the lead on many of the business dealings.
“I have Niccolo and Julian with me,” Alessio jumps in. Niccolo is Alessio’s consigliere and his best friend since childhood. Julian has proven to be a loyal soldier and is being groomed to take over his father’s position as underboss in Il Destino .
“Ivo and Francesco are present,” Raffaele states. Having spent time with both Ivo and Francesco, I can honestly say that I’m glad that we’re all allies. Nothing scares me. I’ll protect my capo and Nostra Casa with every fiber of my being, but it’s good to know that we’re not at odds with Ultimo Morte anymore.
“Excellent,” Reno begins. “I got a call from Risk today. He’s our contact and dear friend in Satan’s Pride. When he first put out feelers for information, he got nothing. Then, by sheer luck, he was speaking with a man named Hawk, the president of another club closely linked to the Pride men, and it seems we’ve got a problem.”
“Shit!” Sebastian swears, expelling a frustrated breath. Normally, Sebastian’s the first one up for a fight, but since Olivia came into his life, he’s become more cautious. Then Marcella came along, and Sebastian has sworn to keep his family safe.
“Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me start by telling you that the Skulls are only part of the issue. It seems that the leader of the Skulls, Drake Harris, has a thing for a redhead with freckles by the name of Allegra. Victorio was his way to get close to her. Drake liked the idea of bedding a pretty woman, but he also wanted information about Ultimo Morte. Victorio was too young to remember much of anything from the days his father was part of the family, and that left Allegra,” Reno explains.
“She was a teenager. A young one at that,” Raffaele cuts in.
“But old enough to know more than her brother,” Leo responds.
“But why? Was this Drake guy planning an attack on Ultimo Morte? There’s no fucking way they’d win that fight,” I say, looking around the room at the others.
“It would be a suicide mission,” I hear Ivo say.
“It’s bigger than that,” Reno says firmly. “And it involves all our families.”
“Get to it, Reno.” Alessio shows his impatience.
“A triad is growing and has linked its forces with several gangs. One of which is the Skulls to gather information on Ultimo Morte ,” Reno says. “In each of our cities, the Triad is making connections with low-level gangs, not to take us down, but to gain information.”
“Fuck that! They’re dead! All of them.” Dante lets loose. “Who are they? They want blood, I’ll give them blood.”
“Calm down, Dante. Before we begin killing, we need to know who is involved,” Reno responds, his voice so calm that I find it eerie.
“What’s the plan, gentlemen?” Marco asks, his voice also sounding unnervingly calm. I’m feeling more like Dante and am ready to wage war.
“Risk got his information from Hawk. Risk and Guard have full confidence in Hawk and his men. They’re doing some scouting and hope to have more for us in the next few days. Orion is coming this way to work with Dante. Raffaele, I need you to grab Drake or one of his henchmen,” Reno says.
“I suggest that idiot, Spike,” I say.
Reno nods. “That’s an idea. Once Hawk gives us the names of the other gangs that might be working with the Triad, we’ll need to plant bugs for tracking. The goal is to find out if the Chinese mob is trying to encroach on our territories. They’re going to go for the divide-and-conquer routine.” He pauses, then says, “The Skulls are pissed that Allegra got away. Drake wants revenge and believes that Allegra is his and wants her back. The men in the red car were Skulls, but the money is being provided by someone else. We need to know who. The next time we encounter them, we need to take them alive. That’s the only way we’ll be able to get the information we need to take them down.”
“We are all targets. The only upside to your situation is that you already know which gang is being paid to do their dirty work,” Nero says on the other end of the phone, directing his comment to Reno.
“Not for long,” Reno responds.
“Risk is a man of honor. He won’t let us down,” Dante states with conviction.
“Damn straight!” Sebastian interjects.
“You have a lot of confidence in this guy,” Raffaele says. “Then again, he’s come through time and time again.”
“You remember, Nero, it was Ghost from the Pride who found Olivia,” Sebastian reminds him.
Nero sighs. “Yeah, I remember.”
“The Triad has multiple factions. We need to know the boss or bosses who are working to move into our territory. Orion is arriving tomorrow. As soon as I have more information, you’ll hear from me. In the meantime, keep vigilant and have extra protection wherever you go,” Reno finishes.
The call ends, but Reno’s not done.
“The Skulls are here for Allegra,” Reno says. “If they don’t know where she is, they’ll be scouring the city for her. Until Orion and Dante can get a lock on where they’re hiding, she needs to stay out of sight. Victorio is another way of getting to Allegra, which means he needs to stay on Leo’s property. His job from this moment on is to lie low. And work security at Leo’s place. He goes nowhere on his own.”
“If they can’t find either of them, how do we lure them out?” Leo asks.
“One step at a time. First, let’s give Dante and Orion a chance to set up and do some digging. Then, we’ll come up with a plan,” Reno responds.
“With any luck, this Hawk guy may find out more about who is pulling the strings,” I say. “I had a feeling the Skulls were involved,” I say through clenched teeth, thinking I should have killed them all that day when Spike approached Allegra.
“This is not just the Skulls. This is much bigger and far more dangerous. The Triad is a powerful mob. Before we make a move, we have to know the name of their leader and where to find them. Once we have that information, we attack and cripple them,” Reno declares, pounding his fist on his desk.