Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Diego
The lights were shimmering all around the city as the crowds gathered for the show that was about to kick off at midnight.
I personally didn’t give a fuck that a new year was underway.
At thirty-four, I’d seen more than enough of these to give no fucks about them, and I hated the supposed rebirth people claimed to have, as if they were suddenly changed because the calendar went from December to January.
The weather didn’t change; it was still balls-frozen-to-your-thigh type cold with snow on the ground, and your breath came with its own icy cloud.
New Year’s Eve was just another day for drunk people to make dumb decisions, allowing my front company to work overtime.
They towed all the improperly parked assholes.
It wasn’t my only operation, but it was one the government knew about.
I’d rake in some extra funds that would cover some of the tax liabilities that kept the IRS off my ass.
After years on the street, the towing company was my first job, although at the time I didn’t know it was dirty, and just a front for something so much bigger and darker.
My first boss was a kingpin, Ernesto “Duke” Cortez, who took an avid interest in me from day one.
It led me to the life I had. He had no living relatives left, so when the bastard retired I took over, doubling the empire and expanding my territory, which meant making more enemies and buying and blackmailing more officials.
Tonight’s party was a way to ensure they knew I was watching and that I had more influence.
One of my men knocked on my bedroom door.
“Come in.” My underboss stepped inside.
“What is it, Vasco?” I asked, adjusting my tie.
“Sir, the party has been underway for over two hours, and we just noticed a new batch of women has arrived,” he stated, his tone shifting as he mentioned that last little detail.
“Oh?” My brows lifted with that news. I’d been staying in the hotel in my personal condo since I was the owner. We had several private condos that had short-term leases for our exclusive clientele. Some guests were at the Seneca particularly, so I could use it to my advantage.
Tonight had been part of a strategic plan to get my hands on information about my enemy, Lucio Tomasi, who ran the Bronx and always tried to creep into Manhattan, which I controlled.
I’d heard he had a new line of work, and that wasn’t my kind of business and I sure as fuck didn’t want it in my area either.
I didn’t deal in human trafficking. If you had a voice, you had a choice on whether you’d submit to a motherfucker.
People were off-limits; it was a hard limit for me.
So, as far as I was concerned, he was a piece of shit, and all the more reason for me to destroy him.
With tonight being New Year’s Eve, the celebration gave me a glimpse of his operation.
“I’ll be ready in two minutes.” I ran the comb through my hair to straighten out the little curl that always appeared and fell onto my forehead, and then ran my hands against the extremely short sides.
I entered the party reasonably late in one of my nicest tuxes. We only had an hour until midnight, so I figured I had enough time to mingle with the assholes and find out all I needed to know before the ball dropped and I could escape to my condo to unwind.
I hated coming to these types of events; they were for rich snobs, socialites, and men like me who wanted to make a point.
Rumors swirled that they were also for collecting prostitutes—unwilling prostitutes, to be exact.
One of my rivals had an operation going, and I’d had enough of his shit.
Tonight was a chance to catch the son of a bitch in the act.
They thought the 'no phones allowed' policy kept them safe, but it only applied to everyone but my staff and me.
I entered through a side entrance to avoid drawing attention to my arrival.
My men lingered close by as I made small talk with a few officials.
I did a cursory scan of the room, looking for my target and assessing the crowd.
Ladies were in abundance as they looked for their targets—men with whom they could celebrate the night with.
I had no interest in them or any of the games they played.
Still, I wondered how many of the women were actually here of their own volition.
“Your usual?” Vasco asked.
“Yes.” He nodded to Jose, who headed to the bar to closely watch the bartender make my drink. With the rumors swirling, I assumed the drinks would be laced. Now, if I had to bet, I’d say it was only for the ladies, but seeing how many enemies the men in this room had, anyone could be drugged.
“Masterson is with a few foreign guests that were invited,” Vasco added, tipping his head toward the bar. He was the host of the event, and I had no idea how deep his ties were to Tomasi or to this new venture, but I’d find out.
“That’s fine. Keep an eye on the situation. If any woman gets too intoxicated, we need to be alert. Any report on the bartender?” I asked as Jose returned.
Jose handed me the drink before taking his post not too far from me. “No, he’s just a local from one of the bars.”
“I want answers. In fact, I’ll head that way now to get them myself.” I didn’t get far before I was stopped by some politicians looking for a private, anonymous donation. “You’ll have to contact my office.” I winked and patted one of many state reps on the back before heading toward the bar.
Although the night was pretty safe, my men intended to protect me from more than just shady businessmen and my rivals. Eager women were wanting to sleep with a man who kept his life a secret.
Right on cue, the bastard I was waiting for approached me. He was rumored to be a major player in the trafficking ring. Facilitating the girls from one place to another while also working on the whole campaign for the search for missing and exploited women. The bastard was duplicitous.
“It’s a shock to have you out to celebrate with us,” Councilman Greenlee said.
“We know you don’t enjoy having fun at parties.
” I smirked with a subtle tilt of my head.
I hadn’t joined them before because deals were done at my discretion.
If you wanted to meet with me it was at my estate or in one of my private locations where I could control the atmosphere, and no listening device would work.
No one needed to be given ammo against me, so I kept my business exclusive and extremely controlled.
“I didn’t know you knew how to loosen up. There are plenty of women for you to meet.”
“I’m sure there are,” I remarked before taking a sip of my drink.
“You know, if you have a particular taste.” He pissed me off, but he was feeding me the shit I needed to hear.
I peered over his head to the sound of giggling, just to get him to stop talking for a moment.
His incessant ramblings pressed on my nerves.
He had the self-importance of a man twice his worth.
He had a wife who was at home right now, and it was clear from the tan line on his hand that he’d intentionally forgotten his ring.
The sound of the laughter wasn’t loud enough to drown him out, but when my eyes landed on one woman in particular, the instant pounding in my ears muted everything else.
A lighthearted smile washed over the dark-haired beauty, who leaned one arm against the bar. Her perfectly red lips spread wide as she grinned at whatever the woman next to her had said. I wanted to capture her joy and keep it for myself.
What the hell had just come over me? The bartender tapped her elbow to snag her attention, irritating me with the innocent graze of his hand on her precious, bare skin.
She turned that killer, sexy smile on him, and I wanted to dash the ten feet between us and wring his neck.
He’d touched what didn’t belong to him. An extremely territorial rage beat through my chest.
“Ah, see something you like?” the sleazy councilman asked.
I wanted to punch him in the throat for just speaking, but it was worse when the denial died on my lips.
My face hardened and my knuckles clenched until they turned white on my one hand.
The glass of single malt whiskey I’d been served cracked.
A passing server ended up with a glass on his tray.
I turned my attention back to the giggling group and my sultry brunette with ruby-red lips and her gray faux-fur shawl that partially covered her bare shoulders.
Her slinky dress sparkled, and so did her mischievous eyes as she took the shot glass from the bartender.
A possessive vision of tossing his ass out of the fortieth-floor window crossed my mind, although there would be no denying or hiding that from the media.
I’d end up in cuffs and a fucking small cell for twenty years, then she would be fair fucking game for all these assholes.
In that instant, I’d made the decision, I had to get my woman before someone else put their hands on her.
The veins in my neck pulsed out of control, and if any of my enemies had been watching, they would have noticed my instant shift.
They would have used it against me, acting on my every move and finding my weakness that was visible.
There was no denying I’d made a mistake by displaying any emotion.
I schooled my features and addressed the obnoxious councilman. “Women are a dime a dozen.”
“Yes, they are, but sometimes you’ve got the energy to spend a few bucks.” He winked and then downed his glass of alcohol. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to speak to the blonde. She and I have some unfinished business.”
I made a note to send some footage of this evening to his wife.
Cameras and phones weren’t allowed into the room, but owning the damn building came with special privileges, including access to the building’s cameras.
I’d pull all the footage from every room this bastard entered and exited tonight for leverage.
He sauntered over to the women while I nodded to my guard, who lingered by the exit. He moved to my side without drawing attention to himself. “Yes, Sir.”
“I’ll be leaving soon and taking a guest with me. I don’t want to be disturbed or questioned. All problems with guests are to be handled by hotel management, understood?” Although his brows raised briefly, he quickly schooled his expression and remembered his place.
“Yes. Is there anything you need me to handle?”
“Yes. I don’t want anyone interfering with my departure or attempting to take her away.
” My eyes moved toward her, but it was the bartender’s movements that caught my eye and disturbed me.
I hadn’t missed his quick sleight of hand.
It was time for me to act. The son of a bitch was working with the trafficker.
If I had wanted to throw him out the window before, that was nothing.
Now, I eagerly wanted to torture the creep.
I stormed toward them as he put his hand on her again, and then I might have lost it, my patience having slipped in public for the first time in years. Still, I didn’t show the true animal I was—just a taste to remind the room of who I am, but not enough to scare my porcelain doll away.