Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
DOMINIC
T he days since the Viper was taken out have been tense. The men he had in his pocket are ready to go to war to avenge him, but Mika has wasted no time weeding them out and disposing of them. Lucky for us, Vito’s penchant for keeping most of his henchmen separate from the organization so they could never question his authority, means the majority of them aren’t on the official payroll. If they’ve got any sense, they’ll crawl back into the woodwork because there’s nothing for them here except a world of pain as Mika purges La Cosa Nostra of the slightest whiff of dissent, making examples of anyone who is found to be against him by torturing them for information of Vito’s insurrection.
By the end of the week, anyone who wasn’t completely behind him before has either fallen in line or to the wayside, and it’s fair to say Mika has been ruthless. I wasn’t convinced Don Salvatore would be open to hearing anything against his late brother, but if he ever had any reservations, then Mika has decimated them. It’s also had the bonus effect of correcting any assumptions that my cousin’s forward-thinking approach, while not ‘old-school,’ might be ‘soft.’ He’s proven himself to be a formidable enemy to anyone who opposes him. And it’s not something that will be forgotten in a hurry.
If I’m honest, the compound is a more relaxed place because of it. I’d never really noticed the tension that saturated these walls until it was gone.
Of course, I’m not out of the woods yet, and since I’ve just received a summons for a meeting along with Kaiden, it looks like judgment day is finally upon us.
All I can do is tell the truth and hope my previous loyalty to Mika during Roisin’s captivity will stand me in good stead.
As I make my way to the meeting room, my heart pounds in my chest, knowing if this goes the wrong way, these might be my last moments, blood or not.
The corridors seem longer, the air thicker. Kaiden falls into step beside me, his face a mask of stoic resolve. We exchange nothing but a brief nod, but I can’t help wondering if Kaiden’s testimony will redeem me or seal my fate.
The heavy oak doors loom before us and I take a deep breath before pushing them open. The room is dimly lit, casting long shadows across the faces of those gathered.
Mika sits at the head of the table, his fine-boned features etched with an air of authority and stoicism. Ares stands to his right, eyes sharp and calculating. The one person I’m surprised I don’t see is Don Salvatore himself. Looks like the old man really has deferred to his son on this.
"Have a seat," Ares commands, his voice gravelly and low, without a hint of either friendliness or fury.
We obey without comment, taking the seats across from them. The silence stretches, taut as a wire. I can feel the weight of their scrutiny, probing for any sign of weakness or deceit.
Mika breaks the silence, his tone deceptively casual. "Gentlemen, I'm sure you can guess why you're here. Is there anything you’d like to say before we start?"
Kaiden glances between me and Mika, looking conflicted, but I meet my cousin’s gaze steadily, even knowing blood is not necessarily thicker than water in this instance.
Taking a deep breath, I will my voice not to waver. "I’m sure you know by now that I went into Vito’s suite shortly after I contacted you,” I state, not pulling any punches. “Since I know there aren’t any cameras inside the room, all I can give you is my word that I didn’t actually shoot him.”
Mika’s eyes bore into me, but he says nothing. An effective tactic to get someone to speak in order to fill the silence. “I found Vito already dead and Maricela unconscious beneath him…”
I pause and drag my fingers through my hair. “I moved him slightly, so he wasn’t completely crushing her, then I got out of there.”
I can feel Kaiden’s eyes on me. For whatever reason, he never did confront me about my actions that night, and as far as I know, he didn’t speak out about it to anyone else, either, so I owe it to him to have his back. Cutting a look his way, I tell Mika, “I bumped into Kaiden on the way back to my room and stopped him from going to report to Vito, so he didn’t get caught there himself. Then I asked him to send a text asking one of Vito’s goons to deliver the update, so neither of us were in the frame, but I didn’t actually tell him what was going on.”
I feel, rather than see, Kaiden’s jolt of surprise, but it draws Mika’s gaze to him.
“Is that accurate, Kaiden?”
“Pretty much,” Kaiden agrees, cutting his eyes towards me. “Dominic was covered in blood and told me I needed to trust him. When I asked him why he wouldn’t tell me what was going on, he told me I needed plausible deniability… I guess I understand why, now.”
“And yet you didn’t think to bring any of this to me.”
It’s a statement rather than a question and Kaiden narrows his eyes at Mika. “However I felt about Vito, his death was still a shock,” Kaiden says, his eyes never wavering from Mika’s face. “But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do a couple of mental fist pumps after the fact.”
The two of them engage in what is just short of a staring match for long seconds before Kaiden continues. “Then, in the aftermath, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, if I’m honest, and expecting to wake up dead.”
Mika cocks an eyebrow but says nothing. “In the end, Dominic did me a solid when he stopped me walking in on the scene. And since he had my back, I had his in return. No matter what you might think after our last little ‘chat,’ I’m not in the business of ratting out my… colleagues, unless there’s a fucking good reason.”
“And you didn’t think Vito’s death was a good enough reason?” Mika asks, his eyes narrowing to slits.
“Dominic said he didn’t do it. If I can’t trust the word of the people I work with, then there’s nothing for me in this place.” He says the words with a large dose of venom and hatred. We all know Kaiden never chose to be here.
Finally, Mika gives a slow nod. “Good.”
What?
A single word with no context.
What the fuck is good?
What Kaiden said?
What I said?
The outcome of this meeting?
But the one thing you don’t do is question the boss, so Kaiden and I sit and wait, our faces blank.
Both Mika and Ares stare back at us with inscrutable expressions, and I swear I can feel the tension ramping up in the room as I wonder if I’m going to be wearing a bullet through the forehead any moment now.
A bead of sweat trickles down my spine and I clench my jaw.
Then Mika throws his head back and laughs.
Fucking laughs!
Kaiden and I chance a look at each other.
“Okay guys, you’re clear,” he finally says, a shit-eating grin still on his face. Likely because the fucker knows exactly what he just put us through. “And for the record, from now on, the pair of you will be on my personal payroll. Understand?”
Kaiden blinks, looking kind of nonplussed.
“What?” Mika asks, catching the expression, but Kaiden shakes his head.
“Kaiden, we’ve just established that we have each other's back, so what is it?”
Vito’s pseudo-son looks almost embarrassed before he asks, "How much will I be paid?” with an odd inflection in his voice that has us all frowning.
“The standard emolument for your rank,” Mika replies, tapping away on the laptop in front of him.
“I don’t have a rank,” Kaiden replies, his voice bleak.
Mika’s frown deepens as he stares at whatever is displayed on his screen and he turns a confused gaze on Kaiden. “Were you paid from Vito’s personal payroll?” he eventually asks, hitting a few more keys and shaking his head as Ares leans in to check whatever it is they’re both looking at.
“No.”
My cousin shakes his head. “I don’t understand. How were you paid then?”
Kaiden purses his lips as all eyes turn his way. “I wasn’t.”
His entire demeanor now is steeped in bitterness. “Why the hell would the Viper bother to pay a slave?” he adds. “Are you forgetting that I was drafted into this organization to pay my father’s debt?”
There’s a pregnant silence for several long moments while the rest of us process Kaiden’s words.
“What the hell did you live on?” I blurt out, even though it’s not my place to speak.
Kaiden glances my way and shrugs. “I live here, I’m fed here. If I need transport for a job, it’s provided.”
“And what about other stuff?” Mika presses.
“Vito outfitted me with two suits and if I needed anything else, he would usually insist on making me beg for a cash job. Literally. Then he’d find the filthiest, riskiest one he could come up with,” Kaiden tells him bitterly.
“Why the hell didn’t you say something?” Mika asks, his expression appalled.
“What and give everyone more reason to believe it was me who offed the Viper? Believe me, I might not have done it, but I damn well thought about it, and it sure as hell doesn’t surprise me. Vito pissed off most of the people he came into contact with, so I knew this would happen one day, and I’m well aware I have more motive than most to want to see him gone.”
He shakes his head, his eyes hard, but also a little haunted. “No, I just kept my head down, did as I was told and tried to keep out of the firing line. That bastard’s as much as anyone else’s.”
There’s more to the story, I can tell. But now isn’t the time for a heart-to-heart… if there ever is one.
Mika sighs and, just for a second, appears unusually tired. Then I think I must have imagined it as he’s all business again.
“Well, from now on, you’ll be paid commensurate with a soldier holding as many years’ experience as you have, so the highest tier, and I’ll make sure you’re in the running for the next capo position that comes available. As I’ve said, you’re both in the clear. The entrance cameras had been tampered with. Jammed, by the look of it, from an outside source. But the hall cameras do indeed show the mystery woman in red, just like Maricela claimed, both pulling a handgun out of her clutch before entering the room and exiting a couple of minutes later.”
“You’ve got her?” I ask in surprise. Somehow, I hadn’t put much credence in Maricela’s claims.
Mika taps a key on his laptop and the big screen on the wall behind his head comes to life, the sharp figure of a tall, svelte woman taking up the entire space.
For what it’s worth.
Mika moves through the individual clips one at a time, but the woman has her head down the entire time, her long, wavy dark hair hiding her face and any distinguishing features. This woman could literally be anyone.
And yet…
“That’s not Cesca or Safia, is it?” I ask cautiously.
Mika turns sharply to face me. “What makes you say that?” he demands.
“I don’t know. There’s just something familiar…” I trail off and shake my head. “Ignore me. It really could be anyone, couldn’t it? I think I’m just projecting since they’re the only women who normally live at the compound.”
Although the body type is similar, I decide discretion is the better part of valor. The two women are Mika’s cousins, and I can’t imagine either of them doing something like this.
“Well, just to put your mind at rest, both Franco’s daughters have airtight alibis for the night in question. They were at the theater together, as verified by their security and several hundred other people.”
“Doesn’t look like a hooker,” Kaiden comments, reflecting on Mika’s appraisal from that night. “Do you think she was sent by another crime syndicate?”
Mika stares at the screen, an intense expression on his face that I can’t get a bead on. “It’s a possibility, but which one is something I guess we’ll probably never know. Not sure either the Irish Mob or the Bratva would set up a sting like this. Not really their style. But there are plenty of others to choose from. It could be an undercover agent from the feds. They’ve been watching Vito for months now. Might be a mercenary hired by any number of agencies or even be linked to the British aristocracy after the stunt he pulled with Gabi Preston and the Duke of Buckingham… Or it might just be some mistress he pissed off because he was about to get married. Like you said, there are plenty of people with an ax to grind where the Viper was concerned. And I guess none of us are too cut up about it.”
He looks around the room, making eye contact with each of us, including his right-hand man, Ares. “I think the best thing we can do is put this to bed and move forward, using the circumstances to ensure we take La Cosa Nostra in the direction we need it to be heading in, and rebuilding as many broken fences as we possibly can.”
He spears Kaiden and me with a look. “For your part, I want eyes on the Maguires at all times. I want to make sure they’re not planning any kind of retaliation.”
So, this is the future. No one disagrees. Even if the bittersweet truth is that I’ll be forced to watch Roisin moving on with her life.