Chapter 31 Mass
MASS
It’s not right.
He should be missing at least a hand by now.
Instead, Gabriel Russo, my wife’s brother, sits in a comfortable chair in the room I had prepared for him. It locks from the outside, but there’s a bedroom, a luxurious bathroom, and a small kitchenette with a stocked pantry. He’s about as comfortable as a prisoner can get in the Fortress.
“If it helps at all, I had no clue the insider was Rosie’s nanny.” Gabe watches me carefully. I can tell he’s on edge, worried I might lash out. Like I’m a rabid dog.
He’s a smart man.
“Satya will be handled.” I don’t ask him where she is again. We’ve gone over this a few times already, and I believe his story.
He’s been surprisingly unhelpful. Medved was very careful in recruiting him. He was told only as much as he needed to know and was never given a glimpse into Medved’s inner workings.
Gabe was useful, but he wasn’t important.
Which is frustrating. I had hoped that bringing him in here would give me something to use against my enemies. Instead, I’ve gained nearly nothing, except for my wife’s goodwill.
I’m tempted to burn all that by putting a bullet in Gabe’s head.
Instead, I slide a phone across the table to him. “I assume you have a number you can use to contact Medved.”
He frowns slightly and doesn’t touch it. “Yes, but it only ever rings to a voicemail system.”
“I suspect this call will be different.” I nod at the phone. “Pick it up. I want you to do something for me.”
Gabe still doesn’t move. “Tell me what you’re getting me into first.”
“You’re not in a position to make demands.”
“Allie might trust you, but I sure as fuck don’t. Not yet at least.”
I continue to stare at him. “My daughter was nearly taken from me and delivered into my greatest enemy’s hands. You were part of that plot. The only reason you’re not dead is my love for your sister. If I were you, I’d be a little more careful.”
Gabe considers. It speaks well of his character that he doesn’t act defiant and he doesn’t break down into begging either. Instead, he’s calculating. I can appreciate that.
“What do you want me to say?” he asks finally.
We go over the script together. It’s a very simple idea. Allie came up with part of it. She’s the one who said Gabe should make this call instead of her. She thought it would carry more weight if he pretended to still be on the other team.
Gabe puts the phone on speaker and lets the number ring. I sit back, keeping myself as calm as I can.
Until her voice comes through.
“Hello, Allie. I’m really happy you decided to call.”
My body goes rigid. I sit up straight, breathing hard and staring down at the little black rectangle. If Gabe notices, he doesn’t comment.
That old bitch. That fucking cunt of a nanny.
Satya is on the line, and I don’t know if I can control myself.
“It’s Gabriel. I don’t have long to talk.”
She sounds surprised. “How did you get this phone?”
“Mass brought me to his island. I’ve been spending some time with Allie, explaining the situation to her. She’s coming around, but I’m not sure she’s convinced yet.”
A short pause. Satya seems thoughtful. “You’re moving around freely?”
“Allie convinced her husband that I’m not a threat. But I think there’s another way out of this.”
“Your sister didn’t seem interested in leaving the island.”
“She was misinformed and confused. I’m working on her.”
“You haven’t won her over yet?”
“I will soon. But in the meantime, how involved can you be?”
Satya sounds pleased. “I have my ways. If you can get Allie to play along, I can get to you two.”
“Good. Keep an eye on this phone. I’ll call again soon.”
“Be careful, Gabriel. Massimo is more than just a ruthless monster. But he’s also very much that.”
Gabe hangs up and looks at me. He arches an eyebrow. “Well? How was that?”
I sit back and say nothing. Anger seethes through me.
Satya, that traitor bitch. I treated her like family. I brought her into my inner circle and trusted her. I let her watch my daughter and gave her everything I could.
And now she’s repaying me like this.
It makes me sick with hate. I want to make her suffer. I want to burn Medved to the ground just so I can reach her.
“You did good.” I take the phone back and shove it in my pocket. “I’ll be back when we know what our next move is.”
“He’s not stupid, you know,” Gabe says as I walk to the door. Lady unlocks it for me. “Medved’s not going to saunter into a trap.”
“No, maybe not, but he’ll happily send his pawns in his place.”
I step into the hall and pause as the door clicks shut.
Fucking Satya. This whole place feels tainted. There have been too many betrayals. Maybe Lucy’s right and I’ve been too trusting of my people.
But I have a choice. I don’t have to run my organization through fear. I can surround myself with people who want to be here, people who aren’t terrified and who will speak to me with honesty and dignity, or I can stock the Fortress with sycophants and yes-men.
The choice felt obvious for a while. I’m not so sure anymore.
I’m unhappy until I step foot back into the apartment. It’s late, and I was worried that Rosie would be in bed already. Instead, she’s cuddled up on the couch with Allie while my wife reads a book.
I walk over to them. Allie glances at me but keeps reading.
It’s one of those cardboard things with a fun-sounding nonsense story and lots of brightly colored hippos doing silly things.
Rosie loves it when the hippos go crazy in the middle.
I watch as Allie finishes, and Rosie laughs and begs for it again.
I step forward, laying a hand on my wife’s shoulder. “May I?”
She looks surprised. “You want to read to her?”
I nod slowly. “Would you like that, Rosie-doll?”
Rosie reaches for me. I lift her into my arms and accept the book from Allie. My wife looks absolutely mystified. “If she doesn’t mind, it’s fine with me.”
I carry my daughter up to her nursery. We sit together in a rocking chair, and I read the stupid book three times until she seems sleepy enough. I kiss her hair, breathe her in, and place her down in bed with a blanket and a single stuffy. She looks at me with big, sleepy eyes.
“Night, love,” I whisper.
She sucks her thumb and smiles back.
I find Allie waiting for me in the hallway. She looks like she was worrying. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s totally fine.”
“Rosie can be kind of fussy at night.”
“I know that. I handled it.”
“You read the book? Rocked her a little?”
“Exactly the way you do.”
She chews her lip. “I’m sorry if I’m being overbearing. It’s just, she’s all I’ve had. It’s been just me and her since she was born.”
“I understand that.” I lead Allie downstairs, pour her some wine, and sit with her on the couch. She drinks and puts her feet in my lap as I tell her about the plan with her brother.
She doesn’t seem happy about it. “You don’t think Medved is going to see through this?”
“That’s the beauty. It doesn’t matter if he does or not. All I need is for him to send Satya or someone else here. I just need an inch of leverage to use against him.” Mostly I want to kill that old bitch desperately, but I keep that to myself.
I pull Allie closer and wrap my arms around her. She tilts her chin up and accepts a kiss. I hold her mouth against mine, tasting her and breathing her, and something strange occurs to me.
This is normal. Oddly, freakishly normal. We’re parents sitting together after putting our child down to sleep like millions of parents have before. But we’ve never quite had this before.
It’s domestic and simple, and it feels good.
“Can I ask you something?” She brushes her lips across mine, moving her hips in a slow, rhythmic circle. I’m stiffening between her legs.
“I won’t be able to think clearly with you doing that.”
“If I hadn’t been about to marry that other man, would you have taken me like this?” She grinds harder, her breaths coming faster.
“Eventually. I don’t think I could have resisted for long.”
“You can’t resist me?”
“There’s something about your womanly charms.”
“Says the man with the hard dick.”
“I told you, blood’s going in the wrong direction.”
She smiles and bites my lip. “I’m happy you did. Kidnapped me, I mean.”
“I’m happy I did too.” I grip her hair, hunger flaring bright. “My only regret is not murdering a man and forcing you to marry me sooner.”
“I could’ve done without the killing, but I guess the end justifies the means, right?”
“Something like that.” I kiss her hard, burying her mouth with mine, and pull her down onto the couch.