Three
Ican’t believe Maricela is back here. I’d honestly hoped, after her abduction, that she might manage to escape this place.
I’d poked my nose in places I had no right to snoop.
Eavesdropped on conversations not meant for me and leveraged information I wasn’t supposed to be privy to, to find out where she was.
I respect the Irish Mob. Knew they’d probably treat Maricela better than Vito - the Viper - Rossi did his own fiancée, despite the circumstances.
And what happened to the other girl, Orla, still sickened me.
If I’d known about it, I would have done my best to save her, but despite his unshakeable hold over me, the Viper also knows exactly how hard he can push me, and when to make certain I’m not on the scene.
Hell, I think the sick bastard thrives on it.
I have my limits, and as much as Vito likes to push my buttons, I guess having an unpaid fall guy doing the majority of his dirty work is more valuable than demanding I do anything completely unconscionable.
Not that I’m a good guy. Far from it. I’ve done things, seen things that don’t belong in a world where decent folks live and breathe, and exist in the blissful ignorance of the sordid, criminal underworld that surrounds them with just six degrees of separation.
Yeah, I know far more about what goes on here than anyone imagines. I stay alert. Trust no one. And watch everything.
Which means I know we have a mole somewhere in the ranks, even if the others haven’t cottoned on yet.
I just haven’t worked out who, or what danger they pose, and where their real loyalties lie.
And I also know that while Dominic might be on Vito’s direct payroll, he’s actually reporting to Mika, the son and heir of Don Salvatore, head of the New York Cosa Nostra and Vito’s brother.
Mika is one of the good guys - if there could ever be such a thing in this hellhole.
He’s trying his best to haul the LCN into the twenty-first century, largely unsupported by his father, and with the likes of his uncle Vito and his motley crew actively trying to thwart his attempts.
Mika’s pushing towards more white-collar ‘victimless’ crime, as he calls it.
Most specifically, he wants to get rid of the skin trade.
Especially the worst stuff. It’s no secret to anyone here that he despises the way women are treated within the organization.
It’s what he and Vito butt heads about most of all, and like the asshole he is, the Viper is made worse by the resistance and is quietly trying to undermine his nephew.
Right now, though, I’m wondering how much I can intervene to protect Maricela without putting the woman who still owns my heart in danger.
Aspen’s well-being still hangs over me like Damocles’ sword.
After nine years, you’d think Vito would have forgotten about her, but he still mentions her name every so often as a way to keep me in line.
I try to make out I don’t care. I don’t even dare check on her, see how she is, or if she needs anything; it’s too dangerous.
But I guess the Viper knows my feigned indifference is a lie, regardless.
I wasn’t able to protect Aspen as well as I should have, but I’ll do my best to keep Maricela safe, and if it means I finally put an end to Vito Rossi, well, I won’t be mad about it, whatever it costs me.
I’m past worrying about myself. The years have worn on me since the only woman I’ve ever loved is out of reach.
Although I’ve temporarily looped the CCTV system, giving myself the narrowest window, I stick to the shadows.
The one good thing about growing up here as a kid who frequently needed to hide is that I have a better knowledge of this compound than probably anyone else who works or lives here; no word of a lie.
Removing my baretta from its shoulder holster and screwing on the silencer, I consider the irony of the Viper being brought to an end with an illegal weapon which he provided for me himself.
I check my watch. Time to make my move. It’s now or never.
My shoes are silent on the hard floors of the corridor, purposely so. I learned the art of stealth long ago, out of necessity. I move with a purposeful haste, but as I approach the door to the Viper’s suite, I hear the brisk tread of heels.
Damn it all!
The woman I catch sight of is a surprise.
Tall and svelte, dressed in a figure-hugging red dress, with her long dark hair loose around her shoulders, she looks vaguely familiar.
I have an excellent memory for faces, but for probably the first time in my life, I can’t put a finger on where I’ve seen her before.
What I do know is she’s jeopardizing my entire plan.
I duck back through a door that has served me well in the past. It’s one of the many service cupboards storing linens and cleaning products so they don’t have to be hauled all over this massive compound.
Through the closed door, I listen for the footsteps to recede, knowing I’m fast running out of time.
I check my watch again and curse. Fucking hell! It’s too late. The loop on the CCTV will have expired. All I can do now is go back and reset it again and hope I’m not too late.
As I head back to my quarters, I almost collide with Dominic coming the other way. “Whoa!” I call out, raising my palms to stop him and frowning at the blood he’s covered with. “What the fuck, man? What happened?”
Dominic grabs my arm and forcibly pulls me with him.
“Are you hurt?” I ask, suddenly concerned.
We may have had our differences - mostly due to my enforced work with Vito, but he’s a decent guy.
He shakes his head but doesn’t say any more until we reach his room, where he dives into the bathroom and starts showering.
“So, what’s the deal?” I ask when the water stops, raising my voice so he can hear me in the other room. “Because I’m supposed to be going to Vito with an update…”
He whips his head around the door to look at me, his eyes narrowed as he rubs his wet hair. “Was it you?” he demands, and a sliver of panic skitters through me.
Does he suspect?
“Was what me?” I ask to buy some time.
“Vito.”
“What are you talking about, Dominic?”
No way I’m going to admit to anything. Some soldiers like to brag, but I’m sure as hell not that stupid. Especially since I missed my shot - literally.
He walks out, a towel slung low on his waist and digs out some clean clothes. “Do you normally report to Vito yourself and is there a set time?” he asks instead of answering the question.
“Honestly, I usually avoid the bastard as much as possible, but I was worried about Maricela…” I’ll give him that much.
He purses his lips and stares at me. “How do you normally arrange updates? In person?”
“Nope, I just message one of his goons. They love that shit. Any opportunity to put themselves in front of him and into his good graces, and they’re on it like white on rice.”
“Good… good,” he says, almost preoccupied as he heads back into the bathroom to dress. “You should do that then.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I ask again, but he simply shakes his head.
“Plausible deniability. Take my word for it.”
What the fuck is going on?
I send the message. “Now what?” I ask when we’re both done.
“Now we wait. Shouldn’t take long, by all accounts.”
A few minutes later, there’s shouting in the corridor, and I turn to stare at Dominic, holding his gaze. “What the hell did you do?”
He holds his arms up, palms out like I’ve trained my gun on him. “Nothing, I swear.”
We’re at an impasse. Both of us eyeing each other with equal measures of trust and suspicion.
The shouting in the corridor grows louder, and I can make out panicked voices and hurried footsteps. Exchanging another tense glance, I move to crack open the door and peer out into the hallway.
"It's chaos out there. Everyone's running towards Vito's wing.”
“I guess we should go and investigate then,” Dominic tells me, suddenly pulling open the door and taking off at a run, leaving me to follow in confusion.
When we get there, Ares is standing outside the door of Vito’s suite. He’s Mika’s right-hand man and the guy widely expected to become his consigliere when he takes the helm.
“What the hell is going on?” I demand, trying to barge past him, my concern for Maricela multiplying.
“I’m sorry, you can’t go in there.”
“Jesus! Vito’s fucking killed her, hasn’t he?” Turning around, I punch the wall behind me. Another woman I couldn’t protect from the Viper.
“Kaiden…” Dominic touches a hand to my shoulder, but I shrug him off and swing back to Ares.
“No. It’s not that.” Ares glances between Dominic and me, and I wonder if he suspects something. Jesus! Paranoid, or what?
“So, she’s okay?” I ask in disbelief.
Ares palms his bald head and grimaces. “I wouldn’t say that, exactly, but she’s still alive…”
He pauses.
“But Vito isn’t.”
“Vito isn’t?” I know I sound dumb, but my brain refuses to comprehend what the man is saying.
“I think what Ares is trying to say is Vito is dead,” Dominic says quietly.
Genuine, undeniable shock widens my eyes, and my mouth falls open. "Dead? How... what happened?"
Dead? Really? The man who has made my life hell for almost two decades. The person I wondered if I’d ever be free of. The snake who threatened the only woman I ever loved is gone? Can it be true? Is freedom finally in sight?
Mika’s right-hand man speaks, but the words barely penetrate my whirling mind.
The Viper is dead. Someone beat me at my own game. I vaguely wonder if they’ll suspect me; it’s what I’ve always feared, but I really don’t care because I’m too busy doing a mental fist pump.
Vito Rossi’s reign of terror is over.
And that means my sweet Aspen is finally, truly, safe.
Is it any wonder I dream of her that night, and relive the first time we met?