Chapter 47
forty-seven
. . .
“You’re leaving?” Alessia looked up from her coffee as I entered the dining room, her beautiful face marred by a scowl.
“Got things to do.”
“Not even time for breakfast?” She gestured to the table laden with fruit, yoghurt, some weird green stuff that looked more like the chef offloaded the garden into the bowl and coffee.
“What the fuck is this shit?”
She rolled her eyes. “Healthier than that poison you put into your body?” She tipped her chin at my cigarette I hadn’t lit yet. I shrugged. “So, still not going to tell me why you showed up here out of the blue looking like you were running from something.”
Five days ago, I dropped Ishika off in front of the hospital after the best fucking lay in years.
Didn’t matter I thought the same about Korō, they were related, so it didn’t count.
Ten minutes later, I was still sitting there staring at the door she’d disappeared through when the security guard approached me to ask if I was waiting for someone.
Another minute and I was hightailing the fuck out of there. I’d never been that distracted before and I wasn’t about to let it happen again. So when I arrived at Alessia’s estate, she was just as surprised to find me there as I was and I made up some stupid excuse about being in the area.
Training with her provided the perfect reprieve, the girl was intent on beating my ass and pretty much closer to doing so.
“Would really like to meet the woman that’s got Remo Rossi’s balls in a crunch?” she teased.
Fuck, she was way too observant. Unfortunately, I made her that way. “Fuck off.” I cursed turning my back on her soft laugh.
“Bring her over sometime,” she called out.
Shaking my head, I left. Outside, the engine purred to light, bringing with it the lingering scent of Ishika’s perfume and shampoo. Cursing, I opened the window and floored the gas pedal all the way home.
When I reached the estate, Gian reached my door just as I opened it. “You disappeared on me again, boss. Lorenzo’s here and he’s angry with me.”
“Did you take Duke for a walk?”
“No.”
“Then what the fuck are you waiting for?” I called over my shoulder, striding through estate to the offices at the back.
“That’s the second fucking shipment we’ve delayed in a space of two weeks and you’re telling me you haven’t sorted out your shit yet?”
I walked in on glass hitting a wall opposite to where I stood and shattering into a million pieces.
“Put a bullet in his head, Renz, sends them a fucking message you won’t tolerate incompetence,” I casually offered.
Two pairs of eyes turned my way. My brother narrowed his at me while the other pair, belonging to one of our capos, pleaded for clemency.
“Wrong brother, fuckface.” I grinned at the man.
“Get out,” Lorenzo snarled at him then turned my way.
“When did you get in?” I asked.
“Why the fuck did you not mention you were coming to Italy? And where the fuck have–”
“Didn’t know I had to report my every move.” I shrugged.
“Your arrogance is unmatched.” At my smirk, he added, “it’s not a fucking compliment.” He dragged a hand through his hair and sat.
“Alessia sends her regards,” I said, without having to divulged what I’d been up to.
His shoulders visibly relaxed. “Did you hear anything about the issue I asked you to look into?”
Fishing my phone out of my pocket, I scrolled through shit then handed it to him. He stared at the screen for a moment and lifted surprised eyes to me. “Are you sure?”
“Scroll further down.”
He did as I asked, watched the video I had someone record then looked at me again, trying hard to hide his smile. “Dario!”
His bodyguard entered, his expression the usual calm he was known for. “Boss?”
I took a seat at the bar, watching them, wondering if Dario would break. Lorenzo studied him for a silent moment. It was easy to see why he was my brother’s righthand. Nothing ever rattled him, not even Lorenzo’s scowl.
“Want to tell me what you’re doing with Rayden’s sister?”
For a split-second Dario’s composure wavered, the shift so quick, I questioned myself if I’d really witnessed his hesitation.
“She asked for my help,” he said, too fucking cool for my taste.
“Help?” Lorenzo frowned. “With what?”
“She swore me to secrecy, boss.” Dario shrugged, his causal response earning a chuckle from my brother.
“Whatever you do, don’t fuck her. Understood?” Lorenzo ordered.
Dario laughed, surprising my brother and me. The man was serious as fuck and getting a smile out of him was harder than robbing a bank. “I have no intention of doing so. We’re just friends.”
Slowly, Lorenzo nodded, his expression a dead giveaway he didn’t believe him. “Sure.” He watched Dario leave then turned his attention to me, taking a seat at his table. “Want to tell me what’s your interest in Veer?”
My brow shot up. “Rahul!” That little shit’s ass was going to meet the tip of my shoes. Good thing they were metal fucking tipped. “No interest.”
“Remo,” Lorenzo warned. He had one firm rule, he never wanted unnecessary issues with other mafia families unless he gave the go ahead. Only, I had a hard time obeying and even though he knew that his anger was just as short as my fuse.
“I had Rahul get me info on Veer’s relationship with a woman.” I knew the boy hadn’t ratted me out intentionally. When I put him our payroll, Lorenzo demanded he was kept in the loop of everything Rahul worked on and why the little shit probably told him.
“What woman?”
“It’s not important, Renz.” I stood, lighting a cigarette.
“It is when he’s Indian mafia,” he said quietly, pausing my feet, that no-argument tone was deadly when tested.
Dragging hard on the cancer stick until my lungs burned for air, I looked at my brother. “The doctor.” His brow rose slowly, his eyes questioning me without words. “The hospital in Italy after the whole D’Angelo shit?”
I knew the moment recognition dawned. His lips twitched and my ‘fuck you’ glared through my scowl.
“So,” he said, a wealth of amusement filling that single word as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “You went after her?”
“Your point?”
My sarcasm earned a chuckle before he asked, “And Veer?”
I eyed my brother through the smoke spilling out my lips then sighed. Lying to him would be a clear waste of time. He had this uncanny way of finding out things at the drop of a hat. “Trust me when I say this, but I had no idea he was her uncle when my cock offloaded in her mouth.”
“Her uncle?” He rubbed a thumb over his bottom lip. “Wait. You went back for more after fucking her mouth?” I heard the surprise in his voice. I rarely, if not never fucked a woman more than once. My boredom was unmatched apparently.
I shrugged. “Can’t blame the fucker, can I?” I rubbed my crotch, put the cigarette out in an ashtray, then rested my ass on the edge of the table.
“She’s the reason you came back last week?”
“Yes. Don’t ask me to walk away, bro.”
“I won’t but considering the lengths you’re going to and who we’re dealing with, I need more.” Lorenzo liked to stay one step ahead of his enemies and if that meant ball busting his men, he didn’t hesitate, especially with me, given my short temper.
I cupped the back of my neck, massaging the tendons there and recalled the strange conversation between Ishika and her uncle.
At first, it sounded like one fucking giant ball of shit until he ended it with an offer she couldn’t refuse even if she wanted to.
“Veer wants her to–no, he forced her to accept an arranged marriage she doesn’t want. ”
Lorenzo stood, his frown deep. “And you let her?”
I gave him a sheepish smile. “She didn’t know I was listening.”
“Fuck.” He shook his head. “You camera-tapped her home, didn’t you?” I shrugged, hating this conversation a lot more now that he was in the know. “If you’re interested, why let her?”
The complication I’d picked up on Ishika and her uncle’s conversation made me drag my hands down my face with curse. “Fuck, Renz, all I know is that there’s a brother in play.”
He looked just as confused as I’d felt when I first stumbled in on Ishika threatening her uncle. “So her brother is forcing her?”
I shook my head. “The man she must marry has her brother. A brother she doesn’t remember having and for her to get him back, she must agree to some fucked up traditional agreement between their two families.”
“And she believed them?” he voiced the skepticism I’d felt when I heard Veer trying to convince her it was the truth.
Straightening, I walked over to the bar and poured us a drink. “They had proof. Photos, birth certificate and some other shit I couldn’t see.” I handed him a whiskey and downed mine in a quick swallow.
“Those could be easily fabricated.” He sipped his drink, his expression thoughtful.
“If she doesn’t believe them, she has the option to meet the boy, draw his blood herself and have the DNA tested. If that’s on offer, I doubt it’s a lie.”
“Who’s the groom?”
“No idea. Veer didn’t mention any names.”
Lorenzo finished his drink and set his glass on the table before lifting those intelligent eyes to me. “What are you planning?” His words were soft, caring yet no less cautious that I should tread lightly.
“Fuck if I know, bro but I can’t pinpoint the exact moment this woman captured my interest and wouldn’t let go.
She’s become a challenge I can’t help chasing.
” I sounded like a goddamn lunatic just saying those words out loud and probably the reason I hadn’t gone back since dropping her off in front of the hospital.
He chuckled and the sound filled me with instant annoyance, for myself. “One step at a time, Fratello. Don’t rush it, just understand it.”
“Understand what?” I snorted, turning away to look out the floor to ceiling window.