Chapter 25 #2
“Yes. They don’t eat anything from the main kitchen, though.
House staff are starved until they return to their homes to provide for themselves.
He rents them all places to live in. They eventually do learn English in order to be able to survive here, but Elio’s view of his staff sucks,” she complains.
“Play this carefully. Those who don’t speak English may be more suspicious of what you’re offering. ”
“They are also less likely to have debts,” Cassidy says. “This all helps. We’ll play it cautiously.”
Rosa inclines her head in thanks, already deep in thought. “While this takes care of the household, Elio has armed guards on his property. He used to spend a lot of time at Papa’s home, but if he is vying for the position of Don, then he’ll be circling the ranks around himself.”
“Where do the guards live? Is there some type of home for them, or do they travel in and out?” Easton asks.
“They commute, and Elio might have shifts that overlap each other so they’re always fresh,” Rosa muses. “This could get tricky.”
“Would he most likely overlap the night shift, and are they loyal to him or hired hands?” Shiloh asks.
“Hired,” Rosa says immediately. “Papa has a lot of family by his side. While some are hired goons who patrol his home, they’re made men who want to remain employed by him. It’s much more difficult to manipulate someone who works in his home.”
“Looks like Elio is going to find what a mistake it is not to do the same,” I mutter. “It’s a shame we won’t be able to take out more of the family since he works differently.”
“I would swear some days you were Italian mafia,” Nico mumbles. “You certainly speak like one.”
“I’m finding I’m more bloodthirsty than before,” I say, blushing.
“Oh shit.” I glance over at Rosa, seeing she’s wide eyed and a little pale.
“What?” I ask, concerned.
“Ah, what if you’re gaining some of my attributes through the bond. Is that possible?” she asks.
“Anything is possible with scent matched bonds,” Lyle says, shrugging. “Or hell, even when there’s not a bond as we found out last night. I think Nico was very close to going quietly feral.”
“Shh,” Silas mutters. “Not so loud.”
No one likes to think about how alphas go feral.
There are hospitals with units to take care of alphas who aren’t safe to live with the general public, and I’ve heard whispers they never leave once admitted.
Those who go feral need to be careful not to make waves because it can lead to hospitalization.
“Omegas are more important than people like to think,” Ansel rumbles, his voice reminding me of broken glass. “The world buys, sells, and trades them like collectible items to fight over when they are people with lives and dreams.”
Pablo and Rosa take deep breaths, but instead of appearing stressed, they both relax.
“If only more people believed that, I think the world would be a better place,” I say quietly.
“Not to throw gasoline to the dumpster fire we’re managing, but have there been any reports of human traffickers making a larger appearance in Savannah?
While I was homeless for a few days, I noticed some signs of it. ”
“Other than people not being allowed to sleep in the streets?” Abbott asks.
“Oh I was warned the police were doing sweeps,” I admit. “I slept in alleys or places away from people. However, I was chased by men who were huge and definitely gave off a trapper type of vibe. I still hear the sounds of cages when it’s too quiet.”
“We don’t have a body,” Abbott finally says.
“What?” I ask, my heart beginning to pound.
“A woman named Clara used to be an auction madam here in Savannah. While she’s no longer alive, we have our suspicions that an omega who was working with her may have escaped from a bomb we set off with her in the room with it,” he says, his mouth twisting in disgust. “There’s no one else currently working auctions that I know of, and you’re not the first person to say they’ve heard cages closing or people screaming. ”
“I didn’t say that last part, but it did happen,” I admit.
“Avery is going to be a problem for another day if she is still alive,” Easton says. “For now, let’s pull in people to neutralize the guards. Is there any way to poison just their water supply?”
Silas grins viciously, pulling out his computer from a nearby table. “If you’ll excuse the device at the table, I’ll check where their water comes in from. We may be able to add a sedative to it.”
“Not everyone is susceptible to those,” Nico says slowly. “Can we give them all the shits?”
The bond tells me Rosa’s shoulders are shaking with laughter, even though she’s trying to contain it. “It’s hard to shoot someone if you’re worried about shitting yourself,” she gasps.
“This is true,” Silas chuckles. “I’ll see what I can do. A well placed bacteria may be just the way.”
God, I love this group. They’re perfectly unhinged. Two hours later, we adjourn our meeting, and Easton has a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he begins to broach a new topic once we begin to clear the table together.
“Dario,” he drawls, “do you like this neighborhood?”
“Ah, yes. It’s beautiful and full of history,” Dario says cautiously. “Why do you ask…Fuck, what do you know? I looked in this area, and no one is selling.”
“Not yet they aren’t,” Silas chuckles. “Easton, I didn’t even think about the Turley family moving.”
“Their property is nice,” Lyle says innocently. “Their gate closes to the street so you can’t see into it either. It’s a nice, big, eight foot high fence.”
“Talk dirty to me, Daddy,” Dario says without thought. Lyle snickers as Dario shrugs without a care. “I’m finding that real estate gets me going.”
“You should seek help for that,” Cassidy muses, picking up plates to bring them inside.
“The house is five houses down on the right. They’re going to quietly list it soon, but would probably be open to a private buyer,” Easton explains.
“I can’t let anyone know we bought the house,” Dario says. “Having our name on the listing wouldn’t be safe, and I don’t trust that a fake name would hold up.”
“Pablo, let’s work together on that problem,” Shiloh says.
“We can set up a property management company under an umbrella company and put the house under that name. Our home isn’t in our name either for that reason.
If you’re relocating your men on a more permanent basis and begin buying homes, have them pay you rent at a low cost, and then it’s income that’s legal. ”
Pablo grins excitedly. “It’ll give us legitimate income.”
“Exactly. If anyone ever comes sniffing, you’re property managers,” Shiloh shrugs.