Chapter 13 MINKA
MINKA
Estefan Cordoza is a reasonable man. He’s calm, collected, and isn’t likely to make a rash decision that could violate the very rule he’s determined to investigate… right?
Ellie Solomon seems to adore the man.
He wouldn’t have his men shoot a Malone—any Malone—on Malone property on a warm Sunday afternoon just because. Not even if he’s angry. Or suspicious. Or tired from a late night and frustrated because his plans to do business with Agosti were usurped.
Hopefully.
“I’d like you to reconsider,” Felix rumbles, approaching our line and stopping beside Archer. His broad chest bulges with adrenaline. His fingers flex with a deep-seated desire to hold a gun.
He can’t. It wouldn’t be proper as long as Cordoza is the man standing opposite him.
“She’s not part of this, Estefan. She didn’t take his name at marriage. She’s not to be held accountable for the business dealings within this family.”
“Accountable?” Estefan’s stare is like a laser against my skin. A probing scan that could almost convince me he can see inside my brain. “Until I know what happened, no one is in danger of accountability.”
“So, what is it you want with me?”
“Help.” With a gentle brush of his arms, he pushes his guards aside and takes a step forward. And before I can think to back away, he grabs my hand and flattens our palms together. “I’ll have Anthony’s body delivered to your autopsy suite. You’ll tell me precisely how he died.”
“Autopsy?” My stomach rolls with a violence I haven’t felt in too long. A dread swirling up to tickle the base of my throat. “No, I—”
“I’m not asking, Doctor Mayet. I understand you’re new to the world your husband was raised within, but when I declare something is to be done, no matter how gently I speak my words, I expect my orders to be followed.”
“I can’t! You speak of your world versus my world.
” I gesture along the line of brothers, now that all four stand shoulder to shoulder.
Hard green eyes. Firm jaws. And no doubt, brains working quickly in search of an exit strategy…
since the alternative is a war we can’t win.
“They speak of your world versus my world. But there’s just one world.
There is just one set of rules. It’s called the law.
And the law’s stance is firm. I cannot conduct an autopsy without the official documentation that comes with it. ”
Archer’s fingers flex around the back of my neck. “Minka…”
“No! I’m sick of hearing about how the mafia operates. How the mafia is an ecosystem of its own. How average men declare themselves special, wielding power they’ve taken from someone else. From where I stand, this world you live in is nothing more than fear-enforced vanity.”
“Doctor Mayet!” Felix snaps.
I meet Cordoza’s eyes and burn him with my glare.
“I cannot conduct an autopsy on my kitchen table. Not a good one, anyway. Not to the standards you’re expecting.
I don’t have access to labs unless I take him to my building, and I can’t take him to my building without official reports.
How the hell do you suggest I conduct an official investigation without instigating an official investigation? ”
“You need to bring your volume down,” Cato rumbles in a warning tone, folding forward until he’s inches ahead of his brothers and staring back at me. “You can’t shout at him without—”
“She speaks with passion.” Cordoza tips his head to the side, smiling despite the fury so easily visible in the tic of his jaw.
The grip on his cane. The pulse thundering in his neck.
“I appreciate your candor, Chief Mayet. Bravery is an underappreciated strength. However, I believe it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that you could accept this assignment, as you would any other, any other day of the week.
He will travel with a name for you to insert into the reports.
It simply won’t be the name you know him by. ”
“You would have me break the law for a man I knew for all of thirty seconds last night?”
“I would have you do as I request,” he growls. “Because I asked you to. Perform the autopsy, swing by the lab, and bring me the results.”
“No, I—” My brain aches. My stomach swirls.
I can’t think quickly enough to combat Cordoza’s fast answers.
“The cameras. The reports. Bringing him to my building will implicate my staff in a crime they had no participation in, and Aubree…” My eyes flare wide, panic lancing through my blood.
“Aubree deserves better than to be dragged into this.”
“Anthony will be inside your facility first thing tomorrow morning, Chief.” Cordoza shifts his focus across to Archer. “You’ll enjoy the rest of your afternoon with your family. Relax tonight. Sleep well.” And then back to me. “I’m not asking.”
“You demand too much,” I grit out. “You want me to risk everything I’ve ever worked for—my building, my staff.
My entire career—for this man I do not care about.
I’m certain I’m not the only doctor in your contact list who can perform an autopsy, and surely, these other doctors would thrill at the opportunity to step into your world. ”
“Mockery is unflattering, Doctor, especially when it originates from such an intelligent mouth.” Cordoza takes a single, formidable step forward.
“I’m an old man now, and though I may hold affection for you, I hold even less patience.
Be available to receive Anthony’s body first thing tomorrow morning. Your family depends on you.”
Rage flares in my veins, my temper a bubbling inferno that swells in my stomach.
Cordoza is accustomed to having his ass kissed. And I… I loathe to admit, I’m accustomed to not being the reason he strikes out at the Malones.
Dammit.
“I’ll make myself available,” I sneer. “Once my examination is complete, I’ll contact your office and have my reports sent over. I believe that concludes our business, no?”
He flashes an infuriatingly satisfied smile. “Almost. You needn’t worry about contacting me, Chief. I’ll have men inside your building until our dealings have concluded.”
“Your men?” I glance to his left and stare at the guard, all seven feet of muscle, black fabric, and steely intensity. Within my building? “No. That’s not acceptable.”
“I was not asking.” He clicks his fingers, mobilizing his army, then he turns and leans on his cane, comfortably presenting his back to a family who could end his life.
But he knows they won’t shoot him, and even if they tried, his guards provide an impenetrable wall no one, not even a skilled marksman, can defeat.
“Fuck!” The moment they’re gone, Archer squeezes the back of my neck and yanks me around, slamming me against his chest. While Cato wanders to the back door, staring inside the house as Cordoza and his men file out, Felix turns and heads back to Christabelle.
“I’m sorry, Minka.” Archer draws a deep, shaking breath, expanding his lungs and widening his chest. Then he exhales again and rests his forehead on mine. “I’m so sorry. This was never supposed to touch you. It’s not what you signed up for when we married.”
“It’s…” It’s ridiculous. It’s illegal. It’s a bullshit hierarchy that could be undone with the slice of a blade and the dismantling of business ventures. But saying so helps no one. “It’s fine.”
“Minka—”
“He’s a John Doe. I process them every single day, every single week.” I swallow the sickly dread balling at the base of my throat. “It’s fine.”
“We need to call Tim.” Micah turns on his heels, snatching the phone from his pocket and swiping the screen unlocked. “He needs to know—”
“No.” I shove away from Archer and stride into Micah’s path. Grabbing his wrist and pulling him up short, I take his phone with surprising speed, stunning the family’s enforcer. “Don’t call him.”
“We have to—”
“They got married yesterday. Aubree’s meant to be off work for the next week, but if you call, she’ll rush back and destroy the time they’re supposed to have together.” I lock the screen and challenge him with a look. “Don’t ruin this for them. They don’t need to know.”
Unconvinced, he peeks over the top of my head. “Archer?”
“Calling them changes nothing!” I snarl. “They can’t fix it. They can’t change it. The only thing you’ll do is stress them out and drag them into something they don’t need to know about.”
“We’ll keep it quiet for now.” Archer stops behind me, his chest against my back, and his chin settled atop my head.
“They’re locked up inside their house, it’s as secure as this one, and they have bodies walking the perimeter.
If Aubree isn’t due back to the office anyway, there’s no need to bring them in.
Let’s not destroy this week for them until we have no other choice. ”
“Fuck me.” Fletch folds at the hips and sets his hands on his knees, drawing a deep breath and pushing his back up. “Can we get some bodies outside my apartment, too, please? And Sera’s. Put them wherever the fuck my daughter is.”
“We’ll take care of it.” Felix sweeps Zora out of Christabelle’s arms and lays a feather-soft kiss on her temple. “I’m never conducting business in my home again. This is my fuckin’ family! They were too close to the firing line.”
“Story of my life.” Archer grasps my arm and stalks toward the house, catching me when I stumble, and tugging me along faster than my tangling feet can manage. “We’re going inside.”
“Archer—”
“Now!”