Chapter 24
She sat in her bathroom with the door locked, as Bea pulled out her phone and sent off a text.
BEA: Need to ask you something. What does your family know about Victor Morelli?
The response came faster than she expected.
MARCO: Victor? That slimy fuck? Why?
BEA: Just answer the question. Please.
A minute ticked by. Then three dots appeared, disappeared, then reappeared again.
MARCO: Years ago, my family lost a major drug deal. Right before a deal was supposed to go down. We know Victor stole it; he was the one we were working with. Could never prove it. Dad wanted to gut him, but the Marchetti’s protected their own. Why are you asking about him?
Bea’s jaw tightened. There it was. Confirmation.
BEA: Because he’s doing it again. And this time, I’m going to prove it.
MARCO: Be careful, Bea. Victor’s dangerous. And if the Marchetti’s find out you’re asking me about their business…
BEA: I know what I’m doing.
MARCO: That’s what worries me.
Bea pocketed her phone and checked her reflection in the mirror, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She stepped out of the bedroom to search for her men.
Bea found the brothers in the surveillance room, all three of them hunched over maps and shipment logs. Dimitri looked up when she entered, his blue eyes scanning her face.
“I need to go see Barb,” Bea said.
Killian straightened immediately. “I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t have to-”
“I’m going with you,” Killian repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Bea glanced at Dimitri, who nodded once. “Take one of the cars. Be back before dark.”
“Yes, Dad,” Bea said with exaggerated sweetness.
Dimitri’s eyes narrowed, but there was amusement lurking beneath the irritation. “Watch it, sweetheart.”
Bea grinned and turned on her heel, Killian falling into step behind her.
Barb’s penthouse, located next to Bea’s, was a cluttered mess of vintage furniture. Stacks of books piled high littering the room, and an alarming number of coffee mugs. She opened the door in sweatpants and a Muumuu, her hair pulled into a messy bun.
“Well, well,” Barb said, eyeing Killian with open appreciation. “You brought one of the boyfriends.”
“Barb, this is Killian. Killian, Barb.”
Killian nodded. “Ma’am.”
Barb snorted. “Ma’am. I like this one. He’s polite and big.” She stepped aside to let them in. “So what’s the emergency? You sounded tense on the phone.”
Bea sat on the worn couch, Killian standing protectively behind her. “I need your help. The kind of help you used to specialize in.”
Barb’s expression shifted, her humor fading into sharp focus. “You mean finding something that isn’t supposed to be found? What are we talking about?”
“Hidden money.” Bea said not missing a beat.
Barb crossed her arms. “Who are we looking at?”
“Victor Morelli.”
Barb let out a low whistle. “You don’t fuck around, do you?”
“He stole three hundred million dollars from the Marchetti’s,” Bea said. “Possibly more, I just need to prove it was him.”
Barb was quiet for a long moment, her eyes flicking between Bea and Killian. Then she sighed and sat down in the armchair across from them.
“It’s going to take time,” Barb said. “Guys like Victor don’t just stick their money in a savings account. He’ll have it hidden so deep that not even the best of the best can find it. It’s a good thing I’m better than the best.” She claimed giving them a wink.
“Can you do it?” Killian asked.
Barb smiled, a sharp, predatory thing. “Honey, I can find money hidden in a fucking black hole. But it’s going to take a few days. Maybe a week.”
“That’s fine,” Bea said. “Just find it please.”
Barb nodded. “Consider it done.”
The drive back to the compound was quiet. Killian kept glancing at Bea, his massive hands gripping the steering wheel.
“You’re really going after him,” Killian said finally.
“I am.”
“He’s dangerous, Bea. I have seen him and my father do some horrible things when we were young. They were not good men, and I highly doubt Victor has changed.”
“I have survived monsters far more worse than him, Killian. I’m not looking for trouble, I’m just wanting to put the real bad guys away.”
Killian looked over at her, a small smile on his lips, “I understand completely baby.”
When they pulled through the gates, Bea felt the familiar tension settle in her chest. The compound was beautiful, luxurious, and suffocating all at once. But it was also where her guys were, and right now, she needed to see them.
Bea and Killian found his brothers in Dimitri’s office on the second floor. The door was open, and Bea could hear Dimitri’s voice before she even stepped inside. Low, controlled, but edged with fury.
“I don’t fucking care how your man said it went down,” Dimitri said into the phone. “My men know the truth and how you operate. If there’s a problem, it’s on your end.”
Bea stepped into the office, Killian close behind her. Dimitri was sitting at his massive mahogany desk, one hand gripping the phone, the other clenched into a fist on the armrest. His hair was slightly disheveled, his jaw tight.
Nico was sprawled on the leather couch against the wall, his long legs stretched out, one ankle crossed over the other.
He had his phone in one hand and his glasses perched on his nose.
Those slutty, black-framed glasses that made him look like a professor you had in college that you wish would hold you after class and do filthy things to you.
Bea felt a heat pool low in her belly.
Nico glanced up when she entered, his dark eyes tracking her movement. He didn’t say anything, but his gaze lingered.
Killian moved to the couch and dropped into the seat beside Nico. “What’s going on?”
“One of our men got into it with one of Antonio Valenti’s men,” Nico said, not looking away from Bea. “Accused them of stealing from us. Now Dimitri’s on the phone with Toni trying to smooth it over.”
“Excuse me?” Dimitri snapped into the phone. “Your man threw the first punch. Don’t act like—” He paused, listening, his expression darkening. “No. We didn’t steal a fucking thing back then. It was your family who stole from us, get your facts straight old man!”
Bea’s pulse quickened. This was the perfect storm. Tension. Anger. Power, and Dimitri, sitting there in his expensive suit, looking like he wanted to murder someone.
She smiled.
Bea crossed the room slowly, her hips swaying with deliberate intent. Dimitri’s eyes flicked to her, and she saw the warning in them, not now.
Bea had never been good at following warnings, especially when it could have a delicious ending.
She stopped in front of his desk, her fingers trailing along the polished wood. Dimitri’s gaze followed the movement, his jaw tightening.
“Bea,” he said quietly, his hand covering the phone’s mouthpiece. “I’m on a call.”
“I know,” she said sweetly.
Once she stood in front of him, she reached out and pushed his chair. It rolled backward a few inches, the wheels gliding smoothly across the hardwood floor. Dimitri’s eyes widened slightly, his free hand gripping the armrest.
“What are you-”
Bea sank to her knees and the room went silent.
Well, almost silent. From the couch, Killian let out a strangled sound that might have been a laugh or a groan. Nico sat up straighter, his phone forgotten in his hand.
“Oh, this is going to be good,” Nico muttered.
Dimitri stared down at Bea, his blue eyes blazing with a mix of fury and arousal. He opened his mouth to say something, but the voice on the other end of the phone cut him off.
“Marchetti? You still there?”
Dimitri’s jaw clenched. He brought the phone back to his ear, his gaze never leaving Bea’s face. “Yeah. I’m here.”
Bea smiled up at him, slow, wicked, and absolutely shameless. She placed her hands on his powerful thighs, feeling the muscle tense beneath her palms. She rubbed slowly, her fingers digging into the expensive fabric of his slacks.
Dimitri’s breathing hitched.
“As I was saying,” the voice on the phone continued, “This feud between our families has been going on for way too long. We never stole anything from your family, you are too young to be holding grudges this bad. Your man was out of line today, and if I was as ruthless as your old man I would have killed him on the spot, but I’m not that cruel. ”
“Uh-huh,” Dimitri said, his voice strained, his eyes never leaving hers.
Bea’s fingers moved to the button of his slacks. She popped it open with practiced ease, then slowly dragged the zipper down. The sound was obscenely loud in the quiet office. From the couch, Killian groaned. “This is so fucking weird.”
“Weird?” Nico said, his voice rough. “This is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Besides it wasn’t weird when she was sucking on your dick in front of us.”
Killian glanced at Nico with a judgmental side eye, “who knew baby Nico was such a freak? And just so you know, I was in the throes of horniness. I would have done anything I was told.” With a shrug of his shoulders.
Bea reached into Dimitri’s slacks and pulled his cock free. He was already hard, thick and heavy in her hand. She stroked him slowly, her grip firm, her thumb brushing over the head.
Dimitri’s hand shot out and gripped the edge of the desk, his knuckles white.
“So what are you going to do about your man?” the voice on the phone demanded.
“I’ll handle it,” Dimitri ground out.
Bea leaned forward and licked the underside of his cock, one long, slow stroke from base to tip. She kept her eyes locked on his, watching the way his pupils dilated, the way his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths.
“Me next,” Killian muttered.
Bea took him into her mouth, her lips wrapping around the head of his cock. She sucked gently, her tongue swirling, and Dimitri let out a low, guttural growl.
His free hand shot down and fisted in her hair, gripping tight. He didn’t push her down, not yet, but the threat was there, simmering beneath the surface.
“We need to have a meeting soon, Dimitri, this needs to end.” the voice on the phone said.
Dimitri’s grip in Bea’s hair tightened. He pulled her down, forcing her to take him deeper.