For Adriano (18 page)

But then Adriano’s hand falls away, and I whimper in dissatisfaction.

He hikes up my dress over my ass and links his fingers inside my panties, tracing between my ass cheeks. Adriano has always been an ass-man. He has a strange fascination with that part of the anatomy.

He covers my body with his, pressing his hand against my behind. “You want me to make you feel better when you couldn’t even give me yourself exclusively? When you allowed someone else inside. After you met me. After you had me.” His breath hot against my ear. “If you weren’t his daughter or I the
Capo
, I’d fuck your ass so hard now that you’d be too sore to even want another man near you, and you’d let me because I’m always inside you, inside your mind.”

That’s true.

In his lowest voice, he says, “You don’t deserve to come.” And he rubs the tip of his nose down my cheek.

“You’re punishing me for Damian by acting like this?” I hiss back.

“No. Orders are orders. And no one defies orders from the
Capo crimine
. Yes, we trust each other, but we are obliged to follow the code.” He pushes himself off me.

I straighten, wanting to respond to him now that he’s acknowledging this thing between us, but he adds, “Don’t play games when you’re ignorant of the rules. Since everything’s out in the open now, this isn’t only about Damian. There’s something much larger at stake. You don’t understand how unsafe it is for me to entertain your seduction. I have a family to consider. I have a
Capo crimine
to answer to. You outrank me. I’m a
Capo
, and you’re a Mafia princess, the boss’s daughter. James will kill me if I ruin you – again.”

“Ruin me? We don’t live in the eighteen fifties,” I protest.

“Welcome to the Chicago Syndicate, Cam,” are his only parting words.

I’m getting sick and tired of this game of his.

In this second, I realize how insidious obsessive love is. When you suppress or restrain it, it doesn’t slowly choke to death. Quite the opposite. It seethes beneath the surface, waiting to fracture at the most inopportune moment.

CHAPTER 20

Adriano

My head falls back against the kitchen door with a loud thud as I escape Cam’s presence. If I hadn’t left, I probably would’ve violated her ass right on that kitchen island where anyone could catch us. It’s impossible to keep my hands to myself when she’s within reaching distance. It’s impossible to erase her face and the contours of her provocative body from my mind. Keeping deliberate distance from Cam has proven to be harder than I’d ever imagined possible.

After a week of forcing myself to let her rebuild her life, I’m completely baffled with how rapidly she’s gluing the pieces back together – apparently aware of how her new position as James’s daughter can offer her a bright future. But it’s also reinforcing her will to fight for us.

I make sure to know every minute of how she’s spending her days by giving either Luca or David, her guard, the third degree.

I saw Cam four times last week. Twice, she was leaving Luca’s penthouse and didn’t see me. I waited in my BMW to watch her go with David. Twice, she noticed me and tried to get my attention. Little does she know that she’s always my single object of inspection when she and I are in a room together. I study every move without her knowing.

I smile to myself remembering how she once called me a ‘freaky ass stalker’. If she only knew what kind of freaky stalker I’ve turned into since she’s been back.

My lust for her doesn’t shrink. And I don’t just mean that figuratively. Whenever she’s in close proximity, my cock is on high alert. Clearly, I’m not immune to her pheromones that nourish my appetite for her.

There’s this dominant part of me that wants to fuck her senseless, while a week ago I wanted to punish her. Yet punishing her for her liaison with Damian isn’t nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be. The second we’re alone, we push each other’s boundaries and are unable to withstand being drawn to one another.

Maybe now that all the cards are on the table and she realizes how perilous it is for me to be with her when it goes against orders, she’ll rethink her approach and accept the distance – or else I’ll surrender soon too.

Cam and I are starting to relive the cycle we’re stuck in. If one of us isn’t strong enough to fight the pull, my position and livelihood will be at stake. And I will not allow my family to live in danger or poverty.

As I move to the foyer, Luca treads down the stairs. “We’re going to Security Simplicity to update Jeffrey and hear him out about what he proposes to do. He called me to see if we could come in now.”

I welcome the distraction eagerly, letting my blood flow back up north.

“Let’s go.” Luca tosses his car device with the key to me when he climbs down the last step, and I catch them in the air with a swipe of my arm. “You drive. I need to answer some e-mails.”

***

“The one point seven million dollars in total drug money that’s never entered this building was indeed from two shipments,” I explain the entire story to Jeffrey, who’s sitting across from Luca and me in the board room at Security Simplicity. “One shipment from two weeks ago, the one million dollars. The other shipment is supposed to take place this Saturday, providing us with seven hundred grand in cash.”

Luca and I were updated about the first shipment by one of our other
Capo’s
soldiers. Apparently, the drug deal gone wrong was messaged to us via
Capo
John, but John’s missing, and that’s an immense issue. John would never disappear without a trace unless he’s dead or being held captive.

Fat Sal’s our priority now. He’s stealing our money, had Cam implanted with a device, he probably has John; he’s strategizing to take over the drug dealings in Chicago – we think.

Luca continues, “Adriano and I are overseeing the drug deal this Saturday.”

“That still leaves us with a one point seven million dollar gap for now. Or at least, one million assuming you’ll get the seven hundred thousand on Saturday,” Jeffrey says while closing his notebook. “And that’s a problem at the moment because we’re being audited.”

I wait for him to continue, because our books are reviewed often.

“By a newly appointed accountant that is not on my list of Syndicate associates,” he clarifies.

“That’s odd.” Usually we’re audited by associates who work for us and are paid for their discretion. “So what does this mean?”

“It means that the one point seven million needs to be in the company account before she comes in next week.”

“It’s a she?” I ask.

“Yes. I Googled her. She’s hot,” he mentions with a grin. “But we need at least the one million to avoid raising suspicion.”

“We need to cough it up...” I let the words trail off, turning my head to Luca. “That’s a lot; I’ll need to access dozens of accounts to even come up with half.”

“First, I’ll have to move money around. Then I’ll deposit it to Salvatore’s account for payment,” Luca ponders out loud.

“We both give Salvatore half?” I suggest, already itemizing which accounts I’ll need to access.

Luca nods his approval.

“Jeffrey, you need to make a ghost invoice stating that the payment came in late. Take care of the financial details with Salvatore so it all seems perfectly legit,” I order him.

“Of course. Salvatore can call me as soon as he has your money.”

Luca adds, “While you wait for Salvatore’s call, investigate why the new accountant was assigned to us. Find out who assigned her to this company.”

“Janey has already been instructed to find that out,” he answers.

“Any other issues?” I ask.

“No. That was it.”

“We’re going to transfer the money today,” Luca says and gestures for me to head out with him.

“Where are we going?” I follow into step beside him.

“The warehouse. We’re going to send Fat Sal a message,” he replies in a sinister tone.

***

I throw open the door to Christopher’s cell in the warehouse where he’s now on a cot, chained to an old, defective radiator. We didn’t leave him hanging on a bar for a week. But when we were notified
Capo
John had vanished after the latest drug delivery to Fat Sal’s team, we did keep Sal’s first soldier a prisoner. Investigation led to nothing, no lead to John’s whereabouts. He isn’t in police custody, hasn’t been admitted to any hospitals, and his phone goes directly to voicemail. He’s either dead or has been taken captive by Sal. And by now, Sal has figured out that we extracted the tracking device from Cam because the device has been left in one spot: James’s desk drawer.

However, there hasn’t been a ransom call, which is usually the case when one of us is taken. This isn’t the first time this has happened. We have numerous enemies; in this world, you actually only have enemies. If you do have friends, you’re either very lucky or incredibly naive. My only friend is Luca. The only one I trust with the lives of my family is Luca – no one else.

“Christopher, what’s up?” I smile as he glares at me with long strands of his hair plastered around his filthy face.

“Fuck you!”

“So touchy, man!” I tease.

Loosening his cuffs, I haul him up by his collar and force him to lie face-down on the concrete floor beside the cot. His body is fragile and limp. His arms and legs barely protest.

One arm’s cuffed, and the other’s restrained beside the length of his body by Luca, who’s on his haunches.

After grabbing my Swiss knife out of my pocket, I flick it open and tear his t-shirt in half, baring his back. I slide the tip of the blade down his spine, leaving an angry red trail.

“Wait! Stop,” he stutters, jerking against us. “What are you doing?”

“Time for talking is gone,” Luca answers and nods to me.

I press my knife into his shoulder blade, causing him to howl in misery while crimson spills down his side. I carve letters: ‘W’ then an ‘E’. His skin tears open, and blood streams out while I use his back as my canvas. My knife is razor sharp, and I clench my jaw in concentration.

His screams jump around in the desolate room while I finish carving two words into his back, cramming my knees into his lower back to keep him somewhat still.

I inspect my handiwork proudly, presenting it to Luca with a wave of my hand.

“Perfect, Rembrandt,” he mocks, eyeing my words, ‘WE KNOW’, then fisting Christopher’s hair, stretching his neck as he pulls his head back in one swift tug.

Saliva dribbles down his chin as he splutters his objection.

Luca says through clamped teeth, “Tell Sal that we know he has John. That he has our money and our drugs. That he abused Camilla. That he implanted a device in her.”

I lean down to Christopher and add, “Tell him he’s made an enemy of the Chicago Syndicate and that when I finally deal with him – when he’s worthy of me and my men’s time, I’ll destroy him and anyone he cares about. I’ll fucking gut his wife and kids in front of him, and I’ll make him eat their insides. He’s pushed us too far.”

Luca cocks his head, displaying an entertained expression. He always laughs at my talent for the dramatic, and I motion for him to knock Christopher unconscious because his pathetic wails are aggravating me.

He wraps his fingers around his gun that’s stashed in the back of his pants and hits Christopher’s temple twice with its butt.

Instantly, he’s out.

“We’re taking care of this personally, not the lower ranking soldiers. It’s war now,” Luca comments as we rise.

“Then we need another car. I’m guessing you want to drop him off at the back entrance of Club 7?”

“Do we have any cars here now?” he asks.

“We have a BMW e30 with tinted windows. We’ll take that one.”

“I’ll park my Maserati in the warehouse and pick it up later. Let’s load this fucker into the back seat of the beamer.” Luca points to Christopher’s shoulders for me to grab him as he picks up his legs.

***

Luca speeds the BMW down the street toward Club 7 in the Loop with me in the back seat. The tires screech against the curb, coming to a stop right in front of the colossal doors at the back entrance of the club.

Still out cold, Christopher’s stashed behind the passenger seat.

I take the edges of the black ski mask and pull it over my head.

Luca speaks hurriedly. “The entrance is opening.”

I look up to see it sliding open, and I throw open the door of the BMW, kicking Christopher out so his body rolls onto the sidewalk, bumping to a stop at the step in front of the entrance.

“Go!” I yank the door shut before the person behind the entrance notices us, and Luca hits the gas.

The car swerves on the road, causing me to skate over the sleek leather seat.

“Rallenta!”
Slow down!

I snatch the mask off and grip the handle attached to the roof of the car as Luca races out of the Loop.

We’ve just instigated the official commencement of the war between Chicago’s drug syndicate and Chicago’s sex cartel.

***

Friday night, I’m in my tuxedo, complete with black tie and a new haircut. They’ve cut it short on the sides, and the top is still long and messy because I’m used to raking my hands through my hair.

I’m required to attend one of Alessa’s elaborate parties tonight. Rosalia is turning twenty-one, and it’s being celebrated at the Plaza. Alessa and James always demand Luca and me to be present, but it’s also a business opportunity for Security Simplicity to get introduced to new investors and a beneficial media event. We need to find new legitimate companies to purchase our security software, especially now with the financial difficulties plaguing SS.

The driver Alessa arranges for me picks me up at my loft at seven p.m.

A beautiful Spanish model is accompanying me. We’ve been together at these events before, and I did fuck her once. Or twice? I don’t remember. She’s lovely but an airhead. And her name is Milla – which is short for Camilla in Italian, but it’s actually her full name. Everything always comes back to Cam.

It’s been five days since I last saw Cam in the kitchen at headquarters, but I’ve known her exact itinerary the entire time. And I’ve gone to The Blackhall to watch her exit Luca’s penthouse, because I can’t stay away indefinitely. When I haven’t seen her for too long, I get restless beyond reason. Although her face and her voice are embedded in my memory, locked in a part only she has access to, my body can’t handle knowing where she is and not being able to lay eyes on her or speak to her.

Karma’s a bitch. When I had Cam, I did everything to push her away, but she still wanted me. Now I want her, and she wants me, but it’s forbidden, making it even more intolerable to resist. The forbidden is what a man covets most – especially when he’s already had a taste.

***

Holding open the door for my date, I motion for her to exit the limo as I light a cigarette. She smiles seductively and offers her hand. Reluctantly, I accept it, and we stroll over the red carpet.