No Greater Loyalty (4 page)

Raven smiled before turning to leave. She was almost out of the room when Hawk's voice caused her to pause.

"Do you need any help? Relaxing, I mean? I've been told I'm very good at that."

Raven stood with her back to them, straight and stiff, so tempted to return to the table, grab her cup of coffee, and throw it in his obnoxious face, but she refused to let him provoke her any more than he already had. When she told him that he and his family would get what was coming to them, she meant every word.

Her boss, the new District Attorney, was not like his predecessor. The Pattels couldn't bribe Jeffery Mills to look the other way while they continued to go about business as usual. He was determined to clean up the streets...starting with Hawk's family. What the Pattels didn't know was that Raven's office had found a chink in their armor, a way in. It was only a matter of time before their operation fell to its feet like a flimsy stack of cards.

She turned slightly, her lips twisted in a suggestive smirk that hinted she knew something he didn't. The amusement left Hawk
’s eyes. He squinted as if trying to figure out exactly what that look she gave him was all about. A wary expression settled on his face, and as fleeting as it was, Raven saw it. She released a low breath. The playing field had just been leveled somewhat.

Finally
, she said to herself as she walked out without addressing his silly comment.
It's about time.

CHAPTER 5

Angel stared after Raven for several seconds. He'd also seen the look she'd given Hawk and made a mental note to suggest Lucas and Hawk contact one of their sources in the D.A.'s office where Raven worked. His sister-in-law was up to something. It behooved them to stay on top of it and shut it down ASAP.

His eyes went to Nikki. Angel sensed rather than saw her anger. She wouldn't show it now; that wasn't how things were done, but Angel was sure he would hear about it later when it was just the two of them. If she pushed the issue, Angel had no problem sharing his feelings with her on the subject of her little sister.

Eyes now glacier cool, Angel turned to Dominick and the Pattel brothers. "If all of you are about ready, we can go upstairs and get started. We have a lot to cover."

Lucas and Hawk thanked Nikki for the meal, and then walked past her to join Angel.

Dom leaned down to kiss Keisha. "See you in a bit."

He was following Angel, Lucas, and Hawk out of the room when Keisha called his name. Dom stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"I...I...um..." Keisha cleared her throat to get rid of the nervous tremble she heard. Now that the moment had arrived, Keisha found herself more nervous than she thought she would be. "I'm going with you. To...to the meeting."

All four men turned fully towards Keisha and stared at her with identical expressions of confusion on their faces, but Keisha kept her eyes on her husband.

Dom's face gradually darkened. "You what?"

For a second, Keisha's confidence waned, but she raised her chin and squared her shoulders, her stance defiant. "I said I'm going with you, Dominick. I think I have a right to know exactly what's going on."

Angel's sigh was a sharp hiss of air. His patience already thin, he trained his annoyance on Dominick, his displeasure evident. "We don't have time for this."

Continuing to hold Keisha in the suffocating grip of his gaze, Dominick grunted through stiff lips, "I'll be up in a minute."

The room became utterly quiet. Angel stared at Dominick for a full ten seconds. The air around them was positively frigid. Slowly cutting his eyes away from his brother, Angel walked past Lucas and Hawk without a word, leaving them to follow.

Anyone who knew him, was aware that he hated to be kept waiting, found it even more irritating when it was over some bullshit like this. Women who didn't know their place was something he didn't tolerate, especially when it came to his business.

Yes, his wife was the most precious thing in this world to him, but she'd finally come to terms with the way things worked in his life. She might not like it and still found it hard to hold her tongue at times...but she was learning. It would serve his brother well to start teaching Keisha those same lessons.

"Excuse me, I'll give you two some privacy," Nikki started to leave but Dominick stopped her.

"No need, Nikki, this will only take a second."

Nikki looked from Dom to Keisha, her expression conveying her sympathy for both of them, especially Keisha. Nikki wasn't sure how much Keisha knew about Dominick’s time behind bars, but something told her it wasn’t a lot and it wasn’t her place to enlighten her.

As Dom stared at Keisha, he tried his best to suppress the claw of anger scratching away at his gut. He couldn't let that happen because if it did, if he let his temper win and have free rein, hurtful words would be hurled at his wife that he couldn't take back, and he didn't want to do that.

What pissed him off more than anything was that he hadn't followed his first instinct. When Keisha mentioned she was coming with him, something told him that she had an ulterior motive behind her decision, but he'd let himself get sidetracked by her tears. She'd manipulated him, and it didn't sit well with him at all.

"You planned this." His voice was low and controlled. Too controlled.

Keisha swallowed and shook her head.

"You stood in our bedroom, crying like your world was coming to an end, while all along the entire act was a lie."

Keisha's stomach plummeted to her feet. "It wasn’t. A lie, I mean. Not exactly. I do want to talk to Nikki, but..." Eyes full of desperation pinged towards her sister-in-law then bounced back to her husband. She faltered when she encountered Dominick's unwavering glare. "Dom, try to understand this from my point of view."

"Oh, I understand, alright. You lied to me and you're making it worse by standing there and dragging the lie on. Do you think I'm stupid, Keisha?"

Keisha shook her head and took a step towards him. "No, Dominick, of course I don't."

"Good, because I want you to listen to me and listen closely. Don't ever pull a stunt like this again. I thought you knew by now that shit doesn't work with me."

Keisha drew back, both brows raised at his use of profanity. Her eyes blazed a slow, scathing trail over him from head to toe and back up again. "
Really
, Dominick?"

Dom's temper snapped. "Let me be blunt because it seems like that's what it's going to take to get through to you. Bottom line is if you can't be the woman I need you to be for me right now, if you can
’t support me, trust me, defer to the decisions I make then we have a problem."

Keisha's body trembled, chilled to the bone by the detachment in his voice. And did he just say
defer
? "Exactly what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means when it comes to this particular situation, you need to accept the fact that there's not an equal balance of power here.  I don't need you to question and fight me at every turn, and I sure as hell don't need you disrespecting me the way you did a few minutes ago!"

"I didn't..."

"What would you call it then?" Dom's anger was too far-gone for him to acknowledge the hurt brimming in her eyes.

He was beyond furious and could feel himself ready to go off. Before that happened, he needed to put some space between them. Turning to leave, he stopped several steps from the doorway then paused to direct a look towards her.

"You know me, Keisha. You know you can only push me so far. Please don't make the mistake of thinking you control me. We straight on that, baby?"

Keisha refused to let go of her pride. Arms folded tight, she wouldn't even look at him, but it was clear Dom wasn't leaving until he got an answer.

"Keisha?"

Obstinance radiating from her every pore, she shifted from one foot to the other before finally mumbling something that sounded close to an affirmative acknowledgment.

Fully facing her now, Dom cocked his head and waited. He wanted to hear the words.

Keisha's eyes flashed as she reluctantly met his stare with a petulant glower of her own. They stood that way until she gave in and blurted out, "Fine, Dominick! I said fine, okay? I understand!"

Jaw tightening at her snappy tone, Dom's lips parted to fling an acidic reply at her, but he pulled the words back at the last minute. Keisha was aware of the restraint he used to do it, too. Her eyes widened before her lashes fluttered and lowered. Seconds later, though, she lifted her gaze and defiantly mugged him in return, refusing to stand there like a...a cowering
idiot
.

Before he left the room, Dom's eyes swept over her once more, his expression all but promising that they
would
continue this later on in private.

Watching his retreating back as he walked away, Keisha didn't allow herself to exhale until he'd disappeared from sight. Dead silence settled between her and Nikki. Chaotic thoughts ricocheted off every corner of Keisha's mind as she realized the damage she'd caused by giving in to her impulsive nature.

Jerra and Aleesha were always telling her that she needed to think, long and hard, before she opened her mouth because once the words were gone, it was too late to take them back.

Humph.
They
were ones to talk. But still...

Dammit, Keisha!

Her cheeks ballooned out as she released a long breath. Seeking Nikki's eyes, she whispered, "I messed up, didn't I?"

Sighing regretfully, Nikki nodded in agreement. "Yes. I'm afraid so."

CHAPTER 6

"Sorry about that." Dom's voice was gruff as he entered Angel's office. He sat down in the burgundy leather clad chair in front of Angel
’s desk, ignoring the irritated look his brother directed towards him and asked, "What ya’ got?"

Hawk, who was standing a few feet away texting on his phone, glanced up and sent Dom a smirk intended to provoke a reaction. "Sure we don't have to wait on your wife to join us?" Shaking his head, he lowered his eyes back to his phone.

Dom leveled a freezing look his way. "What did you say?"

A grin twisted across Hawk's mouth. "Hey, I'm just goin' by what she said. Thought she
told
you she would be sitting in on this." He looked around the room. "Am I right or am I right?"

Dom slowly stood up. "Let's clear the air about something. You don't know me like that, alright? You do not wanna fuck with me when it comes to anything regarding my wife."

Hawk chuckled under his breath, causing the anger to burn in Dom's eyes more fiercely. Lucas, who sat in a chair identical to Dom's, gave his brother a quieting stare, silently communicating to him that this was not the time.

Hawk held Lucas's gaze then shrugged. Looking at Dom, he said, "My bad, bruh."

Everyone heard the insincerity in his apology, such as it was. Dom's gaze raked over Hawk before dismissing him altogether. When he sat back down, Lucas passed a folder to him.

"What's this?" Dom asked.

"It's a complete dossier on Melania Cruz, her family, and her dealings. She's very good at what she does, runs a sophisticated business. To give you an idea of how brilliant a mind she has, after she took over from her father, she practically tripled the profits her organization brings in. And she did it in a little over a year."

Dom had been silently reading the information while Lucas talked. Seeing a dollar figure in the report, he whistled under his breath. "Damn. That's a hellified monthly sum she brings in."

Lucas shook his head. "That's not monthly. Daily."

Dom's brow lifted. "Damn," he said again.

Angel clipped the end off of a cigar. "Melania's high tech. As Lucas stated, the Juarez cartel is one of the most sophisticated drug and arms dealing organizations in the world. Early on, Melania was smart enough to reinvest their profits in areas like state of the art labs as well as legitimate businesses that enabled them to become a financial powerhouse. They own private planes that allow them to fly their product directly into the United Sates. Right up under the authorities’ noses, I might add."

"They even own an island off the coast of Jamaica so that the planes can stop and refuel before continuing on if needed. As I said, the woman's brilliant," Lucas reiterated.

Still typing on his phone, Hawk moved his head from side to side and let out a deep chuckle. "Listen to you two. You sound like you actually admire the psycho bitch."

Angel lit his cigar, puffing on it several times before blowing out a cloud of smoke. "In a way, I do. Melania's very intelligent. We would be fools to underestimate her. However, she's letting her power go to her head, starting to think she's invincible." Angel brought the cigar to his lips again then slowly released several rings of smoke into the air. "She's getting ready to be reminded she's anything but."

Dom closed the folder and sat back. "So what's the plan? If she has all of this money and power behind her, how are we going to get to my son?"

"That's where Lucas comes in." Hawk slipped his phone into his pocket and looked at Dom. "He and Melania have been casual fuck buddies for years, whenever the situation presents itself. Right, big brother?" He grinned teasingly at Lucas.

Dom divided his attention between Lucas and Angel. He knew Angel used to be involved with her as well. "So...you two shared her or what?"

Angel and Lucas exchanged amused glances. "Something like that. As Hawk said, Lucas still takes a dip in the pool from time to time."

Lucas's smile grew. "Hey, is it my fault she likes me better than you?"

The corner of Angel's mouth curved upwards, his green eyes clearly displaying his amusement. "Out of respect for my wife, I refuse to even go there, Pattel. Suffice it to say, Melania
’s weakness for you is one of the vulnerable spots on the belly of the beast that will help contribute to her downfall."

Hawk nodded in agreement. "Yeah, for sure she's a dangerous woman, just as dangerous, or more so, than any man I know. She's responsible for either killing or ordering the execution of hundreds of people, but behind closed doors she's just like every other red-blooded woman I've ever known. Lucas is in the position to get up close..." He glanced at his brother and sent him a lecherous grin. "And personal with Melania. He can give us the inside track on her and work on getting your son, Dom."

"And that's all that matters, right, Nick?" The voice that asked the question from the doorway was deep with affection.

They all turned as Oscar Muniz, Angel
’s closest friend and advisor, walked into the room. Standing just under six feet tall and in his early sixties, Oscar was still a good-looking man with naturally tanned skin that was virtually smooth and unlined.

Dom stood up to greet Oscar with a hug. "Right. Good to see you, Oscar."

"You as well, son." Placing a hand on Dom's shoulder, Oscar searched Dom's face. "How are you holding up?"

"Hangin' in there, you know?"

Oscar patted Dom's cheek with a weathered hand. After greeting Lucas and Hawk, he sat down on the corner of Angel's desk.

Dom looked at his brother. "Angel, exactly how do you plan on getting close enough to infiltrate Melania
’s organization?"

Angel leaned back in his chair. Flicking the ashes from his cigar into an ashtray on his desk, he was silent for a few seconds before nodding to Lucas to give Dom an answer.

Stretching his long legs out in front of him, Lucas said, "We have a connection close to the cartel who's siphoning information our way."

Dom frowned. "Who? And how do you know we can trust him? From what I've gathered about Melania's people, they're very loyal to her."

Lucas's tone was full of cynicism. "The promise of power and wealth is a powerful aphrodisiac for a lot of people. Our contact always felt he should’ve been the one to eventually take the place of Melania's father. Now that the opportunity has presented itself, he's taking it. Make no mistake, he's loyal to no one but himself."

Still pacing, Dominick asked, "And you're just trusting him on his word alone? What if it's a trap?"

He could see from Lucas' expression and body language that he was insulted by having his judgment questioned, but Dominick was a man who had always spoken his mind. He wasn't about to stop doing that now.

Hawk's eyes narrowed. "Look, Dominick, no disrespect but you don't need to be concerned with that. If my brother says it's been taken care of, then it has."

Dominick frowned. He didn’t appreciate being told what to think. He stopped in front of Hawk and shot him a quelling glare. "Not that I was talking to you, but I think I'm well within my rights to ask for some clarification without you getting all up in your feelings."

The silence in the room was deafening. Hawk had been leaning against the wall the entire time, but with a stare that was famous for being positively lethal, he stood upright, his stance tense as he eyed Dominick. "You need to back up. Now."

Dom's head tilted to the side, his eyes resurrecting the challenge the two men had issued to each other a few minutes ago. "You gonna make me, man?"

Angel held up a hand to put an end to the back and forth bickering. Both Dominick and Hawk were hotheaded and extremely stubborn. Neither would be the first to back down. If they didn
’t have more important business to handle, he’d let them fight it out and get it out of their systems, but that would have to wait until later.

"Alright, enough. What everyone needs to do is calm down." His eyes slid from Hawk to settle on his brother. "Just take a breath. Lucas has it under control, Nick. We've actually been in talks with our contact for some time now, but with this new development, we're escalating the plan along. As expected, Melania has erected extra protection around her and her family, but our source has sent photographs of all of the security points where men have been stationed. We have a team in place now who have confirmed this and have them under surveillance. Believe me, the information we've gotten would be tantamount to torture and execution if Melania ever found out about his betrayal. Of course we're proceeding with caution, but everything is on the up and up."

Dominick hesitated then looked at the Pattels and gave them a tight nod. He trusted his brother implicitly. If he vouched for this operation, Dominick didn't have a problem with it.

Staring at Dominick, the corners of Hawk's lips curved upward but the smile was obviously forced. "Chill, man. We're all on the same side here." He passed a small, black flash drive to Oscar who in turn gave it to Angel.

They waited as Angel inserted it into an open USB port on the laptop in front of him and clicked a few keys until an image popped up on the screen. He stared at it for several moments then looked at Hawk.

"Where did you get this?"

"We received it this morning via email. You can tell by the time stamp that it's from yesterday."

"What it is, Angel?" Dominick asked.

Instead of answering, Angel picked up the remote control on the desk and turned on the 70-inch plasma located on the far wall. After a couple more clicks of the mouse, the image on the computer became visible on the television screen.

Dominick inhaled a swift breath. He walked towards the television, his eyes trained on the pictures of the laughing boy he'd only found out existed last night.

"His name is Armando."

Dom's head swiveled around to Lucas, his eyes eager, hungry for anything he could find out about his son.

"Armando Alejandro Cruz," Lucas offered. "From what our contact has told us, he's an extremely intelligent child with a curious nature. He also has a tenacity and fearlessness reminiscent of Melania and Melania's father." Lucas paused before revealing the rest. "Supposedly, Melania is slowly grooming him to become comfortable in his role as the future head of the Juarez family."