Untraceable (44 page)

David shook his head, “Where are their
pants?”

“
All right, you can give
‘em back their pants and boxers.”

“
Boxers too?!”

“
They’re folded up on the
washer,” he said pointing to the double doors in the kitchen where
the washer and dryer were hidden. “But I’m not babysitting these
guys anymore if you’re giving them back their clothes.” Ryan
proceeded into the kitchen with no fan-fare as he started making
coffee and setting out cups.

Within five minutes the bosses were
dressed, although Micah made the difficult decision to leave them
handcuffed when the first thing out of their mouths was to get
their hands on Ryan and kill him—but he did at least separate
them.

Ryan had handcuffed them face-to-face,
left wrist to the other’s right and vice-a-versa, so they literally
had to assist the other with everything. One man could not have
what he wanted without giving into the other. If one wanted a sip
of coffee or a bite of food, the other had to allow it by leaning
in and lifting his arm toward the other man’s face.

Ryan felt he was fostering
cooperation; Micah felt he’d been busy writing his own death
sentence. How was he going to protect Ryan when this ended? Both
men had the reasons and the resources to have him shot. But no
matter what happened beyond this point he knew, whether David
believed it or not, he had made the right choice. No one else would
have had the balls to do what Ryan did, the bosses would have been
released, and Micah’s plan would have been ruined.

Both bosses were chewing
Micah and David up one side and down the other when Micah decided
to quiet both of them, “Caprizio is flying in at ten. He’ll decide
what I deserve for
not
killing you two.”

“
He’ll shoot you,” Moretti
stated emphatically.

“
No,” David spoke up, his
temper flaring, “but I guarantee he’ll shoot your bitch
daughter!”

“
My daughter had nothing
to do with this,” Moretti continued.

“
You’re absolutely right,”
Micah told him. “If this had gone according to her plan, you’d be
dead right now. And so would you,” he added looking at his
Boss.

“
I didn’t believe you when
you brought me here and I still don’t believe you!” Moretti
snapped. “I think this has simply been your plan for getting back
at her for shooting your wife last year!”

“
I tell you what,” Micah
said, rising from the table and looming over the angry, older man,
“if you still think I’m a liar when today is done, I’ll give you a
gun and you can shoot me yourself!” He banged down his coffee cup
and walked outside.

Vitale rose from the table and
returned to the master bedroom, slamming the door behind
him.

Botachelli held David in a solid
stare. “I believe Sharon is the root of what happened, but I don’t
know if I can forgive him for this,” he said, lifting his
handcuffed hands and cutting an angry glance at Ryan.

“
Boss,” David said with
all anger removed from his voice, “if he had asked you to step down
from the Family and go into hiding, even though it was only for a
week or two, would you have done it?”

“
You know I couldn’t. I’m
expected to be in power and be unchallenged. The only one above me
is the Capo dei Capi. To follow the orders of a soldier, and I
don’t care how valuable of a soldier he is, would make me look like
a subordinate. I can’t do that and stay in power.”

“
And that is why he didn’t
have a choice. I know you’re angry, and you have every right to
kill him, me, and Ryan, but this was the only plan of action he
could take—you didn’t have a choice and
that
doesn’t drop your authority or
power.”

Botachelli didn’t respond, but it was
evident by the expression on his face that he was considering
David’s words carefully.

CHAPTER thirty-four

Micah and David were both in place at
the small airport well ahead of Caprizio’s arrival. Micah didn’t
know how many men Caprizio would bring with him, but he was certain
there would be several—men with guns with live rounds, not tasers.
He didn’t trust Caprizio completely. It was possible that he had
plans to shoot him on sight and be done with this whole jumbled
affair. Micah wasn’t concerned about the number of guards, but
rather the number of soldiers he would bring. He knew Giovanni
would be among them, and he was a very dangerous and experienced
soldier. They would greet them with their weapons lowered, but they
would have them and they would see what Caprizio’s reaction would
be.

“
There they are,” David
said, giving Micah a tap to look toward the west.

Micah had been staring toward the
north east and didn’t see the small jet until David pointed it
out.

“
You think that’s
him?”

“
Bet you my bottom dollar
it is.”

The plane touched down and then taxied
to the end of the runway and turned around.

Micah was surprised that the plane
bore an Italian business name, La Parte Del Leone Securities and
Investments, but instantly he knew David was correct, “The Lion’s
Share,” Micah translated, “You’re right, that’s got to be
them.”

David grabbed the door handle in one
hand and his coil gun in the other when Micah stopped him.
“Something’s not right. We’re leaving the guns in the
car.”

“
The hell if I am,” David
growled.

“
You’ve got your Glocks
on—let’s leave these.”

“
But you said you didn’t
trust him.”

“
Why would he bring that
plane, David?”

“
Hell, I don’t know. Maybe
it’s a big friggin’ warning; like saying ‘Don’t jack with
me!’”

“
No—that’s his business
name. I guarantee he has other planes unmarked, but I get the
feeling that plane is a message.”

“
Okay, bro, then what’s
the message?”

“
He trusts us.”

“
Hmm,” David scoffed,
“maybe he figures we aren’t going to live long enough to tell
anyone. You know he’s got to have a shit-load of guards and
soldiers with him.”

“
Leave the guns. Come on,”
Micah got out and started walking toward the plane and David
reluctantly followed.

The stairs were lowered by what
appeared to be either the pilot or a flight assistant. The first
man to emerge looked directly at the approaching men and didn’t
look away. His face was set hard, and his jaw clinched tight. A
strange chill ran down Micah’s spine. He felt he’d seen this man
before, but yet he didn’t know him. He had to be Caprizio. Micah
watched him look away briefly, and then the angry expression melted
away as the man reached inside the doorway and offered his hand to
someone; Nadia appeared, and he began to guide her down the
steps.

Micah felt David preparing to take off
at a run for the plane, but he stopped him. “Hang in there brother,
hang in there,” he whispered as the couple descended. And then
Kimmy appeared, but she immediately saw David.

“
Daddy!” she yelled out,
bolting down the stairs.

There was no holding David back at
that point—a freaking semi-tractor couldn’t have held him back! He
was moving at top speed toward the little girl who had charged past
her mother and had her arms wide open.

He had Kimmy in his arms and off the
ground in a flash. He was kissing her cheek and telling her how
much he missed her, as she giggled and hugged his neck, saying
she’d missed him, too.

Micah watched Nadia’s careful reserve
as she released Caprizio’s hand and went to join the happy reunion.
Suddenly, he knew something was amiss. Nadia was no captive, she
knew Caprizio quite well. He swallowed hard as he looked at
Caprizio’s face—now he knew why he looked familiar; his wife bore a
striking resemblance to the man before him.

The Capo dei Capi
was
Leese’s
father.

And then Giovanni appeared, helping
Leese carefully down the stairs. His heart suddenly felt as if it
cracked wide open; he felt that same urge to run as had overtaken
David, but his was to turn and run away.

How could he tell her he was leaving
her? How could he admit that he’d slept with that wicked little
vixen? How could he stand still when she looked up and saw him? She
immediately choked up, big tears gushing down her face, but the
surprise of surprises was when she turned and buried her face
against Giovanni’s chest. His cracked heart crumbled to a thousand
pieces.

Giovanni was giving him a look of pure
disgust and hatred as he comforted her. Did he know? Did Sharon
tell him, and then he told Leese? He didn’t even realize that
Caprizio was now standing two feet away from him.

“
My daughter has done
nothing else other than to beg me not to kill you,” he said
reaching out quickly and gripping Micah by the throat. “Giovanni
told me about the little video of you and Sharon.”

Micah didn’t even react. He didn’t
even feel the incredible pressure Caprizio was applying to his
throat as he tried to make sense of what he’d just said.

“
If you ever treat my
daughter the way you treated that little whore,” he stated with his
volume rising,
“I’ll blow your fucking
head off!”

“
Dad stop!”
came Leese’s voice as she pulled his hand
away
.

“
Lee!”
Nadia snapped

Micah felt Leese’s arms slip around
his waist as she moved her body like a shield between them and held
on, tears continuing to pour out of her, the whole time she was
whispering, “I love you, Micah, I love you.”

He pulled her arms free and tipped her
chin up so he could see her face. “I can’t stay, Leese. You’re
never going to be safe as long as we’re together.”

Her forehead was spotted red from
crying so intensely; her brow furrowed, “Don’t say that. I know
what happened between you and—and her, but you love me. I know you
love me.”

The warm tears welled up on his bottom
lashes making her beautiful face hard to see, “You’re right. I love
you more than anything—that’s why I can’t stay. You and our son are
never going to be safe as long as I’m in your world. When this is
over, I love you enough to leave, Leese. You’ve always deserved so
much more, and I never deserved you.”

Caprizio hadn’t moved when she slipped
between them, but the expression on his face changed completely.
“Annalisa,” he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her ear, “Let me
talk to him.”

“
No,” she growled back,
“all you want is to see him leave. Can’t you get it through your
head that he’s my husband and that I love him? If you hurt him,
then you hurt me, too.”

“
I’m sorry,” Caprizio
apologized, “I didn’t mean to fly off the handle a minute ago.
Trust me, Annalisa. I need to talk to him—please.”

She reluctantly released her hold on
Micah as Caprizio took her arm and guided her to Giovanni. Once
again, he was comforting her which, to Micah, felt like placing a
jewel in a master thief’s hands for safekeeping.

“
Come with me for a
moment.”

David looked at him and shook his head
no, he didn’t appear comfortable with Micah walking away, unarmed,
with this man.

“
I’ll be fine,” he
reassured David and then they walked under the plane and to the
other side.

When they were far enough to be out of
hearing, Caprizio stopped him. “You really do love my daughter,
don’t you?”

“
More than my life,
sir.”

“
And you are telling her
you’re willing to walk away so she’ll be safe?”

“
Yes, sir. The mob won’t
interfere with her and my son if I’m gone.”

“
You’re wrong, Gavarreen.
I know you’re wrong because I made the same choice almost twenty
years ago. Nadia was pregnant, and I thought that by leaving I’d
keep the mob away from her and Leese. I thought I was being the
strong one by walking away. You know who the strong one was?” he
asked, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was about
to admit. He pointed toward Nadia and said, “She was. She raised
that baby without me, and she did a damn fine job, too.

“
Oh sure, I was in the
shadows, so proud of my ability to not be found. I wasn’t there for
her all the nights she cried herself to sleep wondering where the
hell I was. Nadia’s beautiful, just like Leese is beautiful. You
walk away and I guarantee there will be other men who will try to
sweep her off her feet; men the likes of Robert who will see an
opportunity to take advantage of a trusting young woman with money
and status. Look at me, Gavarreen,” he growled. “I’m admitting
something that rarely ever comes out of my mouth; I made a mistake.
You’re about to make the same one.

“
But I’ll tell you one
thing; you’d better be telling the truth about how much you love
her. I understand about Sharon’s games. Giovanni admitted she must
have had you by the fucking balls when he acted like he was going
to rape my daughter, but—”