Tipping Point Page 16

  Worried that I might leave permanent scuffs on my hardwood floor, I went to my bedroom where I dropped to one knee in front of my nightstand. I pulled open the second drawer and pushed aside a couple of random items, like a pair of socks, a box of condoms, and an old tie. In the back corner, tucked right against the rear panel of the drawer, was a velvet navy blue jewelry box. I pulled it out and ran my thumb over the soft fabric.

  It had been a long time since I looked at the ring. Maybe six months or so. Maybe even longer. I’d bought it years ago when Izzy and I were together, before we realized how hard it would be to maintain a relationship while following through with our roles within the syndicate.

  I popped open the box and stared down at the diamond ring inside. It was everything I knew Izzy would love. It was simple but radiant, with sharp lines and a halo diamond that lent the jewel a sort of strong femininity—just like Izzy. Strong and hard but soft all at the same time.

  It caught the sunlight streaming through the windows as I rotated it between my thumb and forefinger. Dazzling beams of light reflected off the diamond and bounced off my walls, creating little slivers of rainbows all over the place.

  I had decided to talk to Joe about my suspicions. He was going to rip my fucking head off, but I had to know if Marco acted alone. Something didn’t match up. Marco was a puppet far more than a puppet master. I just couldn’t shake the fucking idea that there was more to it. Joe was involved, or Adam Cooper was. Both ideas were plausible, though the former one made me sick to my stomach.

  If she and I survived my confrontation with Joe, the time might finally be right for me to get down on one knee and ask her the one fucking question I’d always dreamed of asking. The one question that, up until a few days ago, I thought I would never be able to ask.

  This shit with Joe would be our last trial. If we could make it through this, I knew we could make it through anything. And maybe I was wrong.

  “God, I hope I’m fucking off. I hope he kicks my ass for even asking such a stupid thing.”

  I’d known Joe my whole fucking life. I knew him better than I knew myself half the time. And I knew something was off. When the empire starts crumbling, the Emperor doesn’t simply sit behind his throne and do nothing. Joe was hanging back. He was putting up walls between himself and his enemies—and his family. He thought he was playing us all for the fool, but I knew better than that.

  My dark thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing in my pocket. I snapped the little blue box closed and tucked it safely back in the drawer while silently promising myself I would find the chance to propose to the woman I loved.

  I fished my phone out of my pocket as I got to my feet and then lowered myself down to sit on the edge of my bed. The call was from Zak.

  “Zak?” I asked. “Everything all right?” I had become so accustomed to things going wrong that this was how I answered almost all business calls now.

  “Your sister just came running into my office,” Zak said. “The Kallups were just seen down at the docks, and by the sounds of things, I think they’re cleaning up all their shit. Clean sweep, man. Thought you ought to know.”

  “Fuck,” I growled. “I’m on my way.”

  “Cat left, too.”

  “You let her go down there on her own?”

  “She didn’t give me much of a choice. She was out the door before—”

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry. I’m leaving now. Thanks for the heads-up.”

  I grabbed my leather jacket on my way out the door and was hopping on my bike less than two minutes after getting off the phone. I pulled on my helmet, revved the engine, and tore out of the driveway, hellbent on catching those Kallup fuckers before they managed to erase their presence from the docks.

  When I drove down the docks, Cat was already there. She was sitting on a bench, her phone in her hands, the wind blowing her hair across her face. She swept it out of the way as she looked up at me, and I stopped the bike a few feet away. I swung my leg over and took my helmet off as I walked toward her.

  “Too late,” Cat grumbled and stood, tucking her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. “I thought I might be able to get down here and at least catch a few pictures of them packing up, but—”

  “Are you fucking crazy?” I asked, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a shake. “Those fuckers wouldn’t hesitate to gun you down if they caught you.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me and shrugged out of my grip. “Don’t be such a worry wart. I wouldn’t have let them see me.”

  Annoyed with my sister taking a foolish risk and pissed that the Kallups had managed to get all their shit out of their warehouse, I dropped down onto the bench and rubbed at my eyes with the heels of my palms.

  Cat sat down beside me. “Do you think they went back to California?”

  “Who fucking knows?” I sighed.

  “Will they be back?”

  I glanced over at my sister and shrugged as gulls flew overhead and screeched like idiots. “I sure as hell hope so. I have a few rapes, murders, and torture sessions to repay them for. I’ll have everyone keeping their eyes open for them. If those assholes ever set foot in this town again, they’re dead.”

  Cat nodded and chewed the inside of her cheek.

  I nudged her arm with my elbow. “Hey. You holding up okay?”

  My sister nodded, then shook her head. “It’s weird. I mean. I hate him, but I don’t, you know? I think I’m just confused and need some time to sort through it all. I just wish there had been more red flags.”

  I scratched the back of my neck and blew out a breath. “You know Marco is most likely dead, right?”

  “Yeah, I know.” She shrugged. “It’s life and death for us all the time though, right? People come and go. Eventually, it will be our turn. I just hope we still have a lot of time left before that day. A lot of good time left. I’m tired of it always being toxic fucking bullshit, day in and day out. I want better. I want better for you, too, D.”

  I chuckled and dropped down on the bench, Cat following suit. I draped my arm over the back of the bench and leaned closer to her. “If we make it out of this mess, it will get better. I promise.”

  “What does that mean?” Cat arched an eyebrow. She studied me with calculating eyes, the way only women managed to do, and then cocked her head to the side. “Does it have something to do with you and Izabella, perhaps?”

  “Damn, nothing gets past you, hey?”

  “Of course not. I’m your big sister. I catch everything.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I grinned sheepishly. “Izzy messaged me this morning. She’s on her way back from Cali right now.”

  “And? That’s not exactly what I was asking. Don’t play coy with me, Demetri.”

  “All right. Cool your jets. Listen, if things calm down over the next little while, I think I’m ready for a commitment. A real commitment.”

  “Good.” Cat smiled.

  “Good?” I asked incredulously. “I thought you were going to give me a piece of your mind. You’ve always hated Izzy. Or have you forgotten?”

  Cat shook her head and looked out ahead of us at the water and the gulls flying overhead. “I never hated her, per se. I hated the idea of her.”

  “What the fuck does that even mean, sis?”

  Cat laughed and shrugged like she knew how confusing it was. “I just never wanted you to love someone or something so much that you’d do literally anything for them. Especially when those things you would do are dangerous. I thought for a long time that she jeopardized your safety, D. That’s all.”

  “And you think I’d do that? Do literally anything for her, no matter what?”

  Cat shot me a flat look. “You already do.”

  “Within reason.”

  “No, D. There’s no reason between the two of you. But I think I’m past thinking there needs to be. She’s good for you, and you’re good for her. I think you’ve both saved each other more times than you’ve risked each other. Does that make sen
se?”

  “Strangely, yes. It does.”

  Cat smiled and ran her hands down her thighs. She sighed and leaned back against the bench to tilt her face up to the cloudy sky. “Remember how nice it was when we were kids? Before all this shit with the Castalettas?”

  “Barely. Seems like a lifetime ago now.”

  “I know. I miss it. I miss Momma. I miss what having a real family felt like.”

  “You have a real family, Cat,” I said, grabbing her hand. “Me, Drake, Izzy, Sicily. We’re all your family. None of that ever has to change.”

  Cat gave me a sad smile. “I know I have you guys. And you have me. But that’s not what I meant. I meant a family where everyone sits together at the dinner table and talks about boring, normal, everyday life stuff. Like getting the kids ready for school or complaining about their shitty boss.” She laughed and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking it out so it fell down her back. “I know it’s silly, but I miss being young and listening to Momma and Papa before… all of this.”

  I squeezed my sister’s hand. “It’s not silly.”

  And it wasn’t, but what I didn’t have the heart to tell her was that we would never have a time like that again.

  We were in a syndicate. There was truly only one way out.

  Death.

  24

  Marcus

  Kadia was just as impressive as I remembered it. There was a reason it was one of the hottest spots in New York City for young crowds to come together to dance, drink, and partake in some recreational drugs. I knew it was a hot spot for Zandra, the sex drug that was sweeping the nation, but damn, this place was hopping.

  “You’ve heard of Zandra?” Cole asked.

  I nodded. “Who hasn’t in the circles we run in?”

  “Fair enough,” Cole agreed.

  We stopped at the main bar, which was a long, sprawling impressive structure along the front wall of the club. The back of the bar was mirrored shelving that reflected light between bottles of alcohol. It gave it an almost majestic glow. The designers had known what the fuck they were doing when they built this place.

  The bartender, a young guy with messy hair and a narrow waist, poured us each a rum and coke and slid it across the bar for us. We took our drinks, and Cole led me away from the bar and across the dance floor. As we walked a lap around the place, we talked business.

  “So this Nathaniel guy,” I started, “why are we going to him first?”

  Cole took a swig of his drink and answered without looking at me. “He and Erik Bertinelli have a lot of history. Some good, a lot of it bad. He used to work for Fredrick, but he flipped back to the Bertinellis recently. He’ll know where she is, and he’ll operate as a middleman.”

  “And you think he’ll be willing to tell us where she is?”

  “For the right price. Sure.”

  “And that would be?”

  “The full amount Fredrick owes to Erik. Not a penny shy. Hell, we’ll be lucky if it’s not more.”

  Cole had called Nathaniel shortly before we arrived at Kadia and asked him to meet up with us there. We were early by a half hour or so but had managed to kill time walking through the place and shooting the shit. Cole was a straight shooter. Well, as straight as they come in this neck of the woods. I somewhat trusted what he was telling me. Besides, what fucking choice did I have?

  “Here he is,” Cole said under his breath when a dark-haired, muscular guy who walked like he had a chip on his shoulder crossed the dance floor and climbed the few stairs up to the VIP balcony where we stood. “By the way, Erik thinks I’m a member of his camp. Don’t blow that shit right now.”

  “What?” I struggled to take a breath. How the fuck was this guy going to drop a bomb like that on me? Shit.

  Nathaniel was younger than I was expecting. His eyes were dark blue and had an edge that promised he had seen a lot—and done a lot—in his day. His jaw was set when he reached out to shake Cole’s hand, and then his gaze slid to me. He extended his hand, and I shook it.

  “Nathaniel,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

  “Marcus Blaine,” I responded monotonously.

  Nathaniel smiled and slipped his hands into his pockets. “You’re looking well fed, Cole. Like a damn show pony. Fredrick’s paying you well?”

  “Fuck off,” Cole retorted beside me, putting his drink down on the table behind us. “Where’s the girl?”

  “Coy bastard.” Nathaniel grinned. “Where’s the money?”

  “Showing up with all the cash seemed like a sure-fire way to get fucked up the ass,” Cole said.

  Nathaniel shrugged, and I decided that I didn’t like him. He was arrogant, yet unsure of himself. He was too young to be trying to hold his own against me. He just didn’t know that yet. I stepped forward, and the kid’s gaze snapped over to me.

  “How do we get her back?” I asked. I didn’t have time to fuck around. I was here to get a job done, and the sooner I got the girl back to her father, the sooner I could go back to Chicago.

  “You pay up everything old man Freddy owes my boss. Every fucking cent. It’s really not a difficult concept. Surely, you understand it, Marcus. You borrow from the mob, you pay the mob back. Not too complicated.”

  I wanted to narrow my eyes at the pompous little prick but knew it would do no good. “How do we know she’s safe? He’s not going to give you the cash unless he knows she’s alive.”

  “Oh, she’s alive all right.” Nathaniel chuckled.

  “What does that mean?” Cole hissed beside me. I put my hand on his chest as he stepped forward. It seemed as though this felt personal to him. I wondered dimly if he cared for this Aria girl. She was far too young for him, but if he’d worked for her family for a long time, I could understand how a situation like this might be… frustrating. He’d better chill out, or this Nate character was going to get the idea that Cole was running both sides of the fence.

  “It means she’s alive,” Nathaniel said simply.

  “She’s not being hurt?” Cole pressed.

  “Only a little bit,” Nathaniel said. Cole snarled, and I pressed his chest harder as Nathaniel laughed and held up his hands. “Relax, Seabiscuit, relax. She’s fine. She’s just getting fucked a lot. But she likes it. She’s a damn vixen, that girl. Does Freddy know his daughter is a generous little slut?”

  Cole leaned back to pluck his drink from the table at his back. Perhaps I was reading too far into him. He didn’t seem to care that the girl was getting fucked. He just wanted to ensure she wasn’t being tortured. Mind you, torture could be a different definition in her mind. I didn’t give a shit either way. I just needed to get her back to her father with her head still attached to her shoulders. I didn’t care what condition her pussy or her ass was in.

  “How long do we have to get the money together?” Cole asked.

  “No more than three weeks. Tops. The longer you take, the more she does. Get it?” Nate winked and then laughed. “I’m just fucking with you guys. She’s a trooper. Most women like it in the ass or the pussy. Not both, you know? But this girl?” Nathaniel paused to shake his head in wonder. “This sweet little tart is getting it in both. A lot.”

  “We’ll get in touch with you when we have the money,” I said.

  “Sounds good, big guy,” Nathaniel said, pulling his hands out of his pockets and turning back to the stairs. “You tell Freddy to hurry up with that cash, or he won’t recognize his baby girl when he gets her back. If she even wants to go back.” We could hear him chuckling as he went down the stairs and crossed the dance floor to slip out of the club and out onto the street.

  “Fuck,” Cole growled. “I’m not sure when that fucker decided working with the enemy was a good idea. He used to be completely loyal to Fredrick.”

  “Sounds to me like the Bertinellis won him over.” I shrugged. “Little shit is almost too big for his britches.”

  “You can say that again. He knows they have the upper hand.” Cole sighed. “Come on. Let’s
go tell Fredrick their conditions. He’ll need all the time he can get to scramble the cash.”

  I followed Cole down the stairs. “Does he even have the money he needs?”

  Cole didn’t answer, and that was telling enough.

  Fredrick wasn’t going to be able to buy his daughter back. We needed another solution. Son of a fucking bitch. Why the hell did D want me involved in this shit?

  Maybe because I’ve done it all before?

  We met up with Fredrick back at his mansion. Luckily, he wasn’t out in the solarium like last time. Grateful for the cool temperature of his backyard patio, I settled down into a chair and accepted a glass of whiskey on the rocks from the butler. He bowed and left the three of us to our business discussion.

  Fredrick turned to me. His expression was tight, his skin was pale, and his hands were trembling. He’d had a long day and had probably been at the cusp of losing his fucking mind while he waited for Cole and me to come back.

  “Tell me what he said,” Fredrick pleaded. I felt for the bastard, but I loathed how weak he was. At a time like this, a man had to stand his ground.

  I glanced at Cole, who nodded for me to continue. “He has given you three weeks to get the money you owe him together and pay it in full. If you fail to do so, they have no intention of giving your daughter back.”

  “She’s alive?”

  “Yes. That’s what we were told. He brought no proof, but Cole and I believe him.”

  “Why? How can you be sure?”

  “I’m watching them closely, Fredrick. You know this.” Cole seemed far more calm than his words let on.

  I was no fool. I had no intention of telling Fredrick his daughter was getting fucked left, right, and center. No way in hell was I going to deliver that news. Besides, it wasn’t important. Not right now. And there was always the chance that the girl was having a good time, as Nathaniel said.

  Can you say Stockholm syndrome?

  “You’re right, but please tell me again that you’re sure she’s alive. She’s all I have left besides my business.” Fredrick glanced at me, and I gave him nothing. He looked back to Cole.