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Nico stood back admiring the bike, running his hand through his hair in disbelief. "Wow. A MTT Turbine Streetfighter. Pretty exclusive!" He looked at me in shock, "I'm amazed." He shook his head as he circled the motorbike admiring it. "And impressed."
I laughed, "You don't have bad taste yourself." I nodded my head to the Ducati Desmosedici D16RR beside me. "I wouldn't leave that unattended around me if I were you."
"There's no fucken way you're getting any more of our garage!" he grinned, pulling me close and kissing the top of my head before letting me go.
Still laughing, I donned my helmet, thinking how much he reminded me of a bad boy in his black leather jacket. "See you soon, Muchacho Malo."
He waved, "I have no idea who or what that means, but I like it." He stood watching until I was out of eyesight.
You have no idea how much you'll like it.
As I left the parking lot and made my way down the hill, I felt lighter, happier. Nico was growing on me, and I didn't know what to think. I could easily see myself with a man like him. Things just came easy with him.
Not to mention he is easy on the eyes! No. Stop it Catalina, concentrate on what matters.
I gripped the bike handles tighter and turned my thoughts instead to what Nico had said. Knowing that the boys still had my back, in a round-about twisted way, made me more relieved than I thought it would. Whatever differences our families had, I knew I could get to the bottom of it, and we could work it out. I knew Nico would keep his promise to me, and I wondered what could be so bad that it would lead to bloodshed between our families.
Oh Nico… What a kiss. Warm. Tender. Safe.
The sound of a loud horn jolted me from my thoughts, and I looked to my right in time to see a bright light bearing down on me.
I froze, knowing there was nowhere for me to turn as the large vehicle barreled towards me.
So, this is how it was going to end.
This was how I die….
Chapter five
Luca
I rubbed the black grit between my fingertips in disgust as I looked around the remains of the warehouse.
The metal walls had scorch marks that reached the ceilings and most of the windows had shattered. The small amounts of contents in the warehouse that were not stolen, lay in smoldering piles on the cement floor. Nothing could be salvaged. Not the drugs, not the weapons, nor the various black-market items.
I stood, turning as the great metal doors screeched open and Darius Rivera accompanied by a dozen armed men entered the vast room. Stefan, head of our security, nodded, and our men spread out around us as Nico and Atlas came to stand beside me.
The rotund man stopped several yards before us and held his hands aloft. "Luca Dela Cruz, Nico Valentini and Atlas Papatonis. The infamous triad. It's been a long time since we last met."
I looked the old man over, noting his costly shoes, and custom-tailored suit with shiny black buttons that only just held his suit closed over his round stomach. The outfit was completed with a gold watch and golden cufflinks. He had definitely given himself a pay rise since we last met over ten years ago. He still had the same brown hair, albeit now thinning on top, with bits of grey showing at his temples, and with his bushy eyebrows, shining eyes, wide grin, and his rosy cheeks, he had an almost approachable aspect. If I didn't know any better, you could almost mistake him for a friendly man with his jolly nature, but we did know better.
His friendly demeanor was a facade, for a greedy man who would stop at nothing to get his hands on anything he could. Anything that would make him money so he could continue his lavish lifestyle. It was a wonder that Mateo even left his underground dealings to this man, who by reputation, did not have the capacity required for intricate negotiations.
I gave him a curt nod. "Darius. Yes, it has been a while. We have heard of Mateo's passing. I can imagine it has been hard for you, having lost your brother."
"Yes. It's been unfortunate indeed. Luckily, as his right-hand man, I know his dealings inside and out, and I will now be representing the Rivera family."
"I can see that." I paused, "Mateo had a daughter, did he not? What part does she play in the Rivera syndicate? Will she be your new right hand?"
Darius smiled knowingly, "It is true he has a daughter, but it is yet to be decided what part she will play, if at all. For now, though, I'm in charge." Darius looked around our scorched surroundings. "I see bad luck has befallen your triad too."
"Unfortunately, you are witnessing the work of a seriously deranged woman, who prefers to hide in the shadows than to step up with the big players."
Dairus chuckled, "I couldn't have worded it better myself, Luca. Tell me. For what reason have you brought me here?"
"We want to form a pact. The Phoenix is reaching beyond her boundaries, and she needs to be stopped."
"And why should we help you. We've never worked together when Mateo was alive. Why should we now?"
