“Then why even bother?”
I turn on her, wildly frustrated. “Because I couldn’t hear myself think over your damn complaining!”
“Oh, so you can actually use that head of yours? You know that you’ve just kidnapped me, right? You know what my brother will do to you now?”
“Probably give me a damn medal of honor for saving your life!”
She looks about ready to tear her hair out. “I told you, I had it handled. It’s over, done.”
It takes me a second to realize she’s not joking. It hits me out of nowhere, the bubble of laughter that is suddenly shaking through my entire body. I let it out, barking cruelly at her murderous expression.
“You really think this is over?” I finally manage to croak out. “You poked a fucking bear,belle.”
For the first time since she got off the motorcycle, she seems to hesitate. “What are you talking about?”
I take a long drag from my beer before pushing past her and out into the hall. Next to the front door is a basic surveillance setup equipped with a live video feed of the front of the house.
It only takes a couple of taps to show what now lies beyond the metal sheets of my front gates.
“Is…is that?” Isabella’s voice breaks off at the end.
No less than a dozen men in thick leather jackets wait outside the gate. Cartel men.
Some lean against bikes, others dare each other to climb the slick surface, while one tries to break apart the console on the gate. Not that they will get very far. This place is locked up like my own personal fortress.
When I look back at Isabella, it’s to find her looking far smaller than she was a moment ago.
“Did you seriously think they wouldn’t follow you?” I snap.
She looks at her feet, an oddly childish gesture. “I didn’t think they’d care that much.”
It would be easy for me to chastise her ignorance. God, even walking into a bar like that on a good day is unbelievably risky. But the cartel’s response this evening is a symptom of something beyond her control.
“Amos Rubio put a KOS on the Guild when he found out Giuliano Moretti was dead. Giuliano had been feeding the cartel information about us for months and it seems Rubio didn’t appreciate being cut off,” I explain.
“Is that why Rocco killed his father?”
I meet her eyes and shake my head. “No.Ikilled Giuliano Moretti.”
“You?” Isabella looks half inclined not to believe me.
I put a finger to my lips and wink before opening the front door.
“Where are you going?” she shouts after me.
“To clean up your mess,” I reply as I march forward. “Stay inside.”
“There are at least twelve of them!”
I turn so that I’m walking backward. “So if I die, my death can be on your hands.”
I spin back around before she can protest and head toward the main gate.
The property doesn’t have a huge footprint, but when the gates are open, you usually get a pretty nice view of Staten Island. On a nice day, even the Statue of Liberty can be spotted along the river.
But the reason I chose it was for the quieter, residential area and the millionaire neighbors who turn a blind eye to whatever you might be doing behind closed doors.
And, well, with the gates closed…
