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I don’t need to make out his face to see he’s in terrible shape. His legs sag, and he practically has to be carried out until he’s in front of a pair of headlights, illuminating his face.
His battered, bruised face. Alvarez goes to him, taking him by the hair and pulling his head back so I can get a good look. “Is this the man you were referring to? Frankie Morris?”
Once again, he surprised me. The man’s face is swollen, but I watched him long enough through that drone camera feed to see through the damage. “What have you done to him?”
“See, not all of us take things at face value the way you do.” The frank amusement in the man’s voice makes my blood boil. “Certainly, I accepted him into my compound, but not as an employee. Information is all that matters in our world, little boy, and I knew he would have it. After all, why else would he have come to me?”
“For protection.”
“Bullshit,” he snaps, letting Frankie’s head drop again. He staggers a little but stays on his feet. “He was sent to me. It was obvious. If he wanted to get away, if he wanted protection, he could have easily arranged that for himself.”
“And how would you know that?”
“Our friend, Frankie, has a loose tongue. And a very, very beautiful, brand-new car. It still smells new, for fuck’s sake. Now, exactly where did he get that money? And why couldn’t he have used it to get far, far away from you?” Alvarez casts a disgusted look his way, and I can’t pretend not to share the sentiment. That’s what he used my grandfather’s money for? The fucking fool.
“No,” he continues, removing a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his hands after touching the sweat-soaked and bloodied Frankie. “It was obvious something more was happening. So don’t pretend to be surprised that I found out.”
“Very well.” The fact is, I am surprised, and puzzled on top of that. “Why not kill him, then?”
“That was always the plan, but first was the matter of extracting any information he could give me about you or your family or why he would choose to assassinate the man he was supposed to protect.” He casts a look toward Frankie, swaying on his feet. “Unfortunately, it led me nowhere, though I did enjoy watching and listening as my men worked him over. After all, a traitor is a traitor.”
He shrugs, grinning. “I hope you don’t mind. I’m sure you would like to take a piece of him yourself. But there’s still plenty left for you or your men to have a go at.”
“I want my daughter,” his brother calls out. He hasn’t stopped staring at Elena since this began.
“Patience, brother,” Josef murmurs, still staring at me. “You’ll get what you want. Young Enzo here isn’t foolish enough to make a mistake like harming our Elena.”
“She is unharmed,” I confirm. “A slight bump on the head, but as you can see, it hasn’t affected her.”
“So?” Josef folds his arms, his feet planted at shoulder width. “Are we making an exchange, or are we not? I have nothing else for you. And if you are looking for revenge, you’ve come to the wrong person. I can only say it so many times. I had nothing to do with the old man’s murder.”
The guards draw their guns when I tighten my grip on Elena’s arm and jerk her slightly closer to me. All eight of them have their eye on me. Alicia’s soft gasp rings out behind me, followed by Prince’s equally soft grunt as if he is forbidding her from moving or reacting.
Now I know what I’m up against, which of course, was the plan all along. To draw them out, count them, and be sure of what we’re up against.
“I’m nothing if not a man of my word.” With that, I release her, and she runs to her father. “Take her, and get her out of here,” I call out as the man wraps his arms around her and leads her to one of the cars. Immediately, he puts her inside and pulls away without hesitation. Smart man.
“See?” Alvarez gloats. “I knew you could be reasonable. It’s not that difficult. Now, why don’t we put all of this behind us once I hand this loser back to you to do with as you wish? And we can both go on our merry way.”
“That does sound like a good idea,” I muse. This bastard. He’s so full of shit I’m surprised he can move. “My family has been through a lot. Too much, if I’m being frank.”
“There’s no reason not to be. And I know losing your mentor, the man who raised you, must have been difficult. But I am not your enemy in this. What would I have to gain by killing him? It makes no sense and only causes turmoil. Now…” He offers a shrug and a smirk. “I wouldn’t call myself a foolish man, but I’m no one’s idea of an evil genius. And I don’t get off on killing. I had nothing to gain. I hope you see that now.”
He gestures toward Frankie. “I give him back to you alive as a gesture of goodwill. I didn’t want to take the pleasure of dealing with him away from you.”
“That was very thoughtful of you. But I have to admit, it isn’t Frankie I’m most concerned with now. Don’t get me wrong,” I add, glaring at the beaten, bloodied man as his head swings back and forth between us. “We’re going to have a long talk, and he’s going to tell me everything he knows. But I’m still worried about one thing. Maybe you can help me with it, being as experienced as you are.”
“Please, by all means. What can I do to help you?”
“You can return everything given to you upon my marriage.”
He blurts out a disbelieving laugh. “You can’t be serious.”
“You made that agreement under false pretenses. You pretended to be Alicia’s father because it served your ends. And because you wanted to get your hands on what she took from the warehouse that night.”
His eagerness betrays him. Let him pretend all he wants, but he isn’t nearly as calm and cool as he pretends. “Where is it?” he barks, and now the mask falls off completely. No more pretending to be the gregarious, experienced adversary. “It belongs to me. It always has.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of it.”
