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Chapter 1
Darius
“Fuck.” Darius growled. He tapped his fingers on the side of his whiskey glass. He wasn’t surprised this seedy, little, shit bar didn’t have anything remotely passing as a delicacy. This cheap Jonnie Walker Blue would have to do. He gently swirled the amber liquid, the heady, sharp scent filling his nostrils. Taking a sip, he scrunched his nose and reluctantly swallowed.
Nasty shit.
Sitting in a booth near the bar, he remained in the shadows, out of sight from prying eyes. The smoky haze of cigars and cigarettes filled the air. He checked his Philippe watch hidden under his white button-down sleeve.
Where the fuck is he…
Darius was positioned so he could see the front door and get a full view of the bar. His sharp eyes hidden under tinted glasses were pointed at the door when he saw his assistant walk in.
“Where the fuck have you been, Eddie?” he growled. “You were supposed to be here before me.”
Eddie adjusted his leather jacket and smoothed over his thick black hair as he sat down. “Yeah, well, shit happens, sir.”
That last word bit on the end of his tongue was laced with sarcasm and malice.
“Don’t take that fucking tone with me, Eddie. Where’ve you been?”
Eddie signaled to the sexy blonde bartender to bring him a drink. “Lager, sweetheart.”
Eddie looked back at Darius. “We’ve been here a fucking week looking for this guy and I finally found the son of a bitch. He’s here alright. His girlfriend lives here, so he thought he could hide from us with her in fucking Bigfoot country. Stupid fuck.”
Darius felt the corner of his mouth rise into a small smirk. “Taking off to bumfuck nowhere in the middle of the mountains. And the term is Appalachia, Eddie. Get educated for once.”
The bartender breezed by their booth and sat the dark beer in front of Eddie. He took a big gulp and shook his head. “That’s your job. I don’t need education to find a fucking person.”
Darius rolled his eyes. Eddie certainly had a way with words. He took a sip from his glass. “So where is he?”
“Don’t know. But I know someone who does know.”
“And who is that?”
Eddie arched his head toward the bar. “His girl is coming in here soon to meet up with some friends. We talk to her, we can talk to him.”
Talk…sure. The word that no one else in the building would think twice was code for more nefarious deeds.
“You know my rules.” Darius muttered.
“Sure do, boss. Wouldn’t wanna talk her ear off. You know how personable I can be.”
Darius furrowed his brows. More code for beating the shit out of someone and torturing them until they talk. Women and children were off limits, and Eddie knew that. Even men in his line of work had morals. Most of them anyway.
Darius reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his phone. He pressed a few buttons and Eddie’s phone let out an obnoxious ding.
“You did good work. I’ll take it from here.”
Eddie downed his beer and placed the empty glass with dregs of froth on the table. “See you back in Miami, boss.”
Darius sipped on his drink, making a disgusted face every time. “Maybe. I might head to New York, Paris, London, who knows. It’s time for a vacation.”
Eddie nodded. When Darius said he needed a vacation, that meant he needed time to clear his head and get ready for the next contract. He needed focus, precision. Taking contract after contract makes a man lose focus and becomes sloppy, and one thing Darius never was, was sloppy.
Eddie got up and walked out of the bar, leaving Darius to stare into the distance. He went over the details in his mind.
Alessandro Segreto. Tall, handsome, and too cocky in his own right. 6’1, built like a soccer player, dark green eyes and black hair. The Tagliatti family wanted him taken out nice and quiet, a silent warning to never touch the Don’s daughter again. Not much tugged at Darius’ heartstrings, but harming a woman and taking her against her will? That was an offense worthy of death in his eyes. But this mission wasn’t harming a woman, merely a quick and gentle snatch to pull Alessandro out of hiding.
