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I noticed Rocco out of the corner of my eye, the man grinning after ending a call. As soon as I stood, he walked closer. “Boss. I think we have a lead. I used a source out of LA. He finally came through. The guy who killed Ginny Meadows is Slade DeAngelo. He’s a hired gun that used to work with the Russian Bratva out of New York. He supposedly retired but was lured into this one last job. At least that’s the word on the street. He was traced to New Orleans then disappeared.”
“Jesus. That likely means the fucker is in Key West. I’d bet what’s left of my soul on that. Is this informant credible?” I asked, trying to figure out where I’d heard that name before.
“Very credible. Plus, he owed me a favor. He was able to discover some people Slade was running with, including some in the fashion industry.”
“I know that name. Slade was considered one of the most sadistic men in the business,” Arman said. “Alturo didn’t want any of his guys involved.”
“Fascinating,” I huffed. Alturo wasn’t a dumb man, preferring to play the cat and mouse game for as long as possible.
“Yeah. Isn’t it? And guess who is one of his good buddies?” Rocco’s grin did finally bring a chuckle to my lips.
“Let me guess. Quince Duncan.”
“You got it, man. I have a feeling Slade slipped him a few thousand dollars to handle Delaney, including firing her.”
“So she’d need to return and stay at her father’s home.” I glanced at Arman. “Do you have any connections in Switzerland?”
“Yeah. You’re thinking Brandon is in danger?”
“I am. I won’t risk the man’s life any further. Can you have a detail placed on him?”
Arman gave a nod of respect as our father used to do when pleased. “That much I can do, brother. Then we hunt down Slade.”
“Yeah. We will hunt him down. Then he’ll begin to understand the meaning of the word sadistic.”
The people who used the expression ‘vengeance is mine sayeth the lord’ had no understanding of the world I’d been brought up in, the dangers and risks involved. Or the need for retaliation. In the day and age of hackers and high-tech computer systems, bloodshed and violence were often contained to the third world countries. That trend continued.
Alturo was a brutal man by anyone’s standards. He’d used his love of torture to gain respect where Arman and I had used benefits and decent wages. At least for the most part. But certainthings our father had taught us when we were much younger had never been far from our minds.
That included the calculated need for revenge. The ones who went off halfcocked, who didn’t give any thought to gunning down their enemies in broad daylight found themselves in prison or six feet under.
The reason we’d been so successful was that we only acted on the need for violence when absolutely necessary, never laying claims to the requirement or the accomplishment. Besides, who wanted the world to know a weakness? Yes, our father had also warned us that women should be considered the greatest weakness of all, but he was quick to point out that without our mother, he’d be nowhere.
Plus, even the savage man had taught us about endless love.
The thought wasn’t far from my mind as we scoured the streets of Key West, using our powerful influence as well as cash to finally get what we needed.
It had taken hours, the kind of time that I wasn’t certain the woman who’d altered my life forever had. So far, we’d checked on ships in the various ports up through Miami, trying to find Alturo’s name attached to any.
Maddox was checking the airports to ensure there were no jets leaving for Cuba or South America, prepared to detain them if necessary. We had the clout and the manpower to put a stop to anyone leaving the city. So far, there were no cargo ships, no cruise ships, and no private ships preparing to leave for either country. It was as if Alturo hadn’t arrived in Southern Florida, but I knew better.
They could have left by car, which we couldn’t put past Alturo at this point. If I couldn’t force Slade to break, then we’d have a slim chance of finding my beautiful doll alive.
That couldn’t happen. I refused to allow it.
To that end, when the trail led to a seedy motel just outside of Key West off US1 highway, I was dead set on breaking every rule.
And torturing the man until he did break. I had the gear to do it.
“You should let me handle this,” Arman said as we exited the SUV, both of us scanning the area.
“Not a chance in hell, brother. Aren’t you worried about getting your hands dirty?”
“Not this time. You’ve finally found the woman of your dreams, the one that can heal you. I refuse to allow anyone to destroy that.”
“Aww. You say that like you mean it.”
“You bastard,” he said, snorting. “Yeah, I do. For what it’s worth, I was furious that Margaret treated you so badly. While her sabotage and her connections pissed me off, it’s what she did to you, my flesh and blood, that I couldn’t tolerate. And yes, I almost handled the job myself. Maddox convinced me otherwise. He said you’d never forgive me.”
