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My brows raised and my men let out chuckles when Havoc performed a leg sweep and took Eric down to the mats. She ended up in the mount position while Eric closed his guard.
Seeing her with another man’s legs wrapped around her—even though it was his job and part of the sport—infuriated me. I’d come down to see what she was up to, expecting to find her taking one of the kickboxing classes so many women were fond of. Instead, here she was showing that she had higher level fighting skills.
I considered going over and ripping her off Eric, but ultimately held onto my control by my fingertips. I wasn’t ready to let her know I was having her watched. I didn’t want her to know anything about me, not until I was ready. It wasn’t time. So, I sat and watched as Eric performed a move that ended up rolling them and flipping their positions.
Havoc was down in an open guard position. It was sloppy, but once Eric capitalized on her error she tightened everything up. That showed me why she’d come, she was out of practice. I wondered what her end goal was with this. I’d be asking her very soon.
Glancing over at my men, I motioned toward the ring. “Let me know when she leaves.”
“Boss,” they both said in acknowledgment and as a goodbye.
I left the gym and tried to push thoughts of rolling around with Havoc on the mats out of my mind.
* * *
“God damn it!”I threw the crystal whiskey decanter across the room where it shattered against the wall, next to the door. Unfortunately for Luca and the man he was escorting in, he had just opened that door. Glass and liquid rained down over both of them.
The small, brown haired, Italian man let out a sound somewhere between a yelp and a whimper, but my underboss just gave me a bland look as he shook the glass particles off his suit coat then clamped a hand down on the shorter man’s shoulder before he could bolt from the room. Luca Russo was far too used to my outbursts to let something like this phase him.
Leaning against my desk, I watched as Luca dragged the man further into the room and forced him down into the chair in front of me. “Paolo, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” I said quietly. There wasn’t a hint of a smile or welcoming look on my face, and he cringed.
“I’ve heard so much about you, Don Romano,” he said respectfully, his voice trembling while his beady little eyes darted around the room.
I relaxed back fully against the desk as the door clicked shut behind Luca. Paolo twisted in his seat in surprise, staring at the closed doors. The man was known for being a snitch. He worked for many big-time politicians, the police, mobsters, pretty much anyone who could pay his price. He wasn’t used to many of these people doing their own dirty work, though, so the fact that he was being left alone with me was surprising to him. Not that I was worried that he would be able to kill me, even if he had the balls to try.
Many had attempted it before, all had failed. I wasn’t easy to kill. “Tell me, Paolo. Why did it take me three months to track you down?”
He swallowed audibly. He was so nervous he was shaking. “I didn’t realize you wanted to see me, Don Romano. I would never have kept you-”
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” I snarled, leaning forward, cutting him off. All the color leached out of his face as he fell silent. I pushed up from the desk and he jumped at the movement. I didn’t blame him for being so skittish. It was well known I made people disappear for the smallest of infractions. Still, it would be nice if he would show some dignity.
There were two ways to keep power. Make them love you or make them fear you. I preferred route number two. Sure, it meant I could never trust anyone, but I wouldn’t even if they loved me, so it didn’t matter to me. Everyone was expendable, with very few exceptions.
“What do you know about the murder of Mario Pérez?” I asked. I walked over to my bookshelf and pulled another container of whiskey out while pouring myself a glass. I eyed him as I tossed it back before pouring another.
Licking his lips, Paolo nervously responded, “He was killed in a nightclub three nights ago during his daughter’s birthday party.” He eyed the liquor with interest. I prowled back over with the container and set my glass on my desk, grabbing a clean one and filling it a quarter of the way before offering it to him. It was expensive, but worth it for the information I could possibly receive from the man. If he told me what I wanted to know I might just let him live.
“And?”
He took a large gulp and his eyes widened when he looked down into the glass.He recognizes quality when he tastes it.
“The police are searching for suspects?” he asked with uncertainty.
I sighed, trying to hold onto my fraying patience. I’d been told that this man had been looking into the Guzman Cartel and possibly the car bombing and I wanted to know why. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about what happened to my wife.” I watched as his fingers tightened on the glass.
“That’s not easy information to get a hold of, Don…”
“Name your price.” I cut him off and his eyes widened. Now he was licking his lips for a different reason.
“It will take me a few days. There are people who don’t want you to find anything out,” he said slyly.
I finished my drink and set the glass down once more. “Why was I told that you already had the information, Paolo?” He sucked in a sharp breath as I leaned forward and stared into those beady, little, eyes. “You should know better. I have eyes and ears everywhere.” His gaze skittered away from mine. “Who did you give it to?”
I’d already come to the conclusion that whoever it was, was the man responsible for killing both Rafael Santos and Mario Pérez. I’d also made up my mind that once I found him, I would kill him in place of those men, for taking away my opportunity to avenge my wife’s death.
“No one, Don Romano.” He saw the dark look on my face and hurried on. “I had a buyer for it, but he never showed. I’d be more than happy to pass the information on to you, though.” He gave me a thin-lipped smile.
I studied him thoughtfully. I was a good judge of character and could typically tell when people were lying to me, but this man’s profession was based on his ability to lie. For now, it didn’t matter if he was. I’d take the information and eventually catch up with whoever was taking out my enemies.
