AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I hear that the woman this surrounds is yours,” the new man, Raffaele, states, looking directly at me.
“Correct,” I say briefly, following Guard’s orders.
“Give me a reason to care,” Raffaele asks plainly.
I look to Guard and wait for his assent before responding. “She’s already suffered enough. This man used her mother for status and standing in social circles, then when her mother was dying, he abandoned her. After her mother’s death, he took Francesca and played on her sympathies, only using her as leverage to further his exploits. With her grandparents gone, she’s alone and scared. With or without your help, I’m getting this guy. My way was to fly over to Moldova and put him six feet under. Guard convinced me that prison was a better ending and a more fitting punishment. Frankie’s mine, and I take care of what’s mine.”
Raffaele smiles, but even smiling, he’s a scary son of a bitch. “I would have come with you to Moldova and helped,” he replies. “That idiot thinks he can play me. He was going to have me front the money and disappear. It seems that we have a mutual agreement that this rodent needs to be taught a lesson.”
“We all agree. However,” Guard interrupts, “Francesca’s had enough bad press and is extremely skittish. Her family name has been dragged through the mud, and we all know how the media like to embellish or miscommunicate the facts to sell more papers. We have to keep the Pride at a distance in order to do that. Once they hear that she’s with a biker, the reporters will have a field day. Which is the reason this plan was hatched to begin with, using Nathan and Reno as our go-tos.”
Alessio taps his fingers on the table and glances around the room. “I’ve already agreed to see this through. And let us all keep in mind, there is no product, and this man is manipulating us against one another. If he’s as smart as he thinks he is, he knows we have a truce and is attempting to create a divide. That alone should earn him certain death.”
Nero’s been a silent onlooker up to this point, but finally has his say. “Wait until the cell doors lock behind him. We have plenty on the inside who will take care of that problem.”
I shouldn’t be happy that they want him dead, but I can’t help it. I’d do it my damn self if I could. But a promise is a promise, and the brotherhood decided against it. I was satisfied with him being behind bars and away from Francesca. This sounds even better. I lower my face to hide my grin.
“Since we’re all on the same page, how do we get him to leave his secure perch in Moldova?” Reno asks.
Raffaele answers immediately. “I can do that. I have a man in Moldova who’s going to start asking for protection money. We just need his bank account drained.” He looks at Dante, who then glances across the room to Orion.
“We got that covered. It has to be a matter of timing. We can’t make it seem too deliberate,” Dante points out. “We’ll iron out the details and let you know when to start.”
“We’ll make it so this deal is his only option for quick money. I can have the men down there lean hard. If it doesn’t offend you,” Raffaele turns to Guard. “It may take a broken finger or two.”
Guard lets out a sigh and shakes his head. “No more than a broken hand.”
After a solid two hours, we have an in-depth plan. Before we even leave the room, Raffaele has his men in Moldova get eyes on Jessop’s home to watch his every move and report back to him directly.
Before we rise from the table, Guard asks, “Markers?” He fucking hates giving them, but fair is fair. If these guys are helping us, we have to reciprocate at some point. If we owe them, Guard lays out the terms of what we are and aren’t willing to do for their help. Guard’s been adamant about not engaging in illegal activities, and although we aren’t saints, we won’t venture into organized crime or prostitution. We’ve had to run drugs and guns in the past to pay off a debt. We’ll do it, but it puts the men in danger of getting caught and having to do time.
Reno reacts quickly. “We’re good.”
Alessio is a little slower to react and sizes up the situation. “I’m doing this for Reno. No marker for me,” he states.
Nero jumps in. “We haven’t done shit and won’t take a marker. Besides that, I want to see this asshole go down for thinking he can best the Mafia men.”
Raffaele drums his fingers on the arm of his chair. He looks me square in the eye when he finally says his piece. “I do this for a woman who needs to get her life back. And as Nero so plainly put it, he dares to go up against us. He needs a lesson. No marker for me either.”
Guard breathes easier knowing this. Who would have ever thought the day would come when Mafia and bikers unite?
TWENTY
The End Is Near
FRANCESCA
Four weeks later…
It’s hard to believe a few short months ago, I was in a state of complete despair. I didn’t know which way to turn, and the only refuge I had was this house. Moving to this home was the best decision I ever made for myself. In a sense, this house is what brought Hammer and me together.
Since the day I met Hammer, I often catch myself laughing. I mean really laughing, right from my gut, because I can see the humor in the nutty things that sometimes happen. Like when at the latest Satan’s Pride gathering, Willow announced to the group that she was having a baby, but she hadn’t told Roscoe yet. That information circled around the room faster than a bee to honey. When Roscoe stood on a chair and shouted across the room, “This is how you tell me?” it was hilarious! Roscoe’s indignant tone, hands on his hips, and completely stunned look on his face from the news of his wife’s pregnancy was priceless. “Is that why you’ve been locking yourself in the bathroom for the last three days?”
Apparently, Willow didn’t want to say anything until she was sure she was pregnant. They weren’t really trying to have a baby, and she wasn’t sure how Roscoe would react. She bought a dozen tests and spent the next few days convincing herself that the positive sign on the little sticks couldn’t all be wrong.
Her expression was priceless. She was nearly in tears and certainly hadn’t expected the news to make it all the way to Roscoe in less than a millisecond. She stood there looking helpless.
“Are you mad?” she asked, her voice trembling, her hand instinctively moving to her belly. Roscoe saw the small gesture and leapt down from the chair. People parted to one side or the other as he rushed to stand in front of his wife. He pulled her in for a kiss that had everyone cheering for joy. It was so beautiful, I wiped a tear from my eyes. What they said in quiet whispers, I don’t know, but Roscoe never left her side for the rest of the evening.
