Chapter 220: Ultimate Payback
- LUCIANO -
When Rory walked out of the bathroom in nothing but that shirt of mine, I think my heart actually stopped. Fuck, she looks good in my clothes.
I watched her eat tamales in the bedroom and managed a few bites for myself while I was on the phone with Dom and Sonny. There’s still no sign of whoever snuck in and chased her, so they’re pausing their search for now and watching over the cabinas for the night.
Now I’m in the next room making calls to some of our associates back home to check on the whereabouts of the higher ranking members in the Bratva. There’s one in particular who has a hard-on for me, because he’s responsible for overseeing their shipments of girls. And that’s Ivan Volkov. When I screwed with one of those shipments, I screwed with his part of the business.
Ivan is the son of the big guy, much like my position under Pop. I doubt he would fly to Costa Rica himself and risk this kind of exposure, though. He would send a lackey to do the job for him just in case things went south.
Despite how this whole situation has only lived up to my expectations about the inherent dangers lurking everywhere, I’m actually surprised Volkov would have identified Rory as someone close to me and moved on her this quickly. Unless he is really still that furious to need quick revenge.
My guys haven’t been watching over Rory for that long, and I have rarely even been with her myself. Would they really suspect she means this much to me already?
"If it is them, you know what they plan to do with her once they get her, right?" Stan asks. He’s retired FBI and on our payroll.
Right now, I have him checking to see which passports of known Bratva members have been pinged where in the last 72 hours. Anyone flying to Costa Rica would obviously give us the name of who we’re looking for.
"Yes, I have an idea." I glance back toward the bedroom door that’s ajar with its warm light filtering through into the darkness that I’m cloaked in at the moment.
Rory’s safe, I remind myself. She’s here with me. The guys are outside.
"If you care about this girl, it would be the ultimate payback to filter her into the trafficking business as one of their products. It would be almost impossible to find her afterwards, and by the time you did, she sure as hell wouldn’t be the same after something like that."
I have to suppress the growl that wants to rip through me at the thought. I already suspected that would likely be their plan, but hearing someone else say it aloud makes the actual possibility unbearable to think about.
And they could have gotten her, too, if she hadn’t woken up and ran when she did. That nightmare really did save her.
When I don’t answer him, silently glaring out at the dark trees swaying in the breeze instead and imagining all the ways I’m going to punish those fuckers, Stan goes on.
"But you know, they didn’t get her," he says, trying to reassure me after the vivid fucking picture he offered up, no doubt. "And now you know what to expect."
"Yeah, maybe," I say through clenched teeth. "But it’s unlikely they will try that tactic again."
"Are you sure it was them?" He asks, and I hear the quick taps of his keyboard on the other end. "I don’t see any movement to Costa Rica from known members or their associates. It would have to be someone new who isn’t already on our radar."
"There are a lot of associates not on our radar. Do you know everyone on my payroll?"
That’s like asking if he’s aware which doctor I would have flown down here. Reddy isn’t part of the mafia. He’s just a close friend and someone who we can rely on.
"Touché," Stan chuckles. "I’ll keep a lookout and let you know the minute I see anything. But so far, there’s nothing."
"All right, Stan. Thanks for your help."
I walk back to the bedroom door and notice Rory curled up under the covers asleep. The blanket is pulled all the way to her shoulders. I guess it has been the better part of two hours that I’ve been on the phone. She must have dozed off.
"Don’t worry, dolcezza," I whisper. "I’ve got you from here on out."
Deciding that it’s finally time to call my father back and fill him in on what happened, I brace myself for the anger he’ll have that I didn’t call earlier and do just that.
"And why the hell wasn’t I your first call?" He asks, exactly as I thought.
There are two kinds of anger that Saul Ricca has. Both offer insights into just how much shit you’re in. The first is the explosive kind.
I was getting a little bit of that on our last call, because he was pissed that I moved our guys without consulting him first. That was an overstep, but it was an overstep that he probably expected at some point. I am meant to be his successor, after all.
It’s not like I betrayed the family or his trust or loyalty. I made a call that will be mine to make in the future. It’s not entirely unexpected.
The second kind of anger is much more serious, though. And that’s what I hear now. It’s the cold tone that offers little hint as to the rage boiling underneath. Despite how fearless I might be, hearing him sound like that still makes a prickle of warning crawl under my skin.
I love my father. He may not be a good man by society’s standards, but his heart is truly for his family and trying to better the community in his own ways. That doesn’t mean there aren’t violent parts to his methods, and being a male and the next in line, I’ve been on the receiving end of that violence plenty. This is the voice I’ve come to associate with that violence.
"I needed to move fast since we know very little about who is here. Dom and Sonny still haven’t found anything, and she didn’t get a look at his face."
There are several uncomfortable moments of silence.
"What else have you done that’s brought attention to her? Anything I don’t know about?"
"I’ve had a watch on Dex’s house. You know about that."
"And that’s where she was staying, Luciano?" There’s a chilling accusation that slithers under his words. Did I not tell him that? I might have led him to believe it was just for Dex’s benefit.
"Yes. Raya is her sister. She was staying with them."
"You realize that you have endangered your cousin and his future wife? My sister’s son?"
"I don’t think that’s the case, Pa..."
"What you think?" He interrupts, and I hear something slam on the other end of the line, "I am telling you what I know. This has to do with you, Luciano. Not just the family. You. I’m sending more men. Two won’t be enough."
When he ends the call, I stare at the phone thinking about what he said. This isn’t war time between families. There are no rising disputes over territory. We haven’t had to worry too much about anything when we leave the country. But what I did by personally upsetting an entirely different criminal organization may have shifted that relative peace in a more dramatic way than I realized.
If we were back home, it wouldn’t be as difficult to manage, and I doubt Pa would be as upset about it. But now we’re in a foreign country, and this is a trip specifically for Dex and Raya. If anything happens to Dex because of me, there is no way my father will forgive me. Dex is the last remaining part of his sister left on this earth. Luna was everything to him.
But I honestly don’t see Dex being a target. And now that the intruder to Rory’s place was scared off, I doubt we’ll have more problems while we’re here. That doesn’t mean we don’t beef up security and make sure our loved ones are protected just in case. Pa knows that as well as I do.
I breathe out a heavy sigh and send one last text to Dom.
’All good out there?’
’Yes, boss. All clear.’
’Concentrate on Dex’s cabin. I’ve got this one covered.’
When I return to the bedroom, Rory is still sleeping, but her eyebrows are pinched in distress. I wonder what dream she’s having this time. If it’s another nightmare, maybe it’s true what Dex said. Maybe just being near her will help it.
Without bothering to undress, I turn off the light and climb in next to her. I had considered staying awake and keeping a watch all night until the sun rose and we could restart the search. But I can stay awake next to her instead, offering whatever peace just my presence might have.
As soon as I’m in bed, she turns over toward me. There’s a cute little frustrated grunt that she makes that almost makes me think she’s actually awake. But her eyes stay closed.
"I’m here, Rory," I say softly, watching the delicate lashes curl against her cheeks. "You don’t have to worry anymore, tesoro. I’m not going to let anything happen to you."
Her forehead smooths, and she nuzzles further into her pillow. She heard me. It works.
