20. Colton

Chapter twenty

Colton

P ausing at the door to the interrogation room, I tucked my erection into the waistband of my slacks so that Senior didn’t notice it. Fake fighting with Layla had me fully charged and ready to fuck, which I would be doing on the ride back home. Collecting myself, I pushed the door open and stomped inside. Senior needed to think he could exploit a weakness in our ranks. Hopefully, he’d take the carrot we were dangling in front of his face.

“Cut the fucking cameras,” I barked. The red light indicator went off, a detail that I knew Senior wouldn’t have missed. I knew they weren’t off, but he didn’t know that. I leaned against the wall in front of Senior and crossed my arms as I glared at him. I didn’t have to fake the glare, and not wanting to let him go wasn’t entirely an act. I did want to murder this man, and I wanted his son to watch me do it. However, I would follow her orders if Layla decided to release him.

Senior studied me silently for several minutes before letting out a light chuckle. “Women, am I right?”

I scoffed. “Frustrating as fuck,” I agreed.

“I admire Layla,” Senior stated. “I always have. Joseph raised a formidable daughter. I wish my son were half as capable as she is, but she is still a woman. Women were not meant to be leaders in this business. They’re too soft, too sweet. They get hung up on the right and wrong of a situation instead of focusing on the right business move.”

I refrained from correcting him. Layla wasn’t soft, and she was one hell of a leader. He was just a sexist prick who still expects a woman to remain passive by his side, seeing to his every need. I’d blame it on his generation, except Uncle Joe had never been like that. And he certainly didn’t raise his daughter to be a submissive woman. He raised her to walk in his shoes when the time came, and he’d be damn proud of her now.

“Take the situation that we’re in now. This is nothing but a scorned woman’s vendetta. She walked out on my son, and now that she’s back, she’s jealous of his success.” Senior leaned forward as much as his restraints would allow. “I’ll tell you a secret. Joseph always spoke highly of you, and after Layla left, he told me that he wanted you to take over for him when he died.”

My eyes widened in genuine surprise. I knew he was lying, but I hadn’t expected him to play this card. He knew little about me or my ambitions if he thought I would steal Layla’s birthright. Senior mistook my surprise for interest, and his eyes gleamed as he spun his webs.

“I can see you like the sound of that. Colton DeLisio, Boss of the Romano Syndicate. It kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? I can help you get there.” He closed his eyes, and when they reopened, they were full of remorse. “I know that my son did horrible things in retaliation to Layla’s war. Carmine was collateral damage, and for that, I’m truly sorry. Your father was an honorable man, and he deserved better, but my son was not his killer, not really. Layla is the one who started this. Things were just fine before she returned.”

He was good. If I didn’t know better, I would think his words were sincere. Luckily, I knew better. “Taking control from Layla would be impossible,” I replied gruffly.

“It wouldn’t be as hard as you think,” Senior replied as he leaned back. I could see the smugness he was trying to hide beneath his mask. “My son would help. Perhaps you should consider a different sort of trade than what Layla is asking.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like handing Layla over to my son and ending the war between the families for good. You would take control of the Romano syndicate, and Anton would be free to run the Kandicci family as he sees fit. Atlantic City would prosper under your combined ruling.”

“I don’t think it will be that easy,” I replied uncertainly. This asshole really thought I would just hand Layla over to his monster of a son? And I sure as fuck didn’t doubt I’d get a bullet between the eyes as soon as I did. “The others are rather pussy whipped by her.”

“But they will follow you. They’ve always followed you. Who is Layla but some childhood friend that you’ve all outgrown? Take out your phone. We’ll call my son and work this out now.”

I didn’t let my delight show as I removed my cell phone from my pocket. I hesitated as I looked around to erase any suspicion that this was what we wanted to begin with. When we knew Senior had been captured, Tyler and I discussed how to use him to get to Anton. It was Tyler’s idea to get him to suggest that we call him to try to track his location. The number Layla has is likely secure, but his father would know his private line. The line reserved for only the most trusted. Or so we hoped. If he gave us the same number we already had, then we’d be back to plan a torture and kill him while Anton was watching.

“Come on, son. You know deep down that this is the best thing for Atlantic City,” Senior cajoled. “It’s been nothing but death and destruction since she’s been back. Her reign of terror has to end sometime; it may as well be now.”

I nodded in agreement. “What’s the number?” He gave me the number, and I almost grinned when I realized it wasn’t the one I had saved on my phone on the way here. I hit send and turned the speaker on.

“Dad?” Anton’s frantic voice came through the speaker after only one and a half rings.

“Yes, it’s me,” Senior replied.

“Where the fuck are you?” Anton demanded.

“Right now, I’m chained to a chair somewhere, but I think I’ve worked something out to make us all happy.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Who has you chained? Who took you?”

“Layla hired some goons to kidnap me and bring me back to the States,” he replied. “But not to worry, I’m here with Colton now, and he and I have come to an arrangement I believe you will be happy with.”

“And what would that be?” Anton asked suspiciously.

“He’s agreed to turn Layla over to you and release me in exchange for control over the Romano Syndicate. I think it’s too generous an offer to ignore.”

Anton was silent for approximately three seconds before he exploded with a string of curses. “You can’t be this fucking stupid! Colton would never sell Layla out, you fool. Did they ask you to call me? How long have we been talking? Fuck. Do you know what you’ve done?!”

“Calling you was my suggestion,” Senior protested. His son’s reaction confused him, and I almost felt bad for the old-timer.

“Then you’re even more dumb than I thought,” Anton hissed before hanging up.

I wasn’t sure if we got his location, but we spooked him enough that he’d make an unplanned move. Senior stared up at me with concern.

“Call him back. I’ll smooth this over and explain that it wasn’t a setup.”

He still didn’t have a clue.

The interrogation door opened, and Layla strolled in with her phone. The others filed in behind her, and at my questioning look, Tyler shook his head. We hadn’t kept him on the line long enough to get a trace.

“I swear to fucking God, Layla, I will make sure you regret the day you were born if you don’t release my father!” Anton screamed through her phone.

“When will you figure out that you don’t scare me, Anton?” Layla asked. She stood behind Senior and looped her arms over his shoulders so that they could both see Anton on the video call.

“What’s going on?” Senior asked.

“You know, I found the way he called you stupid rather disrespectful,” Layla said, “but I’m beginning to think that maybe he’s on to something.”

“What do you want, Layla?” Anton asked.

“You know what I want,” she replied. “Trade places with your father.”

“I’m not going to do that,” Anton growled.

“Do you hear that, Senior?” Layla asked. “Your son would rather watch you be tortured and killed than take your place. You didn’t raise a very loyal son, did you?”

Senior looked perplexed for a moment as he stared at me, likely waiting for me to make a move in his defense before realization finally dawned on him. “You were playing me, weren’t you?” It had never occurred to him that he could be manipulated without knowing it.

“I was,” I answered honestly.

Senior nodded. “Well done. I can see now that I’ve lost my touch. Too much liquor and pussy has made me complacent.”

“Jesus, Dad. Stop fucking talking to them!” Anton screamed.

Senior’s eyes snapped to the phone, and when Layla smirked, I knew Anton must be shrinking under his stare. “You never knew how to show proper respect,” he sneered.

“My offer still stands,” Layla murmured. “Tell me where he is, and I’ll get you back to your island full of booze and girls by sunrise.”

Senior looked like he was considering it for about ten seconds before his eyes refocused on the phone in front of him, and he shook his head. “My son may be a royal fuck up, but I have more loyalty than that. I won’t give him up, and I’m done talking.”

There was a steel will behind his words that underlined how serious he was. He’d take whatever we gave him, but he wouldn’t be swayed. He was the enemy; if he had the chance, he’d kill us all where we stood without blinking an eye. However, I still couldn’t help but pity the old man for what we were about to do.

I could see the regret lingering in Layla’s eyes as she sighed and dropped a kiss onto his head. “Suit yourself, Mr. Kandicci.”

Senior sat a little straighter in his chair at how she addressed him respectfully. We both saw some of our fathers in him, and this wouldn’t be easy, but it was necessary, wasn’t it?

“Do your worst, Miss Romano,” he replied. “Your father would be proud of the woman you’ve become.”

Tyler took Layla’s phone and set it up so Anton could watch his father die. She walked over to the wall of weapons and stood there, looking over her options. When she took longer than necessary, I joined her and saw the war in her eyes.

“Am I making another mistake like I did with Sean?” she asked quietly.

“Hellcat, you don’t make mistakes,” I replied.

She shook her head. “That’s not true. I shouldn’t have killed Sean. I should have figured something else out. I can see that now. I don’t want to feel the same for Senior.”

“Layla, you have never killed without reason. There is a difference between regretting your actions and regretting the need for them in the first place. Sean betrayed you, so he deserved to die. That’s as black and white as possible, and no one faults you for making that decision.”

“But I could have handled it differently. I could have punished Sean some other way,” Layla replied, brushing a tear from her cheek.

This was the moment I had been waiting for. We were so close now. “True, you could have. Do you wish that you had?”

Layla nodded. “I think I do. I love him, Colt. Present tense. And I hate part of myself for what I did.”

“That’s the part you need to let go of, Layla,” I replied. “You didn’t make the wrong choice. There wasn’t a right or wrong path with Sean. Killing or sparing him would have left you with the same doubts.”

“Hello!” Anton yelled from the phone. “Are you going to get on with it, or will you make us sit here and stare at each other all night?”

“You really are a disrespectful and ungrateful little shit,” Senior replied.

“So, with your newfound understanding about regrets, what’s your plan here?” I asked.

“I can’t torture him,” Layla answered honestly. “He didn’t wrong me. I know you said an eye for an eye, and Anton deserves to watch his father be tortured to death. I just don’t think it will have the same effect on him. We have more respect for Senior than he does.”

“Then let’s just finish this and go home,” I suggested. “We’ve done what you wanted, which was to piss Junior off and try to draw him out.”

Layla nodded and grabbed a large, sharp knife from the table. “No bullets, remember?” she said regretfully.

Two seconds later, Tuck opened the door and stuck his head inside. “It’s fine,” he said quietly. “It’s the right way to do it.”

“Are you sure?” Layla asked.

“You’ve already put a hole in our walls, Queenie. You may as well add one more,” Tuck replied.

Her shoulders sagged in relief, and I mouthed “thank you” to Tuck when Layla turned to put the knife back. He nodded and left the room.

Layla pulled out her gun and held it by her side. She stepped in front of the camera, blocking Anton’s view of his father. “You understand why this has to happen, right?” she asked Senior quietly.

He nodded. “I do.”

“I won’t torture you. I will give you the dignity in death my dad and Papa Carmine weren’t given.”

“Thank you,” Senior replied. “I won’t wish ill on my son, but if you end up on top, I think you’ll do well by the city.”

“I will,” Layla agreed. She stepped to the side and held the gun to Senior’s head. “Last chance to save your father’s life, Anton.”

“Fuck you, Layla,” Anton sneered.

“Never gonna happen,” she replied before pulling the trigger.

Anton shouted in surprise as if he didn’t think Layla would follow through. Half of Senior’s head was missing, and Layla had specks of blood all over her arms and the front of her.

“I’m going to enjoy making you watch as I kill every fucking person you care about,” Anton threatened. “Do you think I don’t know about Jennifer and Autumn hiding at your cabin in the woods? And when I finish that, I’m going to make you beg for death while I destroy your body a little more every day until you’re nothing but an empty shell.” The screen went black as he ended the call.

“How the fuck does he know about the cabin?” Tyler growled.

“I don’t know, but we need to get Jen and Autumn out of there now!” Layla said. She holstered her gun and stormed toward the door.

“Who are Jennifer and Autumn?” Tuck asked as he opened the door.

“Autumn is twelve,” Layla replied. “We rescued her from Anton’s trafficking ring. Jennifer is her mother. We sent them to our cabin for safety.”

“I’ll call the airport and have them get the chopper fueled,” Drew said.

“I’m going to call Joe and have him put the house on lockdown again,” I said.

“Hold on,” Tuck said, “If you don’t mind us borrowing your chopper, we can go up to the cabin and get them to safety. He’ll never find them if they’re with us. Then you can focus on what you need to and take this bastard down for good.”

“I don’t want to impose,” Layla protested.

“You aren’t,” Mason said. “We’ll just add it to your growing tab.” He glared at the hole in the wall before continuing. “We don’t have any jobs lined up right now, so we’re free.”

Layla looked at Tyler, who nodded. “You can trust the girls with them,” he assured her.

“Ok. Give Tuck’s team whatever they need,” Layla instructed.

“We’ll call someone to clean up the body,” I assured Tuck.

“I’d appreciate it. That would be one hell of a mess to return to,” Tuck replied.

“I’ll call them,” Tyler said, “you call Joe.”

Zach pulled Layla into his arms. “They’re going to be ok, LG.” She responded with a shaky nod against his chest.

Satisfied that she was taken care of, I stepped outside to call Joe. When we arrived, the trees had blocked most of the sun from shining through, but now, it had set, and the woods were even darker.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Joe. Put the house on lockdown. Nobody leaves, and we’re the only ones who should be coming through those gates.”

“This seems to be happening a lot lately,” he commented.

“Tell me about it,” I sighed. “We have a few things to finish up here, and then we’ll be back. Are Anton’s men still watching the house?”

“They took off after you when you left, as you know, but since you’ve been gone, they came back,” Joe replied.

“Ok. Watch your back. I’ll call you when I need you to open the gate. We’ll be coming in hot.”

“You got it,” he replied.

I ended the call and went back inside. Layla was sitting in Zach’s lap, but she had more color than when I left. Tuck was busy assuring her of his team’s capabilities, for which I was thankful. I knew not rushing to their rescue would be hard for Layla. Trusting the men she just met with their safety would be even more challenging, but if Tyler said they were good men, then they were.

“Ok,” Drew said, returning from the kitchen where he made his phone call with Mason. “The chopper is ready, and the airport is expecting you. I gave Mason the coordinates to the cabin.”

“You should get going,” Tyler said. “I tried to call our guys up at the cabin, and nobody answered.”

“Fuck,” Layla swore.

She jumped to her feet, and I knew she was ready to storm out the cabin door. With how she looked, I’d put money on her to get there on foot before anyone got there by chopper. Tuck stopped her with a hand on her stomach, causing all four of us to rumble our displeasure at his hand on our woman. Layla looked down at his hand and then back at him.

“I’ll cut it off,” she warned.

He held up his hands in surrender and looked at all of us. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I only wanted to keep you from running out there. We’ve got this. Mase, let’s go.”

Tuck stepped outside and whistled. Seconds later, headlights in the woods turned on, and a fully loaded tactical Jeep rolled out of the woods. I hadn’t even noticed it sitting there when I was outside. “Load up,” Tuck shouted. Another man appeared from the woods and jumped in the Jeep. Mason gave us a quick salute as he ran out of the house.

Tuck turned back to us and smiled, excited about a new mission. “Just lock up when you’re done. I’ll call when we have them.”

“Wait!” Layla said, rushing toward him. She pulled off her ruby ring and handed it to him. “Give this to Jennifer, and she’ll trust you. And tell them… tell them that I love them, and I’ll see them as soon as possible.”

“Will do. Good luck,” Tuck told us. We watched their headlights fade into the forest in silence. Tyler’s inability to reach our men was more than a little concerning. Autumn and Jennifer were smart, though. They’d be able to hold on until help came, I hoped.

“Tyler, how long until the clean-up crew gets here?” I asked.

“About an hour,” he replied.

Zach strolled over to Tuck’s bike and grinned when he plucked the keys from the ignition. “Do you think Tuck would mind if I borrowed his bike? You guys could head back, and I’ll wait for the cleaners.”

“I don’t like splitting up,” Layla replied.

“I’ll be fine, LG,” Zach replied, tugging her into his arms. “And I’ll feel better knowing you’re back home and safe.”

“He’s right,” I said, adding my voice to his.

“Fine,” Layla said, “but you better fucking make it home, or I’ll never forgive you.”

“I love you too, Baby,” Zach grinned, kissing her.

We let the wolves out of the car to do their business and then loaded up. “Jose, take us home,” I ordered. “When we hit our street, don’t slow down or stop. Joe will have the gate open for us. And when I say don’t slow down or stop, I mean if someone is blocking our path, ram them.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jose replied.

The drive back was quiet, and the air was thick with uncertainty about what we would face when we got to the house. When we got close to our street, I moved Layla from between Tyler and me to the single seat facing backward.

“Ok, Hellcat, time to strap you in.” After her kidnapping, I made sure that all of her cars had racing harnesses installed.

“What about you guys?” she asked as I buckled her into the harness and pulled it tight.

“Don’t worry about us,” I told her. “You’re the precious cargo.” She glowered at me, so I booped her nose when I finished securing her.

I snapped on my lap belt and called Joe. “We’re turning onto the street now. Get the gate open.”

“Yes, Sir.” I pocketed my phone and leaned forward to look out the windshield. Cars pulled out as soon as we turned onto the street, blocking traffic and our route home.

“Fuck,” I swore. “Jose, don’t fucking slow down.” I hadn’t been able to test his skills since he took over for Ryan. I should have made the fucking time because our lives were in his hands now.

“I got it,” Jose replied as he gunned it. I wasn’t worried about damage to the car, it was reinforced.

“Everyone, hold on; things are about to get bumpy,” I said moments before we rammed the first car. I heard the sound of gunshots as we did. I quickly undid my belt and straddled Layla, blocking her body with my own. The vehicle was bullet-resistant, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

“Colton!” Layla yelled. She tried to push me back into my seat, but I held on to the back of her seat.

More bullets rained down on us as we slammed into the next car, knocking it out of our way. We were only half a block away now. So fucking close. “Come on, Jose!” I shouted.

“Shut the fuck up, you aren’t helping,” he yelled back. “Sir.” Even with everything going on, Layla snickers at Jose’s sass.

“We’ve got guns on the walls,” Drew announced.

“Thank fuck,” Tyler yelled.

The rain of bullets stopped, but the sound only intensified as our men opened fire on the street, drawing the fire away from us. Jose rammed the final car trying to block us and cut the wheel to slide into the driveway. The shocks bottomed out as we bounced through the gateway, and I heard a thud as the gate fell shut behind us.

We were safely on the property, but the danger to Layla wasn’t over yet.

“Drew! Tyler!” I barked as I hit the button to release Layla. They jumped from the car, guns drawn. Tyler whistled for Dash and Dire, but they whimpered as they looked at Layla, unwilling to leave her.

“Go!” she ordered. Reluctantly, they exited the car.

I could still hear the gunfight happening on the street. “Let’s go, Colt!” Drew yelled.

“Ok, Hellcat. You ready?”

Layla rolled her eyes at me and shoved me away from her as she drew her weapon and darted from the car. God, I loved that woman. I followed behind her as our men descended the stairs to surround her. Before they could, she sprinted for the wall.

I loved her, but sometimes I wanted to kill her.

We only had time to exchange exasperated looks as we ran after her. Layla climbed up to where our men were standing and holstered her gun again as one of them tossed an automatic rifle at her. Layla immediately started firing in short bursts at different targets.

If the men ever doubted their Queen, they wouldn’t after tonight, when she stood shoulder to shoulder with them, defending her kingdom. By the time the last bullet was fired, the street was filled with smoke and blood, and we could hear sirens in the distance growing closer.

“Ok, let’s clean this up out here. Lock the guns away and keep the door closed,” Layla ordered. “Jose, get the car out of sight. Joe, keep the gate closed.”

The police usually looked the other way when the Romanos were involved, but a street full of busted-up cars and bodies would be hard to overlook.

Everyone moved quickly to get any obvious evidence of our involvement hidden, and by the time the cops arrived, everything was quiet on our side of the wall. We stood in the security office watching the cameras as Joe sat in the guardhouse, watching his TV as if nothing had happened.

An officer walked over to the guardhouse and banged on the door. Joe didn’t so much as flinch, and he didn’t turn around to acknowledge the officer. When he knocked a second time, Joe jumped and made a show of turning around, startled. Joe opened the sliding window, and he and the cop exchanged words. Joe pointed to his ears and made a so-so gesture with his hand.

“Think he will believe him that he can’t hear?” Drew chuckled.

“Joe’s good at his job and handling cops who sniff around the house,” Layla said. “Why do you think Dad kept him around all these years?”

The officer gestured angrily toward the street and then the gate, but Joe shook his head at him and reached for the phone. He pressed a couple of buttons, and the phone in the office rang.

“Yeah, Joe?” Layla answered.

“Sorry to bother you, Boss, but there are some police officers out here who want to talk to you about what happened on the street.”

“What happened out on the street?” Layla asked.

“Honestly, I have no idea, but apparently, there was a shoot-out!” Joe replied.

“How did you miss that, Joe?” Layla asked, grinning at their little show.

“I don’t know, Boss. You know how my hearing has been getting worse.”

“We’ll discuss it later. Let the officers know I will be out shortly,” Layla replied. She hung up the phone and went upstairs. We followed behind her, feeling somewhat perplexed.

“Whatcha doing, Layla?” Tyler asked when she started stripping out of her clothes.

“Undressing, what’s it look like?” she replied.

“Why?” Drew questioned.

“To go meet the cops.”

“The fuck you are!” I said.

“Calm down, killer,” Layla replied, rolling her eyes. She pulled on a lingerie set that had me wanting to tear it back off of her and slid into a satin robe that only reached her thighs. “Ok, let’s go,” she said, cinching the robe around her.

Another woman might have slid on heels and strutted outside, but not my girl. She understood the allure of simplicity and padded outside barefoot.

I followed her outside, fully confident that she would talk her way out of this. She was just that good.