Chapter 5

Chapter 5ForgeAnother long day of watching the Russo brothers try to consolidate their power by working out deals with all the other mobsters irritated me. I was glad when the end of the day came. It was Friday night and they skipped dinner altogether. Electing instead to go straight to their favorite bar.I was eager to get there myself. Unless somebody had removed my eavesdropping device, I was going to get an earful of what those two older gentlemen were talking about. I couldn’t imagine what kind of grudge the old men had against the brothers. And if the brothers knew the old men were harboring a grudge, why would they continue to frequent their establishments so religiously?The Russo brothers grabbed their usual table and I perched on my favorite barstool in the corner. The older men were already in place. I took out my cell phone and slid my one earbud into place as if I were waiting on a phone call.The two older men were deep in conversation about some kind of escort service they were running. As near as I could tell, there was a disagreement about whether or not to start taking blind appointments. The sterner of the two kept insisting they were leaving money on the table by only basing patronage on referrals. His partner argued that it was a safety issue and pointed out that no one was going to pay top dollar for damaged merchandise.A sick feeling swirled in my stomach when I realized the merchandise they were referring to were the escorts. I was starting to hate every single thing about this job, when the conversation shifted to the Russo brothers.“I’m not wild about giving the brothers thirty percent of our profits off the top.”The kinder of the two men, replied, “That was always the deal with Don Diavonte. Why do you suddenly feel like it’s unfair?”“These three knuckleheads are not our Don.”“From the looks of things, they’re going to be. Making waves now would be big mistake.”The other man lowered his voice. “We need to just get rid of them. They’re getting in our way. We’ve put too much time and effort into this business to let three young pups take it all away.”“Look, Tony, I’m all for getting rid of them, but you’ve tried twice and they’re somehow still alive. They’re like fucking cats. They have nine lives, and their old man is going to go scorched earth on whoever messes with his set up.”“Old man Russo was nothing more than Don Diavonte’s lacky. You know that and I know that.”It felt like my job was half over now. But then one of them mentioned how lucrative the bar had been since they hired the singer. They both glanced at Isabella, who was making her turn around the room, shmoozing the guests.Their conversation about her nearly set my hair on fire.“I’m glad you decided to put business before pleasure with that one, Tony.”“I still want her, Louis. How long do you plan to make me wait to take what’s mine?”“I’m getting tired of you always thinking with your dick. You’ve ruined at least a dozen good business opportunities over the years over your lust for raping and pillaging.”“What’s with the melodrama? Having her won’t stop her from singing.”“Remember when you said fucking our old accountant wouldn’t interfere with business and she wound up dead with your belt around her neck?”“That was different. She threatened to go to the police if I didn’t leave her alone. You know how women are. Once that idea pops into their head, they keep vacillating on it until they end up doing something stupid.”Louis’ voice became stern. “There have been others. The bottom line is either I can trust you to calm your baser instincts in favor of conducting business or I can’t. When it gets to the point that I can no longer trust your word, things are going to get very interesting between the two of us.”Tony snorted a laugh. “You act like if you and I went head-to-head you would come out on top. Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds? I’m better than you in every conceivable way.”“Yeah, right, I’ll not remind you about what happened in Reno then,” Louis said with a laugh. “Anyway, back to business, what are you doing about the Russo brothers?”“I’ve decided that since no one else can do the job properly, you and I should deal with these pups ourselves.”Louis’s expression brightened. “This idea has merit, my friend. We were never happier or more productive than we when we were on the streets together.”“We ran half of LA before Don Diavonte showed up with his hand-picked crew. Tracking down a few youngsters who are too ambitious for their own good shouldn’t be much of a challenge.” Tony sounded positively enamored with the idea of going on a Russo killing spree.Louis held up his glass of champagne. “I’ll make you a deal. After we eliminate the Russo brothers, the singer can be your reward. You’ve waited long enough.”Tony’s voice warmed with happiness. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful not to leave any bruises…where you can see them at least.”“Who could ask for more?” Louis murmured.“You could ask me to share her. You know I’ve never minded sharing with you.”His friend lifted his glass, and they drank to killing and rape. It was all I could do not to stalk across this bar full of mobsters and rip their throats out.When both men got up and walked toward the back offices, I yanked my ear bud from my ear. Fucking hell. Those two were batshit crazy. And dangerous. I had to alert Storm right away. My fingers flew over my screen as I pulled the recording I just captured out of the app and sent it to my club president in an encrypted e-mail. Next, I cut out the portion related to the Russo brothers and sent it to Diego and Nicco. I didn’t have Lucas’s e-mail because our club had never dealt with him one-on-one. I alerted them to meet me outside.I looked around for Isabella and found her headed for the restroom in the back. There were two doors in the back. One went to the offices and the rooms upstairs. The other led to the restrooms and a simple kitchen where they made snacks. I got up and stalked through the bar. The minute I got close to Isabella, I grabbed her arm and pulled her through the kitchen and out the back door. Though she was trying to yank her hand away, she wasn’t screaming the place down. I guessed that was why the kitchen staff barely noticed.The minute the door closed behind her, she screeched, “What are you doing? I’m not allowed outside. You’re gonna get me in so much trouble.”I turned and pressed her against the wall of the bar, blocking her from anyone who might be walking down the alley. “What do you mean you aren’t allowed to go outside?”A pained look crossed her face. “They don’t allow me to leave without an escort. I know it sounds weird, but I have to work here.”“No. Tonight you’re fucking quitting.”She gestured wildly to the back door. “Hello, it’s the mafia. No one just quits.”“Are you saying they’re slaving you out? Forcing you to work against your will and not paying you?”“They pay me. Maybe not what they originally agreed, but, basically, I have to work here whether I want to or not. I need it to pay for my—” she stopped and looked like she was about to burst into tears. Then she seemed to pull herself together. “I have a room upstairs. It’s really luxurious.”“They have you in a gilded cage. Is that what you’re saying?”She nodded, her expression scared. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone about that. I wouldn’t put it past them to make me disappear rather than having the police around here asking the wrong kind of questions.”“One of the owners is planning to rape you. I overheard them talking about it just now.”She shook her head vehemently. “No. Louis promised he’d keep Tony away, that was always the agreement.”“Tony has killed women before and dumped their bodies. Louis was getting onto him about that. Tony promised not to leave injuries on you that could been while you sing.”Her mouth dropped open in horror. Before she could respond, I said, “He can do a lot of damage to you without it being visible in the gowns you wear, Isabella. You need to come with me right now. It’s the only way.”“I don’t think it’s a good idea to get you involved. They could kill you just as easily as they could me.”“I’m already involved. It’s true what you said about me being the security detail for the Russo brothers. Those two are going to try to kill them for a third time, and the afterparty involves Tony finally getting his ugly paws on you.”Without waiting for her to agree, I pulled her down the alley and put her into my vehicle. Nicco jogged up just as I was closing the door on Isabella.“We got your message. I can’t believe Tony and Louis are ballsy enough to think they can take us out.”“Don’t be stupid. Every single mobster in this city wants to take you out. If they find out these two old timers are planning on taking you out, I can’t even fathom how many will jump on board.”“What the fuck are you saying?”“I’m saying that now’s the time to hide. I can draw them away and call in reinforcements, but you and your family need to lay for a few weeks.”“What in the hell makes you think they’re going to follow you instead of hunt us down?”I knocked on the window and Isabella rolled it down. I gave her the keys. “Why don’t you turn on the heater? It’s getting cold.”“Sure thing.”Once the window slid back up, I whispered, “I have their little songbird. Tony is obsessed with her. Trust me, he’ll prioritize finding her over you.” I slapped him on the chest with the back of my hand and joked, “They can take you and your family out anytime. There’s no rush on that.”“You’re a bit of an asshole when you want to be, Forge.”“If you know my name, that means Storm must have given you a heads up that I was here.”“Yeah, of course he did. Storm and Diego are pretty tight.”“Your old man tried to kill me this morning. Those old-school gangsters were just as eager to take him out as you and your brothers. Wherever you go, make fucking sure you take his stupid ass with you.”Nicco glanced at the window again. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?”“Yeah. Storm will have reinforcements on us before the sun rises. You just worry about your own family.”“Alright,” Nicco says reluctantly. “Stay safe. We owe you one. If you ever need anything, just let us know.”“Will do. Let’s get the fuck outta here before they realize Isabella’s gone. I want to put some distance between us and them.”Nicco gave me a rueful look. “I would ask how much trouble two old men could be, but those two have been going strong for decades. They’re both pretty fucking dangerous, so if they catch up with you, don’t turn your back on them.”“Got it. Take care, Nicco.”I slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and peeled out of the parking lot at top speed. They had exterior cameras and I wanted to make it especially clear that I was the one who took the women they’d been holding against her will.Isabella had already buckled her seatbelt. When I squealed out of the parking lot, she grabbed the dashboard. “Jesus, it can’t be this much of an emergency.”“Trust me, it is,” I responded curtly.“Where in the world are we going?” she asked tensely. “I don’t know you and I’m not completely certain that going with you is less of a risk than staying.”“Maybe it’s time for introductions, my name’s Rob but my friends call me Forge.”“Where are you taking me?” She asked, her eyes wide.“Listen to this first.”I slammed my phone in the cradle and began streaming the conversation between Tony and Louis. The more she heard, the more horrified she became. Her hand ended up over her mouth and she teared up. “I should have never responded to their advertisement for a singer. I just thought they were a regular bar. I didn’t know they were mafia until it was too late.”“That’s kind of their modus operandi. Think about it. Who in their right mind would get involved with them if they knew they were mafia?”Isabella nodded.I knew my best bet to keep her calm was to keep her talking. “How long have you worked there?”“A little over a year and a half. My grandmother went into a nursing home, and I needed a job to help pay for her care.”“Well, you have a beautiful singing voice. I’m sure you could have had your pick of jobs. What made you apply to the Trip Easy?”“The salary they quoted in the ad was significantly higher than anyone else was offering for someone with no experience.”“I guess that’s the way they get people interested in working for them. I think you said back at the bar that they never came through with paying the amount they quoted.”“No. They didn’t. I only ever ended up making about half that. It was barely enough to pay for my grandmother’s care. If they hadn’t given me an apartment above the bar, I don’t think I would have been able to afford one on such a limited salary.”“So why didn’t you leave? If you’ve been there for so long, then surely other clubs would hire you with that experience?” I asked.“It’s not so simple. I signed paperwork,” she paused and wiped at her eyes. “In hindsight I was stupid. I thought it was just a contract, usual stuff. But there were other papers, taking away my power of attorney over my grandmother. They were in charge of her care.”“What?” I exclaimed, surely in this day and age stuff like this couldn’t be happening. “We’ve got club lawyers, good lawyers. We’ll get all that reversed. We can get her into a better facility.”She started crying for real now, I rummaged in the glove compartment and found a napkin and handed it to her.“It’s too late,” she said through her tears.“What do you mean?”“She’d been getting worse, she had another brain bleed and—” Isabella started sobbing and gasping for breath. I’ve never been good with displays of emotion like this, so I tried to placate her, I had one hand on the wheel and the other on her shoulder. “Take your time.”She looked over at me, her eyes glistening. “I got a text last week, no brain activity, we had to… they switched off her life support. Now I’m all alone.”“You’re not alone. You have me and my club looking out for you.”“What do you mean by you and your club? What kind of club are you in?”“I am a member of the Dark Slayers MC.”“What’s an MC. Is that like a gang of some sort?”“No. It’s a motorcycle club.”“So I’ve escaped one set of outlaws, only to be abducted by another set? That’s just my luck.”“The Dark Slayers MC isn’t a one percent club. We don’t deal in illegal shit. Our club earns all of its money legally. We own and operate several local businesses, one of them being a security firm.”“You were legitimately working security for the Russo family?”“Yeah. Like you said, someone tried to kill them twice. My job was to shadow them and try to figure out who was trying to take them out.”“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you figure out it was my bosses? Did they do or say something that tipped you off?”“It was the way they interacted with the three brothers, all smiles and politeness to their faces and dirty looks behind their backs. That’s what made me suspect they had an axe to grind with them.”“How did you record their conversation without them knowing it? Surely, they saw you get close with your phone.”“I didn’t use my phone to record them. I used a listening device. It was small. I planted it under their table.”“They have their table in the VIP section. No one goes near them until they’re escorted by the manager. I guess that gives them a lot of privacy to plot and plan.”“It looked that way to me too. I thought I’d have to sit there for days or weeks before they said anything of consequence. It’s just dumb luck they talked about the important shit all in one evening. Of course, what we heard is just the tip of the iceberg. They went back to their office to plan out all the details.”“Those two are thick as thieves. I hear they always have been. It gives me the creeps to think that I was just some kind of treat they were going share in celebration of killing their enemies.”“Mobsters are depraved fucks. I’d never turn my back on one if I could help it.”