Chapter 18

Kraven

Threats.

They were a part of my life, both legal and illegal organizations trying to destroy what hard work and elements of blackmail and extortion had brought me. I'd taken every warning and attempt at ruining my life with a grain of salt. How could I complain given I was considered in the top one percent of the wealthiest people in the world?

Hell, I'd even made fun of some of the people who'd made attempts, calling them fools and worthless, considering their actions delicious war games to be played and won. As I'd grown older, and some would hope wiser, I'd become more annoyed with the antics, doing everything I could to eliminate the situation and the person quickly.

But there was something about the recent series of events that bothered me more than normal. One of the many things my father had told me early on was that my life expectancy would never be the standard given I'd always have one or more targets on my back. But that wasn't it. I wasn't fearing death, at least for me.

It was all about the fact that in a couple of days' time, I'd allowed someone truly innocent into my world. Not only did she also have a target on her back, she presented more than just a complication. With Penny in my life, sharing my bed, a disaster was waiting to happen. Yet I was getting to the point I didn't give a shit.

Other than becoming determined to keep her out of harm's way, slaughtering anyone who dared try to interfere. Even now, I was on edge, enraged by the events. Relaxing wasn't possible.

"Nothing at all?" I asked Konstantin as I sat on the bench, watching Penny's interactions with Remington. She was laughing every time she threw the Frisbee, enjoying the day out. She was also terrible at trying to land a toss the pup could catch. Everything about her was endearing, so much so I loathed sitting here doing business but it was a necessity.

I'd watched her earlier as she'd danced to some music coming from an unknown source, allowing me to see just how talented she truly was. She was also extremely graceful, something that seemed to come naturally for her even if she acted more like a tomboy at times. But I'd observed her expressions, had paid close attention to her hand gestures as well as the long line of her legs. She was magnificent.

And my cock continued to stir, my balls far too tight.

When she glanced in my direction, I was shaking my head. Somehow, the girl had convinced me to play a round of miniature golf in the middle of the heated afternoon with the sun beating down on us. I'd sweated like some fucking pig while she'd shimmered appropriately.

At least the earlier ice cream indulgence had cooled us both off, including the licks for Remington.

My God. If I wasn't careful, I'd turn into boyfriend material.

"Nah, boss. I went all the way back to her high school yearbook. She was valedictorian and that was after graduating a year early. The girl was sixteen. Shit, man. She was also on the pep squad. A cheerleader. And on the dance team. She went to college double majoring in business administration and dance at the University of Richmond. The girl is smart as shit, Summa Cum Laude graduate. She moved out here six months ago. Her dad is alive, but her mom died not too many months before she took the big plunge, heading to Sin City."

"Okay. I wanted to be certain." I'd needed confirmation before I could shove aside any concerns about her sudden appearance. Many a man had been caught with his pants down, something I'd made certain over the years would never happen.

"Yeah, but here's something odd. She has no social media presence whatsoever. None."

"Perhaps you're not looking in the right place."

He snorted. "You forget who you're talking to, boss man. I checked and rechecked every derivative of her name, using a picture I took of her and uploading it into our system to try facial recognition as well."

My most trusted man was just doing his job, but I felt a twinge of anger and perhaps jealousy he'd taken her photograph without me knowing. "Every social media platform?" In this day and age and considering how young she was, that was unusual. But not if she'd been running from something.

Or someone.

"You name it. Facebook. Instagram. Twitter or whatever the fuck it's called these days. Tiktok. I checked all the brand spanking new platforms and even dating sites. Nothing. She's twenty-something years old. Who doesn't have a social media footprint with thousands of selfies?"

"Someone who's trying to hide something. See if she had a boyfriend or if she was robbed or stalked." My thoughts drifted once again to the scars on her arms. Her mother's death? Maybe but my guess was there was much more to the situation.

"Alright. I'll do that. I do have some news you're not going to be happy with."

"Jesus Christ. What now?" Every time I took even an afternoon off, shit seemed to hit the fan.

When Penny's Frisbee throw went wild, heading straight for me, I had to react quickly, or it would have sliced into my forehead. I snatched it in midair, laughing from the sight of her shock.

Seconds later, Remington bounded toward me, jumping on top of me to try to snatch the plastic. After a few seconds of playing tug with him, I allowed him to have it. He bounded away, growling and barking.

"What is the bad news?"

Konstantin was laughing so hard I wasn't certain he could hear me. "Should I ask what you're doing?"

"Not if you want to live. What is the fucking bad news?" The sun was already setting, which surprised the hell out of me. The time we'd shared had gone by far too quickly.

"We found David and his girlfriend."

"Excellent. Then what's wrong?"

"They were both murdered execution style."

I closed my eyes, cursing silently. "Let me guess. There's no indication of a forced entry, no sign of who was behind the fucking attack."

"No, and the bullets are lodged in their brains so I couldn't even tell you if it's the same caliber as the asshole who attacked you."

Shit.

This was getting out of hand.

"Why kill the guy responsible for the theft?"

I was surprised Konstantin asked the question. He'd been around the block more than once. He knew the score. When a patsy was used, they were typically eliminated. It was in some unwritten rule book. "Because my reputation as a master interrogator is intact and well known."

"Okay, then why aggravate you with something so stupid?"

"Possibly to test our systems. We fucking failed."

"Only because there was an insider."

"Maybe." I'd already thought of the possibility, which annoyed the hell out of me. If another man or woman in my employ had betrayed me, I might clean house. I had a sudden uncanny feeling we were being watched. I motioned to one of the men and he immediately headed in my direction. "We're heading back now. We need to take a few minutes to regroup and plan a list of possible responsible parties. Including the fucking Morellis."

"They haven't made any slick moves from what I understand and the word on the street doesn't suggest they sucked down some stupid syrup all of a sudden. They know how powerful you are and what you're capable of." My counselor laughed. "You have me curious. Do you have a hot date tonight?"

"Perhaps that's none of your business."

He chuckled again. "Understood. Glad to see you enjoying a day off. I'll talk to you when you get back."

I slipped the phone into my pocket as Ivan approached.

"Yes, sir?"

"Any unusual activity in the park?"

"Nothing. But I'll walk the area again."

"Do. We'll be leaving here in a few."

He nodded and walked away.

Before I had a chance to get up, my phone rang again. I was finished with business and wouldn't have taken the call had it not been for seeing Zach's number. At least I could count on my buddy to scour the streets in his city, knocking heads together if necessary to find the information I was looking for. "You found something?"

"I don't know if it's anything that makes sense. Yes, I've also had to deal with Gray Death coming into my city and my resorts. I was shocked at the person bringing it in. It could have been a political fucking nightmare."

"Let me venture a guess. The son, brother, or nephew of some other prominent pain in the ass in town like a politician or maybe a judge."

When he sucked in his breath, I could tell I was right.

"How the fuck did you know?"

"Because I had the same thing happen here." My hackles weren't just raised. They were flying fucking high as a kite.

"In my case," Zach continued, "the daughter of a judge who's put away at least six of my men on bullshit. He has far too much weight in town."

"I assume you spoke with the daughter."

"Yeah, although I wasn't as rough with her as I should have been."

"Did she tell you she was at a family gathering and some strange guy was there offering the strange party favors as candy? But she had the feeling she had no choice in the matter?"

"You're a fucking mind reader. What the hell is going on?"

I scanned the park again, still having the same odd sensations as before. "I don't know but I don't like it and I have a feeling that it's conspiracy based."

"You might be right. I have reputable sources from here to LA and down into Mexico telling me something big is coming."

"That's fairly ominous and sadly, at this point worthless."

He chuckled. "Trust me. I tried grilling a few of them but it was as if shit had been put out on the streets in various locations on purpose with little or no information backing it up. I don't like it."

I rubbed my jaw, studying the adorable, feisty woman as she flopped onto the ground, cooing and kissing her dog. She was either oblivious or didn't care how much danger we were in. "I don't either. I'll give you a piece of advice. I think someone is trying to set us up. I'd stay as far removed from starting a war as possible."

"Those are my current intentions, although I'd pissed at what's going on."

"Me too. I may have a lead, a group of mafia dudes coming in from LA. What do you know about the Santos brothers?"

"Decent. Brutal. If the rumors are true, hooked up with another organization that's very secretive."

"Could they be behind this fucking charade?"

Zach breathed into the phone. "I doubt it. They firmly believe in following the unwritten rules of our world, my friend. I'll be curious as to what they have to say."

"Yeah, so will I. One more question. Have your informants talked about an up-and-coming cartel leader named Emiliano Cabrera?"

His exhale meant he'd heard of the guy at least. "I know of him. I have a source who keeps me informed about the civil war going on in South America. He's one of the firstborn sons who up and murdered their own father to take control. It's a dog-eat-dog world, man, but to date, he's yet to hit Reno. I'm having trouble with some jerk who goes by the name of the Butcher."

"Any idea who this guy is?"

"Not at this point but he took out one of my warehouses and six of my men."

"That means he has a calling card," I said, huffing. What happened to the good old days where mafia leaders stayed in their own lanes and didn't use monikers to handle business?

"Yeah. He cuts out their tongues and takes them with him."

"Shit, man. Who has time for that crap? Too messy."

"Someone who's sending a warning." His voice sounded strained. "I'll let you know if I hear anything else."

"I appreciate your help. I'll call you later this week."

"Good deal."

As I ended the call, I thought about how unusual it was to have friends or make alliances in this business. In the old days, that wouldn't have been possible, but now, everyone was trying to go at least partially legit. Well, maybe not the majority of cartels but those in the United States and Canada anyway. It wasn't a riddle I could solve today.

South America was nothing but a war waiting to happen. So many cartels still believed coming into the US would be easy, finding success and wealth within months. Little did they know how diluted the territories were at this point. Anyone with a criminal background acted as if they could lead a powerful empire. Bull-fucking-shit.

As I stood, I finally removed my sunglasses for the day before heading in her direction. My Red Penny wasn't paying any attention, instead leading Remington toward one of the water features meant for humans and their furry friends. I had a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and at this point, wasn't happy about being out in the open. The sense of being watched was stronger than ever.

While I'd doubted anyone would be stupid enough to plan an attack in the heart of the city, at this point I wasn't certain what to think any longer. And once again, my thoughts drifted back to the guests arriving in my town tomorrow.

Remington bounded into the water, which prompted her to remove and toss her sandals into the grass, jumping in beside him. The feature was a cooling station with misting units and streams of water coming from different vibrantly colored sprinkler heads, the basin covered in just enough water the pup was lapping at it. Somehow, I wanted to take pictures to remember the lovely afternoon by for years to come. That wasn't like me. I had zero pictures in my house, which had always been fine by me.

I walked closer, standing on the outskirts, enjoying the last few moments before it was back to business as usual.

When she beckoned me with a single finger, giving me another one of her vixen-inspired expressions, I indulged her by walking just out of her reach.

"What are you, scared?" she asked.

"I'm scared of nothing." I couldn't help but growl my response.

"Prove it."

I bent down, grinning as the pup headed toward me, his entire body wiggling. When I splashed water at him, he snuffled and I'll be damned if he didn't shake his entire body, the water slapping in my face.

Penny laughed hysterically, deciding to push my buttons a little more by bending down, using both hands to whisk water in my direction. My shirt was soaked within seconds, but I leaned forward, pushing her down until she was forced to sit in the basin.

"You horrible man!"

It was my turn to laugh even as a noise caught my attention. I reached out, offering her my arm. "I am that. Aren't I?"

"Yep?" I shouldn't have underestimated her. Giving me a hard yank, she managed to toss me into the water where she proceeded to continue splashing me.

There was such a strange sense of things that I didn't react at first, allowing her to douse me with as much water as possible. The urge to tackle her all the way down in the basin was strong, but the feeling we were being watched was even stronger.

I shook my head, licking drops off my lips before forcing us both to stand. As I jerked her closer, she glanced down at my shoes. I cupped her face, holding onto the last few moments before reality would need to be brought back into the picture. "So beautiful." I rubbed my thumb across her skin, curious what she was thinking as she darted her eyes back and forth.

For those few last precious seconds, it felt as if the connection was strengthening. Was it possible I could find a life outside of business?

"And you're a soggy mess," she purred.

"Which is all your fault. I will ensure you'll be punished but right now, we need to get back."

"Ugh. To RL?"

"RL?"

"Real life. You need to get out more," she said as she brushed wet hair from her eyes. "Maybe watching a little television will do you some good."

Real life was something I had lived for far too long, only that was one full of control and violence.

And I had a bad feeling her bubble was going to be popped.