Chapter 13Ciara

Chapter 13

Ciara

"Please, don't hurt me!" Marco cried.

Carlos was asleep on the sofa while Marco was sitting on the floor watching television. We entered from the back, and front with men surrounding the building, and some on watch down the street. We covered all the base … well … Luca did.

The house was a single story one family unit in the suburbs. The living room was small with a homey feel and had a small fireplace with family photos on the mantlepiece. I looked around the clean beige walls and noted that other than the photos, the place seem as though no one lived there.

Having my full of the family environment, I pulled my Glock and jammed it into Carlos' neck, awakening him while Luca pulled up Marco by his collar. Marco was pleading and Carlos tentatively sat upright at my urging.

I turned to Marco. "Shut the fuck up. Do you know who I am?"

"No ma'am," he said in a scared tone.

Luca came over and guarded Carlos while I commandeered Marco. "Well la-di-da, tonight's your lucky night you little piece of shit! You know the boy you bullied, the one you had your brother murder? You know who, right?"

His face went ashen, and his eyes gorged. I raised my gun and brought it around hard, to land on his cheek. He reeled back and fell on his ass crying and whimpering. I advanced, standing over him.

"You killed a future doctor, you trash!"

Hoisting my foot, I was about to bring my spiked heel down on his neck, but someone pulled me back. "Take it easy babe. Not yet," Luca whispered in my ear before turning back to Carlos. "You're gonna write a note to your aunt, telling her you've gone somewhere secret because the police are looking for you, and you don't want her involved."

Someone began searching the room for pen and paper when gunshots were heard outside. Men were shouting and running as one of the living room windows shattered. The look on Carlos' face told me that we'd walked into a trap. Luca glanced at me knowingly as we tried to fathom what our next move was.

With the flame of anger coiling through my veins, I raised my hand and brought the butt of the gun down on Carlo's temple. "You shithead set us up!"

He slumped on the sofa, passing out cold. I instructed a couple of men to come and tie them up while Luca and I went to join the fracas. As another window shattered, we ducked behind the sofa.

Luca crawled up to me. "Cover me."

As he made to move away, I held him back. "I'm not losing you too. I mean, as a friend."

He chuckled, reached over and pecked me on the lips. "You won't lose me … as a friend."

"Where's Sandy?"

"Out there," he replied. "Now stay here with them."

I chortled, amused. "You think Imma stay here when all the action is out there ?"

I moved first, crouching and made my way to the back door. I heard him swear and followed me. When he was near, he pulled me behind and took the lead. A gunshot zinged past his ear, and he ducked, while pulling and firing his weapon through a hole in the back door. I heard the slug hit flesh and took the opportunity to get a few rounds out.

After minutes of shootout, the yard became quiet and we heard Sandy shouting, "ALL CLEAR!"

Luca stood and stretched, peering through the hole before opening the door. I moved up behind him to see the remaining Dragon Crew on their knees with Sandy having one at gunpoint. Upon approaching the men, we saw that the man Sandy was guarding was Pretty Boy Mike.

This was what it all came down to.

Me and the Dragon Crew.

It was either fight or die. All in or nothing at all.

I had nothing to lose now because I already lost the only thing I was living for.

* * *

All night Luca was glued to me, which kept me sane. He was my anchor when I felt I was drifting. It was the first time I remember leaning on a man for anything and he never made me feel that I owed him anything in return.

We arrived at the loft, black sheets covering the faces of the captives. We would move them later to another location.

"The armory," Luca instructed. "Keep a watch on them."

He took my hand as soon as we arrived at the loft and led me inside and up the stairs. "You want it done quickly or let them suffer a little bit?" he asked.

"Is that what you brought me in here to ask me? You know what I want to do to that fucker. I'll start by taking bits and pieces of his flesh, and then I cut a little bit off each limb, and if he bleeds to death then so be it."

"A slow and painful death it is."

"Luca why did you bring me up here?"

He took my hand and pulled me into his tight embrace. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I had a son. We just never got around to talking about it."

"I think we should talk about that tomorrow; we need to get back to the boys."

"No, not yet. You can do all you want to them with a clear head tomorrow. And I wanted to give you this." He crooked a finger under my chin, urging me to lift my face. He then devoured my mouth in a searing kiss.

I responded to the kiss with every fiber of my being as though it was something I'd been craving. I didn't know what it was about Luca that had me so weak, and yet giving me strength. All I knew was that this wasn't just me waiting to fuck away my grief like I thought. This was me wanting the man and loving how he cared about my wellbeing. I was ready to fuck him there with all the men on the lower floor, however that wasn't to be.

"Now get some rest," he murmured against my lips when he broke the kiss. "I'll be downstairs."

I perhaps held on to his hand a little too long and he bent, giving a kiss on the forehead. He waited until I kicked off my shoes and lie on the bed. The moment he left the room I must have fallen asleep because the following morning I remembered nothing after he left the room. It was a deep and dreamless sleep that made me feel like my old self. I woke up calm and relaxed, my mind clear and ready for the day.

When I went downstairs, Luca was at the kitchen table with Sandy and a few of the guys drinking coffee. When he saw me, he stood and came up to me.

"Wow, you look much better than yesterday?" he observed.

"I'm feeling much calmer, like my old self."

He held his cup up. "Coffee? There's a whole pot."

"I'd love some."

While Luca poured my coffee, he beckoned me over to the counter as he wanted to talk.

"I have some good news and some bad news. Which is first?" he asked, handing me my cup.

"Give me the bad news first."

"Our boss knows what happened to your brother, therefore your girl Neve now knows."

"Shit."

He sighed. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"But they're on their honeymoon. They could have learned this when they got back."

"It was inevitable," he countered. "He needed a report, and the collections manager had to update him. Toby didn't know you wanted to keep secret from him."

I nodded before taking a sip. "The good news please."

He grinned. "The boss now knows what happened to your brother."

"Stop with the jokes. You said you had good news as well," I said, my voice impatient.

"That's it, he knows and guess what?"

I sighed a second time. "What?"

"He's suspended all missions until we resolve your brother's murder."

A cold sensation crawled over my skin. "This is more than just my brother's death, isn't it? I could feel it last night."

Luca reached into his pocket and withdrew a photo, placing it on the countertop. "You know this dude?"

I stared at the photograph of a man with shoulder length raven hair and a short beard. He was dressed in a dark suit with the standard security earpiece. I looked closer at the photo and recognized the earpiece as one resembling the Mercado's. Since it was the standard 4x6 photo, the earpiece was small, and I wasn't sure of the image on it was the dragon.

"Is that the Mercado logo?" I asked, pointing at the earpiece.

"That's Marco's uncle, Santiago Gonzales. We checked it out and he was the personal secretary for Mr. Mercado years ago. He started his own faction and stole Mercado logo." Luca glanced across at Sandy sitting at the table. "He was instrumental in kidnapping Sandy for the Mercados."

Santiago must have been nineteen or twenty years old in the photo which was more than twenty-five years ago. I also glanced at Sandy and knew that he must be feeling some kind of way.