Chapter 10

10

STONE

“ W ell?” I snapped when Deviant didn’t immediately give us the name.

“Tommaso Barone.”

“What the fuck?” Fox and I exclaimed at the same time.

“But…”

Deviant gestured to the computer screen. “The boss hides in plain sight. It gives him the edge because people will tell him things that they wouldn’t tell ‘the boss.’”

“That explains why they would be holding Marylin for him,” I observed, scrubbing a hand over my face. “I kept wondering why the boss would care enough to keep a hostage until Tommaso was released. Especially when he didn’t report directly to the boss.”

Deviant nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his hip on the desk. “It’s under his orders, although no one knows that.”

“How did you find this out?” Fox asked, his brow furrowed as he took in this shocking news.

“I followed the paperwork trail and noticed Portia’s name on most everything, but a few documents had Tommaso’s name. At first, I thought it was because Portia was delegating, but then Grey pointed out that during the four months that Tommaso was incarcerated, another name replaced Tommaso’s. Elio Barone.”

My eyebrows rose. “His son?”

“Yeah. That got me curious about the car from Portia’s parking lot. It’s registered to Elio.”

I rubbed the back of my head and exhaled slowly as I sifted through all the pieces in my head. “I get that Elio is keeping Britta’s mom for his dad, but why has he been visiting the house so much?”

Deviant tried to keep his expression neutral, but I caught his slight wince and narrowed my eyes.

“I talked to King this morning. He finally brought the mole in for questioning.” Deviant pursed his lips together, then muttered, “Maybe he should tell you the rest.”

“You do realize that I’m seconds away from killing, right?” I seethed, my jaw clenched tight.

Deviant pulled his phone from his pocket and hit a button, then put it on speaker.

“King,” he answered.

“Tell Fox and Stone what you found out,” Deviant demanded.

King sighed. “You left the dirty work for me, didn’t you, asshole?”

Deviant snorted. “You’re not within shooting distance.”

“For fuck’s sake!” I shouted. “Somebody tell me what the fuck i going on!”

“We’ve been interrogating Tom—the prospect who gave up the girls—since last night. He admitted to sleeping with Portia and giving her details that gave away the location of Britta and her mom. He swore that was it and things were over, but he was obviously hiding something. Apparently, she’d ghosted Tom for a week, then suddenly showed up in…well, she seduced him, and he gave in.”

“They’d found Britta and taken Marylin,” Fox pointed out. “What else did she want from him?”

King was silent for a minute then muttered, “Britta.”

“What?” I shouted.

Fox shot me a warning look, and I inhaled slowly, attempting to calm down. “Obviously, King kept Britta’s whereabouts to himself or someone would have tried to get to her by now.”

I clenched my fists and began pacing. “What does this have to do with Tommaso’s son?” I asked, remembering their hesitance when they’d talked about him.

“Tom said that Portia repeatedly tried to get him to divulge Britta’s location, but eventually, she had to have realized he didn’t know. In all her time with Tom, she’d been very careful, but this time, she slipped. He overheard her on the phone later that night. She was pitching a fit about following the person’s orders, saying that he was just the boss’s son and she didn’t answer to him.”

“So Deviant is right,” Fox surmised. “Tommaso is the one running the organization.”

“Yeah,” Deviant agreed. “That’s what Tom suspected, but he didn’t know for sure until the next day when Elio turned up at his apartment. He used his fists to try to convince Tom to tell him what he wanted to know. All the while, Portia complained that his efforts were pointless and that she didn’t understand why Tommaso and Elio were so obsessed with these women. Then she accused Elio of wanting to fuck both of them since he’d been visiting Marylin so often. She didn’t think his daddy would be happy to share.”

“But Elio wasn’t interested in fucking Marylin,” King added in a low voice.

That was when it clicked, and I froze in place before turning to stare hard at Deviant, my hand drifting to the back of my pants and wrapping my fingers around the grip frame. “He figured Marylin could lead him to Britta.”

The thought of what would have happened if he’d found her clouded my mind and made me want to feed someone bullets.

Deviant’s eyes flickered to my arm, then returned to my face and narrowed. “Save it for Elio, Stone.”

“Take your hand off your weapon,” Fox ordered.

My hand clenched, and my trigger finger itched, but I did as I was told and released my gun before dropping my hand to my side.

Trying to contain my rage, I grunted, “When was this?”

“Two days ago.”

“So we don’t know if he went straight back to Marilyn in a tantrum and maybe even killed her?”

“We got lucky,” Fox interrupted. “Francesco’s inside man was given guard duty when Elio left town. As of this morning, Elio hasn’t been to visit her again. He also said to tell you that Elio never physically harmed Marylin when he interrogated her. Tommaso had given the order that no one should touch her, and Elio was too afraid that someone would tattle on him to his daddy.”

“Pussy,” I spat, shaking my head.

“No argument,” King agreed.

Fox’s phone cut off anything that might have been said next, and he frowned when he saw the caller. “Grey,” he told us before stabbing the screen to answer.

He listened for a second, then he cursed as his expression turned ruthless and deadly. “Thanks,” he growled before hanging up and clenching the phone in a tight fist. “Tommaso is being released tomorrow. His lawyer supposedly found a piece of new evidence that got the case tossed.”

“When?”

“First thing when the courthouse opens.”

I glanced at the clock. “So we have just enough time to get there but will only have a couple of hours to make a plan and set it in motion?”

Fox nodded, then began barking orders. “I’m gonna get on the line with Francesco, and we’ll come up with some sort of plan.” He looked directly at me. “I alerted Maverick, Whiskey, and several enforcers when you and Deviant came storming in here. They’re armed and ready to ride. Get on the road with them, and we’ll fill you in on your next moves when you get there.”

I lifted my chin in acknowledgment and strode toward the door. As I left, I heard Fox tell King to get some of his enforcers and head to Chicago as well.

Before I could take off, I had to see Britta. She was still in my office, staring hard at her computer, but when she heard me enter, she jumped to her feet. “Any news?” she asked, wringing her hands together. “Did you find my mom?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, baby, but I don’t have time to give you more details. We have to leave immediately. I need you to promise me that you’ll stay here. Remain in sight of one of my brothers unless you’re locked in our room. I need to know you’re safe, or I won’t be able to concentrate on anything else.”

“I promise,” she whispered. “Now swear to me you’ll come back in one piece.”

My lips curved up, and I pulled her into my arms for a deep kiss. “I promise.”

My brothers and I reached Chicago even faster than we’d expected, probably because we’d broken just about every speed limit along the way. Fox had sent me a message to meet the others at a warehouse not far from where Marylin was being held hostage.

When we arrived, a tall man with olive skin, dark hair, and shrewd green eyes approached me. He was clearly of Italian descent, so I assumed it was one of Francesco’s men. “ Ciao ,” he murmured, reaching out to shake my hand.

I was shocked when I immediately recognized his voice. “Francesco?”

I had expected him to send men, not be there himself.

“ Sì . It’s nice to finally meet you, but I would have preferred better circumstances.”

“Agreed.”

“Fox and I ran through many scenarios, but ultimately, we decided it was best to eliminate the threat altogether. We don’t want to chance anyone finding loopholes and slithering their way out of the system.”

I was relieved to hear that they wouldn’t attempt to find another solution, like trying to fix it so that Tommaso and his key people ended up in jail. There would be no negotiation. Just a whole lot of pain before they ended up at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

“My sources tell me that Portia is currently at the office building with several other key players. When King arrives, he and his men will handle them. I have men on several warehouses waiting for the order to rescue anyone they find and take out whoever is holding them.”

“That leaves Tommaso and Elio,” I said, an evil smile curling my lips.

“ Sì. We all agreed that it was your right to deal with them as you see fit.”

I bobbed my head up and down in agreement.

“When Elio returned, Carlos was relieved of guard duty. However, before he left, he dropped subtle hints that it seemed like Marylin was ready to crack.”

“Did he take the bait?”

“ Sì.” Francesco smiled, but it was sinister with a coldness in his eyes that would make most men cower. Coupled with his reputation for being merciless and extremely…creative with anyone who crossed him, it was easy to see why he was the head of the largest Mafia family in the Midwest.

“He is already waiting at the house, but the man I have watching it tells me that he hasn’t gone past the front room. My assumption is that he’s waiting for Tommaso, hoping his father will beat the truth out of Marylin.”

“And Tommaso?”

“Currently being processed for release. We probably have about an hour before he arrives at the house.”

“Thanks,” I said as we shook hands again. “Couldn’t have done this without you.”

Francesco cocked his head and smirked. “My pleasure. You are aiding me in getting rid of a dirty organization. One that was trying to compete with me. We intend to send a very clear message about what happens to people who fuck with the Family.”

I turned to head back to my bike but stopped when he spoke again. “Feel free to make Tommaso and Elio suffer as long as possible. After King takes care of the office building, he and his guys will be watching your backs at the house. When you’re done, just leave everything behind. My cleaners will take care of it.”

Damn, I seriously owed Francesco. And I had no doubt he’d eventually call in his chips.

When everyone had their orders, a few of our men left to help King while Maverick, Hunter, Racer, and I drove to a house a few streets over from our destination. Felicia and Donovan, a couple in Francesco’s organization, lived there and hid our bikes in a shed in their backyard.

It would have been easier to wait for darkness, but after we’d been there about twenty minutes, Donovan came out back to tell us that Tommaso was ten minutes away.

Night made things easier, but it really didn’t matter what time it was. We knew how to remain unnoticed. We split up across the street and took different routes to approach the house.

Deviant had provided the blueprints so we’d be familiar with the layout to avoid surprises. His best guess was that Marylin was either being held in the basement or the attic.

I crept up to the back door and glanced at Maverick. I was torn over saving my woman’s mother and making the men responsible pay.

He narrowed his eyes and tapped my temple before whispering, “I’ll get Marylin.”

There was a bond between brothers, one that was stronger than the ties of blood. And it meant that we knew each other in a way that outsiders never would. Maverick had known me for a long time, and after I patched, he’d seen the rage that lurked in my soul. It came out when we brought someone to The Room. I let it take over because punishing our enemies seemed to be the only time I had any peace. I couldn’t take out the bastards who shot me and had killed so many people, including the hostage I was trying to save. But I could make others suffer in their stead.

Maverick knew what I hadn’t wanted to admit. I had to be the one to deal with Tommaso and Elio, or the darkness inside me would fester and consume me. I was afraid that even Britta wouldn’t be able to pull me back. Wiping out the threat to her would be the equivalent of saving those hostages and maybe it would douse the constant fury burning inside me.

The back door was the entrance to a small, dingy kitchen that clearly hadn’t been cleaned in a very long time. If that was where they’d been feeding Marylin from, we’d be lucky if she wasn’t sick. Maverick and Hunter split up, one going for a door that led to the basement and disappearing down the steps. The other paused at the door to a hallway where the stairs went up to the attic. The hallway was short and could be seen from most of the living room, so we had to wait for Elio to be distracted before Maverick could go for the stairs.

After what seemed like hours but was really only a few minutes, I heard creaking from the wooden board used to build the front porch. Elio walked over to open the door, and Maverick slipped up the stairs.

Racer and I drew our guns, holding them so that we were each trained on one of the men. When we heard the front door close, we moved through the hall into the living room.

“Hate to interrupt this little father and son reunion,” Racer drawled, making both men whirl in our direction.

They went for their weapons but froze when I put a bullet in the ground right between Elio’s legs. “I wouldn’t do that, asshole. You wouldn’t even be able to pull your gun before I blew your fucking head off.”

“Sounds like fun,” Racer said with a snicker. “Do you think they’d explode like pumpkins?”

I grinned, feeling a little of my wisecracking personality returning. “Watermelons,” I quipped, making him chuckle. “But we’ll have to test the theory another time. These two don’t deserve a quick death.”

“True.”

Tommaso snorted in derision. “If your intent is to kill us, why are we just standing here?” He sounded bored, and my trigger finger twitched. “Waiting for someone else to come along and save your asses?”

“Nah,” Maverick drawled from the doorway behind us. “These two are the most bloodthirsty out of all of us. They were just stalling so there was no risk to Marylin while we took her outta here.”

Tommaso’s face turned red and blotchy as he took a step forward. His hand swung toward his back, but he didn’t get any farther before he screamed like a little girl, whipping his hand up to see a hole in his palm where my shot had gone straight through. “I warned you,” I said with a shrug.

Elio sputtered curses but didn’t make a move.

“Clear?” I asked Maverick.

“Yep. I’ll be outside if you need anything. Oh, wait, the walls are soundproof…too bad we won’t be able to hear their screams. Lucky Hunter, he brought a bag of toys for you.”

I chuckled as I watched the color drain from Tommaso and Elio’s faces.

Maverick’s footsteps faded behind us as another set walked in, and a second later, Hunter dropped a duffel bag on the floor and plopped down onto the couch.

“Get rid of your weapons,” I ordered.

Both men hesitated, and I cocked my gun, the sound seeming louder because of the dead silence in the room. Most guns didn’t cock anymore, but I specifically carried one that did because I got a kick out of moments like this. The simple click could scare the piss out of some people.

Father and son emptied their holsters and pockets, tossing guns, knives, and other interesting items to Hunter. He put them in a bag and threw it into the fireplace. A specific instruction we’d been given from Francesco.

Several hours later, we took our toys into the kitchen to wipe off all the blood, leaving two mangled corpses behind.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I grumbled. With Tommaso, Elio, and their associates out of the way, all I could think about was having Britta in my arms again.

We parted ways with King and his guys, then retrieved our bikes. Maverick met us at the apartment with an SUV. Our motorcycles would be transported home another way because we were driving with Marylin.

When we were an hour from Old Bridge, my cell beeped, and I looked to see that I’d received a text with links to several articles in the Chicago news. One about an accident in a high-rise in Chicago. Apparently, the carbon monoxide detectors had malfunctioned, and everyone on the top five floors had died from overexposure. Interestingly, no other floors seemed to be affected.

There was also a report of a house fire at an address belonging to P. Truitt. The fire investigators pinpointed the fireplace as the point of origin, saying that the occupants had clearly been careless, leaving loaded weapons near the flames that eventually exploded, burning the house to nothing but ashes.

I didn’t bother to look for incidents at all the other locations we’d been involved in destroying.

The only thing I cared about was getting home to my woman.