Page 38 of Venomous King
“Your father reached out; he knew I was in Oregon on business, and made a deal for aid on your family’s behalf.” What kind of deal would my father make with an Italian mobster? They don’t have need of our weapons, to my knowledge, and we don’t traffic in drugs or women. There is nothing off the top of my head that my father could offer this man, to pull him intowhatever war this is about to become. The Italians stay out of the cartel’s business, and vice versa.
“Is that so? I’m pretty sure we had it handled, Amato, but thank you nonetheless.” We did not fucking have it handled, we were moments away from being overrun and murdered, and I still don’t even know who was attacking us. Not that I will let this mafioso see me sweat. Men who let others see their weaknesses are dead men.
I approach him, stepping over dead bodies in my path, and notice one of his men moving closer to him in a protective stance. That must be his enforcer, and the fucker’s massive. He looks like what you would picture a minotaur to look like, minus the horns.Ugly as fuck.
“Always so full of yourself, Diego,” Vito chuckles, “I like that about you. No matter what is happening around you, you don’t let anyone see you sweat.” He steps forward and offers me his hand, and I don’t dare not take it. To do so would be a grave insult, and I have no desire to die today. His grip is firm and strong. He squeezes my hand as if he’s trying to break it, but I return the favor. I won’t be intimidated by anyone.
“My father knew you were in Oregon? I didn’t realize the two of you were friendly.” What type of relationship does my father have with this man? I have never heard him speak of the Italian mafia, except as a warning not to offend them. How is it now that he could bargain with this man, and he would readily accept? All of this intrigue is giving me a fucking headache. All I want to do is get out of here and head home, so I can wrap my girls in my arms, and reassure myself that they are safe.
“We were... friends in a previous life, when we were both much younger, foolish, and fearless. Now, we are old men, waiting to pass over our empires to our sons, so our legacies can continue.” He releases his grip on my hand, and the blood rushes back into my numb fingers. “I see that look of suspicion in your eyes, boy.I’m not here to murder you in their stead. If I wanted you dead, you would be. No, I have plans for our two families, and so does your father, it appears.”
What the fuck does that mean? His words sound ominous, and uneasiness fills me. “My father has plans for our families? That’s news to me.” I don’t care what plans this fucker has, I won’t be forced into anything, and neither will my family. What was my father thinking making any kind of deal with them? He better not be considering trying to force me into another fucking arranged marriage. He knows I won’t be parted from Issy, and the last attempt only garnered us more enemies.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Diego. I’m sure your father will fill you in when the time is right, but now is not that time. Let’s part ways for now amicably, and know that your enemies are now my enemies.”
I’m so shocked at his words that I don’t get a word out, as he orders his men back to their vehicles, and they turn to leave. I can hear the blaring of sirens heading in our direction. Fuck, here come the people in blue, and there are dead bodies and weapons littered everywhere. We need to get out of here. “Just remember, Diego. We are family now, reach out when you need assistance, and we will come.”
Jesus fuck, what has my father promised this asshole?
Chapter twenty-five
Kai
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Where the hell is everyone? I put my bag down as I go searching for my girls. The house feels too still, empty, and ominous, as if it were just a shell, lacking life. The usual laughter and sunshine that my daughter and Isabella radiate are dimmed, and a shiver races down my spine with unease.
Maybe I am just tired from a day spent in the operating room, and I’m reading too much into it. I am sure everything is fine, and the girls are just out shopping, or at a playdate. I raise my wrist and read the time on my watch. It’s almost seven, it’s nearly time for Julia’s bath. Isabella wouldn’t have kept her out so late. I pull my phone from my pocket and call her, but it goes to voicemail. I try a text next, hoping that she sees it, and puts me at ease that they are just running late. Maybe they are somewhere with Diego, and she forgot to mention it.
I move through the lonely, empty house until I reach the kitchen and grab a beer from the fridge, undoing my tie, and stripping off my charcoal suit jacket as I go. I’m just about to take a sip when the sound of the front door slamming open, and heavy boots rushing through our house, makes me pause. What the fuck was that?
“Princesa!Julia!“ Diego’s voice is loud, and almost shrill, as he yells for the girls. His boots rapidly race up the stairs, and I can hear door after door slamming open upstairs as he searches for them. I place the beer on the counter and quickly return to the entrance, my heart pounding in my chest. What the fuck is going on here? Why is he in such a panic?
“Diego! What the fuck is happening? Why are you tearing the house apart looking for the girls?” I yell up the stairs, and he finally appears at the top. When I get my first glance at him, my mouth drops open. He’s covered in blood and dirt, and looks like he just walked out of an attack. “What happened to you?”
He races down the stairs, his green eyes wide with panic, and his usually golden skin as pale as our walls, and I realize that he has a gun clenched in his fist. “Where are the girls? They were heading to the park earlier, but they should have been home by now?” The information about the girls heading to the park is news to me. I left for the hospital at the crack of dawn, and I haven’t heard from Isabella since her good morning text.
“They weren’t here when I got home. The house is empty, and I tried calling Isabella, but it went straight to voicemail. Are you hurt? Is any of that your blood?” The doctor in me wants to assess him for injuries immediately, but the other part of me, the one that always feared that he would bring further trouble to our door, wants to throttle him within an inch of his life.
“Never mind the fucking blood, none of that matters. We have to find the girls. I was ambushed today by one of the other cartel families. I still don’t know who, but I barely made it out. We need to get the girls to safety. We are exposed here, and I don’t have enough men left here to protect us.”
Jesus fuck,this is a nightmare. This asshole being a target for rival gangs puts our girls in direct danger. I knew we should have never allowed him to return with us. “What have you done, asshole?! If something has happened to Isabella and Julia because of your fucking cartel, I will end you.” I lunge forward and fist his ragged black shirt, pulling him off the last step and forcing him to stumble. He doesn’t even try to fight back or release himself from my hold. In his eyes, I witness nothing but complete terror.
“I have men posted with her, but none of them are answering their phones. Something is not right here, and I have a bad fucking feeling in the pit of my stomach. So can you fucking release me, so I can find our girls? You can try to beat me fucking later,cabrón (asshole), we don’t have time for this shit right now.“ He pushes away my grip, and shoulder-checks me as he passes me, heading for the kitchen, his phone already at his ear. That same cold sensation dashes through my body, and my breath becomes trapped in my throat with the fear that is now choking me. Could something have happened to Isabella and Julia while they were at the park? Could the same people that ambushed Diego have done the same to the girls?
Fuck! We were just getting back to some semblance of normal, as normal as having to share the love of your life with a deranged gangster can be. Julia was finally settling back into her routine. As much as it pains me to admit, Isabella was happier than I have ever seen her, with all four of us becoming some bizarre family. I had my doubts about this working out in the long run. Diego was too quick to agree to come with us, and a part of me always believed he planned to take them away again, or possibly murder me in my sleep, so he could have them all to himself.
“JEFE! (Boss)“ A frantic voice yells from our front door, and I turn in that direction to see one of Diego’s lieutenants storming through our entranceway, like a man on a mission. He doesn’t even acknowledge me, heading determinedly for Diego. “You need to hear what the man we captured had to say!”
Man they captured? No, fuck. I take off down the hall to the kitchen, fast on his tail, and almost slam into him as he abruptly stops in front of Diego. “Tell me what the hell is going on? How much danger are the girls in, asshole?”
Diego’s menacing eyes meet mine before he blatantly disregards my questions, and gives his man all his attention. “Speak.”
His man takes a step back, putting himself further out of Diego’s immediate reach, and the thought that it was an intelligent move flows through my mind. Diego is dangerous on a good day; right now, the fucker looks utterly unhinged, and ready to go on a killing spree. “Sanchez. We managed to get it out of him before he succumbed to his injuries. He was part of the Sanchez cartel, and boss, please don’t kill the messenger, but it gets fucking worse. They have your girl andhija (daughter).”
A frightening roar, that sounds like an injured animal, leaves Diego’s lips. He picks up one of our leather counter stools and throws it at the wall, before lunging for his man, and my stupid ass decides to place myself between them. If he kills his own man right now in a fit of rage, we won’t know any more about what has happened to the girls. I can’t allow the psychopath to lose control of himself. I swing out when he attempts to push me out of his way, slamming my fist into his jaw, and forcing his head to slam backward at an odd angle. The impact, and the sound of my knuckles crunching on his skull, brings me a moment of soothing joy, so I do it immediately again. The pain and terror I’m feeling, at the thought of my girls being once again taken overrides my good senses, and the need to make this asshole pay is the only thing at the forefront of my mind.