Chapter 11

Pretty sure this shit isn’t allowed in landscaping.

***Afon***

 

My phone starts to buzz within my pants pocket and I’m fucking glad I’ve got the damn thing on vibrate. Andy is still draped over me, sleeping while I’ve been spending the last three hours just watching her. Relishing the feel of her body against mine while the sweet taste of her arousal is still on my tongue. My chest tightens with the thought of how our connection has strengthened in such a short time.

I manage to get my phone without waking Andy. I see it’s her brother that’s calling me. Fuck. “Hang on,” I tell him in a whisper and slide myself out from underneath my woman.

She turns over and snuggles into the pillow. I drape a blanket over her and stalk out of the bedroom. When I’m halfway down the stairs, I place the phone against my ear. “What man?”

“Everything okay over there? Can you check with security?” His voice has an edge to it. One I’m not fucking liking one bit.

“What the fuck is happening, Ricca? Spill that shit.” I’m rounding the corner to the room where I have all the cameras set up that are watching inside and outside of my house. Well except for my own bedroom and bathroom of course.

  “I had a little message left on my fucking front porch, lost three of my men. I’m just making sure my shit doesn’t spread onto you guys. That’s the whole fucking reason I wanted Andy out of this. Dammit,” Ricca says but half the words fade when I walk into the room.

My gaze connects to the camera that’s locked on my front porch. “Your shit landed on my fucking doorstep, motherfucker. Get the hell over here. I’m calling it in.”

I disconnect and hit speed dial. Tarzan picks up on the third ring. “I was dreaming of unicorns shitting out freaking rainbows so this better be good.”

“Boss. Be here in ten. The both of you.” I disconnect and hit Jakov’s number.

He’s not picking up. I try Vinci while I know it’s all useless because the picture on the screen is obvious.

“What the hell? What is,” Andy’s voice comes up from behind me. “Is that? Shit. Do you have a gun?”

I’m already gripping mine when I stalk to a painting on the wall. I’ve installed it like a little door, shutting out the safe that’s behind it. Opening it up, I grab a Luger and give it to Andy.

“Stay close,” I tell her and she falls in step behind me.

I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have my back. Andy is a damn good shot. Tarzan told me so. They’ve worked out together plenty of times and I’ve seen her in action. She’s a damn warrior.

“I can’t get a hold of either Jakov or Vinci,” I tell her as we slip out of the house.

“Obviously,” she mutters. “Did you call it in?”

“Yeah. Fucking Ricca called me when I was still holding you. He asked me if everything was okay, that’s why I went down. He’s on his way too.” I keep my eyes on the outer perimeter.

I don’t need to look down because I damn well know there are bodies lying at my feet. Not just bodies…a fucking message.

“Fuck, Afon. No heat. His body…shit…the parts are cold. Whoever did this is long gone,” Andy tells me just as headlights come up in the distance.

Aiming my gun, better be safe than fucking sorry, I wait until the car has come to a stop. The headlights go out and I notice it’s Ricca.

“Where is Vinci? You told me both didn’t pick up? As far as I can tell, this is only Jakov, Afon…where the hell is Vinci?” Andy’s voice is matter-of-fact.

Fuck, no. My eyes go to the man lying in pieces on the ground. Jakov. My fucking friend is dead. The surge of sadness that hits my chest is overwhelming and yet I need to shove it down. I need my fucking head in place to keep functioning. Get whoever did this to him. End him so I can pay my respects to my friend and honor him the way he needs to be.

“Aw, fuck.” Ricca comes to a stop at the body parts. “I had the same fucking mess.”

“You had ‘Fuck You’ on your doorstep too?” Andy asks, making the both of us turn our heads her way.

She releases a deep sigh. “Oh, come on. That one, the cut off arms stretched out underneath each other and clutching at the wrist with the torso underneath it? That’s an F. The two legs with the toes connecting, that’s a U. The intestine and the head resemble an exclamation mark.”

“That’s disturbing. Even more that you notice that shit, sis.” Ricca releases a deep sigh. “Stefano was a good fucking soldier.”

“So was Jakov. Not just a soldier, a fucking friend I’ve known for years,” I add.

“Where the hell is Vinci?” Andy presses.

“Let’s get a look at the fucking tapes,” I tell them, Ricca and Andy following behind me.

We all come to a stop when another car approaches. Ford and Tarzan jump out. Assessing the mess Tarzan mutters, “Pretty sure this shit isn’t allowed in landscaping, Afon. You might wanna change landscapers.”

“Fuck. Is that Jakov? Or what’s left of him?” Ford questions.

“Yeah. And we’re missing Vinci,” I tell him.

“With me the fucker used only one body too. Shit.” Ricca curses some more as he plows a hand through his thick hair. “I know who’s behind this shit.”

All eyes are on him now. “Esposito. That’s fucking who. I told him ‘Fuck You’ and ended the call. I got a warning signed in blood the next day.”

“Shit,” Andy mutters and even in the dark night I can tell she paled.

Ford brings his phone to his ear. “Get your team here asap.” He ends the call and addresses all of us. “Inside. Cleanup will be here in five. We don’t want that shit sprawled out for anyone else to stumble into. Did you handle it at your house?”

Ricca gives him a tight nod. “Had it handled before I called Afon.” He reaches for his phone, turns his back to us and barks out his words. “Do what you suggested. Get it done.” That’s all he says before he hangs up and faces us again.

Although I can tell Ford is just as edgy to find out what that call was about, we all leave it alone and head into the house.

“I’ll get us all some coffee,” Andy says and stalks off toward the kitchen.

Once in the security room, I check the tapes but most is blocked out. That leaves the one camera that only I know about. Yeah, I’m a superstitious asshole that doesn’t trust many people so I’ve got a hidden camera in here. A few clicks of a button and we all watch how Vinci deletes the security tapes.

“That fucking rat,” Ricca snaps, grabs his phone and yet again starts to bark out orders.

Knowing this info and seeing a few of our men starting to clean up the mess on my doorstep, we don’t have to keep standing in this room. “Come on. Let’s get into the living room and talk things through.”

When everyone is seated, Andy walks in with the coffee. She grabs two cups and hands me one as she plants her ass cheek on the armrest. It’s such a small gesture yet it means everything to me. She’s not sitting next to her friend Tarzan, or choosing to sit next to her brother Ricca.

No. She wants to be near me. Right now, when I need her the most. Reaching out, I wrap my arm around her, noticing every gaze in the room is locked on us. I don’t fucking care, let them fucking see we’re solid. Or at least getting there.

“What a fucking mess. I should have fucking known he’d pull something like this.” Ricca breaks the silence in the room. “Esposito. Always jumping to extreme measures when someone puts him in his place.”

“You told me it was all handled.” Andy’s voice sounds fierce, as if she knows more.

“Okay, could someone fill me the fuck in? I don’t know heads from damn intestines so be sure to get it all out why the fuck one of my men is in pieces,” Ford bellows.

“Esposito asked for Andy’s hand in marriage about three years ago when his wife died. He wanted the connection between our families and thought it was his right to claim Andy,” Ricca tells us and with that my whole body locks tight.

Andy grabs my cup and places it on the table in front of us along with hers before she pats my knee. “Ricca shot him down straight away. He promised me no one would ever force me to be his wife.”

I have to damn well swallow that one because both me and Ricca fucked that one up.

Andy chuckles when she sees my expression. “Well, you tried but you realized soon enough that you screwed up and took a step back.” She pats my hand that’s still placed on her waist. “Afon here postponed the wedding and asked me to pick a date instead.” She releases a sigh and her smile is stunning when she looks at Tarzan. “I told him I needed to check with Unique because I want to give her enough time to make the dress…you know, with the fabric I picked out.”

Tarzan releases a girly scream and jumps up, hugging my woman tight.

Ricca’s eyes are huge when they connect with mine. “You postponed the fucking wedding? What the hell, fucker?”

“It doesn’t fucking matter,” I growl back. “Everything I do is for her so mind your damn business. Now tell me why you connect this with Esposito.”

“Because he demanded another meeting when I left your house the day you brought Andy home. I was all pumped up and when I saw his number calling, I just picked up and snapped ‘Fuck You’ and ended the call. A day later I got a note written in blood; the only thing it said was ‘Bad choice of words’. I had so much on my damn mind that day that I didn’t really think it through, but to be honest…that bad blood between us was inevitable. But I’ll handle it. I’m already handling it.”

“That ship has fucking sailed,” Ford’s voice rings out. “Because the shit that Esposito fucker just pulled? He’s not at war with just you anymore, Ricca. He just made himself a target of the Dudnik Circle. And together we’ll end that shit.”

A familiar feeling settles within me. The screwed-up scene at my door fades in the background when Ford voices his words. There’s little we can’t handle. Marco is a fucking bleep on the radar, we’ll squash that fly when we run into him. And we will. But this one? Esposito? The fucker doesn’t realize just who the fuck he pissed off just now. And knowing he’s after my woman makes my skin crawl.

But I damn well know with both The Dudnik Circle and Buca Di Volpe coming for you…the Earth is a fucking speck of dirt without a damn twig to hide behind.