Chapter Five
Austin
Fernandez is doing everything he can to pin his sister’s disappearance on my organization. He’s suspicious, but he has no proof and that must be driving him insane. My men are keeping close tabs on Fernandez, while Andreas is keeping me apprised of any changes in the situation. Fernandez has no solid proof about what happened to his sister because I covered my tracks. I had Edgar, my computer genius, find the information on Melina and keep it quiet. My men weren’t aware of my plans until after I took her.
Taking on Fernandez immediately after gaining the reins of Victor’s organization is not the smartest move I could make. Doing nothing makes me weak too. Right now, I want Fernandez paranoid because he thought his sister safe. I want him to question the men around him and wonder who betrayed him. His screams when I kill him will delight my ears.
My men are another story. I don’t have a fucking clue how to run this organization. I only ever trusted Victor and I do not trust the men surrounding me. I stayed away from them unless I absolutely had to interact. Victor didn’t mind. He liked keeping his killing toy hidden and brought me out only when someone needed to die, especially if he wanted the shit scared out of them first or needed to teach a lesson. Having a sociopath on a leash was Victor’s best weapon.
My phone rings, jarring me from my thoughts, and I pull it from my pocket. Moon’s name appears on the screen. He’s the head of the Arizona and the New Mexico syndicate, and the call throws me for a moment. I’ve just poured myself a drink in anticipation of going downstairs and terrorizing my hostage. Moon’s call isn’t timely.
“Austin,” I answer after taking a sip of whiskey. Taking this call feels strange. Before Victor’s death, I dealt exclusively with Gomez, Moon’s right hand. Now I’m in Victor’s shoes and Moon calls me directly. This is the first I’ve heard from him since the funeral.
His clipped words fill the phone. “You have trouble breathing down your neck.”
I am absolutely not expecting this. “Care to be more forthcoming?”
“Diego Fernandez.”
Fuck. Why the hell is Moon involved?
“Your silence says it all. I take it you have the sister?”
To lie or not to lie. I tap my finger against the glass. Victor trusted Moon, and my trust for Gomez is up there. They have their interests, though, and they won’t always coincide with mine. Compromise, I swear I hear Victor’s voice in my head.
“She’s safe and will be returned to her brother when I’m finished with her.”
After a moment’s silence, Moon inhales deeply and then speaks, concisely making it obvious he doesn’t like my answer. “My and Victor’s policy when it came to holding women against their will was the same. I take it you and I will not see eye to eye?”
Yeah, I hear the threat, and white-hot anger fills me. I need a long breath of my own to control it. Moon waits me out because if nothing else he’s a patient bastard. “I never had a personal problem with your arrangement with Victor. My dealings with Fernandez are also personal. His sister is safe in my care and she will be returned when I’m ready.” I finish my drink with none of the original satisfaction. “Fernandez is speculating at this time. He has no idea I have her, or at least he can’t prove it. I need him kept in the dark.”
“You’re playing a bloody game with a woman in the balance,” Moon says with distaste. Life was so much easier when Victor made the big decisions and controlled the big dogs. My place was in controlling anything needing elimination. My solution is take it out of commission by killing it.
See? Easy.
“It’s not a game,” I say as calmly as possible. I don’t want to fucking involve Moon and I need him to stay out of this. For that to happen he needs the bare facts. I pour myself another tumbler of liquor. “Fernandez killed Victor and tortured Cindy. This is none of your concern.”
“Victor was my friend,” Moon replies stiffly. “Fernandez has something I want and he’s willing to give it to me if I discover who has his sister and return her. He’ll also throw in twenty-five women for me to do as I please.”
I laugh because that’s fucking hilarious. Moon takes down more human trafficking rings than anyone I know. It’s a huge no-no in his territory, and he runs his operation with an iron fist. Or, at least Gomez has the iron fist, and no one wants to fuck with Gomez. Yeah, the thought of tangling with Gomez myself holds a touch of excitement, but I don’t have a death wish either and I’m pretty sure one of us would end up dead if we went head to head. “When I’m ready, you can return the sister and reap the benefits. You have my word on that.”
Moon’s voice goes even deeper if that’s possible. “Men like us don’t live with regret and we have few lines we’re unwilling to cross. Victor trusted and believed in you. His trust was earned. You need the same—someone who will put a hold on the things we tend to be rash about. Do you have such a person?”
He’s asking if I’ve named my enforcer. He’s also saying that I’m not thinking this through. “I’ll give you a heads-up when I have that position filled. Until then I’m doing both jobs.”
“Got it,” he replies quickly without argument. “If you need help you have my number.”
He’s not happy and I can’t blame him. If Fernandez hadn’t messed with Cindy, this would be a straight up hit on him and his men. It’s how Victor would play it and as his right hand, I played his game how he directed. The rules have changed now and I am definitely not Victor. Vengeance doesn’t have a gender when it comes to putting the people responsible for Cindy’s murder in the ground. After dragging them through hell first. “I’ll call if I need help.” I push End and place my phone on the side table and glance at the bottle of whiskey. I need a steady hand, so I choose to abstain.
I respect Moon, but he’s not in control of my territory and I’ll run this however I fucking want. And what I want right now is the Dragonfly in my hand and pliable skin beneath my fingers. I remove the tie I wore for an earlier meeting, toss it on the couch in the den, and head to the kitchen, where the basement door waits.
I ignore my heart’s acceleration when I place my hand on the doorknob. Sometimes pain heals all wounds. Sometimes physical pain makes the internal ache easier. Sometimes pain is all you have. That’s my world and now it’s also the world of the woman downstairs. Pain changes so many things.