Tommy
I got to Pop’s house, which it would always be known as, and when I got inside, Tia was sitting in the living room with Sarah, Luc, Lisa and the kids. The kids were on the floor playing with Marley. Sarah had baby Nicky in her arms.
Tia rushed to me. The dog did, too. So, Serena and Katrina also threw their arms around my legs and gave me hugs with squealing laughter. The dog started jumping up against my legs.
I patted their heads and clipped, “Marley sit.”
I lifted Tia off her feet and buried my nose into her hair. I was worried sick about Contessa and relieved that Tia and Luc were all here safe.
“Hey,” she whispered against my lips.
“Hey.”
“What’s happening? Where’s Tess?”
I put her on her feet and looked to the room, “Sarah, get the kids to the other room, all right?” Sarah immediately scooped up Lucas, who was a year and a half old in her free arm, and Antonio and my twin nieces followed with a promise of cookies.
When they were out of earshot I said, “Tessa’s missing. Her SUV was found abandoned a few blocks from the daycare. Her purse, locked inside with her keys. Her phone, on the street smashed. We are on lock down.”
I was fuckin’ relieved that when we called the daycare, the boys were actually there and not gone as well. Sarah would pick them up at their usual pick-up time and would try to keep things as calm and normal for them as possible.
Lisa gasped. Luc put her hand over her mouth and got to her feet. Tia moved away to make room for my sister. She put her hand on Luc’s back. I moved to her, “I’ve got people on this.” I hesitated and then put my arms around her and gave her a squeeze. My baby sister trembled in my arms.
Normally, this’d be Dare’s job. I wasn’t touchy feely with the girls, never had been. But since he wasn’t here, she grabbed me and held me tight. I felt a lump form in my throat.
“Who---” Tia started to ask. I gave her a look and she shut her mouth.
“We know who it is. You girls don’t need details. All that matters is that you’re all safe while we find her. I want us all under one roof tonight. Here makes the most sense with the security system.”
I was thinking about buying the house a few doors down and I needed to upgrade that security system, stat. I didn’t like the idea of being in this house overnight. It’d fucked with my head when we’d stayed here after coming back from Costa Rica. But I’d deal; it had to be done.
I let go of Luc and kissed Tia again, “Gotta make more calls.”
I walked down the hall and found myself in my father’s office.
After I shut the door, my blood chilled and acid rose in my throat.
It was exactly the same.
I could feel his presence, caught the faint scent of him. It was his aftershave, his expensive cigars. I half-expected to see him sitting in that chair, eyes that were just like mine on me.
I stared at the empty chair a beat but then I grabbed the phone and moved to the conference table, sitting where I usually sat during the many meetings we’d had there. Directly in my line of vision was a photo on the wall. Pop, me, Dare, and the girls all around a Christmas tree taken just last year.
Lisa had taken that picture. Pop was looking at the camera, joy in his eyes. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck and I clenched my jaw and dialed Dare’s number. He needed to get his ass home.
A Week Later
Tessa was still missing. No sign of her. And so was Denarda. His people were saying he was out of the country on business. Against my initial wishes, Dare involved Zack and he picked up a trail that followed Denarda to Canada.
He landed in Vancouver. Alone. Drove up to Whistler with one of his girlfriends, who checked in at a swanky Whistler hotel. We had a PI on Zack’s team tailing him but nothing was giving us leads regarding my sister.
Dare involving Zack? I wasn’t thrilled about it at first, but Zack was still running his PI agency, telling us it was his main gig, still, and would continue to be. And the guy was good. Fucking asshole. And his agency was responsible for a lot of our security for the last few months so we’d have been stuck without him. Didn’t mean I trusted him, though.
Dare did cut his honeymoon short. He and Angel would do the Iceland leg of their tour when things were settled down. He hadn’t told Annette, his ma, that Tessa was missing; she was wrapped up in her husband Tony, whose death was reportedly imminent.
Luc, Eddy, and the kids were staying at Pop’s house. Dare and Angel stayed at their place because he had decent security but whenever he wasn’t home, he’d been dropping Angel off with the other girls.
I’d had my house’s security system upgraded so Tia and I were back home at our place. It was a pain in the ass and a few things about the security of the place didn’t sit well, so I decided I wasn’t buying it. I’d find or build us something later.
She was still suffering with morning sickness but all fucking day in between trying to help out with the boys over at my Pop’s. The girls had pulled together.
On day six after my sister’s disappearance, me and Dare were in Pop’s office at the conference table with Nino and Tino, reviewing options about what to do next, reviewing details about Denarda’s top guys and what they were all up to. We had eyes on the ground in Vegas and were getting regular reports from people.
The house phone rang with an unknown number. I answered.
“Yeah?”
“This Tommy Ferrano?”
“Yeah, who’s this?”
“Leo Denarda here. I understand you been looking for me.”
This fucking guy. Acting casual and nonchalant.
He continued.
“There was disrespect and it was not acceptable. That said, I believe there’s no reason why we can’t move forward. Provided that stuff don’t happen again, of course. I’m finished with my vacation and I’m ready to discuss movin’ forward. When and where should we meet?”
“Where’s my sister?”
“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
Fuck. Bullshit.
“Then what is it you wanna discuss?”
“A way for us to move forward as partners on Fete. I’ll need my share of the business to be equal to yours and Lewis’s.”
“If that were to happen, you telling me my sister might magically re-appear?”
“I know nothing about your sister’s whereabouts,” he said and there was ice in his voice, “I’m simply givin’ you an option to reconsider keepin’ me out of the Fete action. I can offer a lot of benefits as part of the project. I think you know this.”
“In the middle of something. I’ll call you back when I’m ready to discuss,” I said and ended the call before he could get another word out.
“Motherfucker,” I said aloud, “We have no time for these fuckin’ games.” I shook my head, my eyes on Dare.
My phone started ringing immediately and it was fucking Zack calling me.
I declined it. A text came through immediately afterwards from him.
“Call pls. About Tessa.”
“Call him,” Dare said, glancing at my screen.
I glared. Dare and I nearly came to blows over involving Zack. Dare argued that Zack had resources, was already in our business, so we’d might as well make use of him. We’d scaled down our security team before Pop died because we were using a few of Zack’s resources as it was, so Dare was kinda right.
But I didn’t fuckin’ like it.
Zack had earned my trust and betrayed me. And now what? He thought he had us under his thumb?
No one fucked me over and didn’t feel my displeasure. I wasn’t about to make it easy on Zack, let him off the hook. Not a fucking chance. I still had no idea what his end game with me was.
“I’ll do it. Fuck,” Dare grumbled, swiping at his own phone, and then put it on the table and leaned over.
“Dario?” was how Zack answered.
“Yeah, Zack. I got Tommy here. You’re on speaker.”
Zack’s voice was low, by his tone I knew immediately that things were not good.
“We found Tessa. Or, I should say, the person who has her reached out to me. She’s okay. She’s safe.”
“Fuck,” Dare breathed out and ran his hands through his hair. I let out a big breath of my own. Thank God.
Zack continued, “Alessandro Romero has her. He did not abduct her but intercepted those who had her and made a deal. He’ll forgive you both for Juan Carlos and for Jesse. No retribution. He’ll give us back Tessa, unharmed.”
“What the fuck?” Dare’s eyes darted to me. His face looked as baffled as I was feeling.
“Say that again?” Dare asked.
Zack kept talking, “Denarda sold Tessa to a known flesh peddler in Tijuana. As you might know, Juan Carlos Castillo’s business was heavily into heroin but the Romero side of that family are peddlers of flesh as their primary business. He knows who you are and knows who Angelica is. He purchased Tessa and doesn’t want the money back. He’s willing to release Tessa to you on just one condition.”
Dare’s face went stone cold and angry at the mention of his wife.
“What?” I asked.
Zack blew out a breath and then said, “You won’t try to take Holly from him.”
My jaw went tight and then I glanced at my brother.
Dare’s eyes closed and pain slashed across his features.
Zack continued, “Denarda had no intention of you ever getting Tessa back. He thinks he covered his trail and he made bank by selling the sister of connected guys to one of the bigger cartels, a cartel that did not like Tom Ferrano Sr. Shows his thinking, he’d rather do that to someone than take them out with a bullet because he knows this way will hurt more, even if you never found out what happened. Picking people with a beef with your father, it was also a power play, him showing you he’s got the means to make people you love disappear. He didn’t think you’d find her, I’m guessing, but probably thinkin’ that even if you did, you’d have a fight on your hands and make enemies tryin’ to get her back. We got almost enough to nail him for the kidnapping, though we think we know how to make him get put away for even longer for child pornography possession, so we’ll hold off. Need to interview your sister. And more on all that later. For now, we get her back, get him arrested.”
Not if I could help it. Leo Denarda wouldn’t see a jail cell.
“How does Romero factor into all of this?” I asked.
“Romero keeps his ear to the ground as a rule anyway but knowing about the connection between Holly and Mrs. Dario Ferrano? He’s probably paying even more attention, knew Denarda had put her up for auction, and paid through the nose to buy her. In other words, he did this because he found out you boys were nosing around for Holly Mooney and he wanted leverage.”
“How did he know that?” Dare asked.
“I called him,” Zack replied, “He’s knowledgeable and I hit a dead end. It was pointing one way and I had no idea at first that he not only knew who Holly was, but that he had her.”
Dare shook his head at me and kept talking, “What the fuck, man? We can’t let him keep Holly in exchange for Tessa.”
“Get Tessa back first. Then set up a meeting,” Zack suggested, “Try to negotiate.”
“We’re going nowhere near that fucker,” I bit off. “We’re supposed to believe he’ll hand our sister over without retaliation for what he thinks we did?” I wasn’t about to admit it, not knowing who else was privy to the conversation with Zack, Zack the fuckin’ fed.
Only a fool doesn’t try to think like someone who should be an enemy. No way would I negotiate with anyone who’d killed my brother. I might pretend for a heartbeat to get them in my sights and then I’d end them. How could Zack or Romero think we were this gullible?
“I’ll go,” Zack offered, “I’ll pick up your sister and see if it’s open for negotiation about Holly.”
“What the fuck?” I bit off, “Why would you go?”
“I have a strategic relationship with him. He’s not a good guy. But he’s an ally of mine. Nothing will happen to me if I go down there. I can get your sister back safe. Speaking of which, I need to meet with you both, today, have you sign non-disclosure agreements. In the meantime, I know you both know that this conversation is privileged.”
“He know you’re working with the Feds?” Dare asked.
I was grinding my teeth down so hard my jaw was beginning to ache.
“I hope that’s not a threat, Dario,” Zack said.
Dare laughed. There was a threatening edge to his laughter. Even though he was playing ball with Zack, he wasn’t happy about what’d gone down and I knew my brother, he wasn’t about to be anybody’s bitch.
“He has Angel’s sister for sure, then?” I cut in.
“For sure,” Zack replied, “But Romero insists she’s non-negotiable.”
“How dangerous is he?” Dare asked.
“You don’t wanna fuck with this guy,” Zack replied.
In the time we’d worked with him, we’d put him in a number of rocky scenarios with some bad motherfuckers and he had never cautioned us against fucking with someone before.
“All right. Go down there. Call us after you’ve got a read on this situation,” Dare ordered.
My eyes met my brother’s and I shook my head in dismay. What a fuckin’ mess.
I was gonna be heading back to Vegas to get my sister, who Zack was bringing. I’d be taking Tia with me, no way would she be that far away from me while all this was going down. And I decided that I wanted to be seen in public with Tessa by Leo’s people and that might flush him out. And then I was going to fucking kill him.
After Zack got Tessa to Vegas, he’d head to Thailand to rendezvous with his people about bringing down Kruna.
Dare was gonna be heading to Thailand the night we arrived in Vegas. I was skipping the partner summit for the sex slave resort but Dare needed to go. I didn’t envy my brother.
He had to tell Angel that not only did he need to go to Thailand for the Kruna partner meeting but that he needed to bring her with him, also. And Zack was suggesting Angel be the one with the wire. Dare was havin’ a problem with this. Understandably.
I didn’t know whether or not she knew the latest news about her sister or not. My brother and I were butting heads a bit, both of us feeling the strain of everything happening, so we were talking but it was minimal.
“Maybe it’s better that you skip this summit and we go after Fete opens together for a meeting with them.”
Dare shook his head, “They got a better chance of people implicating themselves at the summit. Stan sent me information with the loose itinerary. If I gotta go, this is the time. How’s this gonna pan out though, man? These fuckers get arrested and we don’t? That’ll go over well. They’re being tight-lipped about how it’s all gonna shake out.”
“No,” I told him, “We approach it all with caution, bro. You go, get information or whatever, and then when you’re back, you and I meet before anything is handed over. No way will we put our trust in these guys. They’ll use you and Angel as pawns.”
Dare nodded, “Zack’s given me assurances about getting out of all of this but can’t promise we won’t have to change our identities.”
To shave Tommy Ferrano off and be something else? I tried, briefly, to be Thomas Caruso in Costa Rica but it didn’t feel like me. I was me. I didn’t think I could be anyone else. My brother wanted to live clean. I’m not saying I didn’t. I just didn’t know how much I’d be able to put my fate into the hands of others, particularly people like Zack who’d betrayed my trust, who’d played me.
You know that saying, once bitten, twice shy? Well, for me it was you even try to bite me and I’ll rip your goddamn teeth out.