“How did you two meet? Do you know my brother, too?” How did this massive enigma of a man fit into my family’s world without me knowing?
“I was taking care of some business in Manhattan and keeping an eye on a certain situation. One night, while I was following a mark to a seedy strip joint, I was jumped and bashed over the head. There were five, maybe six guys. There were too many for me to take on. I took a blow to the head and woke up with your brother and Lorenzo loading me into the back of an SUV.” He subconsciously rubbed the back of his head where he’dbeen hit and continued his story, “I started to fight them, but they were able to calm me down enough to load me into the SUV after they showed me two bodies on the ground.”
“They killed them?” I questioned, astonished. I knew what my brother and Lorenzo were capable of, but there was a difference between knowing andknowing.
“Yeah. Two of them, anyway. They belonged to the new cartel that was making a pipeline up from Jersey into Manhattan. Apparently, Lorenzo took both guys down simultaneously. Once they were down, the other three fled, and he called your brother to help drag my ass into the car and to safety.”
“Did they know who you were then?” I asked, shocked that Lorenzo killed two guys to protect Alek.
“Yeah, but turns out they were also watching the cartel, and that’s why Lorenzo was there that night.” He shrugged. “They took me to Lussuria and bandaged me up. I stayed the night in one of the rooms there, while we shared some of the intel that we had acquired about the cartel. They were more than just getting a pipeline of drugs through the cities, which was bad enough, but they were also dealing in the flesh trade. I thought your family was involved in that as well, so I kept a lot of information to myself.” He shrugged. “I found out later that your brother and Lorenzo were unaware of what was happening under their noses.”
“I’m glad Lorenzo was there that night.” I offered him a small smile. “I think we’d better go before Lorenzo storms up here thinking you stole me away. He’d be ready to finish the job he stopped that night,” I teased. I meant what I said earlier. I liked Alek. He may be the Grave Digger, but he had a code.
Alek offered me his arm and led me out of the suite and through the hallway. “Why do they call you the Grave Digger?” I whispered to him so we wouldn’t be overheard.
“Because that’s what I do, Bianca. If someone needs to be taken care of, I do it.”
I bit my lip, wanting to ask how many bodies, but also not really wanting to know. I was, after all, hanging on his arm as he walked me through a damn hotel. “You don’t want to know, Bianca. Enough to give me the moniker.”
“How did you know what I was going to ask?”
“You’re easy to read. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Lorenzo.” I nodded and gave him a small smile.
He grinned as we exited the elevator, and he walked me through the buzzing floor of the casino toward the ballroom where the wedding would be held.
“Can I ask you something?” I hesitated outside the ballroom door.
He cocked a brow, amusement clearly showing on his face. “Haven’t you already been asking me questions?”
I blushed a little and nodded. “Why are you pushing for this marriage as much as my brother and Lorenzo? I understand their motivations, but I don’t understand yours or Kozlov’s.”
“We don’t want a war with the Morellis, Bianca. Especially with Romeo, but if the Morellis end up in bed permanently with the cartel, then a war would be on the horizon. They are a cancer with too much heat, and they deal in enterprises that both your family and mine have never wanted to be a part of. There’s dirty money, and then there’s blood money. I don’t mind dirty money, but I don’t deal in blood money enterprises, even more so when that blood is spilt from innocent women and children.” He sighed. “Your father is trying to enter that market, which will bring a spotlight to all other organizations in this area, including mine. Your marrying Lorenzo keeps you from the cartel and keeps the Morelli family from having a blood tie to the Arias cartel. To put it plainly, we are giving your brother time.”
“Time for what?”
Alek reached for the doors and looked back at me. “Time to get his house in order before a war is declared.”
Chapter Sixteen
Lorenzo
I looked at my watch again, wondering where in the hell Alek had gone and why he wasn’t already here with Bianca. It had taken a lot of consideration on my part to allow him to walk her down to the ballroom with the man I didn’t know if I could trust.
“She’ll be fine.” Kozlov smirked with amusement when I peered at my watch again. We were both standing near the columns that had been set out on an elevated platform. The white pillars had green ivy artistically climbing up the sides, and flameless candles were set out, leading to where the bride and groom would exchange their vows later.
When the door opened at the other end of the ballroom, I relaxed, seeing Bianca standing in a white sheath dress with gold accents. The dress clung to her beautiful, graceful frame. She moved like a cloud floating across the room toward me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. As she got closer, I caught her eyes and noticed the fear inside them.
Fear. Why was she afraid? I shot my gaze toward Alek, who had a deadpan expression on his face. He didn’t give anything away. The man had a poker face that would rival the best players in the city, maybe even the world.
“Everything okay?” I asked when they were close enough to hear me.
“Fine,” Bianca said, moving away from Alek and into my arms. She sighed with relief when I had a hold of her, and the hairs on the back of my neck rose.
“What’s wrong?” I said softly so nobody else could hear, but she shook her head.
“Nothing. It’s fine.”
