I should be reassured, but something is eating away at me. Call it a premonition because if this passes without a hitch, I’m not Simeon Ravera, the feared underboss of the most cutthroat family in New York. I’m the enforcer—the bastard who runs the grassroots of the business. The belligerent motherfuckerwho kills for pleasure and tortures for entertainment. Drugs, prostitution, and gambling are right where I’m at home, and I survey it all from my industrial warehouse buried deep in the heart of Queens.
Hardly the mansion or penthouses my brothers occupy. I like to be in the dirt with the lowlifes I control, and frankly, I’m more at home there than anywhere else. Alice will soon call that home, for one year anyway, because she is not leaving my sight until the money is ours.
“They’ve stopped.”
Jack informs me, and as we pull into a parking space at a discreet distance, I note my guards at various positions, watching out for danger, watching over her.
I note with interest the group of nuns alighting from the bus, their heads covered and their garments sweeping the dust off the streets.
“Where is she?” I peer a little closer, hating that I can’t identify her, and Jack sighs irritably, “The fuck I know.”
The nuns split into groups of two or three, and I sigh with exasperation. “This is absurd.”
“It’s fine, we have enough guards to monitor them, and our target will head to the cab rank, anyway.”
I note the three cars waiting patiently, and as the nuns approach, I search for the woman who is destined to be in one of them.
As they pass by the cabs, that prickle of alarm sears my blood because I knew it.Something is off about this.
“Are you sure she’s on board?”
My tone is dark, impatient, and pissed as fuck.
“Sister Agatha Maria informed your mother about the new itinerary. We have no reason to doubt the word of a woman of God.”
He actually crosses his chest, and I roll my eyes. “It’s a bit late for religion, Jack. If you’re hoping for forgiveness for your sins, I’d say you are on a losing streak with that.”
“I’m a Catholic boy born and raised.”
“Aren’t we all?”
I murmur as my attention falls on three women entering the store.
“I could use a bottle of water. The journey is a dusty one.”
Jack nods as we exit the car and head for the store, happy that the other nuns are being followed by my men. Something tells me my future wife is in that group because it’s the only one with three nuns. The other groups were of two, and as I counted nine, I’m guessing this one conceals our target.
We head inside the grocery store, and I attempt to remain inconspicuous, even though I stick out like a matador’s cloak in a bullring.
I’m dressed for menace, I always am, always in black with dark shades covering my eyes, effectively disguising where my attention lies.
Jack is no different, and as we split up and move through the store, I catch sight of the unmistakable swish of a long robe.
My pace quickens as I note one of the nuns breaks ranks with the others and heads to the restroom at the back of the store.
Jack notices too and follows the other two while I head to the restroom, wondering if there’s a way out the back. The nun disappears into the ladies’ one, and I hover outside, checking for exits. A cursory glance at the men's tells me there are no windows inside.
My heart is beating rapidly because I hate not being in control. If the nun in the restroom is the one I’m searching for, it will be easy to intercept her when she exits and escort her to New York, personally.
I’m satisfied that my men will be doing their jobs, and so I lean against the wall and wait for the cuckoo to fly the nest.
CHAPTER 3
ROSE
Iswear my heart is beating so fast I may not make it to my destination at all, unless it’s via an ambulance.
Charlotte is silent beside me as we turn the corner, and my breathing is the only sound between us. She is calm, she usually is and as we approach the coffee shop, I scan the area for danger, noting the attention of one man in particular who is trying to blend into the scenery, which is impossible because he sticks out like a red rose in a bunch of white ones.
