When we were in the safehouse, Nick had told me he lived in a renovated two-bedroom home that Michael had purchased when he officially joined the organization. It sat on the back end of Michael’s gated property, with the front of Nick’s house facing the street behind. Michael owned several acres on the corner, in a niceneighborhood in Brooklyn, and having Nick at the end of a short walk through the back yard made things convenient.
Mom led me upstairs to my bedroom, and I gazed out the window, noting Nick’s broad shoulders as he walked through the back yard and unlocked the back door of his home. He entered and disappeared inside, and I felt a coldness wash over me at our separation.
We’d spent so much time together for weeks, and I suddenly realized how much I’d miss seeing him multiple times per day. I’d always been someone who functioned just fine by myself—especially with a laptop in front of me and some good music in my headphones—but having Nick nearby every day had been...comforting. Normal. Safe.
“You okay, sweetie?” Mom asked, pointing toward a closed door to the side of my bedroom. “There’s a private bath in there, and you can take a shower and rest before you work on the flash drive if you like.”
“I could definitely use a shower,” I said, pushing Nick from my mind for the moment. He was obviously exhausted too, and it made sense we would both see each other less now that we were home.
“Okay. See you downstairs.”
As I stood under the warm spray of the shower, I silently admitted that I didn’t want to see Nick less. I’d gotten used to seeing him every day, and sleeping in his arms each night had been heaven. Yes, we’d technically slept together near the fire for warmth, but was it possible he might miss holding me too?
What if he forgot about me? Or just didn’t care at all?
Armed with questions I couldn’t answer, I dressed and headed downstairs to bury myself in my laptop.
Chapter 18
Nick
The day after we returned home, Michael and I met with Sal DeLorenzo. He was in the area to visit his daughter, but the true purpose of his visit was to meet with us so we could plan the next phase of the syndicate. Sal controlled the ports in the Boston area, and his alliance with Michael in New York was powerful. We met at an Italian restaurant on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx and ordered some food and wine before getting down to business.
“So, Rossi’s loyalists are all gone?” Sal asked, leaning back and draping his arm over the empty chair beside him.
“Mostly, yes,” Michael said. “Alexis and Nick’s abduction sped things up quite a bit. I didn’t want John to have to die, or any of Rossi’s men that could be turned, so I was willing to give it some time. When he set things in motion, I had to respond accordingly.”
Sal rubbed his large nose as he pursed his lips. “You’re more patient than I am, my friend. But we’ve reached the intended outcome, and you control the tri-state area. Phase two is eliminating the trafficking of the girls along our coasts. You have the documents for me?”
Michael pulled out a flash drive and slid it across the table. “Alexis prepared this for us, and I’ve made you a copy. It has all ofVictor’s contacts from his files. The main ones we need to keep an eye on are Oskar Poska, who’s based here in Brooklyn, and Sergey Kersna, the top bratva official who organizes things in Eastern Europe.”
Sal arched an eyebrow and lifted the flash drive. “I’m supposed to know how to use this? I have some young men in my fold, but they’re better with guns than computers, Michael.”
“Alexis offered to do some video chats over a VPN with you, or one of your men if you assign them to the files,” I said. “She’s a whiz at this stuff and can help you.”
Sal grinned. “So, Rossi’s daughter is now your IT specialist?”
Michael chuckled. “In a manner of speaking, yes, I guess she is. For now, at least. The world is changing, Sal. We’re going to have to modernize if we want to maintain our empire.”
Sighing, Sal shook his head. “Flash drives, AI and social media...” He harshly rubbed his forehead. “I don’t understand any of it. What happened to family and appreciating the slow, happy times in life?”
“Humanity has evolved,” Michael said, shrugging, “and we have to as well. I’m also going to give the information on that flash drive to my FBI contact. He can help us from his end. I think we should try to infiltrate Oskar’s local ring and figure out how he communicates with Sergey. Although I control most of the local ports, every once in a while, things slip by in Brooklyn and New Jersey, which is infuriating.”
“The bratva is wily,” Sal said. “They have deeply embedded contacts throughout the Northeastern seaboard. Sometimes, trafficking shipments slip through in Boston, but it’s less and less now that we’ve aligned.”
“Well, I want to eliminate it completely,” Michael said, crossing his arms. “I’ll assign two men to infiltrate Oskar’s ring and workwith my FBI contact to bust their shipments. The volume is already way down since Victor’s death. If we work smart, I think we can eliminate it completely.”
“And the drugs?” Sal asked, arching a dark brow.
Sighing, Michael ran a hand through his hair. “We’re never going to stop those, and we both know it. I just want to keep fentanyl out of my ports. If the rest gets through, we’ll make sure it’s as clean as possible.”
Leaning forward, Sal placed his arms on the table. “Eradicating fentanyl from our ports is going to leave an opening for others to swoop in. Namely, Marco Nunez.”
Michael’s lips flattened. “Over my dead body. That asshole will never do business up here.Ever.”
Sal sat back and gave a slight nod. “I hope you’re right, my friend. Okay, send your men to infiltrate Oskar’s syndicate and keep me updated. You have my support. Let’s keep our ports running smoothly so I can spend more time with my granddaughter.”
Michael smiled. “I didn’t realize your daughter was pregnant. Congratulations.”
