We’ve been in California for two days, watching, waiting, and gathering as much intel as we can. Papa and Pietro called the local groups to let them know we’re here, and to ensure we have help if we need them. Which is exactly how we ended up staying in Don Carlo Barone’s home not far away from Timur Belov’s estate.
Carlo Barone is the same age as Pietro, with a lazy demeanor that is deceiving. Behind the dark eyes and jovial smiles is a ruthless Don that keeps his men and staff in line with an iron fist. When we arrived, we found him beating on one of his men for daring to speak out of turn and question him.
A harsh reaction, but not uncommon. That fear is probably the only thing keeping his sons from trying to overthrow him. He has four sons, and all four are hungry for power, much like theDe Lucas. The parallels aren’t lost on me, but I’m staying the hell out of it. They can figure out their own shit.
The only thing I’ve made very clear is that I don’t answer to the Don. Him extending a courtesy is nothing more than a formality, and while we’ll be respectful, I’m not one of his men and he will not intimidate me. He’s tested me once, and I put him in his place, letting him know that I will find another place to stay and inform Pietro about the reason why.
Considering that he’s been itching for an alliance with Pietro for two decades, he backed off quickly. Though, not before I saw the resentment in his eyes aimed directly at me. I’m going to have to watch my back, but Hades is an excellent deterrent.
Especially when Carlo tried to sneak up on me and Hades launched himself around me and delivered a warning snap with a vicious snarl. He’s never done it since, and it was the first time I’ve ever seen real fear in the man’s eyes.
He has been helpful in offering men to assist in trying to locate Rori and also get us intel on the inner workings inside Timur’s estate. As far as any of the others are concerned, Rori is Italian and the victim of being in the crossfire of the bullshit in New York. We’re keeping the Russian ties under lock and key.
I’ve already threatened my own men with death if they fuck up and let it slip. No discussions of Rori or her secrets will ever be discussed on this estate or in any vehicle or location that Carlo could bug or listen in. I don’t trust the asshole as far as I can throw him, and considering how short and fat he is, that isn’t far.
Right now, myself and my men are crowded into the guest house that Carlo had made up for us, trying to figure out our next move. Two days of surveillance and there’s been no sign. Not even at Rori’s apartment which isn’t far away. It’s like she walked out the day she left for New York and never planned on returning. The only thing left was the thin line of dust coveringall the surfaces and the furniture. Not one speck of old food, nothing of Hades’, and nothing of her. Not even a toothbrush or a lost hairbrush.
I also didn’t find anything hidden that might give us a clue. Nothing to connect her to the Russians or her bounty hunting job. She’s a ghost, and the irony of that isn’t lost on me.
Worse, Hades didn’t understand why he couldn’t find her either. He searched the entire apartment, whining, and sniffing for any trace. He finally got to the bed, climbed up and laid down with such a mournful cry that it was hard for me not to feel the same. Getting him to leave was fucking hard, and I hope I never have to do it again. If I have to go back, I’ll leave him behind with Titus.
“The Belov estate is large, and they have a large rotation of guards,” David says, pulling up pictures he took on his phone from a safe distance away. We’ve already swept the place for bugs and cameras, getting rid of them as we went. Carlo is clever, but amateur in his attempts. He’ll be pissed about it, but I don’t give a fuck. That one stunt will ensure that no alliance will ever happen. “I didn’t see any animals, not even a dog, but I’m not sure if they would have them patrolling so close to the front gates,” he continues, jolting me back to the conversation.
“Or they only have them at night,” John suggests. “Which means getting onto those grounds is going to be a giant pain in the ass.”
“What intel do we have from Carlo and his men?” I ask, looking at Ivano. He’s been my go-between since he’s more easygoing and Carlo seemingly likes him.
“Only the images of the grounds, including aerials. He also had his men give us images of known locations of their warehouses and businesses that are fronts for their money laundering. They didn’t give us anything on the ports, though, and we know that he runs a bunch of shit there.”
“An odd thing for him to leave out,” Titus muses, glancing at me. “Could be that his own ports are closed and he doesn’t want us knowing his operations either?”
“Possible. It’s also possible that he’s already working with the Belovs for some kind of kickback, or to keep some sort of tenuous truce.” Which is a very dangerous possibility. We might be sitting in the lion’s den with a trap ready to spring. “Ivano, get ahold of Zeno and Urso, get them digging hard into Carlo. If he and Belov are working together, we might need back-up and a plan because this could get ugly.”
Ivano pulls out his phone quickly.
“Here I was thinking that we’d finally get a break from all these secret deals,” Titus jokes lightly. “Fuck, these Americans love that shit, don’t they?”
“It happens back home, but not often,” David reasons. “Power and greed are the major drivers in this country, and they will do whatever they have to to make it happen, even if it’s working with the enemy in some way.”
“Hold it, I might have something,” Ivano says excitedly. “Zeno’s going to call to explain it and send shit through to your phones.”
My phone beeps and I open the pictures sent. I arch a brow at the images of the bodies laid out on the ground, bloodied, and in the process of burning. What the fuck?
Zeno’s call comes through next. “Alright, we might be stretching, but this kind of hit is the work of someone trying to cover their tracks. Two bodies found burning on an old airstrip that isn’t used often. The firefighters got them put out, but it also erased any evidence of who might have killed them. The only DNA that the local cops found on them is their own. Including in the vehicle that was found abandoned. One was stabbed in the heart, and the other was shot in the head, execution style.”
“Where?” I ask, a buzz building. This is the closest lead we’ve got.
“That’s it, it’s in Canada. Just past the Washington and British Columbian border.”
“Canada? Why the fuck would they go to Canada?” Ivano demands. “That makes no sense. The Belovs are here. If they wanted to hide, there’s Washington or Oregon if they didn’t want to come straight here.”
“Not if they want to throw people off their trail,” I reason, my mind spinning. “What about the plane? Is there any sign of it going that way?”
“That’s just it. I was going to call you about that too,” Zeno finally admits. “They shut the tracker on the plane off. There was nothing on it until it hit the air just over California, and then it disappeared. But, when this whole thing showed up, I started looking. The plane’s tracker turned back on in Washington hours later for about two minutes and then it’s gone.”
“Like someone accidentally turned it on?”
“That or they wanted to see if you’d find it.”
