My Merciless Don (Preview)
Chapter One
Audry
“Ten minutes to go.” Kylie’s sultry voice in my ear was like a caress and if I didn’t know that she was happily engaged, I’d think she was flirting.
“Why do we have to talk like we’re Navy seals again?” I asked grinning like a mad woman, as I pretended to peruse the shelf of leaflets opposite the hotel reception.
“Shut up and go with it. He’s coming down the stairs.”
“No elevator?”
“Apparently not.”
“What about the underboss?”
“Our interceptor is ready to go as soon as he steps foot in the lobby. That’ll give you a window of maybe three minutes. Don’t waste it.”
“Have I ever been known to waste a single minute?”
Kylie just snorted in my ear. It was a good thing that we were such good friends aside from her being my PA, because otherwise I would be obliged to fire her on the spot. My target, Marco Cassio of the Cassio Cosa Nostra crime family stepped into the lobby. I’d seen pictures of him, of course – Kylie is very thorough in her research – but whoa the man… clean took my breath away.
I mean, those shoulders alone should be illegal, and nobody would blame me if I just walked up to him and buried my head between his pecks. Furthermore, who really had that shoulder to chest ratio in real life? Movie stars maybe, not ordinary human beings with crime families to run. It was just so unfair, why did he have to look so good?
The black hair, black eyes, black suit really add to the air of danger about him, and weirdly enough, the scar on his face just enhanced the mystique instead of being off-putting.
Oh, I am going to enjoy this job.
“Stop salivating and get in position, Audry. Interceptor making contact… now,” Kylie interrupt my musings. With a sigh I begin walking towards the bar. Through the corner of my eye, I saw Dominic accost Marco and his bodyguard, his glasses askew and looking earnest.
“Mr. Cassio, I have a proposal for you, please read it,” he said loudly, thrusting a bunch of papers at the crime lord. Marco simply glanced at his underboss and walked away. Valerio Cassio, Marco’s brother and right-hand man, grabbed Dominic and began to drag him towards the exit of the hotel.
I crossed my fingers. It was sink or swim time. If Marco didn’t go towards the bar, I would lose my window. I watched with relief as he strode across the room and into the bar. His appointment wasn’t for another hour and a half. Kylie was currently in traffic, making sure his vehicle was delayed, and Dominic was making it very difficult for Valerio to let go of him, as he tried to convince him that his proposal was the best thing that could ever happen to Marco.
“He’s really good at this,” I murmured to Kylie, impressed at the boy’s commitment. We’d hired him from an improv group, told him it was an acting gig.
“The longer you can keep the bodyguard occupied the more you’ll be paid.” I had told him. I could see he was going for gold.
Bravo, I thought as I sauntered towards the bar where I could see Marco ordering a drink. The bartender put the drink in front of him and I picked it up and drained it. “Hoo boy, I needed that.” I twirled around to face Marco with a grin, “Thanks for the drink.”
When I turned, he had been glaring but then his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, face paling as if he’d seen a ghost. “Amy?” He croaked in disbelief.
I stuck my hand out to be shaken, “Good guess, but actually, my name is Audry. Pleasure.”
He stared at my hand as if I had offered him a cancerous tumor to hold. Then he looked up at me. His face tilted to the side. Then he straightened up abruptly. “Apologies. I thought you were someone else.”
I smiled sultrily and took a step closer to him running my red polished nail down his lapel. “I’m up for a little role play if you like.” I grinned cheekily, biting my lower lip and winking.
To my surprise he recoiled, his face closing up. “No thanks,” he said coldly signaling to the waiter. My window was closing rapidly. His brother would be back at any moment.
I lean even closer to him, reaching for his chest, “Aw, you’re no fu-aaah!” I affected to trip, falling against him and letting him catch me with his body.
His strong arms closed around my waist. He picked me up – seemingly effortlessly – and put me away from him. I have to admit it made me a little breathless, the ease with which he did it. Mission accomplished though; it was time to get out of there.
“Sorry. I’m sorry.” I feigned embarrassment, shuffling my feet and then hurrying off. On the way I passed his underboss headed towards Marco.
Phew, cutting it rather close.
I opened my hand, looking down at the keycard nestled in my palm. A grin spread over my face, “The eagle has landed or whatever.” I said in my ear.
I could just see Kylie rolling her eyes. “I take it you got the key card.”
“Yep.”
“Good, because Marco’s car is just drawing up at the entrance. I’ll follow him to keep an eye out.”
“Excellent. Going up.”
From my place behind the indoor plant that stood between the elevator and the stairs, I watch as Marco walked out of the hotel, his gait a graceful lope like a gazelle or some big cat. His shoulders filled the doorway, as he stepped out and I shiver, remembering how hard his body felt when I leaned against him.
He could definitely crush me with one hand tied behind his back. He could probably lift me up and break me in half on his knee, twist me around and smash me flat. All without breaking a sweat.
I didn’t know why I was breathing hard. As far as I knew I didn’t have a masochistic streak.
Chapter Two
Marco
“This meeting could have been an e-mail,” I complained to my brother as we once again hit LA traffic. It was a real pain in the ass, even in the cool air-conditioned Lexus I was traveling in.
“But how could the clans impress upon you how worried they are about the Bratva if this was an e-mail?” My brother Valerio replied. He thought he was such a comedian.
“Not helpful.”
“Wait,” he said, glancing back at me from the driver’s seat, “what’s up with you? Something’s wrong.”
I turned away from him to stare out the window, hating how perceptive he always was. I tried shaking my head but he cut me off. “Bullshit. What’s bothering you? You need a clear head for this meeting so you might as well tell me now and get it over with.”
“It’s the weirdest thing,” I shook my head in wonder, “I met some girl at the bar, and she was the spitting image of Amy.”
Valerio remained silent for a handful of seconds while keeping his eyes on the road, clearly caught wrong footed. Whatever he’d expected me to say it wasn’t that. “What do you mean spitting image?”
“I mean copy and paste, dude. She was like a flirtier, sassier version of Amy.”
“You’re not saying you…?”
“No, fuck you. Of course I didn’t sleep with her. Since when have you known me to pick up chicks in bars?”
“Okay so… what did you do?”
“Nothing. She kind of seemed to want to hit on me, but then she tripped and fell and got embarrassed, so she left.”
“And you just let her go?”
“What else was I supposed to do? Tell her, ‘Oh hey you’re the doppelganger of my dead fiancé, crazy huh?’. Or what?” I gave him a look of disgust through the rearview mirror.
He stared back at me through the small mirror, something like pity in his eyes, long enough for it to get slightly uncomfortable. I opened my mouth to tell him to stop but he spoke before me.
“It was probably the light. Those hotel bars are so dark. All she would have needed was some brown hair and eyes, the right height, the right weight…”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I looked away not wanting to argue with him about what I saw. I knew he was just trying to comfort me but, it was coming off a bit like gaslighting.
***
Maybe the Cosa Nostra was no longer what it used to be, but it was still a force to be reckoned with. Nicolò De Luca sat at the head of the table, the head of the largest clan in LA. His specialty was girls and drugs – so there was plenty of business in Hollywood for him. To his right sat Mauro Leggieri, owner of the largest gambling ring in America. To his left, me. Our specialty was transportation – we did it all; guns, drugs, illicit goods, anything that needed transportation, we were your guys. The only thing we refused to transport were human beings.
We left that to the Russians.
Down the table were the smaller outfits, distributors mainly – essentially our main customers.
“Gentlemen welcome.” Nicolò said looking around the table. “I know you’re all busy men, so I appreciate you taking the time to come out to Malibu.”
There were various nods of acknowledgment up and down the table. I waited for him to continue, appreciating that he usually did not waste time before getting to the point.
“Today we are here to discuss the incursion of the Russians into our territories. They’re a little too entitled for our comfort.”
“Not to mention acting up and attracting too much attention.” I added.
Nicolò nodded in my direction. “Yes, thank you Marco. I know your business has been particularly affected by their activities on the docks.”
“Yeah, the authorities don’t look too kindly on human trafficking.”
“That’s why we’re all here today. To discuss solutions.”
I sighed inwardly. I was not a fan of the endless talking we’d been doing all these months while the Russians continued to disrespect us. If I couldn’t convince the other families to ride with me, my options would be very limited. I’d either have to go rogue, or else accept the inevitable.
Both those options sucked.
Chapter Three
Marco
Try as I might, I could not get that woman out of my head.
Even as Nicolò droned on about the importance of maintaining a low profile so as not to attract the wrong kind of attention, I was busy wondering who she was.
Note to self: find out if Amy had any long-lost relatives.
It somehow felt like I was being haunted. Just when I was gearing up for a meeting to discuss Aleksandr Yegorov, I was visited by the ghost of the woman I had loved and that he had killed. The Italians had strict rules about keeping family out of business matters, but the Russians had never gotten that memo. They came to my pre-wedding dinner and opened fire, killing my father and my fiancée.
All just to send a message about trade routes.
What did they think would happen? Did they think I’d just roll over and hand them those routes? It had been ten years, and we were still grappling, albeit surreptitiously. I knew Aleksandr would like to kill me just as much as I would give anything in the world to kill him. But the cowardly clans would not sanction it for fear of setting off a war. Instead, they held talks with the Russians, who conceded that we could keep the disputed trade routes.
Ironically, those routes were already ours, for fuck’s sake. They were the interlopers.
“Don Nicolò, I know we have to think strategically but we need an actual plan for dealing with the Russians once and for all.”
“All in good time, Cassio.” Nicolò said, much to my unending frustration.
The meeting ended without any real resolution, simply more platitudes and action plans I wasn’t sure would ever materialize.
I walked to the car, where Valerio was waiting. He opened the door for me, and I slid into the back, digging into my pocket to pull out my phone. I switched it on, bracing myself for whatever messages were waiting. The meeting had gone on for three hours, so I knew I’d have a bunch.
I wasn’t prepared for just how many though.
My accountant alone had sent thirty messages. I clicked on them with trepidation.
I don’t think selling Accords shares will go down well with the Lamberts. I would also have appreciated it if you had let me know of your intentions.
I frowned, wondering what he was on about. I was about to call him when I read the next message.
Colbert’s too? That deal was part of our overall agreement. Did something happen? I need instruction, Marco.
My heart sank. What the fuck was going on? I called Jade right away.
“Mr. Cassio, finally. What is happening?” she asked sounding frazzled.
“You tell me. I haven’t sold anything. I’ve been in a meeting for the last three hours.”
“What do you mean by that? All the correct authorizations were given for the transfer.”
“You didn’t think to call me first?”
“I’ve been trying to call you!” she screeched. I winced, moving the phone from my ear.
“Yeah okay, send me all the data you have on what’s been sold and when. We need to know who did it and why and we need that info fast. Before I talk to the Lamberts or Colbert, the Hellers or anyone else. Quick, Jade.”
“On it.” She said and hung up. I straightened up, my heart racing with anxiety. Of course, my first suspicions were the Russians, but I didn’t think they were bright enough to pull this off. I had to trust that Jade’s hacker would be able to find out who had done this so I could have the pleasure of killing them once I got all my money back.
And I would get it all back. There was no other option.
I was filled with simmering rage and was determined to find a target for it very soon. I got out of my vehicle and strode into the hotel, wanting to collect my belongings and get back to the office as quickly as possible. There wasn’t much in my hotel room, as it had just been a temporary base of operations in Santa Monica, and a much shorter drive to Malibu compared to my headquarters in Pasadena.
All I had there were some clothes, my iPad, a few burners, and some cash.
I should have just gone ahead to Pasadena and let Valerio collect all this shit.
Tapping my foot, I waited for the elevator, my brother a taller, calmer presence behind me. We walked in silence to my room, and then he held me back as he checked the door and the booby traps we usually left.
They were still intact, and I nodded as he stepped back and let me enter. He would stand outside and wait for me, probably very glad to be away from my simmering spirit for a few minutes, unless I called him in.
I was walking straight for my closet, one hand stretched out to open it when I realized the room wasn’t empty.
Giving a shout, I reached for my gun when the woman on the bed raised her hands. “Don’t shoot.”
She was lying on my clothes, my iPad next to her, cash spread all around her, wearing nothing but a black teddy and some red soled heels. It would have been comical any other time, but now it just played into my paranoia.
“Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in here?” I growled even as the door flew open and Valerio came barging in. He saw the woman on the bed and dived, grabbing her hands, and detaining them in his. He looked up at me, “Should I kill her, boss?”
I smirked a bit, cocking an eyebrow at her, “Well?” I asked, “Should he kill you?”
She batted her lashes coyly at me, “Not if you want to know where your money went.”
Chapter Four
Audry
The strategy was risky, I’ll be the first to admit it – stealing from a trigger-happy gangster is one thing. Sticking around and confessing is truly unhinged behavior. Kylie told me so many times. However, I could see no other way to infiltrate his many layers other than to offer myself up to him.
He didn’t make it easy, but I’m not one to complain. His iPad had his passwords saved. His fingerprint, I simply lifted from his key card. Oh, and the booby traps on the door… amateur hour. Too easy to set up again for the eagle-eyed infiltrator; that is, me.
Months of study and research, including a very drunk and high night with his accountant’s assistant, had given me the correct authorizations. Transferring the money from one place to another was a matter of moments. I was really proud of myself for this one.
Brilliant work Audry.
If nobody else was going to pat me on the back, I sure was. But now this bodyguard was holding my hands way too tight, and it was a little painful I admit. Difficult to maintain a flirty mien when you’re in pain. But I did my best.
“It’s rude to keep a woman waiting. Where were you all this time?”
His eyes literally flashed at me. It was scary sexy. I might have been a little wet. “Who do you work for?” He asked me coldly.
“Hey, come on, if you’re going to interrogate me you should at least ask what my name is.” I changed to a preppy British accent, “We haven’t even been properly introduced. What would Emily Post say?”
His lips twitched the slightest bit, as if he was tempted to laugh.
Got him! I thought triumphantly.
Marco looked at his underboss. “Cover her up and bring her along. We don’t have time for this.”
He watched as his underboss manhandled me, taking off his coat and covering me with it, before gathering his belongings off the bed and stuffing them into a bag. He walked out of the room without another glance at me, the body guard following behind, his hand like a vice around my arm.
I went meekly, determined not to provoke anyone any further problems by making a fuss. Marco’s shoulders flexed, and I could feel his annoyance. He seemed to be quite volatile at the moment and I couldn’t really blame him. Still, had I made an effort to look attractive for him. The least he could do was notice.
They bundled me into a black Lexus with tinted windows and luxury leather seats. There was a drinks bar in front of us and the leg room was ridiculous. I’m tall, so I notice those little touches. Of course, Mr. Gangsta’s Paradise happened to be much taller than me, so I suppose the leg room was for his benefit, not mine. He sat across from me, glaring malevolently, his icy blue eyes boring into me like a piston.
“There’s no need for all that.” I said as softly and sultrily as I could, “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
“Who are you?” he barked.
“I’m Audry.” I made to stick out my hand, “And you are…?”
He quirked an eyebrow. I have seen many people do that, but never so elegantly. “You hacked into my accounts, and you don’t know my name?”
“No of course I know it. I was just being polite.”
“Why?”
“Hmm?” I furrowed my brow in pretend puzzlement.
“Why did you rob me?” he snapped, grinding his jaw like he wanted to bite me.
I sighed dramatically, looking out of the window. “Why does anyone do anything? For the fun of it of course.”
He reached out and grabbed the lapel of the coat I was wearing. “Listen here bitch, if you don’t give me a straight answer, I’ll-”
“Okay! Okay.” I tried to placate him, “Listen, I want to answer you, I do. But I can’t.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “What do you mean, you can’t?”
His mimicking of my accent was really quite good. I grinned at him. This was going to be fun.
Chapter Five
Marco
“So, you can’t tell me why you stole from me? What can you tell me?”
“I can tell you that I can get your money back.” She looked me in the eye as she said it, nothing flirtatious about her tone. Maybe she was even serious.
“I see. And why should I believe you?”
“Give me your computer and I’ll give you a demonstration.”
I threw back my head laughing cynically. This woman was really too much. “What kind of fool do you take me for?”
She looked at me batting her lashes like some Victorian lady. “I don’t think you are a fool at all Mr. Cassio. The problem is you think me a fool. However will we manage if we can’t take each other seriously?” She laid it on thick with the Victorian accent. I couldn’t help feeling it was all a game to her.
My eyes raked over her frame, “You wanted to be taken seriously in that Victoria’s Secret cosplay you got going on?”
“Ouch. And here I thought you might appreciate the eye candy.”
“Hoping to lead me around by my dick?”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to be so crude about it.”
I snorted bitterly, “Well sorry, you tried it with the wrong man.”
She leaned forward, eyes wide, eyebrows raised. “Why? Are you homosexual, monsieur?”
I had to laugh at that, shaking my head as I gave her a derisive look. “What hubris. To think every man who isn’t attracted to you is gay. You must be delusional.”
The irony was that, with her strong resemblance to Amy, I couldn’t help but look twice, thrice, my body reacting to the familiar even as my mind tried to tell it to stand down. Her resemblance to Amy was really messing me up and I couldn’t help thinking that someone was deliberately fucking with me.
Only one name came to mind.
Aleksandr Yegorov, my nemesis.
***
The compound in Pasadena looked like an ordinary estate on the outside. A standard split level estate style house set in three acres, surrounded by ten-foot-high concrete fences topped with electrified barbed wire. Underground though, there was an entire warren of rooms for storage, accommodation, training, and even dungeons. It was its own little city, and I was the mayor.
Valerio dragged Audry out of the car and marched her into the house with me following behind. She was remarkably cool and calm for someone who had essentially been kidnapped.
Unless this was part of her plan.
I couldn’t imagine why she would want to be kidnapped but then again, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would be insane enough to steal from me. I had her hung up by her wrists, toes just scraping the ground, in her sexy little teddy outfit, and turned the heat all the way down. I figured by the time I made some phone calls, and had a meal, she would be ready to talk and give me some real answers.
I was so heartily sick of her quips; and much as I hated to admit it, she was fucking me up. Hearing her words coming from Amy’s face was making me feel like I was going crazy.
Aleksandr Yegorov you will pay for this.
I called my accountant.
“Bad news Marco. My hacker said he traced the transaction to the source. And the source was you.”
This did not surprise me seeing as she probably used my iPad. I have to admit that was pretty clever of her. She could have gotten away with it completely, if she hadn’t waited for me on my bed in her underwear.
Taking a deep breath, I knew it was time to call my associates – the Lamberts, Colberts, and Hellers. They had to hear from me what was going on.
I explained as best as I could that an issue had arisen, but I was sorting it out. “I’ve already found the source of our problem. I’m getting them to fix it now. All I ask for is a little patience.”
Seeing as, in ten years of working with them, I hadn’t once let them down, it was the least they could do for me.
This business doesn’t exactly operate on trust, and I knew they would be fidgety until the money was back where it belonged. That meant I had to get Audry to tell me where my money was. Now that she had marinated enough to reflect on just how bad this could go for her, it was time for me to play good cop.
I went to my sister’s room, and collected a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, as well as some vans. “Here’s hoping you’re the same size as Amy.” I murmured to myself knowing that my late fiancée and my sister had worn the same size.
I stepped into the dungeon, to find her struggling. Her nipples were peaked, their shape apparent through the thin silk of her teddy. She was twisting from side to side, her face contorted with the effort, as her feet strained to touch the floor. I knew she had to be exhausted and cold.
I walked right up to her, looking into her liquid brown eyes. They were so like Amy’s, and yet not. Amy hadn’t been a shrinking violet, but she had been shy and retiring, her eyes demure, and soft. A shy smile always peeking out through them. It’s the thing I miss about her most – the fact that she smiled with her eyes.
Audry had the very same eyes, but they weren’t smiling. They were regarding me very cynically. Even in her pain her lips were twisted in a smirk. Her eyes dared me to do my worst. They told me that I could never touch her soul, whatever I did to her body. It was such a mind fuck.
I put my hands around her neck, eyes locked with hers and squeezed. I wanted to see the fear come into her eyes, the realization that she’d lost.
“Harder daddy.” She whispered, tilting her head to give me better access.
I snatched my hands away, eyes narrowed in annoyance that she’d got to me so easily.
“That all you got?” she whispered.
I blinked, reaching up to unlock her shackles. Maybe she had a fetish for pain. If that was so, she wouldn’t get any satisfaction from me.
She dropped to her feet with a sigh of relief, rubbing the feeling back into her wrists. I thrust the clothes at her. “Get dressed. Then we can talk.”
I moved towards the door turning my back on her. I figured she would try and attack me, and then try to escape, but even if she managed to knock me out – which, frankly, doubtful – there was no way she could negotiate the maze that was our underground layer, and escape, without being caught.
To my surprise, she didn’t try anything. I heard the rustling of fabric, and then a loud sigh. “I’m decent,” she said snarkily.
I turned around to face her, and smiled. The clothes fit her perfectly. “You did as you were told. That is an excellent start. Good girl.”
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