There were no calls, no warning signs. Merely quiet waters on a star-filled night.
At five minutes before midnight, I was able to pick up on the sounds of the Picuda coming into the harbor. There were no lights as required, the men having taken this particular trip on several occasions.
I moved out of the shadows, taking my time walking closer, jerking the Glock into both hands. There were two soldiers on the boat and as soon as the boat drew near the dock, he jumped off, preparing to tie it down.
And as I feared, all hell broke loose.
Gunshots came from two distinct directions, an attempt to create a melee of confusion.
To my soldiers’ credit, they stood their ground. The man from the boat was taken out almost immediately, the driver diving into the ocean.
As some were taken to their knees, a shadow came from behind a group of pallets. Dressed in black, the hijacker moved carefully toward the boat. I reacted, my training and skills coming into play as I moved toward him.
The gunshots continued, the hijacker forced to fire several times. He’d truly thought he could handle the situation. I took advantage of the surprise, moving to within shooting distance easily, taking aim.
Then the attacker realized he’d been compromised on two levels, swinging toward me out of instinct alone. The slip of moonlight allowed me to see his face. I’d been correct in my assumptions. The Maker.
As I pulled the trigger, I knew in my gut that Kostya had disappeared, merely setting up the moment of betrayal.
And I knew exactly who could help me hunting the fucker down.
And I would.
Crushing Kostya’s resolve.
Stripping him away from anything and everything he held precious.
And this time, he would die by my hands.
My way.
Miguel
Rage.
That’s the only emotion I felt. I was well aware that I needed to maintain full control in order to ensure the decisions I made were calculated.
Right now, I didn’t give a shit.
I pressed my hand against my weapon, scanning the entire exterior of the exclusive club before walking in. At this point, I couldn’t be careful enough.
New York City.
It was a location I frankly loathed. Bright lights, Broadway shows, and exceptional food. That’s what the city was known for. Sadly, the often garish neon signs hid the underbelly of vicious crimes occurring on the streets.
Only some of the incidents related to mafia activities.
I came to New York as infrequently as possible, only once in the last year. This time, my trip was mandatory. That is if I wanted to find the fucker Kostya. He had indeed disappeared, all traces of him erased. It had become obvious he’d planned the coup months before, certain he would be successful. If I had to make another assumption, the ploy included stripping the boat of drugs long before it came into the harbor. The seed money from the drug run would be able to allow him a better life.
Or perhaps a takeover event.
Either way, I couldn’t allow him to live.
At least he’d failed in one regard. I’d been put on notice of his betrayal.
Every rock I’d turned over, every favor called in had proven futile. If anyone could find him without issue, it would be a member of the Sons of Darkness. I rolled my eyes at the name, uncertain any longer which of the five of us had coined the phrase. We were the five princes of the most powerful mafia families within the United States, men capable of exacting revenge as necessary.
However, our families were considered enemies, the old ways forbidding any form of shared communication, muscle, or information. We’d all agreed that the old ways weren’t working any longer, the need to maintain a sense of camaraderie vital in order to keep the peace.
No one wanted bloodshed unless absolutely necessary.
Things were different, new tactics needed in order to maintain our positions, increase our prosperity.
I strolled into the club, heading to the private room. My plane had arrived late, traffic a bitch as usual, but I was within ten minutes of the called meeting.
My call.
My meeting.
“There he is.” Dominick grinned as he glanced at his watch.
I nodded to Dominick, the Lugiano family holding all of New York in the palm of their hand. He was powerful in his own right, his father having turned over the majority of operations only months before. “Sorry I’m late.” The other three were seated at the round table, only Dominick remained standing. Antsy as usual.
Then again, so was I.
“He comes armed,” Lorenzo commented in a jesting manner.
I was in no mood for basic bullshit. I was here for a single night only.