“Yeah, boss. The little lady says she’s worried about you. Asked me to call.”
There was exactly ten seconds worth of conversation before he nodded but the way he rubbed his forehead indicated there was some sort of an issue.
“You got it, boss. We’ll be here.” He ended the call quickly, shoving the phone into his pocket then giving the other man a head nod, beckoning him closer.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded.
The two of them spoke in hushed voices, the second soldier heading outside, the weapon planted firmly in his hand. But he looked back, his face pinched.
“Fuck,” the scarred man said, hissing under his breath. “How the hell did that shit happen?”
They both darted a look in my direction. “An ambush,” the first said in a hushed tone.
An ambush? My mouth was bone dry, my heart racing.
When the first soldier closed the distance, I instantly backed away, holding up my hands. I had no reason to trust these men.
“What ambush?” I managed.
“Everything will be fine. I’m Justin and Drake and I will be here until Lorenzo’s return. You need to make yourself comfortable. The boss man is going to be a while. I’m going to stay inside the house just in case. There should be no issues.”
“Don’t lie to me. An ambush indicates someone was hurt or worse. What’s going on?”
Justin stood like some stone statue, not even bothering to look me in the eyes.
“Jesus. Look, I understand you’re following orders, but I need to know what’s going on. I deserve that much. I’m stuck here. Don’t you get that?” I had no way of knowing if anyone knew what I’d gone through or why I was here in the first place.
“Lorenzo needs to tell you himself.”
I inched even closer, the scent of his aftershave filling my throat with bile. “That’s not acceptable. At least you can tell me if he’s hurt.”
The asshole remained tightlipped.
“What the hell am I going to do with that information? There are no phones in this damn house. Trust me, I’ve checked. There’s no way I can contact anyone, and I doubt that you’re going to allow me to run to the closest neighbor. Just. Tell. Me.”
He blinked several times, cocking his head to one side. “Lorenzo wasn’t hurt in the incident, but he needs to handle some cleanup. That takes time.”
“Incident. What incident?”
“As I said, Lorenzo is going to have to tell you if he wants to.”
“Fine, Justin. Any idea when he’s expected back?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t. You’re to stay here until his return.”
I exhaled. “As if I could go anywhere. Make yourself at home, Justin. I’m certain you know much more about this house than I do.” A chill trickled down my spine and I was ready to lash out at anyone who pissed me off even if they didn’t deserve my wrath. “Let me ask you something. How could you work for him? How could you do this kind of job?”
He twisted his mouth but remained quiet.
“How could you place yourself in danger every day and night? Do you have family? A wife? Kids? I couldn’t imagine what they must be going through. You’re criminals, likely to be killed before you reach thirty years old.”
Justin looked uncomfortable as hell.
“I get it. I don’t know what I’m talking about,” I whispered, raking one hand through my hair. “You can’t talk to me. I’m nobody.” I turned toward the living room, adrenaline rushing to my head.
“I had a wife and a baby on the way,” he said in such a quiet voice that I almost didn’t hear him. I turned to face him, my stomach churning.
I stopped short, gripping the doorjamb, no longer able to breathe. “Had. What happened?”
“My wife was attacked by a gang on her way home from work. She was a nurse, forced to work in this godforsaken shit hole of a hospital. I begged her to get a different job, but she loved the people she worked with. I told her that as soon as the baby came, no wife and mother of my child was ever going to work again. I was moving up in the world. She hated what I did, so yeah, I get what you’re saying, but you don’t know what Lorenzo is capable of.” Justin took a deep breath, his eyes unfocused. “Anyway, her car broke down one night. She’d worked second shift. It was so dark and I couldn’t get to her fast enough. The bastards… They um…”
Oh, my God.
When I heard the glitch in his voice, I shifted toward him. There were tears in his eyes. Trembling, I reached my hand out, yanking it back. I certainly couldn’t ease his pain. “I’m so sorry.”
He sniffed and glanced away briefly. “I was ripped apart, ready to kill everyone I came in contact with. I wanted revenge and was ready to take the entire gang on. Lorenzo stood by my side through everything, helping me keep my shit together. He made certain I had everything I needed, including money for the funeral. He kept watch over me, refusing to let me get myself killed.”
I had no idea what to say, but hearing the sadness in his voice brought tears to my eyes. “Did the police ever find them?”
“The police,” he snorted. “They’re worthless. They don’t give a shit about what happens in certain parts of the city, especially when the gangs are involved. The vicious gangs run the streets, killing anyone who gets in their way. They’re animals and nothing more. Lorenzo is determined to get rid of them. He made a promise to me and I believe him. The two soldiers we lost a few months ago, he made certain to help the families just like he did with me.”
“This gang. Do they have a name?”
“They call themselves the Blood Brothers. They’re just the hired guns for the Movino clowns. I might be a criminal, miss, but we have a code of honor that we follow. That’s important to the Francesco family. We don’t terrorize women in the middle of the night. We don’t kill innocent babies.”
I reared back, taking in the information. No wonder Lorenzo had been so angry. “I wish I knew what to say. I’m sorry I challenged you. You have nothing to do with my predicament.”
“That’s fine. I’m sure you have your reasons and I assure you, I’ve heard a hell of a lot worse. Ain’t none of my business anyway. I just thought you should know that Lorenzo handles every issue himself. He gives a damn about his people no matter what people say.”