LAKE
“Did you talk to my wife?” Giosue was an arrogant, over-confident son of a bitch. I knew when I met one.
“Yes. Thank you for allowing me to meet her, even briefly. Unfortunately, she said she’s not feeling well like you said. I let her rest.” Maverick smiled tightly, but I felt something was wrong.
“Of course.”
After the refreshment he offered, Maverick put a hand on her stomach.
“Are you okay?” I hoped she was not pregnant, given how many problems kept coming. If she were, she would worry too much, which would not be good for her. I placed the back of my hand on her forehead.
“I’m not feeling well. Maybe a jetlag or something. I’ve never traveled outside the country. This is actually my first time. Forgive me, Mr. Conti.”
“No apology necessary. You should rest. I’ll let my housekeeper ready a room for you.”
“Apologies. I don’t want to bother you during this difficult time. I’ll rest in our hotel room once we get back.”
“Accept our condolences, Mr. Conti, to your wife and the people who care for Don Gaetano and Terzo. If you need anything, let us know.” I stood up and offered my hand. “I’m sorry our visit is short, but I have to take her back to the hotel.”
“Thank you for coming over here.” He shook my hand and then Maverick’s. “Don’t be a stranger, Maverick. You’re a family, after all.”
“Thank you. I hope to see Celestina very soon when she recovers.” Maverick smiled gratefully. I got that the brief meeting with her sister went well.
“Of course, I will tell her to contact you.”
“I hope this clears whatever your people suspect about me. I would never do such a thing. And I want you to know that I won’t take any responsibility left by my late father and my late brother. I want to live in peace.”
“Understood, Maverick. Have a safe flight.”
“Thank you.”
We left the compound with Jacques and Memphis and his team tailing us. As soon as we got far enough outside of Siciliano’s block, Maverick shook to cry and sobbed like she’d been keeping it inside her chest. She scared me.
“Hey. Hey. What happened to you?” I unbuckled my seatbelt and hugged her tight.
“Everything is wrong.” Her sob got louder, and even Homer and Owen got her attention.
“What do you mean?”
“Just drive faster, please?”
“Baby, you’re scaring me.” I cupped her face and wiped the tears that kept coming. “Did she hurt you or say something that upset you like this?”
“She shook her head.”
I was almost thrown to the front when the SUV suddenly stopped at a halt. My arm hit the front seat-my hands around Maverick. I heard the screeching and the smell of tires flooded inside.
“What the fuck, Owen?” I glared at him at the driver’s seat.
“Boss, put back your seatbelt on,” said Homer quickly.
“What’s going on?” Maverick asked, wiping off the tears from her face.
Then I saw a blond man standing before the car, blocking us. He waved his hands, and he looked American. He came to the passenger’s side, knocking on the window.
“What the fuck does he want?” I asked angrily.
“I need to come with you.”
Homer rolled the window down. “Stay away, man.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’m Magnus Tucker. I know Celestina.”
“Yeah. She just told me.” Maverick gripped my arm as she stared at me, hope filling her eyes. “Let him in.”
“Wait a minute, Mrs. Winston.” Homer took a picture of him. “Let me identify if he’s saying the truth.”
“We’re wasting our time,” he said.
“Hey. Back away. Let my men do the job.” Then I remembered something. “Hold on. You’re Magnus Tucker? London’s psychopathic ex.”
He shrugged. “I’m a reformed man. Trust me, I’ve learned a lot here working with Don Gaetano. I’m his private accountant.”
“He wouldn’t trust you with that job, dude. You’re a computer programmer.”
“Just let him in. I believe him. Celestina said she only trusts Magnus.”
I snapped my head at Maverick. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said confidently.
“He’s been checked out. He’s telling the truth,” Homer confirmed.
“Get in the fucking car,” I said irritably while Homer unlocked the door for him. “If you are lying to us. You won’t get out of this city alive.”
“I believe you, Mr. Winston, and you’re not the only one who will come after me. The Conti family.” He climbed in and took a seat.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I suggest you start the jet before things fall apart. And trust me. We can’t leave here alive if you ever wait an hour.” For a man who just said we were in trouble, he seemed so calm.
“You’re scaring my wife. Explain.”
“Giosue killed my father and my brother, and he keeps my sister hostage.”
The entire car went eerily silent.
“She’s telling the truth,” Tucker backed her up.
“We can’t leave my sister there.” Maverick cried again, eyes begging. “He will kill her or lock her in a cage and use her the way it pleases him. I saw her bruises, Lake. She’s badly hurt. Maybe at this, he locks her up.” Her eyes filled with horror, and I instantly believed her. The way she cried earlier was not a joke. It was someone who had broken down, who had endured unbearable pain.
It broke my heart to pieces. The tightness in my chest made it hard to breathe. I couldn’t even blink. I listened to every word she said, and at the same time, I was helpless. I didn’t know how to proceed with taking her sister with the number of men Giosue had, and we were literally in uncharted territory.
“We can’t go back.” It was hard to say, but that was the best words I could come up with.
“We’re outnumbered, Mrs. Winston,” said Homer. “I counted fifteen people just walking in the garden, not including the men inside and at the gate. We may have training, but we lack supplies and don’t have the blueprint for the house. In five minutes, reinforcements will come flooding that compound.”
“Then we will make a plan and call backups from Osmium,” she suggested. “And maybe Magnus can tell us the layout of the compound, the weak points and entries and exits.”
“It would take time,” I told her the truth.
“Then she could be probably dead by now,” she spatted out in vain.
“He would not kill her. He needs her to sign documents, bank records, deeds, certificates, and transfer of ownership, as well as to find the safes where Gaetano kept some important documents and ledgers. We have time to plan this, but we should get away from Sicily right now.”
I glanced over at Magnus. “What do you have in your bag, Magnus?” I noticed how he gripped the sling bag tightly against his chest.
“Because I can trust you and owe Boss Terzo a lot, I will tell you. This is a ledger, documents of discrepancies, records of missing millions of money, and others.”
“Homer, inform Lynx. We’re going ahead to the airport. Tell the hotel manager to send our things to the hangar. Make it fast.”
“Right away, boss.”
“Baby,” I held her hand and kissed it. “I promise we will get her. You know it’s impossible right now, but we will come back prepared.”
“There’s Osmium HQ here, but it’s still risky. You should talk to the loyal army of Siciliano,” Owen said.
Maverick’s eyes lit up. “How do I meet them? How do I know they’re still loyal to Siciliano?”
“None of those men at the compound are Siciliano’s. Do you know that?” Magnus said, giving us a little hope of rescuing Celestina.
“I noticed the lack of enthusiasm earlier,” Owen said. “I guess since they heard the death of the don and the underboss, they left and gathered somewhere. They might have a feeling that there’s a double-cross going on.”
“Yes. I’m not aware of their secret meetings, but there has been tension between the Don and the Conti heir. Giosue wanted to oust his father from the chair for being too lenient. Ugo didn’t want more blood, so he might have planned to retire and merge the business with Siciliano,” Magnus just confirmed my initial theory.
“And of course, with Terzo around, Terzo would be likely the next in line,” Maverick summed it up.
“That’s exactly what was supposed to happen,” Magnus confirmed. “Now that Signora Celestina is under his control. That leaves you the remaining Siciliano to decide how to save the Siciliano family business. And he already killed two of Siciliano’s most loyal men.”
“Change of plan. Take us to my uncle’s villa.” I turned to Magnus. “You call Siciliano’s men and meet us there.”