Chapter 32

~Setting the Stage~

~*Edward*~

I sat in my father's study alongside Emmett, sipping a brandy while Father puffed on a cigar. Emmett and I had discussed tactics on the way over. We needed to know how deep into this mess my father was, so in an attempt to separate the players, we came up with what information we were willing to part with to either catch our father or alert him to the treachery in his midst.

"What the fuck happened to your face, Edward?" Father asked, leaning back in his chair and blowing a smoke ring.

Nice to know how shallow his concern for me was. "One of Aro's goons happened. Apparently, he still thinks we might be behind the fire that killed his daughter." I shot him a pointed look.

"We've had this conversation. You know I didn't want Isabella Volturi dead." He sighed deeply, looking annoyed. "Frankly, I'm insulted by the insinuation that I had anything to do with that fucking fire."

"Well, you have been rubbing shoulders with people who might be involved—Tanya Denali, for instance."

His face turned red, and he glared at me. "What the hell are you on about?"

"I'm not marrying Tanya because she's a treacherous bitch. I found out through the grapevine that she's fucking Lou D'Angelo."

His eyes went wide for a moment before his usual cool facade came down. "How sure are you?"

"Would you like to see a picture of him balls deep in her lying mouth?"

Father grimaced, reaching for his glass. "Not necessary." He tossed the drink back in one gulp. "Isn't D'Angelo marrying into the Volturi family?"

"That's the rumor." I leaned back casually and sipped my drink.

Emmett guffawed. "Not if those pictures leak out! You dodged a bullet, E!"

Father stared off into space for a few moments. "Maybe you shouldn't call it off. The D'Angelos are obviously playing someone. We should find out who."

I shook my head. "That ship sailed, Dad. I flipped out on Tanya. Let's just say . . . there's no love lost between us. I don't think she'll try to cause trouble for us though. I made it pretty fucking clear those pictures will go viral if she does."

"Jesus Christ, Edward!" He slammed his fist on the desk. "I wish you weren't so goddamn impulsive."

"And I wish you were more selective about the company you keep."

We glared at one another across his desk for a long, tense moment. Emmett's gaze ping-ponged between us, and I had the urge to smack him on the back of the head and ask if he wanted a bowl of popcorn.

Finally, Father let out an aggrieved sigh. "Must you always be so contrary?"

My answering smile was tight and devoid of humor. "Must you always keep us in the dark? We know there's shit going down that we aren't privy to. What's that old phrase? 'United we stand, divided we fall'? You hide shit from us at your peril." I leaned forward and raised my voice. "At the peril of this family."

It took a while before he answered. "I've got some irons in the fire, boys. I'm not ready to talk about everything yet, but I will soon."

"Do these irons have anything to do with the Denalis and the Corins?"

"Possibly."

"Be careful, Dad. You're playing with fire, and there are powder kegs everywhere. I don't trust the Denalis. I think they have their own agenda. As for Lou D'Angelo, is he working Tanya alone, or is his family gearing up for a power play?"

"We shall see."

Talk turned to the businesses Emmett and I were aware of, and we spent the next hour hashing out those issues. Even so, an uncomfortable twinge between my shoulder blades told me there was trouble coming, and my father was smack in the middle of it with a blindfold on.

~*oOo*~

That evening, Emmett and I went to Max Lieb's, a loud bar in the seedy part of town. It had a scratched linoleum floor, dark paneled walls, and mismatched chairs. We were treated like royalty whenever we showed up, and the local clientele gave us a wide berth because they recognized who we are and what we do.

Cricket sat next to me in the round booth and grimaced as he lifted his hands off the table and rubbed his palms together. "The patina of grease and dead skin cells on this table is disgusting. Couldn't we find a better, cleaner place to go?"

Emmett and I glanced at each other and laughed uproariously. I tipped back my bottle of beer and finished it off, lifting a finger at the bartender.

"Cricket, you sound like a grouchy old man! Where's your sense of adventure?"

He stared back at me with an incredulous look. "What are we doing here?"

"We can talk freely. The feds don't set up surveillance operations in such places because they don't expect us to be here. Our enemies wouldn't think to look for us here, and I also need a guy for a job. Just enjoy the peace, and try not to touch the table too much." I snickered at his obvious distaste.

He wrinkled his nose and wiped both hands on his trousers. "I'll try to reserve judgment until I see the result of our foray into the underbelly."

I just smiled and shook my head. For a Mafia right-hand man, he had quite the vocabulary. When the bartender stopped by, I told him to keep the drinks flowing and pointed to Cricket behind his back with a wink.

We drank and laughed and listened to a local band play some great tunes. I watched the room until what I was searching for showed up—a dirtbag that owed me favors.

Kyle Montenegro was handsome, charming, and completely without ethics. But he was smart enough to know not to cross me, and he owed me. Big time.

When he saw me watching him, he nodded and worked his way around the room until he reached our table. "Gentlemen."

"Ky! Long time no see. Sit. Have a drink with us." My smile was friendly enough, but I knew it didn't reach my eyes. Time to pay up.

"Sure, man. Good to see you." Ky slid into the booth next to Emmett and made a good show of not being intimidated by my brawny brother.

I waited until he had a drink and relaxed a bit before discussing what I needed done. "So, Ky . . . I have a job for you. It needs to be covert."

Ky shot me a cocky smile. "Covert is my jam. What can I do for you?"

I slid an envelope across the table. "The information you need is here. This is critical, Ky. If you're successful, we're even. I'll even throw in a bonus."

His eyebrows rose into the shock of tawny hair that fell over his forehead. "Wow. I won't let you down, man."

A slow smile spread across my face. "You haven't even looked at the job yet."

"I don't need to. I already know I'm going to do it and do it well."

I tapped my hand on the sticky tabletop. "Good man." I tilted my head and looked him over carefully. If he ditched the worn jeans and T-shirt for something dressier, he might capture the interest of a certain bitch. "So, do you have a suit?"

Ky shrugged. "For funerals, yeah."

"Give me your phone." He handed it over, and I entered my tailor into his contacts. "Tell Finch I said to fit you for three suits, and put it on my tab. There will be a part two to this assignment, and I'll pay you well for it."

"I'm in."

We stayed another hour before calling Jasper for a ride home. It wouldn't be good if word got around that the Masen brothers took an Uber home from Max Lieb's. I especially didn't want that rumor getting back to Father.

Emmett and I stumbled in through the private entrance to our wing of the house. My room smelled musty, a testament to how long it had been since I'd slept at home. I opened a window to let in the cool, damp air and leaned on the sill, breathing deeply. I was tired as fuck, and my mouth tasted like stale beer. Lurching into the en suite, I brushed my teeth and stripped off my smoky clothes, shoving them deep into the hamper.

I returned to my room, pulled down the covers, and fell into bed in my underwear. Picking up the burner phone, I texted Bella.

Love you, princess. Sweet dreams. ~Tony

Thirty seconds later, the phone rang. "Hey, what are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Her saucy voice came over the line, and a pain sliced through my chest. I missed her so damn much and resented that I couldn't hold her in my arms every night. Someday we would be together in our own bed, in our own home, with our kid sleeping nearby.

"God, I miss you so much, princess. I hate that you're not with me right now."

"I hate it too, but we have to protect Chip."

I laughed. "We are not naming our son Chip."

Bella giggled. "Why not? Chip Masen . . . it has a ring to it."

"If you were here right now, I'd tickle you until you peed."

"Tony! You wouldn't dare. Anyway, you know I'm just kidding. 'Chip' is a placeholder until we name him for real." Her laughter died down, and she whispered, "What are we going to name him?"

My good mood deflated. "Not sure yet. A lot depends on what happens over the next few months. We talked to my father earlier, and he's still hiding shit. I have a plan to ferret out the truth, but it might take some doing."

"Is it dangerous?"

"This life is dangerous—it always will be. My plan doesn't put me in direct danger though. I can't do the job myself because of who I am, but I hired someone capable and motivated."

She sighed deeply. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." I turned on my side and stared out at the windy night, feeling her absence acutely. "I love you more than you'll ever know. I'll do anything for you. Get some sleep now."

"I love you, Tony. Good night."

We both sat on the line, refusing to hang up. Finally, I begged her to hang up first because I couldn't bear to. It took me until the stars faded and the sky began to brighten to fall asleep.

~*oOo*~

I stood in the control room at Underground, sipping my drink while I monitored the camera feeds. Ky sauntered in like he owned the place—courtesy of my connections. We leaked word of a Masen cousin visiting from Chicago, and Ky's job was to play the part. He cleaned up nice, just as I thought he would.

Ky was a natural, working the VIP lounge with a few of our associates. Tanya showed up soon after, swaying her hips in a skin-tight dress that left little to the imagination. Ky ignored Tanya and waited for her to notice him, exactly as I suggested. She was a lioness who enjoyed the hunt and fancied men who seemed unattainable.

I spoke into Ky's earpiece. "She's trying to get your attention. Pretend you don't see her, and act surprised when she approaches you."

"Sure thing." He let out a low whistle. "What a piece, man."

"Stay focused."

"Can I partake?"

I thought about it for a moment, imagining how Tanya would feel when she realized she fucked a low-life criminal. "Go for it—as long as you don't screw up the job."

Ky worked the room, flirting with a few women. Tanya watched him, slowly moving into his orbit. Her eyes glittered with frustrated interest; after all, it was hard for her to accept that Ky didn't immediately fall at her feet.

She waited until Ky wandered over to the VIP bar and sidled up next to him. "Hello, I don't believe we've met." She held her hand out, and he took it, placing a kiss on the back.

"We have not." He looked at the bartender. "Get the lady whatever she wants, and put it on my tab."

"Yes, Mr. Masen. What will you have, Ms. Denali?"

"A dirty martini, please." She turned to Ky, looking coy. "You're a Masen?"

I laughed to myself as she pretended she hadn't already heard there was a new Masen in town. Tanya, you are a piece of work. I zoomed in on her face, recognizing the calculating expression in her eyes, the glee at the chance of trapping another Masen in her wicked web.

"I am. Are you familiar with my family?"

"I'm an associate of Ed senior. Tanya Denali."

"Zack Masen. It's my great pleasure to meet you."

They settled at a small table with their drinks. Soon after, Ky led Tanya out to the dance floor, holding her close. The sound cut out on his mic.

"Ky, can you hear me?"

He turned them so Tanya's back was toward the camera and gave me a thumb's up behind her back.

"You need to turn the mic back on."

He shook his head slowly, then leaned down to whisper something in Tanya's ear. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her closer. She preened, obviously charmed by whatever manure Ky was feeding her. Eventually, he guided her from the dance floor to one of the VIP rooms. They talked for a while, which led to making out and Ky's hand up Tanya's dress.

He held Tanya's face and kissed her deeply, whispering something in her ear before leaving the room. Tanya was completely enamored and sat back against the high booth with a dreamy expression.

Ky turned the mic back on. "Baby bear to papa bear."

"Ky, you're wearing my patience thin," I said through gritted teeth. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Improvising. Does it look like anything is going wrong? I got an invite back to her place."

"Leave the mic on."

"No can do. I promise you this will be worth it."

I clenched my fists, aggravated by the loss of control. Ky had gone rogue, and I was left trusting that he would complete the job to my satisfaction. "If anything goes wrong, I will hold you personally responsible. It's not out of the realm of possibility that you will become an indentured servant for life."

There was a brief silence. "This is of primo importance. I get it. Let the maestro work. I'm ditching the earpiece altogether before we go back to her place. When it all comes off, I don't want to get caught."

"Don't fuck this up."

"Not a chance, man. I've got this. Ky out."

He was on his own, and I had to trust that he would remain focused. I watched as Ky and Tanya left the club, his hand grazing her lower back perilously close to her ass. She didn't seem to mind, angling her body closer. When the Lamborghini we rented for Ky was brought around, he turned and looked right at the camera, shooting me a wink. And then they raced off, leaving twin burn marks on the pavement. After completing the job I hired him for, I fervently hoped he'd leave similar burns on Tanya's black heart.

~*oOo*~

A/N: Dangerous games are being played. Tony set the traps—wonder what rats he'll catch. Let me hear those thoughts and theories! You know how I love them.

I know updates are coming slower than normal, but I'm doing my best to find writing time. Just getting over COVID, which threw me for a loop the past two weeks.

I post teasers and links to updates on Facebook in the No Rules Twilight Fan Fiction, The Twilight Fanfiction Finders, and It All Started With Twilight groups.

Thanks and gratefulness as always to my awesome betas, SassySue (chayasara) and Wendy (wmr1601). These ladies make my stuff much more presentable! (Translation: save me from sounding like a blathering fool)

Follow me: atSaritaDreaming, Facebook SarahAislingAuthor, blog saritadreamingdotwordressdotcom