Blood & Loyalties

I couldn’t give two shits at that point whether Zan was my father’s brother. He was dead. When I found him, I would gut him myself and enjoy every fucking cry of pain that came from his throat. This runaround was ending. I was done dealing with all this bullshit.

Not only was I having to chase the fucker, but Catarina had stopped taking my calls. For over six months we would talk on the phone and text daily, even started to use Skype back and forth. I had learned more about her than I probably would have if we had been alone together because I would have been balls deep in her instead of really talking.

I remembered when she had told me her favorite movie was Grease. I hadn’t been able to keep from laughing. All I could picture was John Travolta dancing and singing on a car. Such a travesty.

I knew her favorite color was teal because that was all over her room, but she also loved the color red. Said it made her feel sexy. Another thing, she loved to read, yet didn’t have much time to do it. She preferred those sappy romance bullshit stories. Whatever made her happy.

Then, as time slipped away and Zan kept slipping out of my grasp, Catarina added another blow by not accepting my calls out of the blue. I asked Val and Matteo, but they wouldn’t tell me much, just that if she had wanted to talk to me, she would have. I respected that because it was family, even though it pissed me off. Sal and Vino said they wouldn’t get involved and to leave her alone. Keira said she didn’t know what was going on either. I sent gifts to her house that got returned. If I had a single damn moment where I could have gone to her, I would have, but that didn’t happen because this fuckwad kept slipping through my fingers.

“Ahh…” The sound pulled my attention back to the moment.

Vi

“Tell me where to find him!” Vi

The man kneeling on the ground only grunted and yelled, so Vi

“I … don’t know nothing.” He didn’t; it was written all over him. Enough of this shit.

I stepped forward slowly and tilted my head ever so slightly, taking in the man’s face. He was young, too young to be doing Zan’s bidding. The bruising around his face cut out his features.

I stood in front of him, looking down at his bowed head. I was surprised he was actually still up; I thought for sure he would have fallen by then with nothing holding him. Strong kid. What a shame.

“Pick him up,” I ordered to Vi

Diego, who instantly complied, held the man up by his arms. His head bobbed with their movements, but he didn’t fight them.

Picking up my fist, I clenched it hard, swinging and co

“Last time. Give me something to find him, or I go after your family next.”

He looked up, his eyes widening. Gets them every time. Family was the most important thing. Every decision we made, every choice we were faced with was to better our family, to keep it strong, healthy. Secure. It was also the reason my ass didn’t hop on a plane every time I thought about Catarina.

I couldn’t, not until the threat was gone. She meant too much. She might not see it, but she would one day.

“Start talking.” Sounds came from his lips that I couldn’t understand, mostly gibberish, probably saying penance or something, but I continued to listen.

“Fly

Son of a fucking bitch. Anger pulsed through me like a tidal wave consuming my body. I couldn’t control my fists as they began swinging of their own accord. Hit after hit, I pummeled the motherfucker in front of me.

Grady fucking Fly

“Jag?” Diego’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts long enough for me to step back for a moment.

The guy lay limply on the floor, blood oozing out and his breaths shallow.

I heaved deep breaths in and out roughly, the rage still burning deep within, but I eventually reined myself in. This wasn’t helping.

“Do it,” I ordered to Vi

I got in the car quickly, needing to get some air. Every nerve inside of me was coiled so damn tight it was about to burst at any moment. I needed to burn it off fast.

“Gym,” I barked at Dan in the front, who nodded. Looking at my hands, they were covered in blood. Shit. “Pull in from behind.”

Associates of ours owned the gym and gave us all free reign, including the private entrance to his back office. I needed to clean up before the law-abiding world saw me.

After an hour of pounding the bag and lots of cardio, the fury began to recede, and my mind began to clear. This was the best time for me, when my mind wasn’t stuck in a perpetual circle, feeling pissed off at the world.

Showering, my mind turned to Fly

Jumping out of the shower, I grabbed my phone. Dialing Diego, he answered on the first ring.

“Need all of Fly

“Boss, he more than likely didn’t use anything traceable.”

I grunted. “Are we not the Lambardoni’s? Do we not have the resources to dig up the dead? He’s no ghost yet, not until I make him one. I want everything: brothers, sisters, parents, everything on everyone. I want to know the nun who gave him his first rosary at catholic school if need be. Whomever he has in his pocket. There is a damn link somewhere.”

“Got it.”

“Have it when we meet.” I ended the call then called my ex-military lead. Rex grunted into the phone in greeting.

“Problem.” I relayed all the information, ordering him to be at my office in an hour to get the rest.

With another grunt from him, we disco

One more call. I hovered over Vino’s name, knowing his patience was also at a breaking point. No one evaded Vino and lived to tell about it. I just got the brunt of the anger when it came down to it. I could handle that shit. It was the disappointment that gutted. No way did I want that shit.

I skimmed my finger over the name.

“What do you have?” he barked on the other end. Vino was as cut throat as they came. He hadn’t become the boss by sitting on his ass.

“Got a lead. Grady Fly

“Fucking hell,” he snapped into the phone.

“Guess he’s helping Zan.”

Vino ground his teeth so loud I could hear it clearly.

“I’ve got information being gathered, and we’re having a meeting in an hour. Do you want to be on speaker, or do you want to know the highlights after?”