Page 38 of Twisted Obsession

“The standard emolument for your rank,” Mika replies, tapping away on the laptop in front of him.

“I don’t have a rank,” Kaiden replies, his voice bleak.

Mika’s frown deepens as he stares at whatever is displayed on his screen and he turns a confused gaze on Kaiden. “Were you paid from Vito’s personal payroll?” he eventually asks, hitting a few more keys and shaking his head as Ares leans in to check whatever it is they’re both looking at.

“No.”

My cousin shakes his head. “I don’t understand. How were you paid then?”

Kaiden purses his lips as all eyes turn his way. “I wasn’t.”

His entire demeanor now is steeped in bitterness. “Why the hell would the Viper bother to pay a slave?” he adds. “Are you forgetting that I was drafted into this organization to pay my father’s debt?”

There’s a pregnant silence for several long moments while the rest of us process Kaiden’s words.

“What the hell did you live on?” I blurt out, even though it’s not my place to speak.

Kaiden glances my way and shrugs. “I live here, I’m fed here. If I need transport for a job, it’s provided.”

“And what about other stuff?” Mika presses.

“Vito outfitted me with two suits and if I needed anything else, he would usually insist on making me beg for a cash job. Literally. Then he’d find the filthiest, riskiest one he could come up with,” Kaiden tells him bitterly.

“Why the hell didn’t you say something?” Mika asks, his expression appalled.

“What and give everyone more reason to believe it was me who offed the Viper? Believe me, I might not have done it, but I damn well thought about it, and it sure as hell doesn’t surprise me. Vito pissed off most of the people he came into contact with, so I knew this would happen one day, and I’m well aware I have more motive than most to want to see him gone.”

He shakes his head, his eyes hard, but also a little haunted. “No, I just kept my head down, did as I was told and tried to keep out of the firing line. That bastard’s as much as anyone else’s.”

There’s more to the story, I can tell. But now isn’t the time for a heart-to-heart… if there ever is one.

Mika sighs and, just for a second, appears unusually tired. Then I think I must have imagined it as he’s all business again.

“Well, from now on, you’ll be paid commensurate with a soldier holding as many years’ experience as you have, so the highest tier, and I’ll make sure you’re in the running for the next capo position that comes available. As I’ve said, you’re both in theclear. The entrance cameras had been tampered with. Jammed, by the look of it, from an outside source. But the hall cameras do indeed show the mystery woman in red, just like Maricela claimed, both pulling a handgun out of her clutch before entering the room and exiting a couple of minutes later.”

“You’ve got her?” I ask in surprise. Somehow, I hadn’t put much credence in Maricela’s claims.

Mika taps a key on his laptop and the big screen on the wall behind his head comes to life, the sharp figure of a tall, svelte woman taking up the entire space.

For what it’s worth.

Mika moves through the individual clips one at a time, but the woman has her head down the entire time, her long, wavy dark hair hiding her face and any distinguishing features. This woman could literally be anyone.

And yet…

“That’s not Cesca or Safia, is it?” I ask cautiously.

Mika turns sharply to face me. “What makes you say that?” he demands.

“I don’t know. There’s just something familiar…” I trail off and shake my head. “Ignore me. It really could be anyone, couldn’t it? I think I’m just projecting since they’re the only women who normally live at the compound.”

Although the body type is similar, I decide discretion is the better part of valor. The two women are Mika’s cousins, and I can’t imagine either of them doing something like this.

“Well, just to put your mind at rest, both Franco’s daughters have airtight alibis for the night in question. They were at the theater together, as verified by their security and several hundred other people.”

“Doesn’t look like a hooker,” Kaiden comments, reflecting on Mika’s appraisal from that night. “Do you think she was sent by another crime syndicate?”

Mika stares at the screen, an intense expression on his face that I can’t get a bead on. “It’s a possibility, but which one is something I guess we’ll probably never know. Not sure either the Irish Mob or the Bratva would set up a sting like this. Not really their style. But there are plenty of others to choose from. It could be an undercover agent from the feds. They’ve been watching Vito for months now. Might be a mercenary hired by any number of agencies or even be linked to the British aristocracy after the stunt he pulled with Gabi Preston and the Duke of Buckingham… Or it might just be some mistress he pissed off because he was about to get married. Like you said, there are plenty of people with an ax to grind where the Viper was concerned. And I guess none of us are too cut up about it.”

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