"There has been a dispute among the pigeons,” Luca disclosed. “Some say that one of them is secretly a cop; others claim that he works for the Castillos."
"I thought Father had an alliance with them," I replied, not masking the sarcasm in my tone.
Luca nodded. "Yes, but since you appointed the men—"
"That’s because I'm responsible for seeing that,” I said, cutting him off. “What, Father just gets to rest and fucking downgrade me? That's not happening!" I pointed towards the door angrily, motioning him to leave.
Luca remained on his spot and met my gaze. "You see, Mr. Carson, I do not take orders from you but your father. Besides, he knows the Castillo girl studies with you and wants you to take responsibility for the mess you make – his words, not mine," he stated calmly.
I really felt like hitting or punching Luca, but I reminded myself that he was merely a messenger. "Does it have to be right now?" I asked.
He nodded in response.
Fuck being happy for even more than an hour."I'm not driving." I tossed my car keys to Luca, and he caught them without his facial expression changing.
"How do you think I got here?" Luca asked.
"Frankly, you're dragging me out of my house at two o’clock in the morning, so I don't care," I snapped, grabbing my jacket before walking out.
When my anger subsided in the car, I couldn't help but think about what was going on while I wasn't paying much attention to the business. Since I had gotten to the university, I had completely let go of Bilbao.Now, it’s time to take control.
*****
It wasn't that long of a drive. I looked outside the window and noticed that Luca stopped near one of the factories that manufactured the Castillos’ arms. Some of my father’s bodyguards were there, holding down a bruised man. We walked towards them.
"Tell him what you told me," Luca barked.
"Alesso Castillo did not send me. Another Castillo did," he revealed.
I sighed and motioned for a bodyguard to loosen his grip on the man’s throat. "Look, I don't have time for this shit. You say a name, and I'll think about letting you go. If you don't, I'll kill you. You know how this goes, for sure," I uttered, watching him cough up blood.
"Eloisa."
Wait, what?"Eloisa Castillo?"
"Who else?" Luca interjected, shaking his head.
I wanted to tell him to fuck off. Why would Eloisa do something that didn't concern her?
"You're bluffing," I muttered in disbelief.
The man laughed. "That's all it takes, doesn't it? One beautiful woman comes, and your ability to function goes right out the fucking window."
He tried to get up, but I kicked him down. I wasn't going to be fed lies by a man that I didn't even know.
"She's playing you like a fiddle, Keith fuc—"
Before he could say anymore, a gunshot sounded. It was not from my weapon, though. I was still trying to put the pieces in my mind together, given that what the man just said made absolutely no sense.
I turned to Luca. "Did I ask you to do that?"
He shrugged, lowering his gun. "We already know what we wanted. I already heard that, but you needed to hear the information straight from the spy."
"Back the fuck up." I slammed the car door shut that Luca reopened. The other men went to work as they pulled the man's lifeless body away. Ignoring them, I added, "Don't try to fuck with me. I can't kill my father, but I'll surely kill you if you try to get ahead of yourself."
Anger surged through me. The perplexity of the situation and Luca’s action fucked with my mind. It was as if I, Keith Carson, was beneath him.
"That girl – the one you've been so involved with – did she happen to tell you that her father and brother visited today while you were, what, busy daydreaming about her?" Luca asked, unperturbed.