Page 49 of The Lieutenant

My conscious mind told me to keep her at arm’s length, but the man inside was yet to be fulfilled. She’d sparked something deep inside me.

“What’s the plan, boss?” Jonas asked. Both Jonas and Tobias had taken a soldier by the name of Aldo Castillo to the warehouse, undoubtedly roughing him up, or as Jonas liked to say, tenderizing the man. He was considered our enemy, butlow level. We were stooping very low to rid the world of those involved in our brother’s demise.

“This isn’t about interrogation,” I told them both. Although I would fulfill Dimitrios’ request that the man would not have a pleasant death. At this point, I was nothing more than a hired gun for the family. I’d been tasked for the job after my older brother had realized I could easily shut off all emotions, turning into nothing but a machine. That had proven helpful in the vicious tasks I’d been assigned.

“Does that mean we can’t enjoy our work?” Once again, Tobias looked into the rearview mirror. He was far too eager to perform the task. I wasn’t in the mood. It wasn’t that I hadn’t performed various interrogations over the years. I’d done enough to perfect a certain technique. It was simply that I had no interest in wasting the time.

I’d left Kara far too early, still in bed, and had hated myself for walking out. As soon as I’d reached the door, I’d heard the sheets rustling. I hadn’t looked back because I’d known if I did, I would have an impossible time leaving.

When I didn’t answer, the two men looked at each other.

“You okay, boss?” Jonas asked a full two minutes later.

“I’m fine. I have a hell of a lot on my plate. Bringing justice for my brother’s death is only one of them. We get in, we get out. You can contact the cleanup crew after that.” The cleanup crew. We even had our own specialists regarding body removal and disinfecting.

While we usually weren’t worried by any police activity, after Leandro’s death, law enforcement in Italy as well as Greece had worried about an all-out war between crime lords. Since then,they’d been paying more attention to our actions. That was another reason Theo’s news program and accusations were even more damning.

At least up to this point there hadn’t been any concept of retaliation for handling punishment for our brother’s murder by the Cosa Nostra. That didn’t mean they weren’t biding their time, lying in wait for the right moment. The entire family remained on edge.

Yet another reason developing any kind of relationship with a woman was a very bad idea. Even just a physical one. Her acceptance to any degree in my world would make her prime target material. But I couldn’t push her away.

I rubbed my finger across my lips, reflecting on the kisses we’d shared. Spanking her had been icing on the cake and the way she’d reacted had been sublime. She was certainly hiding all her darkest desires.

Forcing my thoughts back to business was as irritating as needing to handle the elimination. I pulled up the information on Aldo that Dimitrios had provided. It was apparent my brother had asked for a deep dive into those working with Bernardi, the Italian Don who’d been a bane of our existence for years. At least my brother had found something of possible use in the man’s background. Was it worth wasting my time to try to evaluate if he had any decent information on Bernardi’s intentions?

I checked my watch. I’d have an hour, no more. Hardly enough time to do a thorough job.

The warehouse was still in a crowded section of town. As Tobias pulled up, I shoved my phone back into my jacket pocket. Normally, I wouldn’t wear dress clothes to handle anenforcement gig, but given I had no plans on getting dirty, I made the decision to ignore my gut feeling. It was telling me Aldo wouldn’t go down easily.

The street was crowded, parking a full block away the only option. However, as Tobias had said, it was a beautiful day. I thought about Kara’s role at the upcoming meeting. The last thing I wanted was to introduce her as a reporter. That wouldn’t bode well for the confidential discussions or the trust factor.

She would become my assistant. I felt myself smirking like some lust-filled old man. The thought was slightly forbidden and damn hot, enough so my cock was twitching all over again.

I would need to fuck her later. That was one certainty.

As I climbed out, I studied the area. It was busy as usual. The area had once been considered all industrial with mostly warehouses. Now it served as an artistic mecca, several quaint stores and bistros sharing space. There was a huge art gallery at the end of the street, some of the world’s most famous artists vying to have a show.

From where I stood, I was able to catch a glimpse of the ocean. I adored the way Kolonaki was positioned, hills with buildings and streets nestled close together providing a beautiful scene. With crepe myrtles and various flowers in hundreds of hanging planters, the fragrance was also incredible.

I grabbed my duffle bag from the back of the SUV.

If only people knew what was in their back yard. I was in an interesting mood today. Maybe I was more eager to end a life than I originally thought. Or maybe I just had more energy today. All because of Kara.

“You okay, boss? You seem preoccupied,” Jonas said as soon as he flanked my side.

“Perfect. Just perfect.” I laughed and walked ahead of them. The warehouse exterior had been painted to match the cozy feel of the tight neighborhood. We’d wanted to blend in, ensuring the way of life so many had carved out for themselves remained strong.

Should that make me feel guilty? Maybe, but it was a life I’d been born into, violence ingrained in me at an early age. Although our mother had tried to instill decency in her children, able to pretend her husband wasn’t a beast. Was that something I could ever do for my family?

Likely not possible. Hence the thought of having children remained reprehensible. Since the explosion of social media, every single act, whether good or bad, was usually caught on camera. Any children born in our family would be subject to constant scrutiny, danger always surrounding them. I’d decided a long time ago having a nuclear family wasn’t an option.

So why was I musing over the thought today? Jonas moved ahead of me, unlocking the door and walking in first.

Before walking inside, something caught my attention. I shook my head as Christos approached. He appeared as if he’d just stepped from aGQphoto shoot, his hair even longer than mine, his attire casual yet trendy. He was wearing shades, so I was unable to detect his emotional stability, but I did sense my brother was walking with purpose.

“I’m surprised,” I told him and yanked off my sunglasses.

“Why? You don’t think I want this fucker dead?” As soon as he asked the question, he scanned the sidewalk. It was unlikelythere was anyone in the city or inside Greece who didn’t know of our reputation or hadn’t heard stories about our colorful history, yet displaying our intentions had proven to be detrimental.

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