Page 103 of Bad Blood
“It was requested by a specialized ring,” he continues. “One that comes with the highest price tag on the market. Crime boss’s daughters. Cartels, bratvas, mafia… Those Romanian bastards don’t discriminate, so long as the bloodline is certified.” He glances back at the sedan again. “It was another confession from our mutual friend, Bardi. I didn’t believe him until our docks turned into a graveyard.”
Fuck.
“Let me guess… A shipping container with a bad surprise.”
He nods, the muscles in his neck pulling as taut as a bowstring. “Eleven dead girls… That was personal to us, Carrera. That was personal tome.”
I remember what Thalia said during the dinner from hell. How his own motherwas a victim of trafficking.
“I was about to burn this place down to the ground thinking you were responsible until Sanders reminded me of something.” We’re nose to nose now.This could go one of two ways, and neither of them ends well. “Despite all the betrayal, despite the death and destruction, despite the years of bad blood, the Santiagos and Carreras will always have one thing in common… We don’t trade flesh. That’s one sin neither of us is willing to lay claim to.”
It’s true. This swings back toLa Boda Roja.
Son of a bitch. La Boda Roja…
Old scars are reopening, hemorrhaging their truth for a new battle.
One neither of us saw coming.
“It’s not the Romanians,” I tell him coldly. “It’s Ricci.”
“Ricci? As in Don Ricci?” He lets out a clipped laugh. “The traitor wearing a pair of concrete shoes at the bottom of the Hudson?”
“No, a restructuring of his Syndicate.” Saying the words out loud is enough to stir the monster inside me. “And if I’m right, history is about to repeat itself.”
He stills. “Explain.”
I turn and catch RJ’s eye, giving him permission to speak.
“We have surveillance footage of the man who helped Bardi escape,” he says. “There’s an ax tattoo on his neck.”
Grayson’s fury swings back to me and he jabs a finger into my chest. “If I find out you’re lying about this, Carrera…”
He’s riding that edge again.
“He fucked with my business,” I snarl, shoving his finger away. “He was wearing the same fatigues as the men who destroyed my casino six days ago. Now why do you suppose they’d shoot scorpions into my wall?”
He doesn’t hesitate. “To make it look like a Santiago attack and ensure a retaliation.”
“War is starting again with the Italians just like it did twenty years ago. Only this time,we’vebrought it to American soil, and they have the home advantage. They’re behind this mafia princess ring…not the Romanians.” Side-stepping Grayson, I glare at Bardi. “He lied to hold on to the one card he had left.”
A fact proven by frantic screams now coming from the black sedan.
I half expect my enemy to level the barrel of his gun to the back of my head. Instead, he moves to stand beside me, and I know we both feel something shift. Standing toe to toe. Talking instead of killing...
“If Bardi is working with the Italians, why hold the tape over Thalia’s head? Why blackmail her with it?”
“He didn’t,” I grit out. “Bardi was never planning to make the tape public. He counted on Thalia’s love for her sister to outweigh everything. He played on her worst fears and used it to pad his own pocket. The blackmail was a side venture to go along with the main event.”
There’s a flicker of respect in his eyes. “How can you be so sure?”
“Thalia told me about her sister’s illness.” I catch a muttered curse under his breath. “To the men Bardi was working for, she’s damaged goods. She won’t fetch the same price.” I stiffen as the final piece clicks into place. “Not like Thalia will...He didn’t bring her here that night to collect a debt. He brought her here to deliver one. It was pre-arranged. Swap out one sister for the other. Even better when they look like twins.”
RJ exhales a weighted breath.
“If I hadn’t caught her counting cards, she’d be theirs already.”
“Motherfucker!” Grayson roars, causing all ten guards to aim their guns at my head again. “Thalia—”
