Page 39 of Twisted Obsession
~***~
Lara was sleeping peacefully with her head resting on my chest, her breath warm against my skin. I had been staring at the ceiling for the past three hours thinking of nothing but her. She was supposed to be used as a pawn for revenge against the man who killed my father and the don who killed my family. She would be the mother of my children. How could I risk putting her life in danger? Using her for revenge didn’t seem asimportant anymore. The only thing I wanted was to keep her safe.
My uncle’s threat also weighed heavy on my mind. Losing our supplies did show a sign of weakness, but him threatening to go to the organization to have me removed from power… even though that was something that didn’t take place in the Bratva, the threat didn’t sit well with me. But there was a first time for everything, especially concerning decisions regarding leadership succession and changes made within a tight-knit circle of high-ranking members. My uncle was popular with the older members and could be very persuasive, especially since he was next in line.
Before my thoughts could wander any further, I heard the vibration of my cell on the nightstand. It was three in the morning. Who the fuck would be texting me at this hour?
UNKNOWN: You’ve been a busy man.
ME: Who the fuck is this?
One thing I hated more than liars and thieves were people who liked to play games.
UNKNOWN: It is time we met.
ME: When?
UNKNOWN: Tonight. I’ll text you the address and time. Come alone.
There was no way in hell I was going to meet a man when I had no fucking idea who he was. It was time the Red Knights met.
ME: Cathedral. Now!
RED KNIGHTS:We will be there.
I had chased the moon for an hour when I finally pulled my Ducati V2 up to the cathedral. Slipping my helmet off, I slung it over the handlebar before heading inside the old church. The minute I stepped a foot inside I already knew the guys were here.
When I entered the room where all our decisions were made, my four closest friends were staring at me, concern painted on each one of their faces. I was cryptic with my text. What I needed to tell them needed to be said in person.
“Thanks for coming on short notice.” I looked between all of them with appreciation.
“What is this about?” Alexei’s question was on the concerned side. Out of all of us, he was always the one who worried the most.
“I got a text about an hour ago from an unknown number. Whoever it was from wants to meet,” I explained. “I’m not stupid enough to go by myself. I’m going to need your help.” I looked at each of them so they knew I meant all of them.
“Who do you think it was from?” Nazar asked, his mind already working on possibilities.
“If I had to guess, a Balestrini.”
There was no one else who would hide from me and set up a meeting in this way. All my enemies came right out and called me for a meeting. No, this had to be Angelo Balestrini. Even though I knew this was a setup, I had to meet him.
Just when we were going over our plan, my cell pinged with an incoming text. I swiped the screen and opened the text.
UNKNOWN: Noon, Old Riverbend Warehouse.
I handed my cell to Nazar to see if he could track the incoming text.
“Give me a few minutes,” he said as he took hold of my cell and moved over to where he had his computer system set up.
I caught Maxim looking at me like he had something on his mind. “Do you have something to say, Maxim? Cause the way you are looking at me makes me think you aren’t totally with us.”
“No. I’m just…” he began, scratching his head. “I just hope you know what you’re doing. This grudge with the Balestrinis has gone on for a long time.”
“It wasn’t your family they slaughtered,” I hissed. “If you aren’t with me on this, maybe you should leave the Red Knights.”
“You are like a brother to me, Dmitri. I’m not leaving you or the Red Knights,” he threw back, his hands coming down on the wooden table.
“I got something.” Nazar turned his chair to face us. “There was ping from a cell tower in Brooklyn. I got a number. Once I can figure out who the carrier is, I can get you a name, but it will take some time. I might not have it by noon, but I’ll keep working on it.”
