Page 21 of Savage Union
"Nothing."
"I guess your guest isn't the best guestbehaving," he says with a knowing smirk.
"Back to business," I snap.
He laughs. We turn and make our way into the warehouse where the guns were supposed to be.
"Chicago is expecting the shipment. What do you want to do?"
The air inside the warehouse smells of metal and dust—a complex bouquet of gunpowder and the acrid scent of uncut cocaine. It's a place of business, a place of secrets—and today, it will hold a new one.
I don't need to look closely to know what we have in stock. The inventory is counted daily for quality assurance. Knowing our exact supply of weapons and drugs is essential. Typically, I keep only the minimum necessary for emergencies. The last thing I need is a raid where law enforcement seizes the inventory. That's a quick way to build a case. We need to move a quarter million dollars of product to fulfill Chicago's urgent order, and I'm not sure the warehouse can deliver.
I stop in front of a large crate marked with a simple number.
"If we don't move fast, they'll start questioning you. Chicago doesn't like to wait," Marco says.
I turn to the men and women working, watching them move with the fluidity of a well-oiled machine. They're all loyal. But loyalty means nothing in the face of betrayal. Marco clears his throat and takes another step closer, sensing my distraction.
"We have to find the leak. Do you have a plan?"
"First, ship everything we have to Chicago. Then, investigate to determine who is the leak. Someone had to see something."
"I'll get a list of names and begin the questioning tomorrow."
"Today. I want a list in two hours."
"I'm not a magician, Vito. Two hours isn't enough time."
"Figure it out. I'm returning to the penthouse. I want everything packed and shipped before you leave the warehouse today."
"I'll try my best."
"I don't want excuses."
"Don't get distracted by Rina. I have a feeling whatever Dante called you about is only the beginning of what she is capable of."
"I don't pay you to be my therapist," I say coldly.
"I'm your right hand. It's my job to tell you what you don't want to hear. Taking Rina wasn't your finest moment. She’s a wildcard."
I don't bother to answer and turn toward the exit. My mind is already on the woman who has occupied my thoughts since I planned to murder Tomasso. Taking her was impulsive, I'll admit that much to myself. Even with the pressure from the Commission, I could have kept her at the Greenhouse with her mother and sister. But, for some stranger reason, I invited her into my home, into my life.
As I walk out of the warehouse, the cool air hits my face again. I'm not just thinking about filling Chicago's order, or who stole the shipment, or how I'll make the traitor pay.
I'm thinking about those sapphire eyes—a dangerous distraction I can't seem to shake.
CHAPTER 6
Rina
The afternoon stretchesinto evening as I sprawl on the living room sofa, flipping through channels on Vito's ridiculously large television. After my little adventure in his office, I'd carefully closed the door and returned to more visible areas of the penthouse, acting as if nothing had happened. Dante had given me suspicious looks all day, but he hadn't said anything.
I settle on some mindless reality show, my feet tucked under me, feigning relaxation while my mind races. Part of me expects sirens, security guards, some immediate consequence for my rebellion. But hours have passed in unsettling quiet.
"Hungry?" Dante asks, appearing from the kitchen with a sandwich.
"Not really."
