For Adriano (28 page)

CHAPTER 34

Camilla

As soon as James has shown me to my room in his mansion, I message Adriano, and in his words, I find peace within the war around us. I lie in bed restlessly, missing him so much more than I’d admit. I feel like a part of me has been ripped in two.

Within the last week, Adriano has become the center of my existence. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

But now I’m tumbling in different directions. I knew the second James announced that I could stay with him that I shouldn’t pause. Adriano has been drilling me for days about how to read people and make sure they can’t read me. I could practically see the cloud with text floating above his head with ‘just go with James; don’t show your emotions’. It’s inexplicable how in tune I am with him.

The attraction that led us together two years ago has grown into an undeniable love that bonds my heart to his. Even when we’re apart, we’re always connected by an invisible thread that’s tied eternally.

While my life was at a standstill for months, everything in the past two weeks has happened in double-time. And I’ve barely even gotten a chance to wrap my mind around it. However, this is the life I was born into, and I’ve decided to move forward with it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you should never live in the past. The past is gone; you can’t change it. I’ve tried my best for Santino, but if they refuse to let me join the team, I’ll have no choice but to trust them.

In the end, Adriano is more important to me than Santino, and I’m learning that guiltiness is a useless feeling.

Eventually, I’ll probably sacrifice everyone to be with him; that’s how much of a hold he has over me.

I whisper his name in this unfamiliar room and start the countdown until I see him again.

***

The next morning, I’m pacing near the heavily draped window in the Syndicate’s living room, waiting for Adriano. I was hoping to see him before everyone clocks in.

Soldiers barge in, including Damian, who’s staring at me oddly, and the house is getting busier and busier but no sign of Adriano.

Finally, he arrives with Luca, and as he passes me, he spots Damian and whispers calmly to me, “Don’t talk to him. I will flip if you even look at him.”

So, the Damian issue is still a major problem. He hasn’t mentioned Damian at all since he’s been letting me back in, and I’m not going to bring it up; it’s in the past.

Today, I learn that Adriano, like James, is also a master at hiding behind a mask, and he just greets me like the rest with a formal nod and proceeds into the kitchen. Of course he’s hungry and getting food.

And the same play we’ve performed for years starts again, suppressing our feelings and ignoring each other.

James joins us after getting the floor plans from his office, and everyone quiets down.

“Where’s Adriano?” James rolls out the blueprint with an etching of the architectural style of Club 7 on the coffee table.

Luca arranges a coaster on each of the corners. “He’s in the kitchen. You can begin.”

Adriano’s back within seconds, standing facing us next to Luca and James at the head of the table. He’s popping something into his mouth and chewing casually while James speaks.

“Good morning. Most of you know Camilla. She worked behind the bar upstairs for a while.”

About thirty eyes land on me, and I try my best to hide my unease and tilt my chin just like they usually do.

James drops the bomb out of nowhere. “Camilla is our newest member.”

Adriano’s hand stops mid-air to his mouth at James’s revelation, and Luca’s amazed as well. Their eyes cut to each other.

No one utters a word of complaint.

“You will accept her as a member, but not an equal member. Camilla, come join us.” James holds out his hand to me. “Camilla is my daughter. Therefore, she outranks everyone in this room except me. She’s under my protection.”

Now murmurs do start, and I’m speechless.

What’s he doing? Why is he doing this? Out of obligation toward me? Or is he sucking me into the Syndicate so I won’t run with Adriano without his having to use violence to influence me?

“In what capacity will she work with us?”
Capo
Alessandro asks.

“She’ll be required to oath
omertà
first. No one is exempt from that. After that, I’ll decide with Luca and Adriano what rank she’ll be rewarded.”

Wait a minute. Are or aren’t Luca and Adriano aware of his plan? And what’s
omertà
? Everything moves along, interfering with my train of thought.

“Camilla, these”—his fingers trace crisscross paths on the paper—“are the hallways. Do you recognize them?”

I’ve explained my memory is a blur, and this mathematical drawing just seems like a lot of lines to me. “No.”

He talks me through it by explaining how to read the blueprint, and it comes to life in my mind.

Pointing to the room next to Fat Sal’s office, I say, “There are rooms with adjacent bathrooms that lead to small chambers. This one was where I saw Santino being beaten. This hall”—my finger follows a parallel line—“leads to the elevator that goes to the underground club, instead of that hall, I believe.”

“It’s highly possible he rebuilt that place,” Luca states. “Is this the way to the club?”

“I think so, yes,” I answer and glance around. I thought this was a huge operation. Fifteen soldiers doesn’t seem like a big group.

Adriano takes it over. “You all have your teams of five soldiers. Check your gear and material that’s in the back of the house. You, as the leader of your team, instruct your soldiers further.”

So there
are
more soldiers. These are just the men that’ll lead the operation.

Adriano orders, “Get your equipment for your team and check all your weapons. Everyone needs spare ammunition. And I have extra silencers. Gather your soldiers to bring them up to date. We formulate the entire plan today. You have two days to memorize this floor plan. We meet daily, and we’ll do a final run through on Saturday afternoon, before we attack.”

The men take their cues and span out.

I look at Adriano, who’s scanning the floor plan and is deliberately turning a blind eye to me. But the moment my stare lands on him, I can see his lip twitch twice. He’s as aware of me as I am of him.

James asks me, “Camilla, this is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

I did hint I wanted to join them, because I never want to go back to being poor and alone. Or find myself in any kind of situation where I’m defenseless and men like Fat Sal can get to me. But that was before Adriano turned my world upside down, yet again, within days by finally professing his feelings.

“Yes, but why did you announce it...like that?”

“I’m the boss. I can do whatever I want, and we’ll need you there because the building is unique. This way, they’ll make keeping you safe a priority. The soldiers now know that your life is worth more than theirs,” he replies.

That seems like a reasonable explanation.

Luca and Adriano are suddenly riveted on something behind me, so I turn and stiffen when I’m greeted by Wade, who enters the room, grinning widely, with a black bag in his grip.

“Gentlemen.” He then smiles at me and adds, “And lady.”

He
is
actually working with the Syndicate. But in what capacity?

The tension in the room just tripled. Luca gives Wade a stony stare, and Adriano’s lips curl up before he smacks Luca playfully on the shoulder.

In the meantime, the other members have dispersed, so we’re alone with Wade.

“Wade,” James says. “What have you got for me?”

What is this about?

And like always, it’s as if these men can read my thoughts because James comments, “Wade is our ally, Camilla. We’re working together; he provides us with equipment. So,” he asks Wade. “What do you have that can aid my operation?”

Wade places his bag on the table and unzips it.

I notice that each person is watching everyone else with wary eyes. All five of us. Wade catches my glance once, and nothing is missed by Adriano, because I see a frown appear for a split second.

“I have enough earpieces for your team leaders that connect to software on Henry’s laptop so that he can easily guide and maneuver you through the halls.” Several small round objects fall through his fingers and clank on the table. “And I can arrange for the street at the back entrance of Club 7 to be blocked Saturday night without raising any unwanted questions.”

This guy is definitely not just some regular P.I.

“That’s perfect.” James speaks to Wade as Luca and Adriano survey the objects.

Then James addresses me, “You have shooting classes now. You need some training or else I can’t take you Saturday. Your guard will drive you there and then home. It’ll be a long session; be patient.”

I’ve been subjected to so many new things in the last week, and while a rush of excitement surprises me at every turn, I’m also intimidated by the speed at which these men work. There’s something unrestrained in their eyes that’s both thrilling and frightening at the same time. And now I’m being dismissed, so I wonder what else is going to be discussed among them that I can’t know.

“I’ll see you at your house tonight then?” I say to James, yet loud enough for Adriano to hear.

He meets my eyes and sends me a fleeting smile right before I leave.

***

I’m alone with the instructor, who’s an associate of the Syndicate, in a fire hall.

My afternoon that started with enthusiasm ends in an exasperated battle with shotguns that almost dislocate my shoulder. It always looks so easy and cool on TV, but I’m having trouble even controlling my shot the first hour.

When the afternoon ends, Adriano messages me to meet him at Fallon’s penthouse so we can get a few minutes alone; the guard won’t come up with me. He’ll wait downstairs.

CHAPTER 35

Adriano

I wasn’t surprised that James announced Cam would be part of the team, but I was taken aback that he told everyone she was his daughter, which was a smart move. Now the soldiers realize the importance of protecting her.

I initiated all of this last night, and it’s working out perfectly so far. Now that the men are informing our entire team, I get to focus on the small addition that was made to our original plan.

Later in the day, I’m throbbing to be alone with her, to be inside her, even for a quickie. The risk will be worth the reward.

***

Our rendezvous doesn’t go entirely as planned.

From the moment I saw Cam this morning, I’ve been sporting a hard-on. And as the elevator ascends, I’m itching to have her hands on me.

The doors open, and she comes into view wearing a red-striped summer dress that ends below her knees in a wide skirt and sexy red heels with a bow at her ankles.

Desperate not to waste one single moment, we crash into each other.

“I missed you,” she whispers against my mouth.

And I grasp her hips. “Me too.”

Pressing our lips together, we fanatically try to extinguish the fire caused by our separation. I’ve been apart from her for too long already; any more days would be a bane to my existence.

Between frantic kisses and my searching for bare skin to touch under her skirt, she manages to ask, “Why did James tell them I’m his daughter?”

“So they’ll protect you.” I cover her mouth with mine while I slide her panties down her thighs.

She pulls back to speak. “Did you know he was going to?” And she unfastens my slacks to pump my dick in her hands, making me hiss from the exquisite stimulation.

I nod and go down, hiking up her skirt in the process and hefting one leg over my shoulder. “Every time I fuck you, I need to taste you before I shove my cock in.” I greedily suck her clit into my mouth as she grabs a fistful of my hair.

“Adriano...” My name leaves her lips in a plead.

My tongue flattens against her, and I’m rock-hard as I slide it inside, craving her pussy. “We don’t have much time, and I want to feel you wrapped around my cock. Now.”

I hoist her up with my palms under her thighs, then slide them to her ass and slam her back against the wall right beside the elevator. Her legs link around my hips, and she pants as I glide her onto my cock, disappearing inside in one thrust.

“Were you already thinking of me, Cam? You’re so wet, as if I’ve licked your pussy for hours and primed you for my cock.”

She stares right at me with unreserved ecstasy. “I’ve been fantasizing about your tongue all night.”

I reward her with a smile and seize her mouth as I start to hammer into her. Nails dig into my nape as she holds on to me while I bang her against the wall, her back bending, heels in a lock around me, all our clothes on – except her panties which lie on the floor – connected together in a way only she can own me.

And the reality of how much I’ve missed her hits me. Rotating my hips, I mold the flesh of her ass and nibble my way down her throat. Her moans increase into a satisfied scream, and I watch her unravel while I drive into her hard.

I’m not far behind; while her body is still quivering in the aftermath, I release the tension into her welcoming heat, growling in rapture when I’m rocketed into heaven. Satisfied and depleted, I rest my forehead against Cam’s, and she strokes her fingers through my hair as my heart rate slows and contentment settles in.

She’ll do whatever I want.

“Adriano, where are Fallon and Luca?” she utters against my mouth.

“Fallon knows we’re here. They won’t come home, but your guard’s waiting.”

“I did say I was only getting some makeup I left behind.”

A sigh escapes her lips when I pull out and button my pants, leaving my shirt untucked. Bending down, I take her panties and help her slip them on.

“What’s your plan? I can tell you’re cooking up something.” Cam looks down at me with a hand on my shoulder to steady herself while I guide the lace over her hips.

“You have to trust me. I’m setting things in motion, yes.”

“I want to know.” She grazes her fingers behind my ear, knowing exactly what I like, but I don’t let her deter me.

“No, you don’t. As long as you’re in James’s house, it’s better you have plausible deniability.” I sink my teeth into her hip, and she shrieks, pushing me away. I stop her inquiry. “Don’t ask more questions. We don’t have time.” I stand so that we’re face-to-face and smooth her hair back. “How did gun training go?”

Her mouth tilts down. “It was difficult and frustrating the first couple of hours, but I did get better.”

“It’s so hot thinking about you shooting in only those heels.”

She laughs. “I was wearing clothes and flats, actually, while practicing.”

“Sweetheart, don’t ruin my fantasy.”

“Your fantasy is me shooting naked with another instructor?”

I bite her nipple over the fabric. “No! In my fantasy,
I’m
the instructor. No one sees you naked but me.” That seems to placate her until I see apprehension, which I think is about Saturday, on her face. “You don’t have to come with us, you know?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to go. Right now, I’m more worried about you getting lost in those passageways.”

“So you’re going to protect me?” I tease.

I’m still not happy about her being there, but the end justifies the means in this case. And she’ll be safe because she’s on my team – whether anyone likes it or not. I’m not compromising on that subject.

“You’re on my team. And you’ll stay by my side. Now, before you leave, I’m going to ask you something. When James mentions me, I want you to start telling him about how you’re attracted to me. Don’t mention we fucked. As far as James knows, nothing has happened. You don’t need to emphasize that fact, but make sure you get your meaning across.”

“As if I would say that to my father,” she retorts with mocking disgust. “So we’re telling him?”

“No, you’re letting on that you have feelings for me. I want to know how he reacts. He’s difficult to read.”

“I don’t understand how this will help us?”

“You’ll understand later. Now, go back to your guard. My car’s out back, and I’ll leave after you. I’ll see you tomorrow or sooner, depending on how James reacts to your confession.”

I bring my mouth to hers and kiss her goodbye. A goodbye that was robbed from me yesterday.

When her body melts against mine, I growl and press the button for the elevator before I get hard again. She steps inside and touches her lips as the doors close.

Still hot from our encounter, I’m rolling up my sleeves to my elbows when my phone vibrates in my pocket; it’s her.

I answer, “Cam.”

“Someone I recognize from Club 7 is staking out at the intersection.”

“Where are you now?” I relentlessly press the elevator button, and then I’m on my way down.

“Right outside the entrance. Still walking to the car.”

“I’m coming down. Keep going to the car, but don’t get in. Inform your guard and talk to him until I get outside. I’m walking through the lobby now.”

I take the back entrance, so the guard doesn’t see me coming out of The Blackhall too. My steps stride outside into the sunny afternoon. After rounding the building to reach the front entrance again, I run toward Cam, who’s still on the phone, bent down toward the passenger’s window of the black BMW.

She spots me and hangs up.

I walk up to them with strain coiling my muscles.

“Hi,” she pretends to greet me and whispers in a rush, “I told the guard I called you and you were in the area.”

Placing my hand on her shoulder in reassurance, I look through the open window to the guard behind the steering wheel. “Do you see him?”

“Yes, sir. Blonde guy in the blue suit. He just came from around the corner. He didn’t notice that she saw him.”

“Meet us at the second side street.” I motion in the distance to ensure he understands.

“Yes, sir.”

Then I snatch my handgun from the ankle holster, and after making sure no one’s behind me on the sidewalk, hide it in my waistband at the small of my back, letting my shirt fall over.

Twining my fingers with Cam’s, I grin and pull her along. “Don’t look nervous. We’re going to bait him. And don’t look at the intersection; he’s still watching us.”

She follows orders perfectly and just smiles and checks the window displays of the shops we pass.

From the corner of my eye, I see the soldier cross the street with a swarm of people, and he’s now trailing behind us with several pedestrians between him and us.

The guard drives by and stops at the red light; Cam sees him too.

“He’s going to the second side street to the right,” I inform as we also stop at the traffic light. “So are you. When we cross, I’m going into the first shop we see, that shoe store.” I make sure she follows my gaze to the store. “You continue at the exact same pace and turn down the side street as well. The man will follow you, but then I’ll be behind him. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she retorts with, I swear, a touch of eagerness.

The light changes to green, and together with the rest of the pedestrians, we carry on.

“Kiss me.” I crane my neck a little so I can check to see if the man’s still following.

She presses her lips against mine, and I swat her ass, making a teenage boy whistle. “You continue on down the next street.”

I turn right into the busy shoe store while watching the people pass in the security mirror that’s facing the storefront windows. The soldier goes by and peeks inside at me, and just like I suspected, he chooses to go after Cam.

Swiveling around, I run back out and see him nearing Cam right before she turns down the designated street.

I swing past a couple and round the corner into a street between two office towers. Just as he’s about to draw his gun, Cam reaches our guard’s car that’s waiting beside the sidewalk.

I shift closer, and as he hears my footsteps, I run up to him, grabbing my gun and pressing it into his back. “Down, boy. That’s my girl you’re about to touch.”

He holds up both hands and swears under his breath as Cam opens the back seat door. Then, without instruction, she opens his jacket with two fingers on the lapel and confiscates his gun from his inside pocket with a smirk.

Fascination and arousal fly through me.

Pushing him forward by his neck, I attempt to heave him into the car. When he objects, I hit him in the back of his head with the butt of my gun, and he falls forward onto the leather seat.

“In the front, Cam. And watch him.”

She sits down, pulls the hammer, and directs his own gun at him.

I lower my aim, drag his wrists behind his back as he struggles sluggishly, and ask the guard, “Do you have cuffs or tie-wraps?”

The guard opens the glove compartment and hands me a black tie wrap, which I lock around my captive’s wrists before I slog him up into a sitting a position.

I jump into the back seat with our prisoner and close the door after glancing around to make sure there weren’t any witnesses.

“To our headquarters.”

***

I command the guard to deposit the guy in the basement while I get James and Luca from James’s office.

“She called you first?” James asks, incredulous, and rushes down to the basement.

“Yes, thankfully, since I was the only one of us in the Loop.”

Cam and the guard are in the room with the captive who’s strapped into a metal chair, hands and feet tied and one eye that’s swelling up – guard must’ve clocked him.

The chair grates against the concrete when he spots James and Luca.

“Cam, who is he?” James joins her as the guard covers the prisoner’s mouth until he stops complaining.

Seriously, why keep struggling and use your last breath when you’re already restrained?

“He’s one of Fat Sal’s soldiers in the underground club. I definitely recognize him now.” She’s stoic in her reply.

For the first time, I witness how Cam’s still coping with her time in captivity – despite the fact that she forgot a lot, the scars are still there. She has danced in the darkness, but the experience didn’t break her. It enforced her and brought out the Calderone Mafia gene that runs in her blood. She’s finding her identity within the Mafia, and seeing that turns my dick hard. She’s craving vengeance, I can sense it.

And so does James because he’s studying her while she shoots daggers at the prisoner.

He hints for the guard to let go of the soldier’s mouth. “Do you know who I am?” James asks with one hand in his pocket.

“Calderone,” he spits.

“Do you know who she is?”

Silence.

“Do. You. Know. Who. She. Is?”