Forbidden Temptations (Tempted Series Book 2) (21 page)

“A man in your position shouldn’t be making threats and you sure as hell shouldn’t be making them against my girl.”

“I didn’t name names did I?”

“You didn’t have to.” I replied gravely as I cracked my knuckles one by one.

“You ready to play my way Bianci?”

“What do you want to do?”

“We take a ride you and I, we do what Victor needs us to do and shut down Danny, but we do it my way. When you give Victor the report he’s waiting for, you tell him that the job was done and the Fed is no longer an issue. Capishe?”

I blew out a breath running my options through my head. Either I could tell Jack to go fuck himself and do the job myself or I could let him handle things his way and spare his brother. Everybody had a story didn’t they? Jack’s was no less fucked up than the rest of ours. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. I had walked in his shoes, choosing between the love I had for someone and my obligation to the mob. But if I knew then what I know now, I’d choose love over everything.

“Do I have your word that your brother will close down the investigation?”

“Absolutely,” he offered confidently.

“I’m only going to say this once; if this doesn’t go Vic’s way I’m not going to be responsible to what happens to your brother. You’ve got one chance to get him to see things your way, if he changes his mind or doesn’t agree to turn his cheek, he’s fair game.”

“Fair enough.” Jack countered immediately, which didn’t settle right with me but I brushed it to the side the moment he held out his hand for me to shake. “I appreciate this Bianci.” His voice catching as he said my name.

“I get it Jack, he’s your blood. I can’t say I wouldn’t be asking the same from you if it was my sister caught up in all this.”

“Yeah, well be happy your sister didn’t do anything vindictive like, become a federal fucking agent.” He grunted as he rose to his feet. “Kid couldn’t be a fucking lawyer no, had to be a fed. I could’ve used a fucking lawyer.” He shook his head as he patted me on the back before walking passed me to a large desk, pulling out the drawer. He took his gun and loaded it, tucking it into the waistband of his jeans. He pulled open the door and glanced over his shoulder at me.
     
“You ready to roll?”

“Let’s do this,” I said following him out of the room but after a few steps, he froze in his tracks and I lifted my head coming face to face with Jimmy Gold. “What’re you doing here?”

Jimmy smiled flashing me a glimpse of his gold teeth. “I thought I’d make myself available in case things went astray.” He looked back and forth between Jack and me. “Think of me as your insurance policy.”

Jack and I exchanged a look before I settled my gaze back on Jimmy.

“A word Jimmy,” I said roughly.

Jimmy smiled at Jack. “He’s such a crabby bastard this one here.”

I grabbed Jimmy by the collar of his shirt and pushed him out of the compound into the dark night. He pulled my hand off him and popped his collar before turning around and piercing me with a deadly gaze.

“Who the fuck do you think you are Bianci?” He growled.

“I’m the guy who Vic sent to do a job and you’re the guy getting in the way of that.” I ground out. “I don’t need any fucking babysitter Jimmy.”

“If you think for one minute I’m going to sit this one out and leave my life in your hands, you must’ve lost your mind while you were locked away.”

“Your life? Aren’t you being dramatic?” I rolled my eyes before he took my shirt in his fists and stared at me like a man losing control.

“That’s my fucking body the Fed’s digging up which means it’s my ass on the line.” He barked like a mad man.

“Afraid to go to prison?” I asked sarcastically before pulling his hands off me and pushing him up against the brick wall of the compound. “You’re a loose fucking cannon Jimmy that’s why they found your body in the first place. Now, Vic sent me in to do the job and that’s exactly how this shit is going to play out. Instead of giving me grief, say thank you Anthony for cleaning up my mess.”

“Fuck you.”

“Try again,” I said, shoving my forearm against his throat causing him to gasp for air. I had no mercy for this son of a bitch. If it wasn’t for his sloppy ways, I wouldn’t be torn between Jack and Victor or my conscience.

“Fine!” He choked, and I released my hold on him.

“Get the fuck out of here Jimmy and let me do my job,” I growled, taking a step backward as Jack stepped outside the compound.

“Everything okay boys?” He asked looking at me suspiciously.

“We’re all good isn’t that right Jimmy?”

“Make sure it’s fucking done and no one can trace this shit back to us.” He whispered harshly before turning around to Jack and shaking his hand.

“Good luck, fella’s”, he said, before walking towards his car. Jack and I watched as he slipped into the driver seat of his Escalade and peeled out of the parking lot.

“You still with me?” Jack asked; his eyes straight ahead on Jimmy’s tail.

“A hundred percent, brother.” I replied, patting him on the back. “Let’s go meet this brother of yours.”

We had been driving for an hour and the GPS estimated that we had another hour to go to get to wherever Danny was located. Jack sat in the passenger seat beside me staring out the window at the dark highway. He was calm for someone who was ordered by the mob to kill his brother.

“What’s it like working for Victor?” He asked me, keeping his eyes focused out the window.

“I imagine not much different than working under you,” I replied, causing him to turn his head slightly and look at me.

“Word on the street is that he lost his shit after Val died. After Val took those bullets that were meant for him they say he changed, and I don’t mean he changed how he ran things but he changed as a whole.” He probed then paused for a beat. “I didn’t do much business with him and Val back then but it was Val who made the partnership between the Pastore family and Satan’s Knights possible. The few encounters I did have with him made it easy to determine how valuable he was to Vic, that man was a fucking legend in the streets.”

“Yeah, Val was no slouch,” I agreed, thinking fondly of the man who was my mentor at one point.

“Makes you almost feel bad for Vic that he lost a guy like that, only to have him replaced by a schmuck like Jimmy.”

“Jimmy’s eccentric, but make no mistake about it that man has devoted his life to the mob,” I responded, believing wholeheartedly that Jimmy didn’t second guess his choices.

“Devoted to the mob yes but devoted to Victor are two different things, I doubt he’d stand in front of a loaded gun aimed at his boss,” Jack challenged, his voice full of certainty.

If Jimmy had to choose between himself and someone else, I didn’t doubt he’d save his own ass first.

“You on the other hand, wouldn’t think twice about giving your own life,” he declared, turning to look at me again. “You’ve sacrificed a lot being one of Vic’s henchmen which makes me wonder if there isn’t anything you wouldn’t do for him.”

I glanced at Jack out of the corner of my eye pondering his words for a moment. “I don’t know if that’s true.” After all, I was technically going against him at that moment knowing he expected the Fed to be a casualty when in reality we were only going to silence him.

“So if Victor told you to choose between the love you have for his daughter and the oath you took to be his soldier would you choose your oath again?”

“No,” I huffed automatically. I assumed that since I didn’t have to think about my answer it spoke volumes about me and the soldier I had become.

“Why didn’t you choose her?”

“Because I didn’t I believe I had a choice,” I grumbled.

“You did your homework huh?” I questioned.

“There was a lot of talk when you went away,” he probed before waiting a beat to continue.
     
“You still love her?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Nothing, nothing at all,” he shook his head as he continued to stare out the window. We both remained silent for a moment and I suppose Jack took my words as a hint to end the discussion.

“Yeah,” I whispered. “I’ll never stop.”

“So that’s it? You live your life loving her but don’t do a damn thing about it? Seems wrong to me, no?”

“Never pegged a biker to be a matchmaker.”

A grin worked its way across Jack’s face. “Ah, come on now, didn’t you hear that I’ve been called the biker with the soft heart?”

“That’s almost comical,” I replied, my lips twitching threatening to form a smile. Jack Parrish was okay in my book. “So tell me more about this brother of yours.”

“He fucking hates me for one,” he snarled, running the back of his hand along the scruff that lined his jaw.

“Even after all you did for him after your parent’s passed?”

“You have to remember my parents wouldn’t have died that night if I hadn’t of been the fuck up they needed to bail out,” he grimaced while rolling his shoulders. “He blamed my criminal tendencies on all that was wrong in his life. A part of me believes he became a Fed to fuck me in the ass,” he laughed, cupping the back of his neck. “You know how it goes Bianci I’m sure you sister wanted a better life for you too.”

“Probably,” I agreed, even though Lauren never busted my balls I’m sure she didn’t like that I worked for the mob. My mother hated it and Adrianna fucking despised the fact so yeah, I understood what Jack was saying.

The rest of the way we drove in a comfortable silence, neither of us speaking until we veered off the exit and closer to our destination. The GPS sounded telling me where to turn and I could tell Jack was becoming anxious as we approached the end of the route.

“I haven’t seen him in three years,” he whispered.

“What makes you so sure he’s going to go along with what you have planned?” I asked cautiously.

“Nobody wants to be murdered do they?” He said solemnly.

I didn’t even know what to say to him so I didn’t say anything. I made a right turn as the navigation instructed only to slam on my breaks before I crashed into the car in front of me. The police roped off the street; the five cars that had tried turning onto the street just like I had, remained at a standstill. Sirens and lights flashed as far as I could see down the block and to the right a house stood engulfed by flames where firefighters were trying to tame it.

“No, no, no,” Jack said frantically, slamming the palm of his hand against the dashboard before I could ask him what was going on. He reached for the handle of the door and hurried out of my truck. I turned the car off and jumped out to follow him, a sickening feeling churned in the pit of my stomach. I watched his motorcycle boots skid to a halt against the pavement in front of the police officer that barricaded him from going towards the burning house.

“Get the fuck off of me!” He screamed while pushing his weight against the cop and trying to charge passed him.

“Jack!” I hollered, hooking my arms through his and pulling him off the cop.

“Danny’s in there!” He shouted.

“You don’t know that, maybe he’s not home,” I tried to reason, blinded by the flames that would soon be flashes of ember.

“That’s his car!” He pointed to the sedan in the driveway.

“That don’t mean a thing,” I yelled, glancing at the cop. “Boss, do you know if there was anyone inside the house when the fire started?”

“There are two people trapped inside,” he said, looking over his shoulder as a fireman shouted something before parts of the house began to crumble.

Jack kneeled to the ground taking me with him as he leaned back on his haunches covering his face with his hands.

“Danny!” He cried out in agony.

I lifted my eyes to the burning home as two firemen emerged from the front door carrying out a body, which they placed upon a stretcher before they ran back into the flames. The paramedics ran with the stretcher towards the ambulance and as they passed us by, I held my breath. A hand dropped off the side of the stretcher and I dropped my gaze to the dainty fingers covered in ash.

A woman had been rescued.

“It’s going to blow! Everybody clear out!” Shouted the chief.

Jack dropped his hands from his face as he stared wide-eyed at his brother’s home. The firemen evacuated; running across the front lawn to save their asses as a blast sounded. The windows blew out, shards of glass flying, the flames climbing higher into the black cloud of smoke that hoovered over the house. Another pop and then the house came crashing down, all three stories crumbling down to the earth.

The flashes of light, the destruction before me, left me mesmerized. I didn’t even notice Jack’s reaction at first but his screams echoed through me, eventually pulling me out of my daze. I needed to get him out of here but that was probably going to be impossible. I reached into my pocket for my phone deciding that I’d get in touch with his club. If anyone was going to get through to him it would be his brothers not me.

Jack stared at me, his facial expression hardening, his eyes narrowed as he started to get up. I held out my hand to him but he was up in a flash, slamming me against the side of a firetruck.