Scarlett and the Feds (9 page)

“Yes.” I had to think fast. “But the problem is where its stashed is not accessible today.” His posture stiffened and the corners of his face turned down. I gripped the edge of the table and I braced myself to get slapped again.

“Don’t play with me, little girl. I’ve made it very clear to you that I will, without even a second thought, hurt you and everyone you love, including my son.”

“I don’t believe that, Mr. Salvatore. I know enough about the Mob’s code of family to know you wouldn’t hurt Victor. Not over something like this.”

I stared him in the eye, trying to play it cool. Scarlett threw a knife at the wall hoping to intimate him. But he was the Godfather of the East Coast Mob. He’d already proven to me when they tortured Luke that they didn’t care about anyone who threatened their way of life and mere existence. He didn’t respond immediately. He didn’t have too. Just his eyes and body language gave me my answer. Joe grabbed my head in both of his hands similar to how Victor did when he is about to kiss me. Joe’s eyes were intense and scared the shit out of me.

“Don’t ever challenge or threaten me, darling. If you’re so well versed in our code, then you know when a mark is placed on someone, it seals your fate. The only one that can remove that fuckin’ mark is me, and only me. If I get the word out that Victor is planning on going to the Feds with information, then it is out of my hands. Because the people named in the book don’t give a flying fuck if Victor is my son. They will not go down and will kill anyone who ever attempts to fuck with their way of life or business. So don’t you ever doubt my authority and power. Do I make myself clear?” He dragged his finger down my cheek and I pulled away.

“Yes.” I didn’t hide the contempt in my voice and my eyes were launching grenades at him. Scarlett threw two daggers she had been sharpening the last ten minutes at Joe. One landed above his right ear into the forehead of the man on the painting and the other one I had to duck as it quivered hitting the wall just above an expensive looking statue. She made a mental note to practice her aiming skills.

“You have two days to retrieve that book and deliver it. Or your beloved Aunt Ella can join her rat husband and rot in the ground,” he said spitting on the carpet.

“Fuck you!” I screamed. “You bastard!”

He yanked my ponytail again and was squeezing my chin in his hand. “You have the power to save them all or watch them die. You choose.”

That was it, Scar had finished off the bottle of Merlot and the Sherry in the crystal canter. It wasn’t enough. She needed something else, she disappeared into the kitchen.

Joe was on his feet and yanked me out of the chair, grabbed my sore arm and escorted me into the foyer. Vivian was standing on the staircase glaring at me. I shot her an empathic look to please talk some sense into her husband. Her expression was blank, uncaring and distant. I wondered what she knew. Joe opened the large mahogany front door with the stain glass window and Pauley was waiting for me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Scarlett running through the foyer with a big ass piece of chocolate cake and flipped off Vivian as she darted by. She never did like the gold digging bitch.

Pauley replaced Joe’s grip on my sore arm, and escorted me to the waiting Cadillac. Frankie glowered at me from the passenger seat as a bright red hallo garnished his right eye. Scarlett stuck her tongue out at him; she was ready for round two with Frankie. Neither man spoke as the partition went up. This time I was thankful for the privacy. I wanted to just lose my shit and start sobbing, but refused to give those two assholes the satisfaction. I had to hold it together, too many lives, including my own, depended on it.

I needed to come up with a strategy. I knew even though I had been walking the thin line between the Feds and the Mob, Victor and Luke. I was way over my head. So was Scarlett. I had to get the Feds involved, maybe there was a chance they could protect us. This was a Pandora’s Box. A sticky web of making the Feds believe I was playing by their rules, and convincing Joe he was getting the book, all while trying to protect Victor and my loved ones. Scarlett had set up a flip chart in the back of the Cady and was jotting down different scenarios, the odds of someone not getting hurt or dying in each one was not good. I wrestled with the decision if I should tell Victor about my visit with his father and the ominous warning given.

The Cady pulled up to the gates of Salvatore Disney Land, as few words were exchanged from what I could see from the window. Scarlett had her ear pressed against the glass, but it was soundproof. We drove right past the cottage, but stopped within a few hundred yards of Victor’s.

My door flung open, Pauley reached in, and grabbed my arm.

“This is the end of line for you. Walk home,” he said pointing in the direction of the cottage with that meaty finger of his.

Frankie stayed in the car.

I nodded, turned, and walked. Scarlett flipped them the double bird and stuck out her tongue. She mumbled,
Fuckin’ mobsters,
under breath. They were smart. It wouldn’t raise suspicion to Victor if his father’s security detail stopped at the house. Not a common occurrence, but not as suspicious if I was with them. They knew Victor’s security would be on the phone with him in a hot second. I was hoping that Nicole would still be out with Hawke, but my walk should give me enough time to come up with an alibi to explain the bruises and dried blood on my face.

Nicole was nowhere to be found when I got home. Neither was Cooper. I worried that he’d gotten fired when he discovered I was gone. I ran to my room and grabbed my cell. I had six missed calls from Victor, three voicemails from Cooper sounding pissed and frantic, and a text from Nicole telling me she was staying at Hawke’s for the night. I wanted to take a long hot bath. I hoped to wash away all that had happened the last few hours, and to try and figure out what I was going to tell Victor. I’d made a promise to him that night in Rhode Island that I wouldn’t keep things from him. I lifted my skirt, my ass was throbbing. There was a large bruise covering a large part of my left cheek. Scarlett shook her head and rubbed some lotion on it to sooth the pain. My cell phone chimed. The ringtone of ‘I get the feeling someone watching me’ told me it was Victor. Scarlett always giggled when she heard it.

“Hello.” I was panting and not just from running to get the phone.

“Hey. You okay you sound all out of breath?” He sounded pissed.

“Yeah, I was in the tub and had to run to get the phone.”

“Where have you been? I thought I was explicit that you were to stay close. I got a frenzied call from Cooper telling me you went to the cottage to get a few things and when he came to get you, there was no-one around and the door was half opened.” I caught a hint of that starkness in his voice when he’s worried and angry.

“I was at your father’s house.”

“What!”

“Not by choice. Two of his goons showed up and said that Nicole had been in an accident and that Hawke sent them to fetch me. I didn’t know they were your dad’s goons. I can’t tell whose goons are whose.”

My attempt at sarcasm was ignored.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a couple of bruises and a bloody nose,” I said, wincing as I touched my cheek. Scarlett was smearing concealer on my cheek to cover the bruise.

“I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch. Who hurt you?”

“It doesn’t matter, Victor.”

“It sure as hell does, Angelina. Tell me who the bastard is that laid hands on you,” He said, his voice was strained. He was on the edge of losing it.

“One of your dad’s goons, Frankie. I tried to Mace him and it mis-fired. He was pissed, so he slapped me.”

“That motherfuker’s dead. Why the hell didn’t you call me or text me?”

“I was in such a panic about Nicole, I left my phone in the charger.”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes, Nicole and Hawke are spending the night together.”

“Not anymore. I don’t want you being alone.”

“No I’m fine.” Scarlett frowned at my blatant lie. She knew how badly I wanted Victor here.

“Angelina, I’m not arguing with you about this. Now is not the time to be stubborn. Understand me?”

Wow now I see where Victor gets that phrase from.

“Well I was just heading back to your house and I’m sure the goon squad will take good care of me.”

“Well they’ve done a shitty job so far. I have no idea why I even pay them if they can’t do a simple task like keeping you safe.”

“Okay…but it’s not their fault. I should have been more suspicious and remembered my phone, but I was in such a panic over Nicole. I’ve missed you so much, Victor,” I said.

“Me too, baby,” he said, his tone softened a bit, but it was still serious. “You need to stay there, lock the door until my “goons”, as you so affectionately call them, arrive. They will take to you to my house. It’s much safer with my staff and security measures.”

“The president would feel safe at your house, Victor. Are there any security gadgets you don’t own?” I quipped. But at that moment I was very grateful for every single piece of it.

“Hawke will be with you twenty four seven until I get back.”

“Nicole won’t be happy about that,” I said. “What about work? I can’t just blow it off.” I knew Victor had just rolled his eyes as he always does when I mention work.

“You have a new assistant for a few days. Maybe this will be a win/win and Hawk can finally kick the shit out of your prick boss.”

“Victor, Nelson is the last person we need to worry about at the moment. I can handle him just fine.”

“Just saying, baby…might be a silver lining somewhere in all of this bull shit.”

“Well that’s not it,” I snapped.

“I’ve wasted enough time talking about your idiot boss, I need to get my guys there. If you don’t see them arrive within five minutes call me back immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” I said. Scarlett saluted.

“Love you baby.”

“Love you too,” I said and the phone went dead.

The Goon squad descended on the cottage within four minutes and it was a good thing I had thrown on a pair of jeans and a t shirt because they just barged in the front door without warning. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see them.

“Miss Ellington, you must come with us immediately.”

“Sure. Just let me grab...”

“No, ma’am. Now!” I could tell by his tone that Cooper was livid with me. I felt bad knowing the ass chewing he must’ve have received from Victor.

I knew most of the guards that Victor employed were ex- military Special Forces.

Scarlett was swooning. She was in heaven, and couldn’t wait to find out about all the new weapons and technology, besides, men in uniform always made her hot. Poor guy he had no idea what he was in for…

‘Sometimes I get the feeling somebody’s watching me,’ started playing and I thought for a brief minute Cooper cracked a smile, but the jury’s still out on that one.

“Hey,” I said.

“Is the security team there?”

“Yes, they arrived a few minutes ago. So I’m all safe for the moment.”

“I couldn’t get in touch with Hawke. His phone must be off, which is unacceptable when he is head of my security detail.”

“Umm...Well if I know Nicole, they’re probably occupied at the moment and she shut his phone off. She hates to be interrupted in the heat of the moment.” My mind flashed to her in a Dominatrix outfit with Hawke restrained to the bed. Scarlett wanted pictures to post on Instagram.

“Okay well that will change, because that is one of my requirements of the job. I need access to him at all times.”

“Well he needs a life too, Victor. I’m fine here with the goons,” I said.

“I wish you wouldn’t call them that, sweetheart. They are all ex- military special forces.”

“Ok sorry. Do I need to feed the goons? I mean special forces security guards?”

“No. Just stay in the house and do what they tell you. Can you do that for me, please?”

“Sure. I promise.”

“Good girl. I will be back as soon as I can. I love you.”

“I love you too, Victor.”

The goon squad ushered me in the house like I was some rock star trying to avoid being molested by thousands of screaming fans. It was unsettling that most of them had a gun strapped to their hip and some were on patrol with machine guns.
Good luck trying to break into this fortress.
I headed up to Victor’s room and drew a bath. As I stepped into the warm water, my mind drifted back to the first time we took a bath together and Victor cuffed my arms to the wall as he used the faucet nozzle to send me into an earth shaking orgasm. Scarlett had joined in and was floating above the tub blowing rings from her cigarette. I hopped out of the tub and wrapped myself in a towel. Scarlett was still blowing her smoke rings, she needed a moment.

I pulled back the cover to Victor’s bed and climbed in. This was the first time I’d ever slept without his muscular arms wrapped around me. I tossed and turned, and just couldn’t sleep. I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. I stopped cold when The Godfather part one was playing. Scarlett loved movie night and went to make popcorn. How ironic. It had been years since I’d watched it with Luke, hiding in his room in our tent made of blankets and sheets watching it when everyone else was asleep or not home. We’d pay Curran a dollar not to tattle on us and he never did. I knew I shouldn’t watch it. It was my future playing out in front of my eyes, but I couldn’t stop watching. It was just a movie, but I was living the real life version.