The Deliverance of Dilan (The Syndicate #4) (14 page)

“I won’t,” I say while pulling my shirt over my head, then slip my feet into my shoes and tie them. Snatching my phone off of the table, I walk toward the two women who look so much alike. I kiss Anna on the cheek and smile genuinely at Grace. “See you soon, Dilan.” I turn back around and giving Grace an agreeable look.

By the time I make it down the hall and stand in front of the elevator, my phone starts to vibrate in my pocket. Sliding my hand in, I pull it out. It’s either Jazmin or Juan. I know it is. Every breath I take is too damn precious for either one of them. My bet is on it being the slut though. My brows scrunch while a devious smile creeps across my mouth. I wait and let the device continue to vibrate in my hand. Stepping into the elevator and pushing the button for my uncle’s floor, I lean back when expectedly my phone pings with a voicemail like I knew it would. Rage, followed by an identifiable longing to kill someone slithers up my back. It’s the unbearable, shameless urge I had with every punch to my gut when I took hit after hit from Miguel in prison. The only thing holding me back was the yearning to get my ass out of there. Now, out here, no one will give a flying fuck if these fuckers are all wiped off from this earth. Hell, we may even be handed medals from the other crime families. The key to the motherfucking city.

“Fuckers. Even hell is too good for them all,” I speak to myself as the elevator comes to a stop. I step off, eager to get this done, to get back to my time with Anna.

“It’s a damn battlefield outside of here, Dilan. My men along with those motherfuckers are scattered all over the sidewalks of New York, each one waiting to see who will strike first. And that motherfucker has the nerve to threaten you!” My uncle yells.

“We need to find a way out of here,” I tell him.

“The only way out is to fight. They sure as hell don’t care if they kill innocent people, but I sure the hell do. Ivan and I will discuss this in the morning. Let me hear what that worthless bitch said.” I offer no argument. I do as he requests. When her accent comes through my speakers, I cringe, my stomach tightening.

“Well, hello my pawn. I’m imagining your handsome face right now as you hear my voice. I hope it’s shocking. I tried to save you from a painful death. I would have enjoyed the fun we would have had before I killed you. Now though, I must take matters into my own hands. You see, Dilan, you will never outsmart me. I will always be one step ahead of you and your family. A family who will be destroyed. Don’t blink, Dilan, the minute you do, I will be standing in front of you.” The line goes dead. When I look up to my uncle, his nostrils are splaying and his throat is bobbing. He is pissed.

“Get Roan, Aidan, and Cain in here. We are preparing for a street war. We attack tomorrow night.”

ANNA

How does one establish a different relationship with the only person who has meant the entire world to you? I turned twenty-four in October. I may be young, but I’m not a child.

I need space when this is all over. It’s time for me to move out. I sense her worry. No, I see it when she sighs, her lips quiver, and she treads lightly to sit on the couch.

“I’ve called you twice, Anna. Both times going straight to voicemail. I began to worry,” my mom tells me suspiciously.

“Mom.” I plot my words in a manner in which I won’t hurt her, but consequently, she has to listen to reason. She cannot be calling all the time. Before the other day with Dilan, I understood why, but god, she must know this isn’t healthy for our relationship.

“I’m sorry if I worried you. I thought I made that clear this morning. If there is anything you need to know, I’ll tell you, but come on. You of all people know how I feel about him.” I point to the door Dilan just left through.

“I know, Annabelle, but hell, this whole situation is because of him. I have every right to worry about my daughter.” She does have a right. She always will. I hope to worry someday myself. I sigh, not wanting to hurt her at all. I’m not sure what else I can do or say to make her understand. Her blaming Dilan for this is not right. In fact, it upsets me.

“Mom. We welcomed everyone in this family when we chose to let them help us. Then we decided to stay. You cannot single him out. That is unfair and justifiably wrong. I’m ashamed you would even think of such a thing. You of all people have no right to judge anyone.” She’s disappointed me, and she knows it. Her shoulders slump forward. Her eyes close. Damn her.

“I won’t apologize for loving my child so much I’m scared she’ll get hurt,” she appeals on a strangled cry.

“I get that, mom. I love you too. Did you see me throw a fit when you started dating Ramsey? No, you didn’t. And do you know why? It’s because I want you happy. You deserve to be happy. So do I, mom. Dilan makes me happy. Yes, his life is dangerous. But hell, when isn’t life dangerous? I care about him. I waited for him, hoping he would come back to me.” I point to my chest, my voice rising to a high pleading octave.

“Anna. I’m scared,” she admits. “I’m scared too, mom, but I will be damned if I will let people take away my right to be happy, to love someone. Life is too short. I’ve forgiven him for leaving, it’s about time you do too.” She says nothing more to me. I give her the space she needs to think about what I said. She knows it’s true. The last thing I want to do is hurt my mom. She has to let me go.

“You’re right. Just promise me you’ll come to me if you need me. I’m… I’ve never had to share you before. It’s rather frightening,” she whispers.

“Oh, mom. You won’t ever have to share me. I’m your daughter. Besides, I’m not going anywhere.” I go to her, my arms travelling around her small frame. She’s so pretty. She’s devoted her entire life to me. I will always be grateful for her putting me first. It’s time she puts herself first for a change. For both of us to live a life full of happiness and love. To have that one person entirely devoted to us. I hate seeing her face distorted in sadness this way.

“Ramsey said the same thing.” She retracts from our embrace. “And you’re right about all of it, Anna. I know Dilan is a good man. I’m proud of you for defending him, even if it was to me. Your dad would be so proud.” Despite her slumped posture, I know she gets it. Her eyes are shining with all the love she has for me.

“I think he would be proud of you too. Now, go get your man. Have fun. And don’t worry. After all the crap this family has been through, my guess is no one will be unprepared, mom,” I lie through my teeth. The Carlos family are natural born murderers. Disgusting pigs. They know the score as much as Dilan and everyone else does. Blood will be shed. I know it. Dilan doesn’t even have to tell me. I can feel it in the depths of my bones. I pray to god it’s them who die and not anyone in this family of ours.

I sag onto the bed after she leaves. All I want to do is think about what happened between Dilan and I. The gentle way he was with me, his words soothing as he held me in his arms.

I never knew that engaging in sex would bring out a wild beast in me. Or was aware of how much pleasure my body is capable of experiencing. And god, the look on Dilan’s face when he sunk all the way inside of me. I will never forget it. Adoration. Respect. Those same emotions I felt reflecting back at him.

I laugh when I picture his face when he walked into the bathroom. I even astonished myself. He makes me want to do things I’ve only done in private. I detect so much from him when it comes to sex. Today, his restraints were holding him back. Right now, my pussy appreciates him for that. I’m sore, not so much so that if he were to walk through the door right now, I wouldn’t rip those damn sweatpants off and take charge of his massive cock like I own it.

Not only do I want to please him in all kinds of ways, but I want to please myself while watching him take his cock in his hands, stroking the big, beautiful thing, running it all over my breasts. It makes me want to get on the damn internet and seek out sexual desires of men.

“You are a bad woman,” I speak to myself.

Instead, I shuffle off the bed, my curious sanities driving me to know more about this Carlos family. I know why he went to see his uncle. I have a horrible feeling shit is going to start, if it hasn’t already. Snatching my laptop out of my bag, I settle on the couch, toss a blanket over my legs, turn on my computer, and connect to the free internet.

“Oh my god, no.” This cannot be. I know this man. I screech in astonishment when I see Juan Carlos’ face plastered all over my screen.

In fact, I know him well. He told me his name was Carlos. I see him almost every day between seven and eight in the morning, when he comes in for an apple muffin and a cup of black coffee. Always to go. He never stays and eats it. What he does do is flirt with me on a daily basis. He’s even asked me out on a few occasions. I’ve always turned him down politely. Our banter back and forth was carefree when I would say no, and he would leave with a smile on his face and say, “Until next time, Anna.”

This is not a coincidence at all. He’s been coming in for months now. Has he been looking for Dilan? Using me to try and find him? But why? Why would he pretend to be someone he’s not? He wanted me as a counter, a bartering chip to get to my family. That has to be it. And he always came in before Deidre came to work. That’s because she knows him. I feel sick. “My god. You people will stop at nothing to destroy the lives of others. I won’t let it happen. Not ever,” I say out loud, even though no one can see or hear me. I jab my finger at his face. The fucking monster.

Until this weekend, I barely even knew who he was. The only time his name was mentioned in any discussion I’ve had was when Dilan explained to me how he went to prison.

I have to tell someone. Things just don’t add up here.

I scroll down, seeing so many photos of him, his sister, and a few mug shots. Page after page shows up on google. These people are take-crime-to-the-extreme type of people. Thank god that since the day I came to this city, I all but gave my heart away to one man. Otherwise who knows where I would be right now, or where any one of us would be. I could be dead.

I hit the first article about them on the page, my eyes scanning and reading.

The Carlos family is one of Mexico’s largest drug cartel families. Estimated to be ranking in about three billion dollars a year. They have a greedy market in North and South America. Drugs.

“How can they not get caught?” Anna, you foolish woman. They pay people off the same way the Diamonds and the Solokovs do. But these people are ruthless. Dilan isn’t anything like them. I know he’s not. I wonder if Alina’s family is as brutal as they are. They all seem so well put together, so comfortable to be around. You would never know they deal. I despise the illegal use of drugs. I understand why Alina left all those years ago. Even though her situation had more to do with her ex-boyfriend than anything else. God, I wonder how she dealt with this growing up. Look what greed has driven these people to. It’s part of the reason why society is messed up these days. The thought of having poison running through my body, being out of my mind, no control of my actions, makes me want to hurl.

It says both Juan and Jazmin have been arrested twice for murder and drug trafficking. Both times, they were released and the charges were dropped. Not enough evidence. That’s such bullshit. They can get off on murder charges, and yet Dilan’s drug charges stick when they had everything to do with setting him up. This is exploitation at its finest. Judges and crooked cops. Fuckers. I hate them all. They deserve to die right along with these two and their conglomerate defiance of brain-washed assholes.

My curiosity rises to get a look at that bitch Jazmin again. I hit the back button, then hit images. My eyes are blinded when I look at the two of them. At charity events, the opera, even church. If I didn’t hate them so much, I would say they look like any other happy family. Normal.

His hair is cropped shorter than how he wears it now. He has a dark goatee, which, even though I wasn’t interested in dating him, did something to my insides whenever he would smile or laugh at something I would say. I thought the man was gorgeous from the first minute I saw him, with his pearly white teeth, dark gleaming eyes. How wrong I was. This man is as ugly and disgusting on the outside as he is on the inside.

I knew Jazmin was stunningly beautiful too, but now that I know so much more about them, they repulse me. Looks don’t mean shit when your insides are as black as tar.

I close my laptop, unable to stomach any more, and sink further into the cushions, infuriated. God, what is going on? I hate this for the people I love. The minute Dilan gets back here, he needs to know. This could change everything. Maybe I should call and tell him now.

As if the devil himself has shaken me, I’m startled from my thoughts when the room phone rings, jumping up from my one-woman-rage-party. Anger surges through every fiber of my body. I could kill them all and enjoy watching the blood bleed from their hearts.

“Hello,” I speak into the phone as I cradle it to my ear.

“Anna Drexler.” I stand frozen when I hear her speak my name. I will never forget her voice. Cold. Callous. Manipulating murderer. My hands are shaking. Whatever the hell she wants or has to say, I will not let fear rule me. Not with the hatred I have for this conniving bitch, who tried to drug Dilan. I decide against telling her I know her brother, and that it’s revolting knowing their scam to somehow tie me in with their vendetta may backfire now that I know.

“Jazmin Carlos,” I communicate back to her, my mouth tasting like shit from emitting her name.

“I’m impressed, sweet Anna. How kind of you to address me by my name. Either you’ve done your homework, or Dilan has told you all about me. I’ll go with both, especially since you cannot keep your nose clean. It’s a deadly shame you had to interrupt my plans. Now, I have the great pleasure of adding you to my list. You lucky woman.” My body begins to tremble, my legs wavering to give out. I will show no fear when speaking to this conniving bitch. It doesn’t matter if I’m alone or not.

“That’s where you’re wrong, you fucking bitch. Dilan is my business. This entire family is. You on the other hand, mean nothing to me. Or to him. Do I detect jealousy along with a threat here, Jazmin?” I articulate strongly.