Villainous (8 page)

Yep. Baby sis is building a drug empire. They grow up so fast.

Okay. Mary. That wasn’t the best news, but it wasn’t the worst. At least it wasn’t Sonia. Then again, while Sonia and I hated each other, it was the kind of hate that could only be cultivated by two people who knew each other very well. Mary and I weren’t close. She wasn’t even thirty yet, and I was sliding rapidly toward fifty; we hadn’t grown up together and didn’t exactly have a lot of common interests.

I found her name in my contacts and sent a text asking if she could meet me tomorrow. Unlike Bianca, she didn’t immediately reply. My gaze drifted from my phone to the boarding area, but they weren’t letting anyone on yet. A clump of people with thinning patience had gathered near the gate to wait, and garbled announcements for other flights came one after another over the speakers. I leaned my head back, slouching with a proficiency to rival Elisa’s, and glanced at Julio beside me.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “Dave won’t end up in there.”

He started. “I wasn’t worrying.”

“You haven’t said a word for the past half hour.”

“I was watching our surroundings. Someone tried to kill us earlier today, remember? Just because we left the prison doesn’t mean it won’t happen again.”

“Yes, I’m sure that spot of carpet you were staring at for five minutes was a huge threat. Thanks for keeping an eye on it for me.”

He scowled then looked toward the monitor behind the counter as if he was checking the flight status. Three seconds passed before his gaze was pulled back to me.

“He
will
end up there,” he said, putting a hand to his forehead. “There’s nowhere else strong enough to hold him. And nobody deserves to be there less than him, but I wouldn’t expect
you
to—” He cut himself off, glanced at Agent Lagarde, and looked down. “It doesn’t matter. You heard Nicole. Your deal’s off.”

“I heard her. She said I was suspended, not done. She chooses her words carefully.” I gave Agent Lagarde a brief nod. “And you heard me say that I’m your best bet for getting evidence to convict whichever of my sisters is responsible. And believe me, if one of my sisters is behind the drug ring, you DSA idiots won’t be able to bring her down on your own. You’ll need me.” I folded my arms. “Dave won’t even make it to the courthouse, much less the Inferno. At least, that’s what I’d tell you if you were worried. Which you’re not.”

Julio’s gaze was a strange mix of vulnerability and suspicion. I gave him a reassuring wink.

“Now get back to watching that carpet. It just made a suspicious move.”

I honestly wasn’t sure who I was trying to reassure more with that little speech: Julio or myself. If the DSA decided they didn’t want to make a new deal with me, that was it. Dave’s fate would be in Charles’s and the jury’s hands. I couldn’t do anything if it came to that. What I
could
do was get the information I’d need to trade for Dave’s freedom if they did decide to deal with me. So an hour after our plane had taken off, I excused myself to use the restroom, the one place I could have a phone conversation without my escorts listening in. And yes, I was using a cell phone after the captain had told us not to. Behold a supervillain breaking the law. Have you ever seen anything so evil?

“Belmonte,” the voice on the other end of the line greeted. “I know I’m very good at this, but I’m not a miracle worker. You’ve only had me on the job for a day.”

I leaned against the sink counter—and immediately straightened as water soaked into my skirt. Eww.

“I’m calling to give you information, not ask for it,” I said in a low voice.

“That makes me incredibly suspicious, but go on.”

I reached for a paper towel, but the dispenser was empty. “She-Devil’s running the psyc operation.”

“So this is a family spat, huh? Pretty big coincidence.”

“Belmontes don’t have spats. We have wars.”

“Don’t be over-dramatic.”

I rubbed the damp spot with a piece of toilet paper. At least my skirt was black. “I’ll be as over-dramatic as I want. Call me when you’ve got numbers, names, and locations.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I grinned. “You just threw up a little saying that, didn’t you?”

“Just a bit.”

I hung up and sighed. The claustrophobically small bathroom smelled of cheap soap and less pleasant liquids. The turbulence wasn’t bad enough to make the captain turn on the Fasten Seatbelt sign, but it rocked the room just enough to make me queasy. I didn’t want to stay in here any longer, but I had one more call to make. Under normal circumstances, I’d need a few moments to mentally prepare myself, but I didn’t have time to hesitate, since Agent Lagarde would get suspicious if I took too long in here. So I took a deep breath and dialed.

I always hated talking to my father.

• • •

B
y the time we landed, it was after midnight and Mary still hadn’t texted me back. Eddy picked me up at the airport, though I’d told the old man I could hire a limo and let him get his beauty sleep. I leaned my head against the cool, hard glass of the backseat window, tired of sitting after having done so for five hours straight on the plane. I was just tired, period. At least traffic wasn’t bad this time of night. Soon enough, I’d be home lying in bed, and God, that mattress was going to feel amazing.

Eddy turned down the classic rock station he had playing on the radio. “So, you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He didn’t reach for the knob to turn back up the volume. “It’s okay if you’re not, you know.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.”

The music was too low to be able to tell what song was playing, and for a few seconds, that was the only sound.

“I did five years’ time back in the sixties,” Eddy said. “Didn’t set foot in a prison until almost a decade later to visit Dino Acone. You remember him? Worked for your father in Chicago. Terrible at cards.”

“I remember him.”

“Anyway, I started feeling queasy the moment I passed the fence. Long story short, I had a panic attack. Had to hide in the bathroom and smoke the grass I was supposed to sneak Dino to calm myself down. He was pissed.”

“You’re making that up.”

“It’s true.”

I’d never know without reading his mind. “Well, I couldn’t smoke anything. They already had me on exatrin. Got to be careful about mixing drugs, you know.”

“Assholes. Did you get the information you wanted, at least?”

“Yeah…” I looked out the window at the passing streetlights. “I’m going to need you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there.”

He always was.

We got home, and as much as I wanted to collapse instantly in bed, I made myself shower first to wash away the traces of the prison from my skin. I brushed my teeth, braided my hair, and lathered lotion over every inch of my skin until the vanilla scent overpowered even the memory of the Inferno’s stink. Then finally, gratefully, I crawled into bed next to Dave. I’d thought I’d been stealthy enough to avoid waking him, but he rolled over and wrapped his arm around me.

“Hey,” he murmured sleepily.

I didn’t realize how tense my muscles had been until my body relaxed. I breathed slowly out.

“Hey,” I said. “I had a terrible day.”

• • •

The next afternoon found me in South Pointe Park walking down the pier. The sounds of waves lapping against the shore and the cries of seagulls mixed with people’s chatter. It was fairly crowded, and the fact that it was a public place was the main reason I’d agreed to meet here. Fishermen lined the railings, and joggers weaved around those of us who were walking. A mother strolled with her young son, his melting grape popsicle leaving a trail of purple drops on the wood boards. Two of the fishermen plus a man pretending to read something on his phone worked for my father. And those were just the men he wanted me to see.

Dad himself was about three quarters of the way down the pier. His wheelchair faced the railing, his hands folded in his lap as he looked out over the ocean. The heat had forced him to remove his suit jacket, leaving him in gray slacks, a white button-down shirt, and blue tie. My mental image of my father must have been a few years out of date, because I was always surprised by how old he looked when I saw him. Had his combed-back hair been that thin the last time we met in person? Had his face had that many wrinkles? You expect monsters like my father to continue unchanged for centuries like Dracula or something. Seeing him age like a normal person was disconcerting.

I stopped next to him, looking out over the water for a moment in silence. I’d dressed much more practically than he had: a long, lacy white sundress, caramel-colored sandals, and a wide-brimmed hat. (Too much sun irritated my scar, but that gave me an excuse to wear fabulous headgear, so I didn’t complain.)

“I saw Dr. Sweet yesterday,” I said. “Did you know he created psyc?”

He didn’t look at me. “I know.”

“And you’re still letting Mary sell it?”

“It’s a growing market. Never let a grudge get in the way of profit.”

“A grudge? He kidnapped and experimented on my daughter—your granddaughter. I don’t think ‘grudge’ is a strong enough word. ‘Seething hatred’ is actually looking pretty weak.”

“Sweet’s in jail. He’s not benefiting from your sister’s business in any way.” Dad deigned to turn his head and look at me. “And that’s not what you’re here to talk about.”

No, it wasn’t. I didn’t waste time telling him what was going on, because he already knew. He always knew.

“I don’t expect Mary to stop her whole operation for my sake,” I said. “But there’s got to be a drop-point she can sacrifice, or some intel I can feed to the feds so they can raid a boat and feel proud of themselves.”

“I doubt she’ll want to bother.”

“Then make her.”

“And why should
I
bother?”

I took a deep breath. The air smelled of fish and salt. “I’m asking nicely.”

“You lost the right to ask me for anything when you left,” he all but hissed.

“You don’t understand. I’m asking nicely because you and Mary are family. I feel like I owe you that before I grind your business into dust. Call it a sentimental streak.”

His sharp eyes studied me. Yeah, I had his full attention now.

“You’re really prepared to move against your own family? Make sure you think hard about this, Valentina. You know how we deal with our enemies.”

“And you know how far I’ll go to keep my husband safe.”

“White Knight locked up in the Inferno with the very people he helped incarcerate…” My father rested his skeletal hands on the arms of his chair, and a rare look of pleasure livened his face. “I’d be curious to see how long he’d last, brutalized mentally and physically on an almost daily basis.”

His gaze went to my hands. The pain of my nails digging into my palms made me realize I’d clenched them into fists. Behind me, a jogger pushed impatiently past a group of people standing, and loud profanity filled the warm summer air. My anger was bleeding over into other people’s minds. I took a moment to rein it back in.

“But I can see why you wouldn’t want to let that happen,” Dad went on. “You don’t have to start a war between us, though. There’s another way.”

I didn’t ask. He was going to tell me anyway.

“Come home,” he said. “Come back to where you belong, at my side, and you can order Mary to do whatever you want.”

An ocean breeze rustled my flowing skirts around my ankles, and I put a hand on my hat to keep it from blowing into the water.

“Dad—”

“I’m old, Valentina,” he went on as if I hadn’t spoken. “It won’t be much longer before this body gives out on me. I can feel it coming. I need someone to take over the organization.”

“You have Joey for that.”

Speaking of Dad’s constant shadow, Joey Giordano was conspicuously absent today.

“That was my original plan, but this is a family business. I like the idea of a Belmonte running it after I’m gone.” He paused. “Call it a sentimental streak.”

Actually, the
original
original plan had been for Joey to secure his place as heir by marrying me, but I didn’t have time for that patriarchal bullshit.

“I’m not your only child,” I said.

“Sonia’s too emotional, Bianca’s a flake, and Mary doesn’t have the experience. None of them have your brains, your nerve, or your reputation. You were groomed for this.”

Inside my purse, my phone vibrated. I ignored it, debating whether I should at least pretend to consider Dad’s offer. No, I had to be absolutely clear. Allowing him to think he had a chance of swaying me would only be more dangerous in the long run.

“Not interested. Do you think I still want to be plotting crimes when I’m your age? I had a good go, and I’m done now. I’m enjoying my retirement.”

His face darkened, which was an impressive feat in the afternoon sun. “I can’t tell you how much I hate seeing you do this to yourself. You’re like a captured tiger growing fat and lazy at the zoo. You should be in the jungle hunting.”

“Well, I think I’m done here. You’re not going to help me, and I’m pretty sure you just called me fat. See you around, Dad.”

I walked back toward the shore, keeping an eye on his men in case they tried to stop me.

“Think about it,” Dad called after me. “How long do you think you’ll be satisfied with
retirement
? You’re wasting your potential.”

My potential. Sure. What had I expected? Of course he wasn’t going to help me. Now the only option left was to deal with Mary directly, and that was probably exactly what he wanted. He’d try to pit us against each other in a sick attempt to control us, not caring that it could end with one of us killing the other. Manipulation was his forte. He used to be able to do it more directly, to possess people’s bodies and force them to do whatever he wanted. A team of DSA telepaths had obliterated his powers years ago, and that would have been the end of any other supervillain’s career. But not Dad’s. Not Mr. Lucifer’s. He was as deadly now as he’d ever been.

I headed for the parking lot, spotting Eddy twenty yards to my right inconspicuously doing the same. It turned out that I hadn’t needed him, but it was nice to have him all the same.