Code Of Silence (4 page)

“Yeah.” She sighed.

1:00 a.m. burned into my eyes as I stared at the clock from my bed. I couldn’t sleep. My head was spinning about the invitation to the cottage. This was big. I’d never been there. I checked in with Mason, my boss, to tell him what happened. He was surprised we were still standing, and I agreed. Sydney pushed some boundaries even I wouldn’t have tested.

Sydney…I got hard even thinking of her. Fuck it.

The hotel was silent as I headed across the lobby wearing my dress pants, with my white shirt open at the top and sleeves rolled to the elbow. This seemed to be my normal look.

I found Sydney in the corner of the bar with a man who had his hand on her leg. They were laughing and looked to be a few drinks in.

“Sydney.” My hands went to my hips. I had to admit I didn’t like seeing her with him.

She slowly looked over at me. “Good…” She squinted at the clock. “…morning.”

“We have to be on the road in six hours.”

“Noted.” Her attention went back to the man whose hand slipped higher up her leg.

With my eyes closed, I calmed my rage and looked at the bartender, who gestured to let me know the tab was on the man’s bill.

“Time to go, Syd.” I stepped forward and pulled her to her feet.

“Hey.” She tried to push me away, but I held her to my side.

“What the hell, man!” The guy moved to his feet. I didn’t have it in me at that point, so I pulled out my badge, and he backed off.

“That’s fucked up, Cooper,” she spat at me as she wiggled out of my hold and into the elevator.

“Yup, I’m an asshole,” I muttered, punching the button. The lift rose as she gave me a dirty look.

“He was nice.”

“He wanted to screw you.”

“So?”

My hands slipped into my pockets as I shook my head.

“Why did you come down to the bar, Colin?” She pulled at my arm so I’d look at her. “Tell me.” When I wouldn’t answer her, she shoved me. “Tell me!” Tonight’s events were raw on the surface. “Just tell me.”

I suddenly walked right up so she would press back flat against the wall. “Because I knew you’d go looking for something to fuck.”

“So?” Her chest rose and her breasts pushed into my chest. She smelled like gin.

Screw it!

I hooked her waist and pulled her closer, then my other hand grabbed her head and pulled her hair back. “Because that’s fucked up. If you’re hurting, come to me.”

“I did,” she huffed, “and you walked away, left me here in the elevator.”

I slammed my lips to hers as she jumped up and wrapped her legs around me. When the doors opened, I walked us out and down the hallway. The entire time we made out like we were starving for one another. Neither of us cared who saw. As long as my mouth was on hers, that was all that mattered.

“Key, back pocket,” I said between kisses. Her hand freed the key and gave it to me.

Once inside, we barely made it to the bed before she was clawing at my shirt. She was wild in a dark, seductive way.

My fingers inched up her dress, and to my
not
surprise, she was commando. I tossed her on the bed and kicked off my pants and underwear. She peeled off her dress and removed her bra so her breasts moved freely and bounced as she lay back with her legs spread.

If I really thought about it, I would probably talk myself out of what I was about to do, but no man in his right mind would stop when he had a beautiful, naked woman sprawled out in front of him. I pressed my knee into the mattress and moved to hover over her.

I gave her a smile as I took in her flawless, silken skin.

Her legs gently rose and grazed my skin, slowly wrapping around my waist and lowering me to her.

Not a smart move, Colin!
I closed my eyes and sank inside her. My jaw locked down as my body heated.

Then, with a dangerous flicker of my hips, she grabbed my shoulders and held on. My hands were everywhere, her breasts, slender hips, thighs, I didn’t care…I just needed to feel her.

“Faster,” she grunted, which sent me in a race to see who would come first. She screamed, bucked, and moaned as I hooked one leg over my arm and dove deeper inside. A slow rush started in my stomach and soon I came full force, plowing over any rational thoughts. I was lost, lost in the sexiest woman I’d ever known. I didn’t care who she was, nothing would stop me, not even if Vinnie himself walked through the door.

I felt her come, but I wasn’t ready. Instead, I hooked her other leg and bent her in half until I found what I wanted—no,
needed…another release.

To say I woke with a smile would be an understatement. Not only did I get the release I’d been craving, but she kicked me out and sent me back to my room afterward. She was perfect, no strings attached. My favorite.

With my suitcase in hand, I waited in the lobby for Sydney. I received the text saying Vinnie would send a car and take us to his cottage for the weekend. Classic Vinnie, to change the plans at the last moment. I quickly canceled with the valet to return my car to the garage and sent Mason the new plans. If I were to guess, the cottage address was fake too.

I was aware it was a suicide mission, but no one had ever gotten this close to the Marrone family. My phone was currently being tracked. I knew Vinnie would take our things at some point, and hopefully it would be after we get to the cottage, and not before.

I looked up and saw her in a sexy yellow sundress and heels, her suitcase rolling behind her.

“Ready to go?” she asked as she brushed by me.

I grew hard and swallowed a knot in my throat. Yes, I was, but not for this weekend trip.

Thirty minutes into the drive, the driver lowered the partition. He tossed us black cloth bags to pull over our heads since no one knew the location of the house. Sydney gave me a worried look before she did as she was told. I didn’t blame her, because this could go south real quick.

I could only make out shadows that whipped by the window. The driver turned up the music to hide anything else. I tried to count the turns but I lost track after the sixth one. For all I knew, he could be driving in a big circle just to throw us off. It wasn’t until we hit gravel that we were told we could remove the bags. Blinking to adjust to the light, I saw we were in the middle of nowhere.

Black, over-the-top, drug-lord-looking gates swung open and we drove through. I rolled my eyes at Sydney, who had her head in her laptop. She nodded, indicating she felt the same way.

“I won’t lie, I didn’t think you’d agree to come.” I reached for the handle.

She climbed out and turned to me. “I want answers just as much as you do, Cooper.”

We were hustled to the back of the property after the butler took our bags. We emerged onto a patio where Sydney nearly tripped in front of me when we laid eyes on the famous Bobby Marrone.

I’d only encountered Bobby once before, when I witnessed him jam a fork in a snitch’s mouth. Of course I had to pretend I hadn’t seen it, as Vinnie had just handed me his cousin for a triple murder earlier that day. I thought he was testing me. I said nothing and stayed alive, but I vowed I would find a way to take down that son of bitch in any way possible. When I came across the Knights’ case, it had Bobby’s name all over it.

“Agent Colin.” Bobby nodded at the seat across from him at a marble table. “Sit.”

I did, and Sydney moved to stand behind me. Bobby snapped his fingers, and some of the men left. Only Vinnie, Sly, and Tommy stayed.

Tommy looked as though he was going to be sick, and this worried me. He knew something I didn’t.

“Please, sweetheart.” He pointed to the seat next to me. “Sit.” She complied without her sass this time. I was thankful.

“Drink?” he asked as he twirled his ring along his middle finger. The blue stone shone in the light. Everyone knew his ring. It was the family ring, and only the head of the family wore it.

“No.”

“Suit yourself.” Tommy poured himself a drink but spilled a little, which caught my eye, and Bobby’s.

Something was off; this wasn’t good.

“Agent Colin, I felt like we had some kind of an agreement here.” The skin around his eyes crinkled. “Vinnie helps you, you get to take down one of our men, so on and so on. But this is a whole new level for you.”

“I don’t follow.” I saw Tommy give a quick shake of the head.

“Sydney, do you know who I am?”

“No, should I?” She glanced at me then back to Bobby.

“Interesting.” He sighed as he leaned back in his chair. “Vinnie, what is my number one rule?”

Vinnie stood straighter. “Honesty.”

I smirked. “That’s rich, coming from the mafia.” Bobby let out a little laugh, but I noticed his fingers rubbed together. It was something Bobby normally
did right before he—

“Shit!” I shouted as Tommy’s head slammed down on the marble table, and his eyes popped wide open. The sound was so horrid that Sydney held her stomach.

Bobby opened his pocket knife and reached inside Tommy’s mouth and yanked his tongue out. Tommy screamed and saliva started to drain from his lips.

“I have rules, don’t care who you are, nephew or not.” He sliced right through the muscle and dropped half his tongue onto the table with a splat. Tommy bucked and wailed but didn’t dare move.

Sydney buried her head in my shoulder as she gripped my jacket for dear life. She didn’t scream, but she was clearly terrified.

“Rats.” He nodded at Sly to take Tommy away. “Send my sister his tongue. She’ll see what her boy really is. Now…” He wiped his hand free of blood, before sitting back down as if nothing happened. “Where was I? Sydney—” He waited for her to raise her pale face. “—answer me something.”

Shit…

“You said you lived with your aunt? Does she have any other kids?”

Oh shit…

“Yes.”

“How many?”

She tried to look at me, but Bobby shook his head.

I wanted to bump her leg, but Vinnie caught my eye.

“A daughter.”

“Tell me this. What happened to your grandparents?”

Fuck me.

“They died.”

“How?” He leaned forward, and I knew he saw it.

Oh fuck…

“Car crash.”

In a flash, he pointed his 9 millimeter in her face. I felt the tip of a rifle dig into my neck as my gun aimed at Bobby. This was a nasty triangle to be in. Mob, mob, Fed.

“Wrong answer, Sydney.” Bobby shook his head. “Really, after what just happened, you’re going to lie to me?”

“I’m not lying,” she muttered. “My grandparents were killed in a car accident.”

Well, that’s true.

Bobby rubbed his head with his free hand. He lowered his gun as I did mine. Though Vinnie kept his gun pinned to my neck.

I’ve had enough of this shit.

“I’m not entirely sure why we’re here this weekend, but I think we’ve overstayed our welcome.” I stood, but Bobby raised his hand, then nodded at Vinnie, who placed two gun shell casings in front of me.

A weight suddenly lifted off my chest.

“I knew Charlie,” Bobby muttered. My hands went out to touch the warm steel as his words sank in. Sydney reached for my arm. “He knew about something we were planning and didn’t want any part of it. He left and ended up in Nashville, where he fell in love with some diner bitch.” My eyes stayed locked on the casings. I was afraid to move in case he stopped talking. Answers, I was finally getting answers.

“Vinnie found him and brought him back, but he didn’t want any part of it. So he left again, vanished. He resurfaced a year later, and he had gotten married in Vegas. When I sent Sly to speak with him to remind him that he had duties to uphold, they slipped away.” Sly shifted. “Not before Charlie left Sly with a…parting gift.” Sly craned his neck, and I saw a scar along his shoulder. “Three years later, they popped up at a party, and their picture ended up in the newspaper. Three days later, I paid him a visit, but they knew we were coming.” His finger traced in Tommy’s blood, spreading it outward. “I’m starting to understand how they were tipped off.” He waited a beat.