Convicted: A Mafia Romance (7 page)

Her last breath whispered across my face as I leaned over her body, glaring into her eyes, watching the flicker of life recede. Before she slipped away to wherever one goes when they die, I spoke to her. I told her why she had to die. I wanted her to know that I wasn’t her husband. But she already knew that. She sensed it almost immediately. Maybe it was the soft gentle touch or the way I’d kissed her passionately. Neither were something my brother would have done. I told her he was the reason she had to die, but before I could tell her more, her light burnt out. I had gotten carried away and damaged her too much too quickly.

I hadn’t expected Sebastian to keep fighting for his freedom. That had been a surprise. No, I imagined he would lay down and keel over like a wounded puppy. I lingered around after the trial, watching his attorney – the portly Mr. Jackson – pull together a team of professionals.

It was then I began to worry. My night with Astra hadn’t went as planned. Not exactly. She had fought for her life with a vigor that was unexpected from a woman like her. I had dropped my knife while wrestling with her, cutting my hand on my own blade. It was an amateur move which sickened me even now. I had thought the medical professionals would have caught the difference in our blood before the trial, but luckily they had not. Lucky for me anyway.

Now I wasn’t so sure it would remain that way. It wasn’t until Davis had brought in Meg Charleston, a young brilliant lab technician, that I began to worry. That worry had sky-rocketed when Haven brought the little cunt with her to see Sebastian. The cooler she carried with her told me I was right to be concerned. They were on to the truth. It wouldn’t be long before they found out about me. Too close for my comfort. I had no choice but to erase her from the equation, but not until I knew what Davis and his team were up to.

So that was why I was stuck in the prickly hedges lining this damned house, waiting for the burly bodyguards to drive away. I needed time alone with Meg. Time to find out what they knew… and kill her if she refused me. Haven and the goons drove away, their taillights fading away into the darkness. Quickly and oh so quietly, I entered the code and slid inside the house.

The sound of Meg humming a soft tune cut through the silence of the house, bathing it in a temporary beauty that almost made me hesitate. My back pressed against the wall, sweat beading my brow as I watched her slip her clothes off and step into the warm embrace of the shower. Pillows of steam bubbled out the crack in the door calling to me with its curled tendrils, urging me to enter the small confined space.

Easing the door open and stepping inside, the weight of the steam caressed my body, weighing me down, slowing my movements, and then I saw her. Her pure, beautiful body beckoning for my touch, but I froze, fighting the lust within me. I wasn’t here to be sated. I was here for something more than that and she would give me what I wanted.

Two long strides and I was inches away, barely breathing, as she remained unaware of my nearness. Grasping the edge of the shower curtain, I gave it a hard yank. The girl jumped, her mouth opening for a scream that would never come. I thrust a hand forward, covering her mouth, her eyes going wide as I pressed her against the wall of the shower.

“Don’t make a sound or you will die. Nod your head if you understand.” I growled, my hand squeezing her face tighter. She whimpered, tears welling in her eyes, and nodded quickly.

I slowly released my hold on her face, loving the red marks I left behind. She was shivering, not from the cold, but fear. There was no way of knowing how long I had before the others returned so I had to work fast. Such as pity I didn’t have time to play.

“Turn off the water. Now!” I said calmly, quietly, my unblinking eyes staring into hers. She blanched at my tone, which only excited me more. Pinning her with a cold dead stare, I watched as she eased along the wall, her shaky little hands fumbling to do as I ordered.

“Wh...What do you w... want from me?” She whimpered softly.

“You know who I am, don’t you?”

“Y... yes.” She looked at her feet, as if not looking at me would save her.

“Why are you here?” I asked, keeping my voice calm and level. Sounding calm always seemed to panic them more. “What are you planning?”

“I don’t...”

“Don’t lie to me,” I said, barely above a whisper, pulling my knife from its sheath at my hip. The lab tech squealed in terror at the sight of the blade, just as Astra had done months ago. My heart hammered in my chest as the sounds of the two women merged in my mind.

“I took a sample of blood from Sebastian. For comparison to... to yours.”

“Where is it?”

“I mailed it to Mr. Jackson. Please. Please don’t kill me.”

Anger flooded me, mixing with pure adrenaline. I was losing control again. I couldn’t allow that to happen. Sebastian had to pay. They were on to me. It was only a matter of time before they managed to get him released from prison. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Rage won over and I snapped, as I had done with Astra. The knife seemed to lift into the air of its own accord, slashing and digging into the smooth flesh of the woman’s body. It was so beautiful. The yelps of torturous pain were music to my ears, the rivers of red streaming over her pale perfect skin, an eddy of blood and water moving this way and that, painting my masterpiece.

Her body crumpled to the floor in a heap, her chest rising and falling, at first fast and harsh, then slower and slower as her body lost its will to fight. I smiled at her while tilting my head to the side ever so slightly, watching her in amazement. She fascinated me, this young gorgeous creature that suddenly was unafraid. At ease. Then she was gone, erased from the world for getting in my way, for stopping me from achieving what I wanted most, leaving me wondering why she seemed so at peace in her final moments. Why? She was so different from the others.

With a leather gloved hand, I turned the shower back on, making sure to angle the spray away from my masterpiece. Then I backed out of the room, locking and closing the door behind me. I got what I came for and now it was time to leave. It was time to find that fucking blood sample and stop Sebastian’s lawyer from setting him free.

Chapter Eleven - Haven

“If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.”

- Emile Zola

It’s true I didn’t know Meg Charleston very well. I really couldn’t call her a friend… but still, my heart ached at losing her. She was too damn young to die. No matter how many times I replayed the day, in the end I always blamed myself for her death. I should have demanded that she ride with us to town. But instead, my mind had been on Sebastian and how he made me feel, the way he commanded me to submit to him. I couldn’t help but blame myself.

I should have protected her. Davis had told me to expect the killer to get his panties in a twist as we dug into the case. I should have believed him. I regretted that now, even though it was too late for Meg. From now on, I’d be forever vigilant of the possibility of the killer returning for more blood. Would he stop now? Doubtful. Would he pick us off one by one now to ensure his brother remained in prison? Definitely possible. However, no matter the risks involved, we had no choice but to push forward with our investigation.

Hackett opened the door to the SUV, blinding sunlight stabbing at my sore puffed-up eyes as I collected my things. I slid out of the backseat, loose gravel crunching beneath my feet as we headed for the warehouse entrance. Today was the first day the team would be together after Meg’s death, and I already dreaded the conversations that would take place.

As I stepped into the hollow belly of the warehouse, I was shocked to see everyone fast at work, as if nothing had happened. A frown worked across my lips as I trudged to my messy little desk. With slow, sluggish movements, I dragged ass across the room, dropped my briefcase at my feet next to the cluttered desk, and slumped into the squeaky leather chair, closing my eyes to the world for a brief moment. It wasn’t much in the way of relieving my sore puffy eyes, but it would have to do.

Crying all weekend hadn’t done me any good and it damn sure hadn’t solved any of our problems either. Before I could clear my head, the distinct sound of shuffling footsteps and the horribly disgusting wheezing of one Mr. Davis Jackson approached my desk. I groaned. I didn’t feel up to a conversation today with anyone.

Eyes pressed closed, fingers rubbing slow circles over my temples, I spoke before he had a chance. “Good morning, Davis.” My voice was laced with exhaustion from lack of sleep.

“Morning, Haven. I think I’ve found our guy!” he exclaimed as he rustled a handful of documents to and fro in front of my face. I damn near jumped out of my skin at his words.

Sitting ramrod straight, eyes wide as dinner plates, I waved my hands about, wildly urging him to continue on. “Well? Out with it, Davis. Who the hell is he?”

He thrust the documents into my open hand. “Theron Christakos. Placed in an orphanage shortly after birth. The orphanage is still in business and was more than willing to provide information on our boy. Sick little bastard, they said.”

“Not surprised by that description at all. Not after what he did to...” My voice broke off, unable to say Meg’s name. No matter how much I told myself there was nothing I could have done to stop this psycho, I still felt responsible for her death.

“I know, Haven. We all want to see him pay for his crimes.”

I stood frozen, eyeing a spot on the wall across from my desk, fighting back the tears that were welling in my eyes. At least we had a name now. Theron Christakos. Bastard.

Killer.

Psycho.

So many names fit him and his actions. The vicious way he had killed Astra and Meg spoke volumes to me. He hated women, of that I was sure. A cold chill ran down my spine as I realized I could be next. “Davi,s we need to hasten our efforts to catch the son of a bitch before he kills again.”

“You think he will come after our team?”

“Yes!” I shouted. The sound of my voice echoed throughout the room, heads turned from all directions. Taking a steadying breath, I gripped the armrests on my chair. “I feel that he is angry. Beyond angry, actually. He doesn’t want Sebastian released. He wants him to rot away in that prison. Don’t you see? It’s revenge, and he’ll do anything to stop us from making our case.”

“But we already know of his existence.”

“Right. But he doesn’t know that. He only knows that we are looking deeper into the case. He’s nervous. He’ll make mistakes. They always do.”

“Then we need to take a trip to the orphanage, and soon. You’ll be updating Sebastian on Friday again right?” Davis asked, rubbing one chunky hand over his sweaty bald head.

“Yes, sir. He knows of our suspicions. I made sure to fill him in on that last Friday. He was shocked. I don’t think he knew he was a twin.”

“Any word on the blood sample results?”

“Not yet. I hand-delivered them to the medical examiner’s office. Becky assured me she would push it through quickly. She will contact me as soon as she has the results.”

“Good.”

The rest of the day, the team worked their fingers to the bone, trying to find out more about Theron. We needed to know everything we could about his life. For one, we needed to know what he looked like. Did he resemble his brother? We had no way of knowing at this point. He could be anyone? I glanced around the room at the men, wondering how close he could get to us without being detected. Fear raked me at the realization that he could be so close to us and we would never know.

Glancing at Hackett and Eamon standing guard at the main entrance, I wondered if Eamon knew more than he had said in his story. He didn’t seem to be the type to leave anything out, but I hadn’t really questioned what he had told me. No, I had only listened. But it was time I dug a little deeper into the Christakos family’s past before someone else died.

“Eamon? I need to speak to you.” I shouted across the room. He glanced at Hackett who gave him a nod as he took a drag off his cigarette.

I really didn’t know exactly what I should ask Eamon about Sebastian’s family, but at this point, any information provided could make a difference. Sitting back in my squeaky-ass chair, I snatched the papers on Theron Christakos, gripping them snuggly in my hand.

“Yes, Miss?” he ground out in a deep raspy voice as he approached.

“I have a few more questions about the night Sebastian was born. And the family.”

“I will tell you what I can. For Sebastian.”

“I know that you have served the family for many years and you know a great deal about them. I will not ask about their business as that would be crossing a fine line I don’t wish to cross.” He nodded, remaining quiet. “Who took the baby away that night?”

“I...” He hesitated.

“Please, it is very important that we know as much as possible.”

“Sebastian’s father took him away. I heard him whispering to someone that night. He spoke of heirs and the danger of having two brothers so close in age. He took the boy away. Nobody saw the child. But we all – everyone in the house that night – knew about the second child.”

“Could someone in the family be working against Sebastian to gain control of the family business?”

“I have no idea. I wouldn’t think anyone would be crazy enough to stand against the rightful heir to the Christakos family business.”

“Okay. Did Sebastian’s father communicate with the boy he sent away?”

“I wouldn’t know, Miss. I was not part of the inner circle at the time.”

“Do you know who would know?”

“Like I said, I wasn’t in Sebastian’s father’s trusted circle. Only his most trusted men would have known. Maybe not even them. They’re dead now anyway, Miss. His secret has been buried along with them.

“No, Eamon. The secret he kept is alive and well and it’s killing innocent people.”