Poisoned Rose (Dark Roses #1) (6 page)

Ten

              Aurora had been right in thinking her training regime would be hardcore.  She trained twice a day on weights, once a day on weapons, and cardio every second day.  Yet by the time she had clocked a fortnight’s training, there were still no leads on Dante’s whereabouts or her father’s murder.  Determined not to be left out when something was uncovered, she found herself in the Family’s training center early one morning for almost the fortieth time since the start of her training.

              ‘C’mon Roar move it, you’ve got three more to go!’

              Cross clapped as she squatted under a hundred and fifty pound barbell.  She was dripping with sweat, her hair was plastered to the back of her neck, and her muscles were burning.

              ‘Done, drop it and straight into chin ups!’

              Down crashed the barbell and she hoisted herself up onto the chin up bar as Cross continued clapping and told her to move faster.  She stole a glance in his direction as she moved up and down, her legs crossed at the ankles, her shoulders and arms on fire.  He was one of Johnny’s captains and was as tall as her brothers, with a broad back, biceps the size of her head, and thighs that were thick and roped.  His head was shaved, his eyes were black, and he had tattoos running up both arms and around his neck.

              ‘And we’re done! Good work, hit the showers and I’ll see you at seven tonight.’

              He slapped her on the back and walked away.  She sat on the mats trying to catch her breath and waited until he was spotting another soldier before standing and making her way to the steps that led to the other floors of the training centre.

              She had wanted to ask Vince about female soldiers since they’d agreed to let her join the Family.  She was half way up the steps that separated the cardio floor from the weapons floor when she froze.  A man she had glimpsed from across the gym was stalking down the steps.  She hadn’t been looking forward to meeting him, not because she was afraid but, if she was being honest with herself, she was more than intimidated.  With Johnny’s ascension to boss, Bo had become the second captain, but she knew that at twenty eight he had been in training for fifteen years, almost as long as Johnny.  Bo looked straight into her eyes and she felt like she was being sized up by the Cheshire cat.

              ‘Well look at you.  Now I see why they gave you to Cross.’

              He didn’t bother introducing himself, confident enough to expect her to know who he was.  His eyes were a dark blue almost navy color but they had a sinful shine
to them
that made them look metallic.  His hair was black and messy but not quite long enough to tuck behind his ears, and his left eyebrow and lower lip were pierced.  He was shirtless and wearing black karate pants, a dagger tucked into his waistband with the onyx handle hooked over his right hip bone.  Meeting him face to face, she could also see why they had given her to Cross.  He continued.

              ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.  Now that we’ve met maybe I’ll give you some lessons myself.’

              He moved a stray lock of her hair over her ear but she knew it was a test.  She grabbed his wrist, pushed his arm out of the way and attempted to land a punch to his jaw.  She never had a chance.  He grabbed her fist and spun her around, pinning her arm behind her back and tripping her up the steps.  She used her other hand to brace herself, anticipating a follow up move, but instead Bo laughed and helped her up.

              ‘Not bad.  You need to work on your speed, but otherwise, you’re doing well.’

              He continued on his way as if nothing had happened and she was grateful again that her brothers had assigned Cross to train her.  She reached the third floor and made her way to the office, where she found Vince sorting through papers.  He looked up when she entered and smiled.

              ‘How was your session?’

              ‘Got my ass handed to me.’

              Vince laughed and invited her to sit down as he took the seat behind Cross’s desk.  She dropped into one of the leather seats in front of the desk and cleared her throat before getting straight to the point.

              ‘Are there many other women soldiers?’

              Vince replied without hesitation.

              ‘In terms of our Family, you are the only female.  Within the other Families, I don’t have an approximate number but there are many.  They’re known as ‘Roses’ and they all have a rose tattoo somewhere on their body, the color dependant on the Family they come from.  Also, you should know that they are not all standard soldiers.  Xenia Romanov is an advisor in her uncle’s Family, as is Maggie De Matteo to her father Jackson.  Mario has assigned Halo as his advisor and Honor as one of his captains. All four are brutal and they have no pity, but you couldn’t tell by looking at them.  Don’t get me wrong, I mean this as a compliment, but even though they look like models, they’re crazy.’

              Vince tapped his right temple to emphasis his statement.  The knowledge sent a shiver of excitement through her body.  The women held senior positions within their Families and listening to the way Vince spoke about them, they were respected throughout the underworld, not just because of their surnames.  They had built their fearsome reputations for being who they were, and even though their beauty was acknowledged, they were not looked down upon because of it.  She hoped that she could build a name for herself the same way they had.

              ‘While you’re here, let me give you a lay out of the land.  The main thing I think you should know is that each Family is specialized.  Our Family controls weapons.  The Mason Family controls law enforcement and authority, the Da Silva’s control drugs, the Romanov’s control prostitution and smuggling, and the De Matteo’s control gambling, loan sharking and heists.’

              Vince ticked the Families and their trades off on his fingers before continuing.

              ‘You don’t need to remember right now who controls what, but just know that the Five Families control every facet of crime in L.A and nobody sets foot in another Family’s business.’

              ‘What’s the catch?’

              ‘Our world is a never ending Cold War.  I’m sure by now you’ve noticed just how large our Family is.  You should know that the other Families have just as many numbers, we all train our soldiers hard, and we are all ready to go to war at anytime.  You should consider every soldier from every Family armed and dangerous.  If a Family is perceived as weak their empire will be taken over.  Never leave the house unarmed and never trust anyone outside the Family.  Nobody is your friend, they’re associates, and any situation has the potential to turn hostile.’

              She nodded and Vince lounged back in his chair.

              ‘Any questions?’

              She had wondered if the constant training and need to carry weapons was overkill but after Vince’s explanation, she felt naive.  She contemplated how she should feel about all the new information and realized that she just accepted it for what it was.  Reality.

              ‘No further questions your Honor.’

              Vince rolled his eyes and sat forward again, reaching for a pen and dismissing her with a wave and a smile.

              ‘Very funny.  Now go take a shower, you stink.’

Eleven

              It didn’t take long for the other Families to call a Formal Sit Down, but finding a day when all the bosses were in the same country took longer.  First the Da Silvas were in Colombia, then the De Matteos were in Thailand, then the Hannams got called to France.  All in all it took twenty one days until Hawk found himself in one of his Family’s warehouses sitting at his father’s far right.  The circular table that could seat twenty was cedar wood dressed in a heavy red table cloth with red upholstered chairs to match.  In front of each Family was a bottle of Macallan 55-Year-Old and four crystal tumblers.  The bosses sat with their advisor and one captain on their right, and their other captain on their left.  Once everyone was seated, Mario rose to his feet.

              ‘Welcome everyone, I wish I could say it’s a pleasure to have you here but the circumstances are far from favorable.  We’re here today at the request of the Romanov, Da Silva and De Matteo Families to discuss the murder of Tony Hannam and the possible involvement of his youngest son Dante.  Everyone will get a chance to speak but with respect to the Hannam Family I request Johnny go first.’

              Johnny shrugged, ‘My brother is innocent.’

              ‘So you say,’ Jackson De Matteo scoffed.

              Jackson was the boss of the De Matteo Family, a second generation Italian American whose grandfather, rumor had it, had been a Don in Sicily.  His captains were his sons, and his daughter served as his advisor.  Hawk had expected Jackson to take the offensive, the other man’s pigheadedness always interfering with his potential to be a great boss, in Hawk’s opinion anyway.

              ‘Your brother got kicked out of a club and your father went to pick him up.  Next thing he’s dead and your brother is nowhere to be found.  You expect us to believe that it wasn’t a set up?’

              ‘It was a set up, but my brother wasn’t involved.  Dante was loyal to my father and remains so to the Hannam Family.  He’s been framed and I plan on finding him and bringing down whoever set him up.’

              ‘Maybe he was working on somebody’s orders.’

              Everyone on the table held their breaths.  Hawk shook his head before Halo whacked his thigh and hissed in his ear, telling him to make sure he kept his poker face.  He crossed his arms and shot her a dirty look.

              ‘Did you not hear what the idiot just said? He’s gonna stuff up business for everyone.’

              Halo didn’t respond, her face unreadable as always.  Jackson’s insinuation that Johnny had orchestrated a hit on his father was an offense of the highest caliber.  Johnny was calm when he responded and Hawk knew that Vince would have coached him for such an attack.

              ‘Jackson, I think I misunderstood.  Are you implying that I had something to do with my father’s death?’

              Seeing that nobody was going to support him, Jackson retracted his statement.

              ‘Not at all, I only meant that perhaps Dante was blackmailed or tricked into being an accomplice.’

              Jackson hadn’t apologized, signaling that he was retracting his statement only for the time being.  How he managed to lead his own Family without running them into the ground Hawk would never understand. Juan Da Silva spoke next, his voice smooth and noncommittal.

              ‘Perhaps Dante took offence that he wasn’t made captain when he was initiated. Everybody knows that your brother was excluded from the Family for years.  Your father only agreed to train him two years ago and, as far as I am aware, he still hasn’t made his bones.  He might see this as a humiliating situation for the son of a boss.’

              The Latino boss played his cards close to his chest and was a greater tactician than his advisor.  Then again, Hawk supposed he had to be, given all three of his sons, who served as his advisor and captains, spent the majority of their time snorting their own product and throwing over-the-top parties.  Nepotism at its finest.

              ‘My brother is young and he knew that he wasn’t going to be made captain, despite his blood ties.  He has a lot to learn and there is no way he would be able to handle the responsibility that comes with being a captain.’

              ‘But your father refused to even make him a second in command.’

              ‘He isn’t ready.’

              ‘You mean he’s too busy thinking with his dick.’

              Nik Romanov commented, earning him a cuff across the back of the head from his boss, and father, Vlad.  Nik also smacked the table with his knee and winced, an indication that Xenia had stepped on his foot.  The comment didn’t surprise Hawk, as Nik was the same age as Dante, worked the same social circles, and had had many girls turn him down in favor of Dante.  But in his opinion, Nik needed to keep his mouth shut, given that he had brawled with Dante the night in question and could be accused of assisting in the kidnapping.

              ‘That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Bo,’ Quinn Da Silva spat.

              Bo snorted and shook his head, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.

              ‘You got no idea what you’re talking about Da Silva, but that’s pretty funny.  You do stand-up my man?’

              Quinn stood up to challenge Bo but Mario got in first.

              ‘Sit down!’

              Quinn dropped back in his seat, staring at Bo from across the table.  Their behavior was so predictable that Hawk wanted to laugh.  He never tired of watching Bo shut Quinn down.  Quinn was as jealous of Bo as Nik was of Dante, despite the fact that he held his own, going through chicks faster than he went through product.  Although why they loved him with that short half ponytail hairstyle he had going on was a mystery to Hawk.  After Quinn muttered an apology to the table in general, Mario spoke up.

              ‘Let me state now that the Masons are supporting the Hannam Family.  We believe that Dante is innocent and is a captive.  Furthermore, if there is any way we can help find Dante, the Hannams need only ask.’

              ‘The De Matteos think he’s guilty.’

              It was a fine line the De Matteos were treading and everyone in the room knew it.  If Jackson didn’t change his mind and Dante was proven innocent, Johnny had the right to declare war.  Juan and Vlad remained quiet for several moments, both men staring at Johnny. Juan rubbed his chin and Vlad leant forward on his elbows, his bulky frame and thick white mustache giving him the air of a Russian politician.  Juan spoke first, announcing that the Da Silvas were undecided and were choosing to withhold judgment until further evidence came to light.  Vlad then repeated Juan’s statement almost word for word in his thick Eastern European accent.

              ‘Fair calls, thank you gentlemen,’ Mario responded before turning to Johnny, ‘Johnny, you need to find your brother as soon as possible.  While you are looking, business will continue as usual and there will be no ill will between any of the Families.’

              Mario looked at Jackson when he said the last line and Jackson raised his hands.  Johnny nodded and echoed Mario’s words.

              ‘While I understand everyone’s stance, I assure you that I will prove my brother’s innocence and bring his attackers to justice.  I appreciate your patience and expect to continue business with you as usual.  I will however say one final thing.’

              He paused for emphasis and Hawk’s stomach plummeted.  He thought of Aurora and hoped that Dante really was innocent.

              ‘Should we discover that Dante did in fact plot against my father and Family… I will kill him myself.’