Whatever You Need: (A Chicago Mafia Syndicate) (Castaletta Book 2) (5 page)

Chapter 8

Izabella

"I appreciate you guys keeping up with tradition." My father glanced around the table and nodded at each of us. We always had family dinners at Gino's on Sunday evenings. "Vivian would have been proud of you. None of you even through an excuse at me."

A collective chuckle went around the room.

I lifted my glass of red wine in the air and breathed in deeply the delicious scent of tomatoes and garlic that was unique to Gino's.

"To momma. I hope she's dancing in the clouds and willing to wait for you for a long, long time. We're not letting you go anytime soon." I winked at my father as the rest of the crowd lifted their glasses into the air.

Demetri sat to my right, my father beside him. Marco was on my left and Edward beside him. We usually only invited blood family and Demetri seeing that he was integral to the inner workings of the syndicate. That and my father saw him as he would a son. Edward was a bit of a surprise, but I figured my father wanted something from my oldest friend or needed him to do something for us. That was usually the only reason anyone was invited to Sunday dinner. Edward's eyes stayed on me as we passed the salad around the circle and my father talked about the week, including all of the various shit storms we'd faced.

I wasn't sure if Eddy was nervous or just a little excited, but his cheeks were flushed and his eyes a little wider than usual. Was he high? I chuckled at the thought.

"Something funny?" D leaned over and pressed his shoulder against mine, speaking softly just for the two of us to hear.

I moved toward him and pressed my lips against his ear, looking for any reason to get close to the delicious bastard. "Why is Edward here?"

He turned his face a little and smiled devilishly. "I thought you might enjoy having your boy toy at the dinner table tonight."

"My boy toy is at the dinner table every night." I tilted my head and pressed him with a hard stare.

"Bitch." He whispered and moved back with a sexy smirk playing on his lips.

God, I loved him. It permeated every part of me and drove me to want to be a different woman if it would lock in a future where we could be together. Anger tore through me, burning up my desire. No. I couldn't let myself dwell on how much I wanted him, needed him. It would only bring me grief, and I was tired of limping along. I had to find a way to divert my desire, to force myself to get over him completely.

He'd made it clear on more than one occasion. We would never be anything other than what we were... needy for each other.

"Edward, tell us about you meeting Audrey for the first time." Marco chuckled. "From what I heard, you thought she was new to the prostitution ring."

Edward shook his head and exhaled. "I seriously did. She looks like a prostitute, but there's something about her that screams executive or cop or, fuck, I don't know. I just find it weird that I'd been out to that damn house a million times and never once have I seen this girl."

"She stays busy." My father glanced up from eating his salad. "She's a very private person, but we did the background check on her like we do all of the girls. If she's anything other than a pretty smile and a great rack, then we're all in trouble. Don't worry about her background. Worry about keeping her safe."

"The more shit that keeps popping up, the more likely we are to gain the attention of the local police." I picked up a piece of bread and dipped it into the oil that sat in front of me. "Jonathan might be able to shuffle a few things under the rug, but I doubt he could hide a murder."

"Speaking of murder," Marco paused to chuckle, "did you see the news on Friday night? They've identified the burn victim at the Sears Tower as one Mister Lucas Parker."

"Anything else?" D asked.

"Not that I'm aware of, but you'd be better off asking Izzy's new man." Marco lifted his eyebrow, teasing me as he was so damn good at doing.

"I'll find out." I turned my attention toward Eddy. "What are you planning to do with this new girl, and what's her name?"

"It's Audrey, and supposedly, she is a tough cookie." He winked at me. "We're going to have her go undercover for us."

"It's not really undercover if she's going out on a call as a whore when she is a whore, right?" Marco snorted and lifted his hands in surrender as our father glanced up. "What? I'm just saying."

"She's going to help us find out who this bastard is that's attacking the girls?" My dad turned his dark gaze toward Eddy.

"Yes, Don Castaletta. She's the best fit for the job. She mentioned trying to get in a brawl with the guy so she could get a bit of his skin under her nails." Eddy glanced toward me. "Any way that Jonathan would be willing to analyze it?"

"I don't see why not." I popped the rest of my roll in my mouth as Marco took ownership of the conversation.

"We went to see old Johnny boy, by the way. He was rather helpful. I think we'll keep him." Marco wagged his eyebrows at me.

"Helpful how?" D glanced my way. "Did he let you see the video of your mother's murder?"

My father stiffened beside me. I should have told D that we could talk about it later, but who was I kidding? My father wasn't the sweet old man that he looked to be. He was more violent and deadly than the rest of us at the table combined.

"Yes." I turned to finish my response facing my father. His dark green eyes were a mixture of emotion. I'd say grief and fury if I had to pinpoint which ones dominated him at the moment. "There were four big guys, but there's no way they were Kallup boys. Jonathan is going to sweep the alley for me like it was his mother, who died."

My father nodded and glanced back down toward his plate. "Good. See that I get the results as soon as you have them. Me and your brother."

The sad expression on Marcos face caused the air of enjoyment in the room to dissipate rapidly. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I was seriously grateful for the chance to leave the room and gather my thoughts.

"I'll be right back." I moved my chair back with D's help and got up, pulling my phone to my ear without looking at who was calling. I didn't care. Whoever it was just saved me from the painful silence that filled the room as we all moved back in time to the funeral, to the casket, to our grief.

"This is Izabella." I walked out into the busy restaurant and turned to the left to walk down the hall toward the back alley where they kept the trash bin. "Hello?"

A soft whimper filled up my ears and I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Freddy. Freddy?" I pushed the door open as my heart hammered in my ears. "Where are you? Let me come get you."

More whimpers and sniffling. He was crying... Was he hurt?

"Please." Tears blurred my vision. Why did losing Freddy feel like losing momma again? "Please let me come get you. I won't let anyone hurt you until we figure out what's going on. Trust me, okay? You're my little brother. You're family."

I walked down the alley as my eyes scanned the street at the edge of the tight space I was moving through. What did I expect? For him to be somewhere along the main street? Having a coffee? Waiting for me?

"Help me," he whispered and my heart broke all over again.

"I will. Tell me where you are."

He screamed and the phone went dead, leaving me to turn in circles on the sidewalk as I yelled at my phone. The few people out and about looked my way like I was crazy, but I didn't care.

"Freddy!" I pulled the phone from my face and wiped the back of my hand by my nose. "Where are you? Fuck."

I tried to call him back, but got nothing. The phone went straight to voice mail. Listening to his chipper tone as he asked me to leave a message caused my stomach to grow more sick. He hadn't grown up a bit and he was alone in the world. He was hurt. Someone had him. Who? It had to be the Kallups.

Pausing by the back door to the restaurant, I closed my eyes and tucked my phone back into my pants pocket. I couldn't overreact and let them know. No one believed that he was innocent, but he was.

D's brother Drake killed a Kallup a few years back and we risked everything to hide him away. Why weren't we doing that for my little brother?

Because he most likely played a part in mommas murder.

Pain so strong it stole my breath raged through my chest, leaving my knees weak. I couldn't let them know. None of them besides Marco. He would help me find our brother and save him. He would take some of this off of me. He had the tapes and was going to make sure to review them first, which was good. I needed my name clear if anything came out of all of it. I needed to remain objective if Freddy had any hope of living past what we discovered.

He was involved. But why? How?

I wiped my eyes and rolled my shoulders as I walked back into the restaurant.

You're Izabella Castaletta. A snake waiting to attack anyone that comes in your line of sight. A cold-hearted bitch that does one thing, that lives for it. You're a killer. Nothing more. Nothing less.

"Everything alright, baby?" My father glanced up as I took my seat between Marco and D.

"Absolutely. Are we ready to order? I'm starving." I reached for another piece of bread.

"We already did." D glanced over at me, his expression filled with concern and question.

"Great, now... tell me more about this woman. What does she look like? Is she someone that we consider putting through this undercover work and then perhaps moving up to another position in the syndicate?" I needed help, and the boys held their own, but there were a few places and certain jobs that required a female touch. If this girl was capable of growing up into the organization, I was willing to lay down my jealousy over having another woman take the attention of my family.

"You're not worried about the competition?" My brother teased me.

"Nope. I need help. Every time something comes up that requires tits and a pretty smile, you guys call me." I glanced around the table. "It would have been really nice to have someone else drag the handsome cop into the mix. He's like Eddy. He wants snuggles and soft kisses." I groaned as they laughed, Edward included.

"I think you'll like her, Izzy, but maybe not." Edward picked up his beer. "She seems tough and she's definitely confident by the way she carries herself and stares you in the face when she talks. I think maybe you could offer her up to the cop in exchange for your services."

"Her services?" D's voice grew dark.

"You know what I mean." Eddy glanced over toward D. "She's playing his girlfriend. Come on, man. What are you expecting to happen over time?"

"And moving on to another topic." I turned to check on my father, but found him staring into space, his eyes glossy and lips turned down in a frown. "What's her name?"

"Audrey. She's blond with big blue eyes. I think she'll do okay with this first assignment, and if she does... and we need help, let's think about bringing her in. What do you think D?" Eddy was working to get me help, which was good and bad. Was he interested in the woman? Did I care if he was?

Not really.

"I like the idea, but I want to tread lightly. We're getting spread pretty thin right now. Bringing in this new narcotics Capo is about all I can focus on while keeping everything else running smoothly. Let's see what happens here, and remember... if anything happens to her, it's on you, Edward." D's glare was less than friendly.

"Understood. It's a little overwhelming to think of having so much riding on my judgment. Guess I know how you feel now." Edward smirked, goading D a little more than was healthy.

"Enough," I barked. "No more business talk. Momma wouldn't have allowed it."

"She's right." My father glanced up and gave me a sad smile. "You look so much like her, baby."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I nodded toward my father. Dinner needed to get started so that it could be over. I needed time to myself to figure things out... alone.

Chapter 9

Demetri

I had to meet Catherine in thirty minutes for breakfast, and where I usually looked forward to seeing my older sister, for some reason that morning I was dreading it. She was going to dig into everything and force me to spill myself. I loved her for it because it kept me from having a fucking heart attack, but I hated the thought of revealing where my pain was coming from.

Bringing Marcus into the narcotics ring was going to be good for all of us, but I didn't know the guy. He wouldn't have my back for a long time, or at least I wouldn't trust him to have it. I wanted Drake beside me. The selfish quest to stop pacing the floor at night and start trusting the Castaletta family again was driving me to the edge of insanity.

Joe treated me like a son, and I'd have done anything for him, but the bastard had so many secrets. Too many. Why hadn't he told me that Freddy wasn't his kid? No wonder he treated the guy like shit all these years. He was nothing more than a symbol of Vivian's unfaithfulness.

Was the Don involved in Vivian's death? Was the old man leading us all on a wild goose chase in search of a hit-man that didn't exist? Would we finally pull back the curtain and figure out that it was Joe that orchestrated all of it?

I wouldn't put it past him. I needed my brother in place beside me if I expected to survive.

"You trust Izzy. You know you do." I grabbed the keys off the ring near the door and decided to take my bike out to the docks. I needed to breathe fresh air as I forced my worries, my fears behind the brick wall inside of me. Maybe Marcus Blaine would turn out to be a good friend, and a great protector for me when I wasn't able to see three-hundred and sixty degrees around me.

"That's supposed to be Izabella. Don't shut her out." I parked the bike and pulled off my helmet, but didn't get off just yet. Closing my eyes, I let out a soft sigh. Something happened to her during dinner the night before. I could've won a million dollar if I'd bet that Freddy was the one that called her. I knew it. Fuck... we all did.

Did she think she was safe in the syndicate just because she wore the last name like a badge of honor? She didn't know her father like I did. She wouldn't have wanted to.

"You gonna sit there doing Yoga all day or come in?" My sister's voice brought a sense of peace to me.

"This look like yoga?" I smirked and nodded toward the back of the bike. "Come on. You need some excitement in your life. Get on and I'll take us to your favorite place."

She glanced down at her long blue skirt. She was proper if anything.

"I can't ride in this."

"Sure you can. Come on. Live a little." I tossed her the helmet as she glanced up.

"Fine, but if we get pulled over by the cops for indecent exposure..."

"It'll give you something to write in that journal of yours." I offered her my hand and helped her climb on behind me.

"Go slow. You know I'm scared of these things."

I smiled and glanced over my shoulder. "Hold on tight. This thing doesn't know what slow means."

The sound of her muffled scream as I took off down the dock was enough to loosen the tension building inside of me. I didn't just have Drake. I had Cat too. I needed to remember that shit more often.

*

"So you're bringing him on? That's it?" Cat's eyes widened as she lifted her coffee mug toward her mouth.

"Yeah. We checked him out. Izzy and I had dinner with him, and then yesterday morning he and Joe met. He's going to be good for us. He's no nonsense." I picked up my fork and cut my eggs up. "He's been working for various drug dealers for the last few years, some of them work for us scary enough, and he's ready to move up. He's bringing an associate with him. A Russian guy by the name of Zak. He seemed like the type of guy that would support Marcus and help us clean up this shit storm Freddy's started."

"Good." She took a sip of her coffee. "Any word from Freddy?"

"No, why? You worried?"

"Yeah, I am. He's an idiot and deserves to have his butt kicked all over someone's front yard, but he's just a kid, D."

I snorted. "He's twenty-five. That's not a kid, Cat."

"You're still a kid." She set her coffee down and leaned back in her chair. "Does he have a woman?"

"Who? Freddy?"

"No, Marcus." She picked up her spoon and stirred her oatmeal slowly, watching me intently.

"I don't think so. I think he had a girl, but she's not coming with him. I keep trying to figure out why she sounds so damn familiar." I reached for my phone and texted Daniel to see if he knew the name Kate Jarrett and if so... where from?

"Why would he not bring his woman with him?"

"Because this life is hard and dangerous, Cat. I really wish you would stick to the shipping aspect of the business and not continue to get involved in the other parts. You're putting yourself in danger, and I can't protect everyone all the time."

"I'm not asking you to protect me." She reached across the table and stole a piece of pineapple off my plate.

"It's my job as your brother."

"Not true. The rule actually states that the older sibling is the protector of the others. So with you being thirty and me forty... I win." She smiled and popped the pineapple in her mouth.

"Try again." I rolled my eyes at her and decided to change the subject while we were getting alone. "Tell me what's going on with you and Marco."

"Nothing." She didn't flinch or shift in her seat. Fuck. Maybe there was nothing going on.

"You're not sleeping together?" I knew it wasn't my place to ask, but with momma and daddy gone, someone had to protect Catherine from herself. She fell in love too fast and loved too deeply. I'd kill a mother fucker for breaking her heart. I was working hard to make sure it wasn't going to be Joe's oldest son at the end of my gun. That wouldn't be pretty.

"Nope. He's hot as sin, and I've thought about it multiple times, but no." She took a bite of her oatmeal as I shivered in disgust.

"Alright. Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself. You're still my sister."

She snorted. "You asked, butthole."

"True." I checked my watch. "I need to come into the office with you for a little while. I want to get you to pull the shipment paperwork for anything that wasn't verified as reaching our clients. I need to figure out where the fuck the drugs are, and get them back."

"D, you know where they are. The Kallups have those drugs."

"Good. Even better." I smiled and picked up my fork. "Eat up. You're getting too thin. Italian men like women with meat on their bones. I gotta marry you off sometime in the next century. Get to it."

She threw her napkin at me, called me an ass and kicked me under the table. It was done in love... it always was with her.

*

"How can you tell who the fuck signed this?" I lifted the shipping document to my face.

"That's Freddy's signature right there, D." She pointed at the paper. "It's pretty messy, even more than usual, but that's his."

"Call on these three. Follow them through the movement process and see where they are. Give me the final address and I'll go over there to see where our shit is." I handed her the papers and walked toward Freddy's office. "And find me a number for Thomas Kallup. I don't care if it's his grandmother's phone number. I want a way to reach him."

"Will do."

I pushed open the door and glanced around the room. The smell of piss and vomit was gone, which was a slight relief. I had my sister or Selma to thank for that no doubt.

My phone buzzed and I pulled it out to see an unknown number.

"Demetri DeMarco." 

"It's Marcus. We're looking at tomorrow night at the Masquerade Ball they throw down here at the Marriott. That too soon to get help with Billy?"

I rubbed my forehead and tried to think through who the hell had the time to head to New Orleans to deal with a mass murderer. It would have to be me. I knew Billy Turner when he was just getting started. Izzy could take his ass out, and I would be down there to make sure nothing happened to her while she did it. One day.

"That's perfect. I'll have Izzy on a flight. Look for a text from me tomorrow with details. I need you to have Billy at a certain location at a very specific time, but we'll work that out. Izabella will have to get there and scope out the best location from across the street. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Great. I appreciate it." Marcus paused. "And I'm taking you up on the offer. Give me the week to close everything down, and then I'll be in Chicago by next week."

"Good. Best decision you'll ever make. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." The thug on the other end of the phone caused me to chuckle as the line went dead. We didn't have time to help, but it was a good way to show him what he was entering into. Though we were dysfunctional as hell, we were still family.

I leaned down and pulled at the drawers on Freddy's desk, going through the few that opened and standing to look for a key for the ones that didn't.

The key ring by his door had large keys with numbers on them that went to various shipping crate locks, but nothing small. I turned back to the desk and paused as my mind registered the imprint of a small key on the dusty board where they all sat.

Turning back, I reached up and ran my finger along the place where a small key had to have laid. "Where are you? Who took you?"

I pulled out the keys to my bike and walked back through the warehouse until I found my sister.

"I gotta run. Something has come up."

She lifted her eyebrow. "Something always comes up."

"Did you, by chance, take the key to Freddy's desk? The one that unlocks his drawers."

"Nope. It's hanging on the keyring by the door. I kept telling him that he needed to put it somewhere else, but he felt like having it out in the open and obvious would keep anyone from thinking too much of it." She shrugged. "Just grab it and check the drawers on your way out."

"Right, I can't. The key is missing."

She huffed and walked back toward the office as I moved toward the exit.

"It's right here, D. I swear if it was a snake it would have-" She paused as she ducked into his office. "Well, it was here."

"When is the last time you saw it?" I knew where it was. Either Thomas Kallup had in in his pocket, or my woman did. Something told me it was the latter of the two options.

"Friday morning, I believe."

"See you later." I pushed the door open and swallowed the sinking sensation that Izabella knew more about Freddy's situation than she was letting on. She loved her mother, but Vivian was dead. There was no protecting the dead, but the living?

She was hiding Freddy. I was almost sure of it.