Page 4 of Fixate (Devious Mafia Daddies #2)

Pharrell

“How the fuck does money disappear from an armored car that made no stops?”

Silence met my calm question.

I waited, eager to see who might step up to reply. Which of my men would remain loyal.

As I suspected, Jean and Tommaso both stepped forward. Jean spoke first.

“We’re trying to pull camera footage, sir.”

“Henri said he’d call as soon as he heard from his guy,” Tommaso added.

Henri’s guy was a hacker we occasionally sent work out to. I’d vetted the young guy a few years back when the world began shifting to more digital means. While everyone else got on board early on, there were still plenty of made men who hated the conversion — me being one of them.

There was beauty in meeting up to sign a contract or having a message delivered the old-fashioned way. It gave you more time to plan your strategies.

Nowadays, we had to work quickly against our enemies.

Thankfully, there weren’t many. Not since I’d signed an alliance with the Bratva in exchange for a wife. They’d agreed to a truce, though it was more a ceasefire than a full working alliance.

Stasia, my wife, had been trying to convince her uncle to be more understanding. As head of the Bratva, he held all the control over what they would and wouldn’t do.

And while he loved his niece dearly, he loved having power more. It fed his ego, which, in my opinion, needed nothing more. He was already making enough foolish choices in his role.

Namely, marrying off the only true heir to their organization to a man in a rival faction.

There wasn’t another option at the time though. We’d been battling each other for far too long with no end in sight.

I wasn’t a stupid man. When the proposal for marriage came, I said yes fairly quickly after laying out my own stipulations.

Since then, Stasia and I had worked out an agreement. She was my wife in name and business only. We were not romantic in any way.

While she wouldn’t have minded more, I couldn’t fathom an intimate relationship with her. Not when I was attracted to men.

Sure, Stasia was beautiful. I knew it, as did the men around me. There was no doubt I’d gotten blessed in that department.

Yet I never changed my mind. There was no ‘choice’ to it.

Speaking of my wife, she was the one who coordinated this particular shipment. She was going to be furious when she found out it wasn’t complete.

As if my thoughts held power to conjure her, I heard the distinct sound of heels clicking through the warehouse. All the men froze at the sound, their bodies tightening even further.

I grinned. My wife was a huge asset to things in my business.

Where I was more reserved in my frustrations, she was an inferno with men. She kept up the farce of a soft-spoken wife in mixed company, but behind closed doors, she could wield a knife and gun with the best of them.

It was yet another reason I couldn’t understand her family letting her go so easily. Even years into the arrangement, I questioned it from time to time. Why allow such a natural talent leave their ranks? Especially someone perfect for this life like Stasia.

“Sorry I’m late, boys. I had to have a talk with a man about what respect and consent meant,” she said with a wicked grin.

Dressed in the highest heels she could find, an immaculate black pantsuit, and wearing a bold red lip, she looked the part of a vixen. But it was the tiny red spots of blood on her white blouse that told me she showed the man his lesson with more than a few words.

“Stas,” I called out to get her attention. When she looked my way, I pointed to her shirt.

A glance down had her unleashing a slew of Russian curses. “I told the bastard not to bleed on me. Fucker.”

The men don’t dare laugh, though I do. It’s a perk of being her husband.

“We’ll get it taken care of. I know it’s your favorite.”

She moved to stand beside me, her gaze roaming over the men. My wife didn’t miss much of anything. Her eyes picked up their hesitant stances.

“Something happened. Who is going to tell me?”

I spoke up before one of the other men could. Stasia was already in a rough mood. If they gave her the bad news, she might put a bullet between their eyes — likely with their own gun. She had a habit of doing such.

“There’s been a… problem with the shipment of money coming in. The armored car arrived empty. Henri is checking CCTV now to see if he can locate where a switch occurred since the men in the car swear it was never stopped or opened.”

More curses left her lips, this time in English to ensure all the men know what she said. I smiled despite the issues at hand. It was fun to see her riled up.

But then I thought of the monetary loss and my smile faded. My casinos were insured, of course. That didn’t mean I wanted to deal with the headache of filing the paperwork and having the news cover the story. No matter what we did, it would leak.

And since there was more than just money for the casino in the car, we’d be under some serious scrutiny until some answers came through. I hoped Henri hurried the fuck up.

We paid him well enough to.

“What do you plan to do about this, Pharrell? Who is going to be held responsible?” Her demand was clear. Someone needed to bleed for the loss.

The one flaw Stasia had was her temper. It could be beautiful to watch, but at the same time, it had zero patience. She was quick to ignite anytime she felt wronged.

“We have to find the cause of the loss first, Stas. Killing loyal innocent men will not replace the product.”

“But it will make me feel better,” she said with a pout.

I laughed, looping my arm around her shoulders as I turned her away from the men. The less she looked at them, the more likely they’d stay alive.

With the hand not wrapped around her, I motioned for them to leave us. The group was quiet as they scattered.

“It’s no fun when you stop me.” My wife crossed her arms, the pout on her face priceless.

“Your bloodlust is usually a joy, but today isn’t a good time for it. We have company coming in soon, remember?”

She snorts. “Of course, I do. We love hosting Junior when he visits.”

“He’s not a junior, Stas. Dante is the heir to the Cosa Nostra. You’d do well to remember this when he arrives, or he might show you how strong his bloodlust is. I’ve heard enough rumors to know you’re more than matched.”

Fire sparked in her eyes. She was itching for someone to come to blows with. Too bad it wouldn’t be a man I considered a friend.

“Why don’t you head up to get ready? Set your shirt aside. I’ll personally see to it that it’s laundered.”

“How kind of you, dear husband.”

I shook my head. “Don’t be petulant. I want to greet them when they arrive. You can wait until later since it’s obvious you need to relax.”

Stas rolled her eyes before patting my cheek. “You’re too good to me.”

We walked out of the warehouse, where both of our drivers waited for us. I opened her door. “My lady,” I said with a bow.

As I’d hoped, she laughed and climbed in the car. “You look like a prince when you do that. It’s the royal bone structure you have.”

If only she knew the truth of it. My great grandfather was the bastard son of a king. There was royal blood running through my veins, no matter how diluted it’d become.

I suspected those genes were what led me to be a part of the organization I was in now. It’s what made me strive to be le patron, as my father would say. El jefe if my mother were still around to speak it.

With my half French, half Spanish blood, I knew I looked more like I was built for a runway than to hold an automatic rifle. Most men I met underestimated me. The rest had learned quickly my looks didn’t stop me from proving my power through a little bloodshed. Or a lot.

It depended on my mood.

“Try to rest. I’ll see you tonight,” I told Stasia before I shut her door and sent her back to the hotel. She’d be in her suite, showered and bored out of her mind in an hour.

I had other things to do, namely meeting my old friend and seeing who he brought with him. If my suspicions were correct, it was someone I’d hoped to meet for many years.

The hotel staff I employed knew to be discreet at all costs. We had strict policies to keep our guests protected.

They also knew to alert me if certain people from my approved visitor’s list arrived, particularly if they were someone I’d booked the stay for.

I received notification of Dante’s arrival while I was working with my team to make sure the insurance claims were properly filed. While I worked both on the right side and the wrong side of the law, I kept each part as distinctly separate as possible.

“Take care of it, Pierre. I don’t want to come back to you telling me there’s nothing to be done,” I told the young man who helped with all my paperwork. He was something of an assistant, though I hated to give him the title. It didn’t cover what he did well enough.

His clearance on the legal side of the business was just under the level Stasia and I had. He could do just about anything we could, minus a few security-related actions.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Lyon. This will be handled by the time you finish greeting Mr. Dante.”

I appreciated him not using Dante’s last name in mixed company. While someone named Dante could be anyone, there was no denying the Romano name and what it meant.

Though Pierre knew there were two sides to the Lyon businesses, others did not. I had no plans of sharing that information either.

At the elevator, I inserted my private card into the panel. It would grant me direct access to the floor Dante was staying on.

When I arrived at the suite I’d set up, I knocked and waited for them to open the door. I could have easily gone inside using the same key I had, however, that seemed rude. I especially didn’t want to catch him in a possibly compromising position.

No need to soil a good relationship with impatience.

Dante opened the door, revealing him and another man. I knew without him telling me that this was the man he’d been hung up on for years. The one he called Preacher.

Through the years, we’d talked and dined together numerous times, mostly when I ventured overseas for a buying trip. Each meeting ended with him sharing a bit more about the man he’d left behind, the one who would always have his heart.

I commiserated with him each time. Not only because losing someone was hard, but because I understood wanting someone you couldn’t have. Stasia made a great business partner, and I loved her dearly. Still, nothing could replace the feeling a romantic relationship provided.

Especially a romantic relationship with Daddy/boy dynamics.

Our shared kink brought us closer together. We could understand each other in a deeper way, despite me being a Daddy and him a boy.

The man I suspected to be Preacher looked me up and down slowly, as if he were cataloging details about me. I didn’t let it get to me. He wasn’t the first to find my appearance startling.

Smiling at him, I said, “It happens to me all the time. I always find it funny.”

I reached my hand out to shake his hand. He didn’t say much, though he did wrap himself around Dante, a move I found to be possessive and amusing.

“It’s good to see you again, Dante. And might I say, you are radiant today. I think having your Daddy around suits you quite nicely.”

Dante’s jaw dropped. He likely forgot our late-night discussions considering his drunken state each time. That or he’s surprised I clocked their relationship so easily.

“I’m guessing you made the connection that he was my boy without him telling you. He appears stunned at you mentioning it,” Dante’s Daddy said with a laugh.

With a nod, I waved a hand toward the room since they’d left me in the doorway. “May I?”

“Of course. Sorry about that. I needed to get a feel for you before anything else moved forward.”

Since this conversation might be long, I took up a seat in one of the wingback chairs across the room. They were some of my favorite pieces we had in the hotels. I’d requested them for every suite and even in my office.

“Understandable. I would be the same if I had a boy of my own.” I paused at the confused look he gave me.

“I’m sure Dante has told you I am married, yes?

Well, that is more for alliance purposes.

My wife is in name only, and she takes to having her own partners in her bed at night.

I would do the same, but I have yet to find the right fit for me. ”

“Ahh. I understand. Well, I do hope that boy of yours finds you one day.”

I accepted the well wishes.

“I do as well. Sooner than later would be nice. But as it stands, we have more pressing matters at hand. Please explain your visit, Dante.”

Dante leaned closer as he spoke. “As you know, I’ve been planning to take my father down for years. It was never going to be a simple task, but I know it to be possible. As he’s aged, he’s become weak. He thinks everyone is loyal to him, when truly that’s not the case.”

“But why the rushed timeline? Last we spoke, you had more planning to do.”

He tilted his head towards his partner. “Things changed. My Daddy kidnapped me and now I’ve got to rush things.”

“Hey! I didn’t kidnap you. I was trying to reunite us. I thought your father was keeping you away from me.”

“Technically, he was. I was just playing along because it was easier than trying to rush things,” Dante agreed.

“Except now we have no choice but to move up timelines. I can’t be off-grid too long or he’ll get suspicious.

And since I can’t very well bring you back into the fold, Preacher, then we have to have things moving in the background for when the moment is right. ”

“When do you think that moment will be?” I asked.

“I’m not sure, honestly. It could be a month, or it could be two weeks. I don’t think it will be long, though. I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll be found out before too much time passes.”

The other man nodded as if to agree with the evaluation. “He’ll get paranoid too. We could play into the delusion if we want to use mind games against him. He won’t suspect anything from you two, but from an outside source I’d bet. At least, if he’s the same as he was.”

Dante made a snorting noise that brought a grin to my face. It was the same sound he’d made while drunk and discussing his desire to return to his Daddy.

“He’s the same,” Dante said. “Fatter and balder, but the same.”

“Let me talk to the wife to see if she’s finally ready to get revenge on that asshole.

Then I can let you know how many forces you’ll have to help you with this project.

If you’ll excuse me though, I have business to attend to.

There’s always something going on in the city that needs my attention.

Dinner is on me. Feel free to order all that you wish. ”

With a quick nod their way, I stood and left them to be. They’d given me enough to work with. Plus, I had to convince my wife helping Dante would be worth our time and resources. Hopefully she’d agree.