Page 107 of Possess Me

“Let me guess. With your family.”

“You got it.” I glanced out the open window, studying the landscaping. Not much had changed since I’d spent a month with Carlos and his crew.

“But you’re not interested.”

I took a deep breath. “That remains to be seen.”

“Are you suggesting they attacked you and sabotaged your plane?”

“No, the Bruni Crime Syndicate did that. I’m positive of it.”

He scratched his head. “They’re slimy but are gaining control of the Midwest of your lovely country. They also know better than to go after Bratva. Why now?”

“Because I’m Giovanni Bruni’s granddaughter.”

When Fallon piped in from the back, Carlos’ eyebrows immediately shot up as he whistled. “O-kay. Now, I understand.”

“There’s more,” I offered. “Fallon is Megan’s sister.”

He slammed on his brakes, barely managing to stop at a traffic light. “No fucking way.”

“True.”

“I told you to believe in reincarnation.”

“That you did, except Fallon is her own person.”

She cleared her throat. “I’m right here, boys.”

“Ooohhh. I like this girl. What I do know is that the Brunis’ organization was originally courted by some family in Moscow,so my sources tell me that they are actively attempting to keep the lines of communication open. They have designs on expanding. Some shit happened though. Bruni kept it quiet.”

“The expansion. Any idea where?” Carlos had always kept up with activities of other cartels and crime syndicates. Doing so had prevented him from facing his maker more than once.

“That is unsure. West or east.”

West. That should mean to Los Angeles, but I wouldn’t put it past them to try to make some inroads into Vegas. Other syndicates had tried and failed over the years. It was something to keep in the back of my mind. I rubbed my finger across my bottom lip.

“They will not like what happens if they decided westward bound is doable.”

He laughed. “You were always a go-getter. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. If the Brunis were the ones who sabotaged the plane, they’ll be looking for reports of a crash or a missing jet. I’ll have my boys pay close attention to the airwaves while your plane is being repaired. We’ll know if they make land.”

“You’re saying they could possibly follow us here,” Fallon interjected.

He nodded. “Absolutely. You need to remember that the Cubans and Russians have a long history together, close ties in the Cold War that have withstood time. There’s visa-free travel between the two countries.”

“Then why did they give me shit?”

I threw him a look as he grinned. “Because,” Carlos started and made a turn, “the plane is from the United States. You weren’t shot down simply because you threw out Vissarian’s name. However, when they noticed the plane…” He burst into laughter when I rolled my eyes.

“Fine. I’ll get the damn thing repainted.” I gritted my teeth.

“I like it. Don’t have it repainted because you look like drug dealers. I can tell this lady enjoys excitement in her life.”

“Ha!” she chortled.

“We’re almost to the house. My guess is that you guys are hungry. There is a fabulous little place within walking distance.” As Carlos rattled on about the menu, I was beginning to realize that my father had been keeping something from me. Perhaps from the entire family. While I wondered what and why, there was one sure thing about my dad.

He never did anything without a solid reason.