Page 10

9

KILIAN

I pull up in front of my parents’ estate. My father summoning me after my trip to Sicily. I see my brother’s Mercedes in the drive and I clench my fist. Besides my mother, my brothers Grayson and Liam are some of the few that know I am alive. Even their families think I’m dead. I hate my father and the rest of the board of The Partners for putting me in this position. Making my brothers lie about missing me. My mother heartbroken that our father put me in this position. He says it was a necessity but I know he did it as payback. For getting the Montford’s out of his debt. For having compassion when it came to my best friend losing his brother. For making sure he didn’t endure the same loss with his other brother.

I hate to say it though, it does help with the business The Partners run. We have people who recruit new members, businessmen, entrepreneurs, anyone with a nice price tag on their name. Most join willingly, hungry for power and wealth. Others are more hesitant. But once you know about The Partners, it’s hard to break away from their grasp. I then get sent to make threats, close deals. Most successful businessmen know who I am and they don’t want to end up with my fate.

I go to open my car door when my phone rings, Tomas’s name popping up on the car radio.

“Tomas,” I answer.

“Sorry for the delay Mr. Bancroft but I hit some walls.”

Fuck. I need something. I’m sure my father won’t be happy to hear I only have vague information from a woman in Sicily. “Did you find anything?”

“I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t.” His voice even and calm. “It took some digging on the Di Masio name. It looks like someone worked hard to cover things up. You said the house was occupied by a Mirabella Di Masio. Well that name doesn’t exist. It’s a fake. The house used to be owned by a Di Masio, with a daughter named Valentina that disappeared sixty years ago.”

“And?” I ask impatiently.

“That’s why it took an extra day. She didn’t disappear. She married into the mob. Her records were wiped. Valentina Di Masio was legally dead in 1963. Only seventeen years old. But I recovered photos from then. She was with a young man I can only assume was vacationing out there. Francesco Renzetti.”

“The previous don to the Renzetti Mafia family?”

“The one and only. I guess she ran away with him. Her family didn’t know. She was declared legally dead a few months after she went missing. I am guessing the Renzettis had something to do with that.”

“So Mirabella Di Masio is Mirabella Renzetti. Is she the daughter of Giancarlo? I thought he only had sons.”

Tomas is quick to answer. “Daughter of the late Benito Renzetti. Mirabella seems to have disappeared not long after her parents’ death in 2007. I can’t find anything about the years between 2008 and 2012 when she showed up in late fall in Sicily and took ownership of that house in Cefalù.”

Because she was in Dublin with a different name during that time. A name that someone with a lot of power was able to cover up. Even from my man that can find anything.

“If I find anything out about that time, I will let you know. But her brother Ezio Renzetti is a piece of work. From what I uncovered, he feels like he should be next in line to take over the family. But he doesn’t seem to have much power. And he disappears often then turns up years later.”

Because he is a fucking mole and is running undercover for the Renzettis. “Thank you, Tomas. Payment will be delivered to you by the end of the day.”

He hangs up without a word. I sit in my car and stare out into the garden.

She lied to me. She said she knew nothing about her brother. Which is why I saw the tiny flick of her eyes when I mentioned the name Di Masio. He must never have used it like she does. But that doesn’t mean she had no idea what was going on.

That also means she lied about Venice. The Renzettis live in Genoa. I wouldn’t put it past her if she is covering up for them. Does she work for them? Work for the family trying to tear The Partners apart?

That also makes me wonder if our relationship was a lie? Did she get information from me then disappear? I try to remember what we talked about but nothing that would have made her know what I really did. We never spoke of our families to each other.

That also reminds me that she can throw one hell of a knife. What else is my doll hiding?

I dial Andre.

“Yeah, boss?”

“I need you to go back to Sicily. I need you to watch over that house. I want to know where she goes and what she’s doing. Any visitor that she has.”

“Yes, sir.”

I hang up just as someone starts tapping on my window. I look up and see Grayson.

“You gonna sit in your car all day?”

I take a deep breath and open the door, shoving my phone in my pocket. “I had business to take care of.”

“Yeah, I know. Dad was the one who sent me out here to get you.”

“He has no patience.” I pull the sleeves of my suit down as I walk toward the house with my brother.

“Hey,” my brother says as he grabs my arm to stop me from walking into the house. “You doing okay? You… this is the worst I’ve—”

“I’m fine,” I say as I grip the back of my neck. I know Grayson and Liam both worry about me. They are older than me, they both thought they would be doing what I am doing. But that’s not how the cards played out.

Grayson hesitates before answering. “Just… you know I’m here if you need me.”

“And what would I need you for?” I bite.

Grayson scowls but doesn’t say anything. Instead he walks into the house without me.

* * *

My father wasn’t happy to find out about the Renzetti family when I told him last week. A look crossed his face I haven’t seen before. I have no idea what it means and what it has to do with the Renzettis. I know The Partners don’t ever negotiate with the mob. There’s been some bad blood between them over the years. Which would make sense why they targeted us and our shipments.

I stretch my legs out as my plane lands in Bari, Italy. There is a shipment of weapons being delivered tonight and I want to make sure they land in the right hands. I don’t usually do this. We have other men who take care of sales and trades. Dean Arrington is in charge of weapons, his son, Roland, the one that is usually here for trades but with the threat of the Renzettis, I want to make sure that everything goes smoothly. These weapons will never be in our hands. A simple purchase from Libya will be delivered and an hour later a sale to the Spanish cartel. We have guards everywhere and men on our payroll at every major shipping port along the Mediterranean.

I step off the plane and make my way out to the waiting car, Mario tight on my heels. We are silent as we make our way to the harbor and drive near the pier where our shipment should be. We both check our weapons before getting out of the car then walk in the dark to the shipping container.

It’s after eight, the night mild with a cool breeze. Workers are busy loading freights off a ship, the noise a welcome distraction for the deal.

Dimitri, one of the men I trust the most out of the associates with The Partners, nods as he sees us approach. “They are lifting the cargo off the ship now. There was a delay,” he says in his thick Russian accent.

“How long of a delay?” I look at my watch. “The cartel will be here in less than an hour.”

Dimitri points to the transport being lifted overhead. “That’s it. The serial numbers match what the Libyans said.”

I nod. “I’m going to take a walk around the harbor.”

“You aren’t usually here. It’s usually Roland. Is there something going on?”

I shake my head. “No. Just following orders to supervise.”

“I’ll keep all eyes and ears open,” Dimitri says, understanding me.

I give him a curt nod and signal for Mario to follow me. We make a round around the harbor as the freight gets moved to its designated location. My eyes are peeled but nothing seems out of order. It’s like any normal day at the docks. Trucks in and out, men shouting, nothing out of the ordinary.

We make our way back to Dimitri. “Why was there a delay?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “I couldn’t get much out of the men working. Something about the crane. A malfunction of some sort.”

“A malfunction?”

He nods.

“Why didn’t they use another crane?”

“I assumed it was in use.”

I clench my jaw as the irritation grows. “Did you see it in use?”

“Yeah, there was another ship at the dock a few hours ago. By the time that load was finished they had this one running again.”

I relax slightly.

“I checked for foul play. Don’t worry, Kilian. I know what’s been going on.”

I put one arm on his shoulder. “Thanks, Dimitri.”

The loud clunking of the crane above us stops us from talking. We watch as the container gets set down in the spot we were told. After the workers disconnect the freight, Dimitri pulls out a key to unlock the cargo.

Men stand at the ready, guns aimed at the door in case of any horseplay. But nothing happens as the door opens. Twenty wooden crates sit inside the container and I follow Dimitri inside to check the cargo.

“Everything is here,” he tells me.

“Then let’s hope the cartel shows up soon so we can get out of here.”

Dimitri chuckles. “You don’t like the docks.”

“No,” I mutter as I walk backward and lean against a container and wait.

My father used to have me run shipments when I was twenty. Weekends away from school, my life, the parties, the drugs, the women. All to do something I had no interest in. Of course, back then I had no idea how deep this went. How interconnected The Partners were around the world. I hated him for making me do this. Learn the tradeoffs. And every time I come back to a dock, a feeling of shame runs through me.

Twenty minutes later, our contact in the cartel shows up. The deal is done. Keys are handed over and money is transferred.

“Drinks?” Dimitri asks me.

I want to go home but I can’t pass up opportunities to build trust with everyone in the game. “Sure.”

We meet at a hole-in-the-wall bar a few miles from the harbor. Mario is in the car, so it’s just Dimitri and myself. From what he’s told me, everything seems normal. He was present at one of the missing shipments. The container never made it on the ship.

I know now that had to do with Calvetti and Sons and their deceit to The Partners. I am glad Dimitri is aware of the threat even if he doesn’t know everything.

“How have you been, Kilian? I’ve talked about myself for an hour.”

I sip my whiskey. “Same as always.”

“Any women in your life?”

I laugh. “Only the ones I find for the night.” But my thoughts go directly to dark-chocolate eyes and black hair.

“Still playing the field?”

“I don’t have many choices.”

Dimitri’s face falls at my words. A man who knows the man I used to be, the walking dead I am now.

“What about you? How are your wife and daughter?” I ask, curious.

A smile takes over the Russian’s face. “We just had a baby boy! The whole family is great. We plan to…”

I barely listen as he talks, my mind wandering elsewhere. I’m startled when my phone rings and I see Andre’s name on the screen.

I throw money on the bar. “Dimitri, it’s been good to see you. But I have to take this call.”

“No worries, boss. Duty calls. I get it.”

“I’ll see you around.”

He says goodbye in Russian and I make my way out of the crowded bar.

“What did you find out?” I ask Andre. I don’t say a word as he speaks.