Page 74 of The Devil's Heir

Jarek

"What the fuck do you mean Rossi isn't in the country? You told me you had eyes on him!" I snarl at my informant.

"I thought it was Rossi, I swear! He looked exactly like him—"

I end all of his excuses with one single shot to the forehead. This fucker took me away from my family for absolutely nothing. I don't trust people like him. He had one important job, and he fucked it up.

"Let's go," I tell Joey and Elliot.

"I don't like this, Jarek. Something isn't right," Joey states.

I know he's right. I feel it in my bones, but we're almost four thousand miles away with an ocean between us and home. I don't know if the threat exists at home or somewhere here in Italy. I'm not about to take any chances, though.

"We're heading home ASAP."

As soon as I say the words, Joey is on his phone, calling for the plane to be ready. We don't even stop at the hotel to grab our things; I'll send somebody to grab anything we may have left. We just want to get home.

Once we're settled on the plane, I try calling Lily, but it goes to voicemail. Glancing at Joey, I can tell he cannot contact Zita, either.

"Do you think Rossi went to get his daughter?" I ask my capo and best friend.

"I don't know, but I do know when I talked to her this morning, she told me she was going to try and pull Lily out of the house for a shopping trip. I then received a text from her that Lily didn't want to leave the house and had invited her to stay for lunch. "

That's my good girl. Although I had told Lily that she didn't have to stay home, she did so anyway.

"Maybe they aren't around their phones at the moment. You know how women are when they get together and gossip. If the old bat is with them, she's probably telling her bullshit stories, trying to paint me as a bad person." I grin, knowing that it isn't far from the truth.

"Yeah, maybe," Joey says softly as he stares at his phone.

I'm trying to stay positive, but my stomach is tied in knots with not knowing what's going on back home.

Without signal, I can't even check the cameras at home.

There isn't anything we can do until we land.

I don't like not knowing shit. Everything needs to end, and if a turf war is what it's going to take, so be it. May the best fucking man win.

It's already getting late by the time we land, and if I didn't believe something was wrong when we left Italy, I definitely do now. It's been radio silence the whole flight, and although Joey texted Lonzo to check on the women, we haven't heard back from him, either.

I try calling Koval as soon as we land, and thankfully, he answers on the first ring.

"Thank fuck!" Koval exclaims as he answers. "I've been trying to get a hold of all three of you for hours, and so has Lonzo!"

I can hear the concern in my capo's voice, and I know, without a doubt, that whatever it is, it isn't good.

"What is it? I don't know what's happening with the service, but we've just landed. We need a car," I tell him.

"Jarek, it isn't good…" Koval states morosely. "They're inside your house. Your estate has been seized."

My whole body goes rigid at his words. "What… The… Fuck… Do… You… Mean?"

"Greco and Rossi. They're both inside the house with the women," Koval confirms, then adds, "There's more.

Seth is dead—shot in the back twice. A couple of their men threw his body out the front gate and informed us that there may be another body if he doesn't make it. I'm assuming Jackson is injured. "

As I walk across the lot to the airport, my legs threaten to give out. I need to find a cab or a ride-share immediately.

"Gather everyone !" I order.

"Marino was out of town, and Ricci had business to attend to, but they're both on their way now with backup. I have all our men here, as well as Lonzo and his men. It just wasn't enough compared to what they have, and I didn't want to endanger the women or your son."

The rage burning inside me right now doesn't even begin to say how much this situation is affecting me. The thought of having the two most important people in my life inside what is supposed to be the safety of our home but instead are at the hands of two motherfuckers, has sent my sanity packing.

There is no talking this out. Greco and Rossi are dead men walking, and if they dare lay a finger on my girl or son, they will have a long, miserable death. It's apparent that Greco finally heard that Carmen is dead, or he's been planning this all along. Neither matter because he fucked up.

After hanging up with Koval, I immediately got us a ride. Joey's been trying not to freak out as the two of us ride in the back seat of the ride-share. Elliot is in the front passenger seat, eyes searching our surroundings the entire way home.

"Will you stop with your leg already?" I growl at my best friend.

He's bouncing it uncontrollably, and it's beginning to get on my nerves.

"Sorry. I can't help it. How do you deal with shit like this? I never thought I'd feel so protective over someone until Zita, and now it's like my heart is inside my stomach, being weighed down by an invisible force."

"I know, but you must learn to push that feeling aside. Otherwise, you're not going to be able to think straight and will end up fucking shit up," I tell him. "I need you to get it together, or else I'll send you away to wait it out."

I don't mean to sound like a dick, but my family's lives are at stake, and if Joey can't handle this shit correctly, he won't be a part of it at all.

It's understandable how he's feeling, but at the end of the day, he needs to set his fears aside and do what needs to be done.

I had to learn this very thing when Lily came into my life, and it's only gotten worse.

I give myself a moment, but then I push it back and let the monster take over.

We spot Lonzo and Koval immediately as we pull up to the line of cars just outside my front gates. An unknown SUV sits, blocking the entrance so no one can drive up to the house.

As soon as I exit the vehicle, I walk over to the big lump by the guard shack, covered with a tarp. Lifting it up, I identify Louie, our head guard at the gate, and Seth. My thoughts go to Jackson. Does he know his boyfriend is gone?

Fuck!

This is going to end tonight. Greco and Rossi will pay for every fucking thing they have done. Nobody comes onto my turf and tries to take what is mine.

"Joey!" I call out.

"Yeah," he responds, jogging over to me.

"You remember where the secret entrances lead to?" I ask him.

His eyes widen.

"Shit. I forgot all about those!"

"Yeah, well, that's because we've never needed them until now. We'll leave your father out here with Marino and Ricci once they get here. We should only need a handful of men to breech the inside. I want my best men."

"Of course! I'll round them up now and wait for your command," my friend replies and starts to turn away.

"Oh, and Joey?"

"Yeah?"

"Call Owens, just in case we need him."

"You got it."

I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts until I get to the contact I'm looking for. Tapping the name, I bring the phone to my ear and wait. I don't have to wait long, though. They answer on the first ring.

"Falcon, I've been waiting for your call. I see you're back from your little jaunt to Italy." Greco's voice is amused.

"Cut the bullshit, Greco! I'm the one you want. I'm here. Let them go." My growly voice echoes through the darkness .

"Oh, but are you really the one I want? Your little whore here would make a perfect addition to my private parties. She'd also bring in a hefty price if I put her on my next shipment."

Greco's primary business is buying and selling people.

Thankfully, my uncle did have a little bit of heart and refused to go into that industry.

Greco loves what he does, and as for his private parties?

A chill runs through me at the thought of Lily being a part of that.

The chosen men and women for those parties never last more than a few months, if that.

They go through the worst treatment you can think of.

They would be better off getting sold. At least they would have a chance of being bought by a decent owner.

Well, as decent as an owner can be considered, anyway.

"You're fucking disgusting, Greco."

His sinister chuckle reaches my ears.

"You have no idea how disgusting I can be, Falcon."

A split second later, I hear a woman cry out, and I don't have to guess who it is; I'd know it anywhere.

"Take your fucking hands off her!" My hand squeezes my phone almost to the point of breaking it.

"Maybe I should kill her like you did my niece…"

How the fuck did he find out?

"Carmen fucked up, Greco. Her death is her own fault."

"Maybe you should have taken her up on her offer. Then maybe we wouldn't be in this position. I have your whole future at my mercy, Falcon."

"No amount of money in the world could have enticed me to touch that nasty whore." I sneer.

"Her pussy wasn't that bad." Greco laughs over the line.

My stomach churns with what he's just admitted. He's a sick bastard and more unhinged than I thought.

Joey gives me the signal that he's ready, and I nod in response as I start walking toward the secret entrance. I need to get to Lily and my son before this motherfucker does anything to them. I don't think I've ever been this scared in my life.

"Tell me what it is that you want, Greco?" I growl into the phone .

"It's simple, really. I want you to choose between your whore and your son. Which one will it be?"

"For what? Stop playing these games, and just say it!"

"Who lives and who dies tonight, Falcon? Is that clear enough for you?"

My heart races, and I pick up the pace, rushing to the only entrance available to us at the moment. This fucker doesn't realize just how unhinged I can be, but he's about to find out.