Chapter 17 -Fire
1854 Words
Kace
“She made a contract with Tov Tech that she would marry the CEO’s son.” Denzer, the guard they identified as the man who escorted Orsino Gallacini to a meeting at Tov Tech. He had endured hours of torture with a few missing fingers before he finally talked when they threatened his girlfriend which Kace had located.
He took a couple of hard breaths. “But the contract states that the Crimson Spider will protect buildings, employees, and productivity. Everything for ten percent of their profits. If anything happens on either side, the contract breaks.”
Cal looked at him with his eyes narrowed, weighing the man’s honesty.
“Hmmm. Very good, Denzer. Your girlfriend will be spared she’s pretty, but not as pretty as The Executioner. Some rumors are true, it’s the boss’s daughter. Tall, long dark brown hair, green eyes. Very beautiful, and dances really nice too.”
Kace felt the color drain from his face. Cal threw the knife down and walked out of the room. Kace followed him.
“Cal, how did you figure out who The Executioner is?”
“I met her at a bar.” He laughed, “She was drunk, let me tell you.”
“Okay.” That didn’t make sense, Niki never got drunk. “But how did you figure it out?”
Cal paused and looked at him with wide eyes. “She started stripping, and dang, I wanted some of that. I was close too.”
It took all of Kace’s self-control not to beat the life out of that man for even thinking those thoughts.Kace followed him to his father’s office.Cal knocked. A body guard came out.
“Five. Here to speak with Boss.”
The guard nodded and opened the door.
Father said, “Five. What did you find out?”
“A contract between Gallacini’s daughter and Millbrooks Son. They’re getting hitched. Crimson Spider gets ten percent, and they protect Tov Tech. It’s the entire business. Anything happens, contract breaks.”
His father rubbed his trimmed bread as he thought. His thin lips were in his usual frown. His brown eyes looked deep in thought.
“So we take the girl.”
Cal smiled like he was excited about the prospect.
Kace said, “That will just cause war with the Crimson Spider. If the Crimson Spider is protecting Tov Tech, then we should prove to Tov Tech that they can’t protect them. We don’t need the girl.”
Cal glanced behind, giving him a pouting face. Kace shrugged. We would do anything to keep Cal’s grimy fingers off of Niki.
Boss stood, rubbing his beard as he walked around the room thinking. Both Cal and he stood still watching him.
“Good Kace. We will talk with the other eight. You did well, Five. Start figuring out where we can hit Tov Tech the hardest.”
Cal’s face grew serious as he nodded.
“Kace, you find Gallacini’s daughter. Learn her whereabouts. When we are ready, we bring her in.”
Kace nodded. He was a mix of both frustrated and relieved.
“Leave.”
Cal and Kace walked out of the room. Cal bumped his shoulder.
“Ah man, I’m jealous. I do anything to hit that.”
“Don’t have any men track her.”
Cal widened his eyes, then grinned. “Ah I see, you want that meat to yourself.”
Kace stopped and turned on him. “ I don’t need her catching on DN.9 is on to her. I handle this alone.”
Cal held up his hands. “Alright, man. You sure are being too serious about this thing.” He lifted an eyebrow. “You aren’t protecting something, are ya?”
Kace quickly shook his head. “Nah man. I just can’t have this messing up if we want Tov Tech. I’m looking forward to the bonus.”
Cal grinned. “Yeah, me too. I know you won’t admit it out loud. But I’ll let you enjoy her bod. Come on, drinks on me.” He started walking towards the exit. “To help out a friend, I’ll even show you a picture of her. You’ll like what you see.”
Kace took a deep breath. He had to act as if this was not getting too personal. Cal would notice on the instant. This was business, strictly business. He’ll find a way to protect her.
But the only problem was that his father would expect reports on what he discovered. If his father wanted Niki, he was going to get her whether Kace helped or not. He grimly admitted that things had just gotten a little more complicated.
*******************
He waited for nearly two days at the abandoned warehouse before Niki showed up. He was lying on the ground just outside when he saw the three flashes. He rolled to his stomach and quickly responded. Quietly, he heard her footsteps coming over the rubble.
She emerged and walked over to him, sitting next to him on the grass. Nothing felt more right than to feel her near him. He touched her arm and she flinched. He withdrew his hand. Kace knew what that protective reaction meant.
“Oh Niki, tell me he did’t.”
She turned her head away from him.
“How long?”
“Seventy-seven hours.”
Kace cursed and stood up. “I’m going to kill him.” His muscles tensed and anger filled his being. “I’m going to kill him.”
Niki stood up. “You’ll be killed before you even reach him.”
“I can’t…” He gently touched her. “I can’t keep watching him hurt you. I’m going to kill him. Tell me where he’s at right now.”
“You are going to storm into a room with Padre and all his underbosses?”
Kace cursed again. “I’ll do it. As long as he is dead before I am.”
“Kace, then I lose you.” She put her arms around him. “Please don’t leave me.”
Kace was feeling too angry and he walked away from her. “But he can’t keep hurting you, I can’t let him anymore.”
Niki walked around to face him. “Then help me.”
Kace knew what she was asking. But there was something he had to tell her first.
“DN.9 is after you. They figured out the deal between you and Tov Tech. And Cal saw you, he has a picture of you.”
She took a step back stunned. “I’ve been exposed then.”
Kace nodded. “I’ve been the one asked to bring you in.”
Niki looked up into his face and grinned. She gave him a seductive look. “In hand cuffs?”
Desire filled him. She was being very tempting, messing with his desires and emotions. He turned around so he couldn’t look at her anymore.
“Niki, this is serious. I’m supposed to report to him.”
She wrapped her arms around his stomach. “Tell him the truth.”
“What?”
“Tell him you know me. I’ll come in, Kace, with no objections.”
Kace turned around. “What?”
“Let me talk with him.”
“Come on, Niki. You’re not making any sense.”
“I just discovered that in three weeks, The Crimson Spider is about to receive a large shipment of guns, ammo, grenades, you name it. They are going to be smuggled down to San Armas to the cartels there for a hefty price. But what if DN.9 were to intercept them?”
“Then what?”
She slid her hands up his chest. “Then Crimson Spider would lose out on money and DN.9 would have a large storage of weapons and ammo.”
“You really think giving DN.9 weapons and ammo is a good idea.”
“For a moment.” She slid her hands down his back. His skin warmed under her touch. “This job is supposed to be known by five select people, three are underbosses. Padre doesn’t know I know.”
Kace narrowed his eyes. “Okay.”
“I have a few names of DN.9 who can be arrested.”
Kace was having a harder time concentrating when Niki now had her hands touching the bare skin of his chest.
“People trust money. And as long as there’s that, people will continue to trust.”
“But what happens to a house if the foundation is no longer stable? If arrests keep happening and no one knows why? The house will become too unstable to live in. People will abandon it, leaving it exposed and vulnerable.”
“That’s your plan?”
“I want to start a war.”
Her fingers started gently rubbing underneath his pant's waist line. He was having a harder time listening. His breathing became shallower at the wake of fire she was causing him to have.
She said, “DN.9 will need more weapons to compete. What if I was to tell DN.9 that another shipment of weapons was to arrive two weeks after the first shipment, and this one was three times bigger? Enough to supply the whole mafia family, to guarantee their success.”
“Then what?”
“Well, while everyone is consumed with their families crumbling and the securing of their assets, we will be setting up the perfect opportunity for your father and the underbosses to be arrested. And mine as well.”
“I don’t know, Niki.” Kace still had doubts, but it was getting too hard to think. He wanted her, fully, and thoroughly, to become his.
“Kace.” Her lips parted as if she was ready to say what they dared not ever to.
“Say it, Niki.” He desperately wanted to hear her speak her desires.
She leaned his head down and kissed his lips. She pulled back slightly, “I want you, Kace. I want to live among the stars with you.”
He put his hand behind her head and collapsed his lips onto hers. His hands went under her shirt, touching and exploring her body. He picked her up and laid her down on the grass, kissing her neck and sucking on her earlobe. She groaned in pleasure, only intensifying his desire for her. He loved her. He wanted her.
He took off her shirt and then his, loving the way her skin felt against his. Niki trailed kisses down his neck and he moaned, feeling the need to have her completely. Fire consumed him.
A car sounded in the distance and Niki put her hands on his chest. But he didn’t care, Niki was his. He grabbed her wrists and pulled them above her head, holding her there as he continued to kiss her and become more consumed in this passionate fire taking a hold of his senses.
A car door slammed shut. Niki wiggled free.
“Kace. Kace!” She spoke in a whisper. “Someone’s here.”
- Writer
