Chapter 24 – Set up
1428 Words
Angel wanted to scream as she got in the car, followed quickly by Damian, who took great pleasure in her ride. His eyes looked over everything as his hand ran down the leather interior. He finally turned to look at her as he noticed she hadn’t started the car yet.
“What?” he asked.
“Enjoying it?”
“I am a man and we do know how to appreciate the finer things in life.” Angel smirked and started the car, threw it into reverse and squealed out of the parking lot.
“Sure you are. And I do too, which is why I had this custom made. Why I started my own business, without the power of my dad mind you. I knew I wanted something with speed and beauty on top of that. And after the first time someone shot at me, I needed something that was a bit more bullet proof.”
“Does that happen often?”
“What? The creating of my car or the shooting?” Damian gave her a pointed look as she threw the car into fourth gear. “I would love to go car shopping more, but I have three, and my dad says that’s more than enough.” She casted a glance at Damian and smiled, despite how pissed she was. “Being in my business, being shot at is a job hazard, happens more than any of us would like to admit. Being the not liked Boss here is making things a lot more fun for me.”
“You don’t sound like much has gone on? Other than what you have talked about.” Angel waved her hand out the window.
“This leak was not an accident.” Damian wrinkled his brows as he looked out the window as they tore down the road. She could see him trying to understand what she meant.
“You mean someone caused this leak you need to check out?”
“Of course. Being who I am, I always have officials breathing down my neck. And though some are in my pockets, most are not. Which means I always have crap checked out and they were in just last week for an inspection and found nothing, no bad pipes or lines, that would be on the verge of busting.”
“Could they have cut a line?” Angel tilted her head as she thought that over, her mood getting worse the more she dwelled on that. She hadn’t thought about that, but if that was the case, that means that someone was being paid to betray her and causing this trouble and that wasn’t sitting well with her.
“f**k,” Angel mumbled, not wanting to dwell on that, but she knew that betrayal was more than likely. Her tires squealed as she pulled into a spot and threw her car into park. Damian just looked at her and she shrugged as she got out of the car, Damian following as well. “What do we have Adrian?”
“Who is this?” Adrian asked. Angel lifted a brow at the man and Damian had to hide his smirk.
“He’s with me and that’s all you need to know. You work for me, Adrian, not the other way around.” Adrian eyed Damian again and then turned his attention to Angel.
“Seems the line that runs under the bar is the problem.” Angel’s jaw clenched.
“Is there a lot of water?”
“Enough. It’s leaking along the other side.” Angel sighed and rubbed her forehead. She started walking in and Damian followed her, his eyes still looking over the building. The dark paint on the outside and lack of signage caught his interest. This wasn’t like other club and Frank was the manager there.
“Angelina?” Adrian’s head snapped up as he looked at Damian and Angel had to smile. No one really called her by her first name so she could see why Adrian would question it.
“Yes Damian?”
“What club is this?”
“It’s called, La Famiglia (the Family).” That alone told him everything he needed to know. This was her private club that was reserved for the men who belonged to her family, the one club she hadn’t talked a lot about. “Adrian runs a couple things for me, not just this club. But we do tend to get other members of other families here, so he makes sure there is peace. And as I never bring anyone who is not family here, he was concerned.” Damian turned back to Adrian, who stood at the other end of the bar, his arms crossed as he looked at the couple. Angel followed Damian’s gaze and smiled. “He won’t do anything to you.”
“Yet,” Adrian said as he pushed off the bar and walked over to Angel. “It’s on the other end, Boss.” Adrian turned and Angel followed, her heels echoing in the empty building.
“God damn it,” she cried as her foot landed in a puddle of water. She walked around the bar, her head shaking as she saw the line that was very obviously cut.
“Where does this line run?”
“For this one, Damian, it runs our water to the bathroom, ice makers, and the main drinking line.” Angel crouched down, her hand running over the line and looked at Adrian. “This was partly cut so that use and pressure would finish off the break. I want to know who was the last to inspect the f*****g lines.”
“Why would someone cut it though?” She looked at Adrian and raised a brow.
“Who is set to come in tonight for a meeting? For a lay low? For any f*****g reason to escape the mafia world for a moment? Given that, who the f**k wouldn’t want me to close for the night?” Adrian winced at that and Damian stepped up, lightly rubbing Angel’s shoulder.
“Take a deep breath,” he told her, and she did.
“Adrian?”
“Yeah Boss?”
“Find out who checked us out last week. Then tell me who had meetings tonight. I doubt that anyone of them have been behind the bar to cut that, but there may be some connections that I don’t know or didn’t see.”
“Yes Boss, I’ll get on that now.”
“Before you do, call the water company; I need someone out here now to fix this. Then once you see who was due to come in, call Ric, he’s going to be calling those men.”
“On it Boss.” Angel turned and looked at Damian, smirking a bit.
“What?” he asked, her face causing him to panic slightly.
“Want to join me for something to eat and endless hours of watching my video footage?” Damian laughed and tilted his head.
“Is that like a date or something?”
“Can’t say it is.”
“Throw in some glasses behind the bar and you have yourself a deal.” Damian turned and looked around, seeing the many tables but very small dance floor. “I see this is not a dance club. I also see no VIP sections.” Angel walked up beside him and shrugged.
“There is only one VIP section and that’s for me or my family. Otherwise, you would say this would be more like a gentleman’s club. Not quite like a dance club.” Damian nodded and Angel smiled, seeing how he understood. “Along the side are meetings rooms for…” She stopped talking and tilted her head.
“What is it?”
“Stay the f**k down!” She grabbed her gun and clicked off the safety. “Adrian!” she hollered, running to the door. She had caught the very distinct sound of a car revving up and as she threw the door open, she heard the pops of multiple guns. She ducked and tried to peek around the door, seeing the black car driver off. She stood, eyeing the holes in the wall and the door and the shattered glass. Adrian came running out, his own gun in his hand.
“What the f**k?” he asked.
“A God damn drive by; this was a f*****g set up to get me alone,” she screamed.
- Writer
