Gauge, page 17
Yep, she was definitely blushing. “Do I look any different than before?”
He half-smiled. “In some ways, yes. Others? No, not at all.”
His gaze ensnared her. Should she join him on the comfy sofa or pretend like nothing had changed? She should just act normally, but she had no idea what that even entailed. After seeing the baby earlier and talking to the ladies, she was ready to confess her feelings for Gauge, but she suddenly felt shy.
His brows knit. “There’s something we should talk about.”
Uh-oh. He knew about her conflicting emotions and was going to let her down gently. She felt her eyes prick, but she did not want to cry in front of him. Instead, she nodded and walked to the kitchen to get a drink to buy some time. She needed to pull up her big-girl panties and handle this like an adult. Regardless of what he had to say.
When she had the bottle upturned, she saw him walk in. Damn, she’d hoped he’d give her a few minutes to collect herself before she went back into the living room. No such luck.
“I shouldn’t have—”
A cellphone rang, and Gauge cursed. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered, but her mind reeled.
He shouldn’t have what? Let her stay? Fucked her? What?
“Fuck. We’re on our way.” He ended the call, all casualness now locked behind a professional mask she was all too familiar with. “Horace Collins was murdered. He’s the boss—”
“Of the Collins Family in Chicago. I know,” she said, as he rushed out of the kitchen.
Dropping the bottle on the counter, she followed him. He put on his shoes. “He’s also Xan’s ex-father-in-law. Not sure what his death means, but Brody is freaking out. Bear wants everyone at the shop. Now.”
Without hesitation, she slipped on her sandals and grabbed her handbag.
They flew down the two-lane highway. At this rate, Viola knew they only had minutes to talk.
“What were you going to say earlier?”
Gauge’s gaze darted to her. “We can talk about it later.”
“I think we should just get it out now.” She needed a clear head when they got to the garage, and she’d be too distracted wondering what Gauge was going to tell her to be of much use.
But she knew. She already knew.
Maybe she just wanted him to rip off the bandage now so she could harden herself that much faster.
“Baby, it’s not that simple.”
She huffed out an annoyed breath. “Don’t worry. I get it.”
He glanced at her, his brow furrowed. “I don’t think you do.”
“Then fucking enlighten me.”
His jaw ticked. “I wanted to explain why I ended things when we were at school.”
She hadn’t expected that. Unless he was about to cling to the same reasoning as before—that he hadn’t wanted want to be with her. That old scab over her heart throbbed. “We were young,” she said as if it was the excuse.
“Your father found out.”
She gaped at him. “What?”
“He saw me leaving your room that morning. I didn’t care what he did to me, but he threatened to pull you out of the Academy if I didn’t end things.”
She blinked several times, trying to process this. Of all the reasons she’d come up with, that hadn’t even been in the ballpark. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He told me not to.”
Anger welled inside her. “And after I’d graduated?”
He shrugged. “You’d moved on.” With Dave. He didn’t have to say it.
“After my father died? After I got divorced?” she asked, her voice rising with each question.
“We were at different places in our lives.”
“I see.” They pulled into the parking lot, and they both got out. She was fuming, but she didn’t know who she was madder at. Her father for controlling her life or Gauge for not trusting her to make her own decision. One thing she was sure of was that she was sick and tired of the men in her life—past and present—keeping secrets from her.
“I just wanted to tell you the truth,” he said as they walked in.
“Needed a clean conscious before you fucked me again? Oh wait…” She knew she was being a bitch, but she couldn’t help the shocked anger coursing through her right this second.
He stopped her before they reached the opened conference room door. “I had no intentions of getting intimate with you again,” he whispered heatedly. He’d said it as if the thought had truly been the furthest thing from his mind. As if he didn’t even care one way or another that they’d reconnected.
The gasp of hurt that bubbled up was shoved back down with sheer will. Was she still so blinded by her own feelings that she’d read him completely wrong?
“Get in here,” Bear called out.
Gauge growled but followed the order.
“Where’s Brody?” Gauge asked as he walked into the conference room, which was really set up like a command center. There were laptops set up around the room with multiple monitors hanging on the wall. The rest of the guys, along with Anna, Shelby, Heather, and Maya, were here, so Viola took a seat beside Shelby. If she sat next to Gauge, she’d punch him in the junk.
“Awaiting McMillian’s word on a safe house. He’s packing things now to take with them when they go,” Bear said.
“Is that necessary?” Anna asked. “The man’s dead. He can’t come after her now.”
Blade clasped his fiancée’s hand. “He just wants to make sure she’s safe until we know what happened and why.”
“Do we have any clues?” Shelby asked.
“Whoever it was meant business. There were several men killed. He probably shot his way through all the muscle to get to Collins.”
“Or it was someone on the inside,” Roc said. “He could’ve waltzed right in there, killed Collins, and then shot his way out.” If anyone was well versed in organized crime dynamics, it was him.
“So, someone with mafia ties, then?” Viola asked, happy her voice sounded level. The last thing she wanted to do was show how affected she was by her and Gauge’s fight.
“That’s the theory,” Bear said. He turned to Gauge. “We need to track all mafia movement in and out of Chicago.”
“On it.” Gauge opened the laptop in front of him and began his search.
Bear’s phone buzzed, so he checked it. “McMillian’s secured a house for them in Garland County.
“Is that fucker sending them to Hot Springs?” Blade smirked. “Wouldn’t put it past him to send them to the same town Al Capone used to vacation in.”
“He likes being ironic,” Roc said without any humor.
“Doesn’t matter,” Bear said. “The sooner Brody loads up Xan’s car and gets out of town the better.”
Viola sat up straighter. “I still have Xan’s car.”
She felt several pairs of eyes on her. Though she felt the heat of one set in particular, she refused to look at Gauge.
“Brody can’t transport them all in a single-cab truck. They’re going to need it back,” Bear said, but Viola was already standing.
“I’ll take her,” Shelby said.
Oh, right. Regardless of how Viola got to Gauge’s house to retrieve the car, she’d need a way back from Xan’s house. Without looking in Gauge’s direction, she left the room with Shelby right behind her.
Viola climbed into the car as her former colleague revved the engine. “Trust you to drive an old ass Camaro.”
Shelby gasped indigently. “It’s a Trans Am.”
“What’s the difference? Never mind,” she quickly amended, lifting her hand. “I don’t wanna know.”
Shelby muttered something that sounded like heathen, but Viola let it slide. Truth was, Gauge’s little confession was still fresh on her mind. It still angered her. Dave had kept all kinds of secrets from her, and that wound was still fresh. Didn’t matter if she didn’t love her ex-husband anymore. What he’d done had hardened her. It was a hard life lesson she’d never forget. The one thing she’d demand from others from now on was honesty. She deserved no less.
As they drove to Gauge’s house, the reasonable side of her brain told her things with him this time around were still new. Hell, his stitches didn’t come out for a few more days. It wasn’t as if they’d been married for years and he’d decided to tell her the truth. It was just yesterday she’d realized how she’d felt about him. All things considered, Gauge hadn’t waited that long to tell her why he’d broken up with her.
And the fact of the matter was, she was relieved he hadn’t only been after her virginity.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Shelby said as she pulled into Gauge’s driveway.
“Sorry. Lot on my mind.” She dug Xan’s keys out of her purse.
“Well, if you need some helpful advice, you can tell me all about it after I get you from Xan’s.”
“Pass,” Viola said deadpan.
Shelby whined playfully. “But I wanna hear all the juicy details of how things went with Gauge when you got home.” She wagged her eyebrows.
“Hush.” Viola got out of the car.
Shelby rolled the window down. “I gotta stop and get gas. I’ll meet you there.”
“Fine,” Viola called over her shoulder.
“And I might bribe you with frozen custard on the way.”
Viola rolled her eyes and got into Xan’s Honda. At least Shelby hadn’t questioned her in front of everyone at the garage. She wouldn’t put it past her friend to do something like that if she thought she was being secretively helpful.
Shelby pulled toward the main road while Viola headed in the direction they’d come. The road curved near an old barn. There was a late model SUV parked beside it that hadn’t been in view when they’d passed before. It looked too fancy to be idling beside the decrepit building, but then again, what little she knew about ranchers and farmers she’d learned from watching Yellowstone.
Taking the turn to Xan’s house, Viola scanned the area in front of her. The car jerked. She gasped, looking down at the gages on instinct, but then her gaze flew to the rearview mirror in time to see that same luxury SUV slam into her. Again. Much harder this time.
“What the fuck?” she breathed, flooring the gas pedal.
Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as her training kicked in. She sped down the narrow country road as she checked the rearview mirror again. They were right behind her, swerving from side to side as if they wanted to pass.
It was possible they were experiencing some sort of emergency and the accident had been truly that, but she wasn’t going to pull over the side of the road to find out. With her luck, they wouldn’t just pass her.
A gunshot rang out, and she suddenly lost control of the wheel. They’d blown out a tire! She cussed as she tried to swerve, taking a small gravel road to her right, but the car veered sideways. She screamed as the SUV T-boned her, crashing her into the ditch. Airbags exploded around her, painfully cushioning the blow as her head careened toward the window when the car landed on its side.
She moaned, stabbing at her seatbelt buckle to extricate herself before the assailant reached her. God, she hoped it was just one person. The more there were the harder it’d be to fight them off. Although she didn’t know they were after her, she doubted this was a random attack. Had someone singled her out because she was here working a case?
Shit, did this have to do with Gauge’s shooting?
The door groaned as she shoved it open, but before she could climb out, someone grabbed her hair. She grabbed her head, wincing as she was pulled completely out and tossed onto the ground.
“Get up,” the deep voice ordered. Viola had no choice but to stand as he snatched her up.
He dragged her toward the SUV, but she fought back, stomping on his foot and kneeing him in the balls. She knew if he got her into his vehicle, she was as good as dead.
As she struggled in his grip, he yanked her to the side and punched her. Stars exploded behind her eyes. She struggled to knock the hair out of her face to get a better look at her attacker, but when she did, he sneered at her.
“You’re not her.”
“Who?” she asked, panting, not that it mattered. If she could stall him long enough, maybe Shelby would drive by and see her. Viola had turned off the road in the midst of the chase, but she hadn’t gotten far.
“Xan.”
Viola frowned at his response. This hadn’t been a random accident or someone after her for her involvement in Gauge’s case. This guy was after Xan. Had she been the target all along? Viola quickly cataloged his features to be able to identify him when she got away. Brown hair. Medium build. Average height. No accent.
That was as far as she got in her assessment before the man’s fist landed on her face again and darkness surrounded her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gauge was pissed with himself for bringing up the past when he and Viola had been in a rush to get to the shop. He should’ve waited until they’d gotten back to his place to broach the subject. Now, he had fucking damage control to do. He growled under his breath at how frustrated he was.
“Find something?” Blade asked.
Gauge looked up from the laptop. At least he’d been able to keep doing his job while silently berating himself. Well, he hadn’t been doing it as quietly as he’d thought. “No. Still tracking the Romano family. There’s been a flurry of activity the last few days, but that could be attributed to making all those funeral arrangements.”
The door chimed, and Bear cursed. “Shelby didn’t lock the door behind her.”
“I’ll get it. It’s technically my job,” Heather said.
Roc smiled softly at her as she got up, but when she got to the doorway, she froze.
“Luc?” she asked, backing up.
Everyone jumped from their seats, but Roc was faster than them all. He reached Heather just as Luc entered the room.
“What the fuck?” Roc roared, yanking his girlfriend behind him.
“That’s a nice GT4 you guys are restoring out there. Always a pleasure to see you, Heather,” the guy said, looking around Roc to see her.
Hunter took another step, but Maya held him back.
“Don’t talk to her,” Roc said.
“Gentlemen,” Luc said, nodding his head at the others in the room. “And ladies.”
Bear pushed in front of Roc. “I thought people out on bail weren’t allowed to leave their states. Shouldn’t you be in Texas?”
Luc smirked. “You know as well as I do that those charges are on their way out the window. Besides, I think we’ve already established I don’t give a fuck about the law.”
“Just because we didn’t want to be involved in the case against you doesn’t mean your ass is welcome around here.”
“After I got released, I discovered what happened. I wanted to apologize and let you know I had nothing to do with the attack.”
“Great. Now, get the fuck out,” Roc barked.
Heather sighed and nudged him away. “Y’all are being silly.”
“He could’ve called,” Gauge said.
“Aww, did you miss me?” Luc crooned.
Gauge growled, taking a menacing step toward him.
“Knock it off,” Heather said over her shoulder at him. Then she looked around the room. “Everybody chill out. Jesus.”
“He kidnapped—”
“I know,” Heather said softly, stroking Roc’s cheek, trying to calm down her boyfriend, but by the looks of it, her efforts were not working. “He wouldn’t be here unless there was a reason. Everything he does is calculated. Isn’t that right?” she asked a little louder, directing her question at Luc without looking away from Roc.
“You know me so well.” His taunting smile grated on Gauge’s nerves. He tugged on the cuffs of his shirt before shrugging off his suit jacket, not giving a shit that everyone but Roc and Heather was glaring at him. “You can see I’m unarmed. I know who ambushed you at your shop. Mind if I have a seat?” he asked as if ordering a cup of coffee.
Not waiting on an answer, he strolled to the closest chair and sat. After several seconds, Bear nodded, and everyone else took a chair. Except Heather. Roc tugged her over to his seat and plopped her onto his lap. Possessive bastard. It would’ve been funny if the situation wasn’t so tense.
“Well?” Blade asked.
“Name’s Giuseppe Costa. He’s one of our guys. He told his capo he had a family emergency and dropped off the radar.”
Gauge immediately began searching for any and all information about the guy.
“Bullshit,” Hunter yelled. “Y’all fucking sent him after me for retaliation.”
Luc sighed. “It’s not that simple. I have learned Francesco and Felice had been working on something much more involved. Getting answers has been, shall we say…difficult.”
“They die in that fire?” Anna asked, and Gauge looked up from his research.
Luc smiled at her, and Blade bristled. Before his teammate could call him out on it, Luc continued. “No. But they both died by my hand. I took out Francesco because he killed my Uncle Diego. I took over the organization and showed my grandfather mercy. He was dying anyway. Unfortunately, he tried to kill me, so he had to be taken care of, too.”
“You’re over the Romano syndicate?”
Luc narrowed his eyes. “No. It is the Grasso Family now, and I intend to streamline our focus and get out of some of the shitty underground dealings. Cater to higher caliber criminals.” He rested his arms on the table with a deep breath. “A credit card of Giuseppe’s cousin was used here in town last night. After some persuasion, the relative confessed to giving it to him to use. We’re monitoring it and tracking other charges made. I came to warn you what’s going on and to kill him.”
“Why do you want to kill him if he was following mafia orders?” Roc asked with an edge to his voice.
Luc looked at him, but his gaze drifted to Heather. “Because none of you is safe as long as he’s alive.” He ran a hand over his face, and it was the first time since he’d stepped into the room that he looked rattled. The concern didn’t last long. “Giuseppe Costa has a blood connection to the Collins Family in Chicago. Felice and the syndicate’s boss, Horace Collins, entered into an agreement. There’s to be an arranged marriage between members of both families. They were going to allow Giuseppe to pick candidates for Horace’s granddaughter after he killed a former soldier for Horace. One who defected with his son’s wife and child.”
He half-smiled. “In some ways, yes. Others? No, not at all.”
His gaze ensnared her. Should she join him on the comfy sofa or pretend like nothing had changed? She should just act normally, but she had no idea what that even entailed. After seeing the baby earlier and talking to the ladies, she was ready to confess her feelings for Gauge, but she suddenly felt shy.
His brows knit. “There’s something we should talk about.”
Uh-oh. He knew about her conflicting emotions and was going to let her down gently. She felt her eyes prick, but she did not want to cry in front of him. Instead, she nodded and walked to the kitchen to get a drink to buy some time. She needed to pull up her big-girl panties and handle this like an adult. Regardless of what he had to say.
When she had the bottle upturned, she saw him walk in. Damn, she’d hoped he’d give her a few minutes to collect herself before she went back into the living room. No such luck.
“I shouldn’t have—”
A cellphone rang, and Gauge cursed. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered, but her mind reeled.
He shouldn’t have what? Let her stay? Fucked her? What?
“Fuck. We’re on our way.” He ended the call, all casualness now locked behind a professional mask she was all too familiar with. “Horace Collins was murdered. He’s the boss—”
“Of the Collins Family in Chicago. I know,” she said, as he rushed out of the kitchen.
Dropping the bottle on the counter, she followed him. He put on his shoes. “He’s also Xan’s ex-father-in-law. Not sure what his death means, but Brody is freaking out. Bear wants everyone at the shop. Now.”
Without hesitation, she slipped on her sandals and grabbed her handbag.
They flew down the two-lane highway. At this rate, Viola knew they only had minutes to talk.
“What were you going to say earlier?”
Gauge’s gaze darted to her. “We can talk about it later.”
“I think we should just get it out now.” She needed a clear head when they got to the garage, and she’d be too distracted wondering what Gauge was going to tell her to be of much use.
But she knew. She already knew.
Maybe she just wanted him to rip off the bandage now so she could harden herself that much faster.
“Baby, it’s not that simple.”
She huffed out an annoyed breath. “Don’t worry. I get it.”
He glanced at her, his brow furrowed. “I don’t think you do.”
“Then fucking enlighten me.”
His jaw ticked. “I wanted to explain why I ended things when we were at school.”
She hadn’t expected that. Unless he was about to cling to the same reasoning as before—that he hadn’t wanted want to be with her. That old scab over her heart throbbed. “We were young,” she said as if it was the excuse.
“Your father found out.”
She gaped at him. “What?”
“He saw me leaving your room that morning. I didn’t care what he did to me, but he threatened to pull you out of the Academy if I didn’t end things.”
She blinked several times, trying to process this. Of all the reasons she’d come up with, that hadn’t even been in the ballpark. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“He told me not to.”
Anger welled inside her. “And after I’d graduated?”
He shrugged. “You’d moved on.” With Dave. He didn’t have to say it.
“After my father died? After I got divorced?” she asked, her voice rising with each question.
“We were at different places in our lives.”
“I see.” They pulled into the parking lot, and they both got out. She was fuming, but she didn’t know who she was madder at. Her father for controlling her life or Gauge for not trusting her to make her own decision. One thing she was sure of was that she was sick and tired of the men in her life—past and present—keeping secrets from her.
“I just wanted to tell you the truth,” he said as they walked in.
“Needed a clean conscious before you fucked me again? Oh wait…” She knew she was being a bitch, but she couldn’t help the shocked anger coursing through her right this second.
He stopped her before they reached the opened conference room door. “I had no intentions of getting intimate with you again,” he whispered heatedly. He’d said it as if the thought had truly been the furthest thing from his mind. As if he didn’t even care one way or another that they’d reconnected.
The gasp of hurt that bubbled up was shoved back down with sheer will. Was she still so blinded by her own feelings that she’d read him completely wrong?
“Get in here,” Bear called out.
Gauge growled but followed the order.
“Where’s Brody?” Gauge asked as he walked into the conference room, which was really set up like a command center. There were laptops set up around the room with multiple monitors hanging on the wall. The rest of the guys, along with Anna, Shelby, Heather, and Maya, were here, so Viola took a seat beside Shelby. If she sat next to Gauge, she’d punch him in the junk.
“Awaiting McMillian’s word on a safe house. He’s packing things now to take with them when they go,” Bear said.
“Is that necessary?” Anna asked. “The man’s dead. He can’t come after her now.”
Blade clasped his fiancée’s hand. “He just wants to make sure she’s safe until we know what happened and why.”
“Do we have any clues?” Shelby asked.
“Whoever it was meant business. There were several men killed. He probably shot his way through all the muscle to get to Collins.”
“Or it was someone on the inside,” Roc said. “He could’ve waltzed right in there, killed Collins, and then shot his way out.” If anyone was well versed in organized crime dynamics, it was him.
“So, someone with mafia ties, then?” Viola asked, happy her voice sounded level. The last thing she wanted to do was show how affected she was by her and Gauge’s fight.
“That’s the theory,” Bear said. He turned to Gauge. “We need to track all mafia movement in and out of Chicago.”
“On it.” Gauge opened the laptop in front of him and began his search.
Bear’s phone buzzed, so he checked it. “McMillian’s secured a house for them in Garland County.
“Is that fucker sending them to Hot Springs?” Blade smirked. “Wouldn’t put it past him to send them to the same town Al Capone used to vacation in.”
“He likes being ironic,” Roc said without any humor.
“Doesn’t matter,” Bear said. “The sooner Brody loads up Xan’s car and gets out of town the better.”
Viola sat up straighter. “I still have Xan’s car.”
She felt several pairs of eyes on her. Though she felt the heat of one set in particular, she refused to look at Gauge.
“Brody can’t transport them all in a single-cab truck. They’re going to need it back,” Bear said, but Viola was already standing.
“I’ll take her,” Shelby said.
Oh, right. Regardless of how Viola got to Gauge’s house to retrieve the car, she’d need a way back from Xan’s house. Without looking in Gauge’s direction, she left the room with Shelby right behind her.
Viola climbed into the car as her former colleague revved the engine. “Trust you to drive an old ass Camaro.”
Shelby gasped indigently. “It’s a Trans Am.”
“What’s the difference? Never mind,” she quickly amended, lifting her hand. “I don’t wanna know.”
Shelby muttered something that sounded like heathen, but Viola let it slide. Truth was, Gauge’s little confession was still fresh on her mind. It still angered her. Dave had kept all kinds of secrets from her, and that wound was still fresh. Didn’t matter if she didn’t love her ex-husband anymore. What he’d done had hardened her. It was a hard life lesson she’d never forget. The one thing she’d demand from others from now on was honesty. She deserved no less.
As they drove to Gauge’s house, the reasonable side of her brain told her things with him this time around were still new. Hell, his stitches didn’t come out for a few more days. It wasn’t as if they’d been married for years and he’d decided to tell her the truth. It was just yesterday she’d realized how she’d felt about him. All things considered, Gauge hadn’t waited that long to tell her why he’d broken up with her.
And the fact of the matter was, she was relieved he hadn’t only been after her virginity.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Shelby said as she pulled into Gauge’s driveway.
“Sorry. Lot on my mind.” She dug Xan’s keys out of her purse.
“Well, if you need some helpful advice, you can tell me all about it after I get you from Xan’s.”
“Pass,” Viola said deadpan.
Shelby whined playfully. “But I wanna hear all the juicy details of how things went with Gauge when you got home.” She wagged her eyebrows.
“Hush.” Viola got out of the car.
Shelby rolled the window down. “I gotta stop and get gas. I’ll meet you there.”
“Fine,” Viola called over her shoulder.
“And I might bribe you with frozen custard on the way.”
Viola rolled her eyes and got into Xan’s Honda. At least Shelby hadn’t questioned her in front of everyone at the garage. She wouldn’t put it past her friend to do something like that if she thought she was being secretively helpful.
Shelby pulled toward the main road while Viola headed in the direction they’d come. The road curved near an old barn. There was a late model SUV parked beside it that hadn’t been in view when they’d passed before. It looked too fancy to be idling beside the decrepit building, but then again, what little she knew about ranchers and farmers she’d learned from watching Yellowstone.
Taking the turn to Xan’s house, Viola scanned the area in front of her. The car jerked. She gasped, looking down at the gages on instinct, but then her gaze flew to the rearview mirror in time to see that same luxury SUV slam into her. Again. Much harder this time.
“What the fuck?” she breathed, flooring the gas pedal.
Her grip on the steering wheel tightened as her training kicked in. She sped down the narrow country road as she checked the rearview mirror again. They were right behind her, swerving from side to side as if they wanted to pass.
It was possible they were experiencing some sort of emergency and the accident had been truly that, but she wasn’t going to pull over the side of the road to find out. With her luck, they wouldn’t just pass her.
A gunshot rang out, and she suddenly lost control of the wheel. They’d blown out a tire! She cussed as she tried to swerve, taking a small gravel road to her right, but the car veered sideways. She screamed as the SUV T-boned her, crashing her into the ditch. Airbags exploded around her, painfully cushioning the blow as her head careened toward the window when the car landed on its side.
She moaned, stabbing at her seatbelt buckle to extricate herself before the assailant reached her. God, she hoped it was just one person. The more there were the harder it’d be to fight them off. Although she didn’t know they were after her, she doubted this was a random attack. Had someone singled her out because she was here working a case?
Shit, did this have to do with Gauge’s shooting?
The door groaned as she shoved it open, but before she could climb out, someone grabbed her hair. She grabbed her head, wincing as she was pulled completely out and tossed onto the ground.
“Get up,” the deep voice ordered. Viola had no choice but to stand as he snatched her up.
He dragged her toward the SUV, but she fought back, stomping on his foot and kneeing him in the balls. She knew if he got her into his vehicle, she was as good as dead.
As she struggled in his grip, he yanked her to the side and punched her. Stars exploded behind her eyes. She struggled to knock the hair out of her face to get a better look at her attacker, but when she did, he sneered at her.
“You’re not her.”
“Who?” she asked, panting, not that it mattered. If she could stall him long enough, maybe Shelby would drive by and see her. Viola had turned off the road in the midst of the chase, but she hadn’t gotten far.
“Xan.”
Viola frowned at his response. This hadn’t been a random accident or someone after her for her involvement in Gauge’s case. This guy was after Xan. Had she been the target all along? Viola quickly cataloged his features to be able to identify him when she got away. Brown hair. Medium build. Average height. No accent.
That was as far as she got in her assessment before the man’s fist landed on her face again and darkness surrounded her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Gauge was pissed with himself for bringing up the past when he and Viola had been in a rush to get to the shop. He should’ve waited until they’d gotten back to his place to broach the subject. Now, he had fucking damage control to do. He growled under his breath at how frustrated he was.
“Find something?” Blade asked.
Gauge looked up from the laptop. At least he’d been able to keep doing his job while silently berating himself. Well, he hadn’t been doing it as quietly as he’d thought. “No. Still tracking the Romano family. There’s been a flurry of activity the last few days, but that could be attributed to making all those funeral arrangements.”
The door chimed, and Bear cursed. “Shelby didn’t lock the door behind her.”
“I’ll get it. It’s technically my job,” Heather said.
Roc smiled softly at her as she got up, but when she got to the doorway, she froze.
“Luc?” she asked, backing up.
Everyone jumped from their seats, but Roc was faster than them all. He reached Heather just as Luc entered the room.
“What the fuck?” Roc roared, yanking his girlfriend behind him.
“That’s a nice GT4 you guys are restoring out there. Always a pleasure to see you, Heather,” the guy said, looking around Roc to see her.
Hunter took another step, but Maya held him back.
“Don’t talk to her,” Roc said.
“Gentlemen,” Luc said, nodding his head at the others in the room. “And ladies.”
Bear pushed in front of Roc. “I thought people out on bail weren’t allowed to leave their states. Shouldn’t you be in Texas?”
Luc smirked. “You know as well as I do that those charges are on their way out the window. Besides, I think we’ve already established I don’t give a fuck about the law.”
“Just because we didn’t want to be involved in the case against you doesn’t mean your ass is welcome around here.”
“After I got released, I discovered what happened. I wanted to apologize and let you know I had nothing to do with the attack.”
“Great. Now, get the fuck out,” Roc barked.
Heather sighed and nudged him away. “Y’all are being silly.”
“He could’ve called,” Gauge said.
“Aww, did you miss me?” Luc crooned.
Gauge growled, taking a menacing step toward him.
“Knock it off,” Heather said over her shoulder at him. Then she looked around the room. “Everybody chill out. Jesus.”
“He kidnapped—”
“I know,” Heather said softly, stroking Roc’s cheek, trying to calm down her boyfriend, but by the looks of it, her efforts were not working. “He wouldn’t be here unless there was a reason. Everything he does is calculated. Isn’t that right?” she asked a little louder, directing her question at Luc without looking away from Roc.
“You know me so well.” His taunting smile grated on Gauge’s nerves. He tugged on the cuffs of his shirt before shrugging off his suit jacket, not giving a shit that everyone but Roc and Heather was glaring at him. “You can see I’m unarmed. I know who ambushed you at your shop. Mind if I have a seat?” he asked as if ordering a cup of coffee.
Not waiting on an answer, he strolled to the closest chair and sat. After several seconds, Bear nodded, and everyone else took a chair. Except Heather. Roc tugged her over to his seat and plopped her onto his lap. Possessive bastard. It would’ve been funny if the situation wasn’t so tense.
“Well?” Blade asked.
“Name’s Giuseppe Costa. He’s one of our guys. He told his capo he had a family emergency and dropped off the radar.”
Gauge immediately began searching for any and all information about the guy.
“Bullshit,” Hunter yelled. “Y’all fucking sent him after me for retaliation.”
Luc sighed. “It’s not that simple. I have learned Francesco and Felice had been working on something much more involved. Getting answers has been, shall we say…difficult.”
“They die in that fire?” Anna asked, and Gauge looked up from his research.
Luc smiled at her, and Blade bristled. Before his teammate could call him out on it, Luc continued. “No. But they both died by my hand. I took out Francesco because he killed my Uncle Diego. I took over the organization and showed my grandfather mercy. He was dying anyway. Unfortunately, he tried to kill me, so he had to be taken care of, too.”
“You’re over the Romano syndicate?”
Luc narrowed his eyes. “No. It is the Grasso Family now, and I intend to streamline our focus and get out of some of the shitty underground dealings. Cater to higher caliber criminals.” He rested his arms on the table with a deep breath. “A credit card of Giuseppe’s cousin was used here in town last night. After some persuasion, the relative confessed to giving it to him to use. We’re monitoring it and tracking other charges made. I came to warn you what’s going on and to kill him.”
“Why do you want to kill him if he was following mafia orders?” Roc asked with an edge to his voice.
Luc looked at him, but his gaze drifted to Heather. “Because none of you is safe as long as he’s alive.” He ran a hand over his face, and it was the first time since he’d stepped into the room that he looked rattled. The concern didn’t last long. “Giuseppe Costa has a blood connection to the Collins Family in Chicago. Felice and the syndicate’s boss, Horace Collins, entered into an agreement. There’s to be an arranged marriage between members of both families. They were going to allow Giuseppe to pick candidates for Horace’s granddaughter after he killed a former soldier for Horace. One who defected with his son’s wife and child.”
