Til Darkness Falls, page 16
The soft kiss went on, broken only by the playful nips Alrick bestowed on him as he took the plumpness of Brian’s lower lip between his teeth. Brian groaned, his body reacting both to the gentle bites and the sound of softly teasing laughter. But he found the other man’s weakness when, in a fit of pique, he wedged his leg between Alrick’s and pressed against his own growing hardness. Brian had only a moment to congratulate himself before his mouth was invaded by a searching tongue and he lost the ability to think at all.
“You are a minx.” Alrick’s growl filled Brian’s mouth and resonated straight to the growing ache between his legs.
Brian’s moan was half protest, half encouragement. He grabbed the taller man’s shoulders, kneading the solid curves as long fingers buried themselves in his hair to hold him in place. Alrick’s tongue deftly sought out all of those secret places only he had discovered.
Not fair. The silent complaint burned away as lust swept over Brian like a flame. Yet again, he thought he might actually come just from being kissed. A hand moved slowly down his back to settle on his hips, and Brian gasped into Alrick’s mouth as the hand pressed him flush against the blond, the hardness beneath Alrick’s coat coming into demanding contact with his own.
“I want you.” Alrick’s accent deepened as his excitement increased.
Brian reacted with humiliating predictability to the sound of the guttural vowels. “Nnnn,” he whimpered, responding the only way he was capable of right then. Letting his hands speak for him, he reached beneath Alrick’s coat and groped for the hem of his sweater. His greedy fingers had just found a strip of warm flesh when Alrick groaned and pulled away from the kiss.
“Wait,” he breathed, holding Brian in place when the shorter man growled in protest and attempted to draw him back in. “I have no wish to be arrested for public indecency on a college campus. After all, we can’t even use the excuse of being irresponsible students.”
Brian blinked up at him as his brain tried to return to working order. The moment he was capable of a coherent thought, he groaned in mortification and buried his reddening face against the soft material of the taller man’s coat.
“Shit.”
“No, don’t go yet.” Alrick pulled Brian back when he tried to push himself away. “Give me a moment, if you would.”
Brian laughed wryly. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I could poke a small child’s eye out with this thing right about now.”
“What a lovely thought.”
“Pervert.”
“You said it.”
They stood quietly for a moment, hugging each other close as they attempted to restore themselves to decency. Brian wondered whether he would ever manage it as long as Alrick kept holding him. Finally, he felt collected enough to move away and stifled a sigh of disappointment when the other man let him go.
“When will I see you again?” Alrick brushed a thumb over Brian’s kiss-bruised lips. Brian bit at it playfully, shooting him a mock glare.
“You’re not helping, you know. Anyway, I’ve got something really pressing going on at work, so it might be a few days before I’m free again. Can I call you?”
Alrick frowned down at him, displeased at the lack of certainty. The fierce expression made him look even sexier. Brian buried his hands in his pockets to keep himself from trying to touch.
“It shouldn’t be too long. I made some good progress with the project today.” Brian wondered again at his vagueness. Before he could decide whether he should just be honest, Alrick nodded.
“Alright. But don’t blame me if I hound your phone if I haven’t heard from you in a few days like you promised.”
Brian grinned and shook his head. “It’s ‘blow up your phone,’ and don’t worry. I don’t think my libido would forgive me if I stayed away too long.” He expected the other man to return his amusement, but Alrick’s frown deepened.
“Is that all this is to you? Just sex?”
When did this get so heavy? Brian wanted to protest the other man’s seriousness, but as Alrick continued to watch him silently, his desire to play it off faded away. Alrick was right. This thing between them—whatever it was—had gone far beyond sex. Hell, hadn’t he just sat through two hours of people singing in a foreign language for this man? If that wasn’t love, what was?
“No, it’s not.” He stretched up and pressed a kiss against the German’s warm lips. “I’ll call you soon.”
Alrick nodded, the harshness of his features gentling as he returned the kiss. They walked back toward the quad in silence, their hands clasped firmly together.
TONY CONTI looked up at the long, rundown building as his car pulled up in front of the old warehouse. Damn that insolent little fucker. One of his bodyguards opened the back door, and he stepped out, cursing aloud this time when his expensive Italian shoe landed in a questionable puddle.
“You want us to check the place out first, boss?”
Tony scowled at the man. He knew that the bodyguard was only doing his job, but he had an image to maintain. “No. Let’s go.”
Tony walked boldly in front of his guards, refusing to give off any hint of fear. As the third-highest ranking man in Cosmino, he would have been justified in fearing for his life. Someone had been picking off members of the organization one by one. Tony had no doubts as to who was behind it, which made the request he’d received for this meeting all the more galling.
The larger of his guards pulled open a rusty service door, but before Tony could step forward, his other guard moved in front of him. Tony started to protest but realized that ego was worthless when death was stalking you. Cautiously, he followed the man into the warehouse, looking around at the abandoned equipment that had once fashioned hardware for use in factories—a bygone era when industry rather than crime was the reigning currency of the city. Tony was unimpressed. He hunched his suede coat higher on his shoulders. Could one of these blue-collar losers who’d toiled their lives away in this place afford an Armani suit? He didn’t think so.
The interior of the warehouse was dark save for the few overhead lights that still ran off of the city’s power grid. Tony suspected that whoever owned the building kept the bulbs in working order for insurance purposes. No point letting some poor schmuck wander in and break a leg. The roof of the warehouse rose high above their heads. It hadn’t benefited from the same attention. Several of the metal slats that made up the roof were missing, probably victims of the strong storms that sometimes ravaged the city. Tony thought he saw the shadow of a bird flying just beneath the rafters.
“Boss, it don’t look like nobody’s here.”
“Oh, he’s here somewhere,” Tony scoffed. “Aren’t ya, Gio? Come on, kid, I don’t have all day. Some of us have important business to attend to.” His laugh rang out into the darkness. A moment later a shadow detached itself from one of the unlit sections of the room.
“You’re right, Tony. We do have business, so let’s get to it.”
Giovanni Rivella walked out into the light, the quality of his clothing reeking of money. Tony suspected that everything the little bastard was wearing had been a gift from his uncle. He certainly hadn’t earned a dime for himself.
“Did you bring the deeds?”
Tony gave Gio a nasty smirk. “Well, now, it don’t really matter if I did or not, does it? It’s not like you’re going to get your hands on them.” He glanced curiously at the younger man. “Tell me, what made you think I was just going to hand over the deeds to all of Cosmino’s downtown establishments? Because you asked nicely?” He chuckled. “You got rocks in your head, you dumb little shit. What, did you really come here all alone?” Tony paused for dramatic effect while one of his goons cracked his knuckles. “Manny here will beat your lily ass into hamburger. Then we’ll see who’s making the demands.”
Gio’s smile didn’t waver. He stood with his hands at his sides in a relaxed pose. The light was dim, but Tony couldn’t see any tale-tell bulges beneath his coat. Had the idiot really come here thinking he could talk Tony into agreeing to give him the keys to the Cosmino’s wealth?
“See, Tony, I think you’re going to do exactly what I want.”
“And why is that?”
Gio’s grin widened. “Because if you don’t, my boy is going to put a bullet in your big, fat head.”
A scowl darkened Tony’s expression. He was sure there was no one else in the warehouse with them, certainly no one close enough to make good on Gio’s threat. The space around them was wide open and didn’t afford many hiding places. “Bullshit.”
Gio shrugged, his expression saying that he didn’t care if Tony believed him or not. He reached up with his right hand as though to scratch his ear.
The sound of breaking glass was the only warning. Tony watched in horror as one of his bodyguards slumped to the ground, blood spurting from the hole that had appeared in the back of his head as if by magic. Tony stumbled back from the body, running into the solid form of his other guard.
“What the fuck?!”
“See, Tony? I always keep my word. Now, why don’t you just hand over those deeds like a good boy? You weren’t dumb enough not to bring them, were you?”
Tony fumbled inside of his coat and pulled out a large envelope. He had brought it with the thought that he could wave them in whatever remained of Gio’s face after his boys finished with him. He looked around frantically at the broken window, desperately trying to see the gunman, but there was nothing visible through the dirty pane except darkness. His fear ratcheted higher as he realized that the shooter was out there but he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
“Yeah, yeah! Sure, Gio, here they are.” Tony hated how squeaky his voice sounded, but he was pumped full of adrenaline and the desire for self-preservation. He tossed the thick envelope in the younger man’s direction. It landed at his feet.
Gio bent down unhurriedly and picked it up. He walked over to a spot directly under a light so he could see better. Taking out the sheaf of papers, he flipped through them carefully. His slow examination set Tony’s teeth on edge. He could feel the tense form of his remaining bodyguard behind him. The man was attempting to maintain an air of calm, but Tony could smell the acrid scent of his sweat. After an interminable moment, Gio neatly stuffed the deeds back into the envelope, taking the time to secure the fastener before looking over at Tony with a pleased smile.
“All signed and notarized. Thanks, Tony. You’re a real standup guy.”
Tony felt sick. He’d just handed over the source of the bulk of the Cosmino’s legitimate income to the Milanos. Those clubs were worth millions, but Tony had no desire to become the latest Cosmino fatality. There would be hell to pay with the big boss, but it was better than being dead. “We all good now, Gio? You have what you want, right?”
Gio favored him with a patronizing smirk. “Yeah, Tony. I have everything that I want. Well, just about.” Placing the envelope with the deeds into his coat, Gio turned away, not even bothering to look as Tony and his meathead guard’s bodies hit the ground. That German bastard was one hell of a shot. Gio looked up toward the broken window and nodded. He didn’t know exactly where the hit man was, but he knew he’d be seen.
“Nice doin’ business with you, Tony.” Gio laughed as he walked back into the darkness.
ALRICK watched through his riflescope in disgust as his employer walked away from the three dead men lying on the warehouse floor. He didn’t appreciate being used in such a theatrical manner, but Giovanni had offered more than triple pay for the job. It would have been foolish to turn him down.
He always demanded as much information as possible on his targets to enable him to complete hits as efficiently as possible. The primary goal had been the man in the expensive coat, Tony Conti. Alrick knew that given the remote location of the warehouse, it would likely be many days before the bodies were discovered. Gio hadn’t done this one for show.
Alrick tried not to give it too much thought as he packed away his rifle. He was running low on ammunition. The specially made bullets he used, fashioned to minimize the ballistics markings that the barrel would leave behind, weren’t cheap. Thinking about how many shells he would need to order, his mind drifted back to earlier that evening.
He’d been fascinated by the many expressions that flitted crossed Brian’s handsome face as he watched his first opera. Alrick suspected that Brian wasn’t even aware of all of the emotions he’d revealed. Surprise, amusement, tension, joy. Those impossible eyes had followed everything that was going on without missing a moment. Alrick thought about what other musical performances the other man might enjoy. Maybe a jazz session, or there was that orchestra he needed to review the week after next.
“Making plans? Not a smart move, Ritter.” Alrick sighed when he realized how far into the future he was thinking, as though he had that prerogative. Tony Conti hadn’t been some nobody. He was one of the richest men in the city. Giovanni was ramping up the profile of his victims, and if that was the case, it was unlikely this job would last much longer.
In all honesty, that was perfectly fine with him. He was rapidly growing sick and tired of Giovanni’s games. Rivella was a punk, an unpredictable one, which made him dangerous. He may have thought he had everything under control, that he held both the city and his rivals in the grip of fear, but Alrick was all too aware of the dangers of hubris. There was always something beyond your ability to control that was waiting to trip you up. Giovanni wouldn’t be on top forever, and when he finally fell, Alrick wanted to be long gone.
But that meant leaving the city and leaving Brian.
Alrick’s jaw clenched, his body rejecting the very thought. He snapped the gun case closed and ran his foot over the spot where his body had lain in order to foul any evidence of his presence. He glowered as he remembered the Riccoh hit. Giovanni had wanted it to happen just before dawn. Alrick had been forced to leave his location quickly as the sun began to lighten the sky, unable to perform his usual cleanup ritual. Damn Giovanni and his unreasonable requests.
It was past time he ended his association with the Milanos. Giovanni was getting bolder and equally more careless. He couldn’t afford to be around when the younger man imploded. As for Brian….
Alrick squinted against the cold wind that blew past his face, trying to ignore the answering ice that gripped his heart.
Chapter 7
BRIAN nodded at Angela as they took up flanking positions to either side of the door. Several uniformed officers were spread out behind them as backup, filling the small second floor hallway of the rundown apartment building. Since he and Angela had cracked the case, they got the position of honor, such as it was. The bulletproof vest he wore was heavy and uncomfortable, but he wouldn’t have dreamed of going into a situation like this without one. Weapon at the ready, Angela took a deep breath, making her own vest expand slightly over her ample chest as she waited for Brian to knock.
A warrant had gained Brian access to the college’s enrollment records. It hadn’t take him long to find the guy who’d almost gotten lucky with the councilwoman’s daughter. At first, Angela had thought they’d found their killer, that Tara had spurned him after leading him on all night and that he’d attacked her in a frenzy of frustrated desire. But after they’d tracked him down, a far different story had come to light.
They’d found the kid, one Lloyd Taylor, in an area hospital. It had only taken one look at him to realize that his injuries hadn’t been caused by a slight girl like Tara. Someone had used his freckled face for a punching bag. He was disfigured by a mass of ugly bruises, and his braces had torn his lips to shreds. Lloyd had suffered a concussion and had only regained consciousness earlier that morning. As soon as he saw their badges, he had started talking, desperate to tell someone about what had happed to Tara.
“I was with her when we left the club that night, but I didn’t know that we were being followed.”
“Followed?” Sitting in a chair next to his bed, Angela kept her voice gentle so as not to exacerbate the kid’s trauma-induced headache.
“Yeah, it was her ex-boyfriend, Bobby Gibson. He caught up with us a few blocks from the club and started screaming and shouting at Tara, calling her a ‘slut’ and a ‘fucking cunt’. Uh, sorry, ma’am.”
Angela smiled reassuringly. “Do you know this Bobby guy?”
“No, not personally. He and Tara were still together at the beginning of the school year. I saw him pick her up from class a couple of times. I must have overheard his name at some point.”
Brian hid a smile behind his hand. More like Lloyd had made it his business to find out who his competition was.
Angela nodded at the kid and urged him to continue. “Then what happened?”
“Tara yelled at him to leave her alone, that they were through. She told me to come on and grabbed hold of my arm to pull me away. That’s when he jumped me.”
Brian, who was standing back from the bed as Lloyd talked, frowned as a full body shiver racked the young man’s body. He glanced away out of consideration for the kid’s dignity when tears began to course down his puffy face.
“I’ve never even been in a fight before, you know. I didn’t know what to do.”
“It’s alright, hon.” Angela gave his hand a motherly pat, careful not to jar the IV taped to his skin.
“What happened to Tara?”
Lloyd looked up at Brian in response to his question, wiping the tears away from his face. He winced when he hit a particularly sore spot. “I’m not really sure. The last thing I saw, he was dragging her away. She was crying my name. I guess she was worried about me.” Lloyd smiled at the thought that the girl of his dreams had cared about him after all before breaking down into sobs as he remembered that he would never see her again.
“Alright, Lloyd.” Angela stood and put away her notepad. “You get some rest now, and please give me a call if you think of anything else.”
