Off the Record (With Me in Seattle Mafia 3)

“Firefly? Are you safe?”

“Yes, Uncle,” Annika replies. “We’re all okay. What’s going on with you?”

“I just got off the phone with Carlo. We just got word that Thomas Luccio, the Chicago boss, and his family were found dead late last night.”

“In their home?” I ask.

“No. At the bottom of the river. Luccio, his wife, and both grown children all had cement shoes on. We don’t know what the motive was or who did it, but when these things happen, we all pay attention. I want you all to keep your eyes open.”

“Pop’s calling me,” Carmine says and leaves the room to take the call. “Yeah, we’re speaking to Igor now.”

“We’re headed to Boston,” Nadia tells her father. “We have some business to see to there. I need you to know that we’ll be leaving some blood behind, Papa. The McCarthys have been fucking around with Annika, and we’re going to make them pay.”

He’s quiet for a long moment.

“Why wasn’t I apprised of this situation?”

“Because we didn’t know until about twenty minutes ago that it was them. Now that it’s been confirmed, we’re going in.”

“Understood. Do what you need to do. But get in and out quickly. The McCarthys aren’t particularly powerful, but we don’t need a war.”

“Agreed. It’ll be quiet. No mess. I love you, Papa.”

“I love you, too. All of you, stay safe.”

He ends the call, and Nadia tucks her phone away.

“I’m going up to get dressed. I’ll be ready in thirty,” Annika says. I follow her up the stairs to her room. “You don’t have to babysit me while I get dressed, Rafe.”

“Do you understand what’s about to happen?”

“Perfectly.”

“Killing a man—”

“Look. I know that I’ve always stayed out of the family business, and I prefer it that way. And I also know that I haven’t been the strongest of the group the past few days. But, damn it, Rafe, I’m pissed. And I have Tarenkov blood running through my veins. I know exactly what this means, what I’m getting myself into, and what I’ll see when we get there. I’m going all the same.”

I blow out a breath as she lets the robe fall to the floor, and with her blue eyes on mine, slips out of her nightgown, unashamed of her nudity. I’ve seen her naked more times than I can count. I know her body better than I know mine.

But I think, in this moment, I’m seeing more than just her body. She’s naked in every way possible.

And she’s trusting me to keep her safe and to help her see this through.

I’ll be damned if I fail her.

Chapter 6

~Annika~

“We go in quietly,” Shane says as he briefs us all on the plane, just minutes from touching down in Boston. “There’s going to be security. Rocco and I will take care of them before we go into the house.”

“Why don’t we go to the office?” I ask.

“Because we can’t guarantee that McCarthy will be there,” Carmine adds.

“It’ll be the middle of the day with the time difference by the time we get there,” Nadia says. “We can’t guarantee that he’ll be home, either.”

“She has a point,” Rafe says. “Half of us should go to the house, the other half to the office.”

“No, we need to stick together,” Shane insists. “If you’d like to try the office first, we can do that. We can go in as if we just want to have a meeting with McCarthy. Make it seem like we’re just a family visiting another’s territory.”

“I like that better,” Nadia says. “It makes more sense and is way less messy.”

“It’s decided, then,” Carmine says. They all check their weapons, even Ivie. I know that after everything she went through just a couple of months ago, she’s become proficient in handling a gun as well as in hand-to-hand combat. She’s a total badass.

But it’s still surprising to see my best friend with a handgun.

Of course, I’m not armed. I could use one if I had to, but it’s been so long that it’s probably not wise for me to be armed.

“You stay with me,” Rafe says quietly beside me. “You don’t hesitate to move when I do. You stick with me as if you’re fucking tied to me.”

“Okay.”

He nods as the airplane descends.

I know this is what both the Martinellis and my family do, but I’ve never witnessed it. It’s fascinating to watch all of the people I trust more than anything transform from my easy-going, funny friends to stone-cold killers.

There’s not much to say as we land. A large, black SUV waits for us near the plane. Rafe opens the front passenger-side door for me as everyone climbs in, and then Rafe joins me in the front, taking the driver’s seat.

“I have it pulled up,” Shane says as his phone starts giving us directions to the McCarthy office.