Ruthless Empire: A Dark Mafia Collection

He frowned, scratching at his scruff in irritation. “You trusted the wrong person. It happens.”

The thing is, it didn’t often happen to Varassos. When someone broke our trust, typically that person was never seen again. Problem solved. But that wouldn’t work this time around.

“Maybe. But it’s not her fault. I don’t want anything happening to Kelly Carr, Luca. I love her.”

He huffed out a burst of air. “Marco…”

“I know, okay. I know. But she’s this sweet girl who’s been taken advantage of. Her whole life she’s been taken advantage of. By her parents and her brother. I even did it for a while, though I never intended to. But I have to try to repair things with her, make things last with her. I got her into this mess, so it’s on me to get her out.” I looked up, waiting for him to meet my gaze. “You remember that favor you promised me? This is me calling it in.”

“What is it you need?” he asked me, and I braced myself.

Then, I told him.

And now I was explaining that same plan to Ricky.

“God, Marco,” Ricky addressed me not as my lawyer, but as a friend. Someone I’d known most of my childhood. His mouth had opened in astonishment, and the furrowing lines between his eyebrows ran deep, but I wasn’t changing my mind. “Are you sure about this? This could go bad so easily. It could be legal and personal suicide.”

I’d come to a crossroads where it came down to a choice between giving all I had or doing nothing and letting the fates decide. And since I’d never been much of a believer in blind fate, I was going all

in.

“I’m sure.”

The hard-assed Lieutenant Stroud entered the conference room, her expression one of curiosity. “I heard you wanted to speak with me.”

“That’s right,” I told her. “I need you to contact the FBI.”

“The Feds?” her tone utterly perplexed. “Why?”

“I have information they’ll find useful, and I want to offer them a proposal.”

“Two things,” I told Luca. “And I realize that may mean that I’ll have to owe you.”

“This isn’t about debt, Marco. You saved my life, yes, but you’re also my brother. I told you anything you needed is yours and I meant it.”

I let out a breath. “I need you to track Kelly down and give her this.” I handed my brother an envelope with a letter I’d written. It was my last-ditch effort. My hail-Mary pass. “Read it, first. It’s not sealed. I can give you all the addresses I have on her, but I don’t know for sure where she’ll be. But I have to know her response to this as soon as she can get back to me.”

Regarding me thoughtfully, Luca opened the envelope and read the letter I’d placed inside. Once finished, he gazed over at me. “You really do love her, don’t you?”

I nodded. But this was about more than expressing myself to the woman I loved. This was about putting my money where my mouth was. I was taking everything I had and sticking it out on the line.

“I’ll find her,” he promised me.

“Here’s the other thing I need…” And I described the small inconsequential-looking flash drive I’d taped to the back of my headboard in my bedroom at the mansion. “I have to have leverage, even if it’s not the leverage they’ll anticipate. But you can trust me, brother. Even though this may mean I won’t see any of you again, I’m still a Varasso.”

Luca’s eyes became suspiciously shiny, but his words belied this. “I can trust that I’ve always been able to kick your ass.”

“Bullshit,” I argued out of habit, and he shoved me hard before yanking me into a rough embrace.

“You realize this’ll leave us a man down,” he said, his voice gravelly. My own voice wasn’t exactly smooth when I answered back.

“You’re going to be a man down no matter what. At least this way, the family stays as intact as it can be.”

“I hope whatever the outcome, you find happiness, Marco. I really do,” Luca told me, clapping me on the back. I nodded, returning those claps. No matter how much I’d fought with him and my other brothers, I’d miss him. I’d miss them all. There was no guarantee that I’d ever see them again after this. If anything, chances were that I wouldn’t.

I knew the gamble I was taking might not pay off. I simply had to cling to the hope that one way or another it would.

Ricky accompanied me to the interrogation room yet again, this time in bright orange inmate garb rather than my usual suit. Once I’d been formally charged, they’d incarcerated me in a temporary holding cell, processing me with all the typical bells and whistles. Not an enjoyable experience, but then, it’s not supposed to be.