Fucking Luca Moretti.
Beside him was Sofia.
“Son of a bitch,” Charles muttered.
I didn’t know anything about Charles’ feelings for his ex. What I did know was I didn’t trust Kelly’s stepbrother, but he also wouldn’t put Sofia at risk.
“What the hell, Luca?” Kelly yelled, but my arm prevented her from leaving the front yard.
“Fucking great,” Alana said. “What are they doing here?”
“We need to talk,” Moretti told Kelly. “We dropped by your house but no one was home.”
“A phone call would’ve sufficed,” my wife told him. “You didn’t have to come all the way from Chicago.”
“I like face-to-face meetings,” he returned smoothly.
Kelso walked grimly around the SUV and came to stand in front of me. “Family?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” I told him. “Kelly’s Chicago folks.”
The detective nodded and waved off the patrol officers to lower their weapons.
Luca stepped out of the vehicle. He was in a suit. I’d never seen him not wearing one. After the death of his father, Emilio Moretti, almost two years before, he’d become the head of the Chicago Crime Family. He smoothed his threads before turning around to assist Sofia out of the SUV.
“I’m going to have one of my men with me,” Moretti said.
“What’s the matter, Luca?” I scoffed. “Afraid to be outgunned?”
Kelso shot me a look before turning to the mobster. “Two vehicles need to leave. I’m not down with having them here. I’m certain if I search them, I’ll find weapons and that’s not going to help shit right now.”
Luca grinned at the detective. “I like this guy.”
“Don’t get complacent,” Kelso bit out. “I’m not on your side. I’m avoiding unnecessary conflict or possible bloodshed. Not to mention, I hate paperwork. If you give us useful information, we could work something out. My men have called this in. If you do have weapons in the remaining vehicle, tell your men to move them elsewhere. Or all the vehicles could leave and come back when you’re done.”
“I wasn’t expecting a police patrol,” Luca muttered, walking back to the SUV to have a chat with his soldiers.
Afterward, he turned back to us. “Shall we take this inside?”
Our group moved away from the street. One of Moretti’s men stepped out of the lead Suburban and taunted the patrol officers with a mock salute. Kelso frisked him to make sure he didn’t have a piece on him. The guy had one tucked away in an ankle holster.
The detective glared at Moretti’s soldier. “Really?” He handed the weapon to Bristow.
“Are you expecting trouble?” I asked Kelly’s stepbrother.
“Nothing more than usual,” he told me. “There’s always someone who wants to whack a boss.” He smirked at me. “The question is if it will be worth the hellfire my outfit will rain down on them if they fail.”
Kelso walked past us. “Not something you want to talk about in the presence of a cop.”
I always thought Kelly’s stepbrother was an arrogant son of a bitch. I wasn’t surprised because with my intel on him through my Fed and CIA connections, he was well protected by political families in Chicago and probably had half of the Chicago PD on his payroll.
Kelso appeared to have done his own research and understood that the value of Luca Moretti was not in putting the man behind bars but in his cooperation. And my mafia princess, even one with a tarnished crown, certainly gave me a view of the symbiotic relationship between organized crime and law enforcement.
Someone else wasn’t pleased with the arrival of the Morettis. Kelly’s grandmother was prowling out of the house with a shotgun.
“Jesus Christ,” Kelso growled. “Mrs. McGrath, I strongly advise you to put that weapon down.”
“It’s my property, and they’re not welcome here,” she shouted.
“Nana,” Kelly snapped, and then split a look between her grandfather and Charles. It seemed her uncle welcomed any excuse to get away from Sofia and walked ahead of the group to take the shotgun from his mother.
“This is why I hate organized crime shit,” Kelso muttered to me. “So much family drama.”
“I hope you’re not expecting me to feed them.” Branna reluctantly surrendered the firearm to her son.
I was pissed Moretti put my wife in a difficult situation. Despite reminding Kelly she didn’t owe jack shit to the Chicago side of the family, she kept up with them out of obligation. However, I’d bet my left nut that, save for Branna, every single person present was dying of curiosity about their reason for leaving their lair to deliver a message to Kelly.
“No, we don’t want to disrupt your plans,” Sofia said coldly.
“If that were the case—” That was Alana putting in her two cents. “Maybe you shouldn’t have shown up without warning which nearly caused a shootout.”
“All right, everyone calm down,” Cillian boomed. “There’s plenty for everyone—”
“That’s not the point, Cil.” Branna glared at her husband. “They have no business showing up here unannounced. They’re not family.”
“I consider Kelly my sister,” Luca said. “And no need to feed us, Mrs. McGrath, but whatever is cooking in that smoker sure smells good.”
“Well, don’t expect me to serve you.” Branna turned away to head into the house. “You all take care of them.”
“Awkward.” Bristow walked up beside me and flicked his thumb over his shoulder at the unexpected visitors. “What do we do with them?”
“Keep an eye out for short tempers,” I said. “We’ve got Irish and Italian hotheads. Not a good combination.”
“Should be interesting.”
Kelly
“This was extremely inconsiderate, Sofia. What if I showed up at your doorstep unannounced?” I put the iced tea pitcher in front of her and poured her a glass. I went through the trouble of preparing a fresh one because I didn’t trust Nana not to dump a container of chlorine into it. Thank goodness the patio had two outdoor dining tables. It was an unspoken understanding that I should keep Sofia away from my grandmother’s table.
Levi handled the drinks for Luca and his bodyguard.
“You’re family. Of course, it’s okay,” she said.
I stared at her dubiously. “Really.”
“I’m not expecting you to feel an attachment to me,” she said. Sofia Moretti was a beautiful woman. She was dressed in a black Chanel suit like a tragic Jackie O., complete with large-framed sunglasses. “But I hoped you’d be closer to Mia.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
“Luca didn’t want her coming along, she’s back at the compound.”
“Figures.” My half-sister was the typical treasured mafia princess.
“She wanted to come,” Sofia added. She glanced wistfully over to where Whitney and Ashley were hanging around the other table with Nana. “They don’t like me. I bet that hag poisoned your children—”
“There are many things I will take from you,” I said. “But never insult Nana or Gramps, or any of the McGraths for being protective of me and mine.”
Sofia’s mouth tightened. She plucked the sunglasses from her face and contemplated the hinges on the stems. “You never understood, did you? Life in the family is different. I explained it to you.”
“That I was an embarrassment? Grandpa Rossi acknowledged me.”
“Emilio is old-school. If I wasn’t his third wife, he wouldn’t have married me because I wasn’t a virgin. You’re a reminder of that.”
“Plus, I’m half-Irish,” I added.
She ignored my sarcasm and continued, “The only way I could ensure no harm would come to you was if there was no communication between us.”
I’d asked Sofia a long time ago if her husband was abusive, and she’d said not physically, only mentally and verbally.
“And Luca? Is he good to you?”
She nodded, finally meeting my eyes. “I breathed a sigh of relief when he took over. He’s overprotective of Mia. I always have to referee between them. But Luca is the boss now, and he’s not making me marry someone else and trusts that Mia will keep me loyal to the Morettis.”
“Conversation seems to be so serious here.” The man in question eased himself into the chair opposite me. “Cillian was telling me about his plan to open a restaurant. He gave me a taste of the ribs and brisket. Good stuff.”
Oh, God, please no. Though I was excited about the barbecue restaurant idea, I did not want my Chicago family involved. “That’s wishful thinking. No one wants to manage a new concept.”
“Besides New York and LA, Chicago is restaurant central, and I know some people who’d be interested.”
“Let’s not discuss this,” I said. “How about telling us the purpose of this visit?”
Alana brought the side dishes to the table. “Yes, Luca. How about getting straight to the point?”
“The point doesn’t concern you.”
My sister glared at Luca. “Kelly is a McGrath. Therefore, it involves me.”
My stepbrother eyed the dishes set in front of him. “Should I be worried your grandmother is going to poison us?”
Alana smiled sweetly. “That wouldn’t be such a terrible idea, but since my dear sister is eating at the same table, you’re quite safe.” She winked at me. “For now.” She sashayed away.
“That’s Robert’s youngest, right?” Luca asked.
I smiled into my iced tea. “Yup.”
“She and Mia would get along,” he muttered.
“Well she and I get along,” I said, feeling possessive of my McGrath family and wondered what part of me was Sofia.
My mother looked amazing at fifty-two. She must’ve been a stunner in her twenties. As a makeup and later SFX artist, I had to keep up to date with the latest skincare trends. It also made good conversation with actors and actresses.
“You still look fantastic, Sofia,” I said in all sincerity.
A genuine smile curved her mouth, and it reached her soulful brown eyes. Was that how she attracted Charles? “I’m happy you’re taking good care of your skin. You take so much after Charles’ family including that stubborn chin, but that flawless complexion came from me.”
“That sounds like a backhanded compliment. I’ll take it.”
Her eyes flashed with irritation.
A clearing of the throat came from my left. Levi approached with the platter of brisket and ribs. With him were Bristow and Kelso. They must’ve had a quick meeting while I was entertaining Sofia, and Luca had been chatting with Cillian. I wondered if Gramps ever worked for Chicago.
“Cillian should open a restaurant in Chicago,” Luca repeated what he told me just as Levi reached my side. “It’s probably safest for you to move there, too.”
“What the hell?” I frowned. “Where is this coming from?”
Levi looked like he wanted to murder my stepbrother, maybe death by rib platter to the head.
“Wishful thinking, Moretti.” Levi’s voice was icy. “‘My wife stays with me.”
“He didn’t mean to be so blunt,” Sofia said.
I glared at my mother before awarding Luca the same censure. “Again. What the hell?”
Levi dropped the serving dish on the table before taking his seat beside me. Bristow and Kelso flanked my stepbrother in a move meant to intimidate.
Luca shrugged. “So, I can keep an eye on family, dear sister.” His gaze shifted lazily toward my husband. “Besides, I thought you were separated.”
Before I could answer, Levi said, “We’re back together. So, start talking before you find my boot up your ass.”
A muscle ticked under my stepbrother’s right eye as he sought confirmation from me. “You’re back together?”
“Yes.” Under the table, Levi’s hand slipped into mine and squeezed.
“Then you’re lucky,” he told my husband. “Because I don’t allow anyone to speak to me that way and live.”
“And you’re lucky that Ash and Whit are close by, or I wouldn’t hesitate to plug a bullet between your fucking eyes.”
Sofia gasped and made a distressed whimper. I held fast to Levi’s hand, hoping I could communicate for him to keep his temper in check. Luca should’ve known better than to taunt my husband about taking me away from him. The two men locked eyes, skyrocketing the testosterone around the table to uncomfortable levels.
“Amusing how you talk like that in front of a cop.” Luca glanced at Kelso. “You let him disrespect your badge that way?”
I’d only known Kelso as affable, but the way he grinned reminded me of a shark scenting blood in the water. He grabbed the serving spoon and helped himself to mac and cheese. “You come and pull shit in my city, I have no trouble helping Levi take out the trash. So don’t think I’m not willing to bend the rules like the many cops you have in your pocket. But, unlike your fuckers, I’m on the right side of the law.”
“Don’t start shit and start eating,” Bristow added, shoving the beans toward Luca. “Or start talking.”
“Rogue cops, huh,” my stepbrother sneered.
“You’re imposing on McGrath hospitality,” Kelso said. “Make it worth their time, pal.”
“Tell us why you’re here,” I said, irritated with Luca’s mind games.
He exchanged a look with Sofia. “Better eat first because after we’re done telling them what we know, we might be shown the exit.”
“Did you have anything to do with Murder Sanctum sending a hitman after me?” I asked.
“No. But Simon Stepanov is stirring up shit with Chicago.”
“Because of his dead gangsters in Vegas?” Kelso raised a brow.
“That wasn’t us.” My stepbrother seemed unperturbed, picked up a rib and started tearing into it while Sofia picked up her utensils and demurely tackled her plate. The meat was falling off the bone, so it didn’t cause any projectiles into her clothes.
“We don’t deal with that shit,” Luca said after polishing off the rib as well as two slices of brisket. For an elegantly dressed man, he ate barbecue like the rest of the guys. “Though I had weighed going after them after what they did to Kelly.”
“Enough hedging.” Levi tossed a bone on his plate. “It seems you’re the one on a fishing expedition.”
“All right.” My stepbrother leaned forward. “I’m trying to prove that it wasn’t us who hit Vegas.” He glanced at Kelso. “But Stepanov is more concerned with the missing drugs.”
“They’re missing?” Bristow asked.
Luca exhaled in resignation when he saw the genuinely surprised expression on the detective’s face. “Shit. Shit.”
“Should I arrest you now?” the detective asked dryly.
“You know I wouldn’t be asking this in your presence if I had anything to do with it,” Luca said.
“How do you know it’s missing?” Levi prodded.
“Stepanov thinks we did the hit on his men and took the drugs. I informed him we didn’t, but he doesn’t believe me.”
“So he could still go after us?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Luca acknowledged. “But then the other rumor might be true.”
“What rumor? Levi asked.
There was silence and contemplation around the table until Kelso asked the obvious question. “Did you guys ever see the video Blaze took of Kelly?”
Luca nodded. “It was a common chatroom for organized crime and other players in the underworld.”
“You know my friend Tom Roth, right?” I asked.
Her stepbrother smiled grimly. “Of course. He’s in the middle of all this fiasco for thwarting a Sanctum assassin.”
“He’s a SEAL,” Bristow smirked.
“I find it interesting that he’s supposed to be a security specialist for big name hotels, yet he has a small office in Downtown LA,” Luca said.
“I think he has a warehouse and another office in Vegas,” I said. “He travels all the time.”
I refused to look at Levi. He could be jealous all he wanted, but Tom and I were friends. A friend who saved my life. Although it could be argued I wouldn’t have needed saving if he wasn’t embroiled in underworld activities.
“Travels, huh?” Luca smirked. He slipped out his phone and scrolled through a few pictures before sliding the device toward Levi and me.
Levi cursed.
“The man with Tom looks familiar,” I said.
Levi passed the phone to Kelso. The detective’s jaw tightened before he handed the phone over to Bristow who mouthed, “Fuck.”
“Would someone tell me who that is with Tom?” I asked.
“Dmitry Vovk,” Levi and Kelso said in unison.
“We know the LAPD had custody of Dmitry but had not charged him. He was let go.” Luca’s eyes studied everyone’s reaction. “There’s also a rumor that it’s not really the LAPD, but the CIA. That’s making more than a few people nervous. Roth is clearly in that picture.”
“This changes the whole angle,” Kelso said.
“So, Dmitry is involved with what’s happening?” I asked.
“If Roth is involved, then I’m pretty sure he is,” Luca said.
“You know we’re hearing something else interesting about Stepanov, Emilio Moretti, and one Walter Ford,” Kelso said.
Luca stilled, his face showed surprise before he smiled slyly and relaxed, shooting a quick glance to where Cillian was sitting. “You guys know more than I thought. I suspect ole’ McGrath isn’t cut off from the life after all.”
“He is,” I snapped. And don’t you dare pull him back in, asshole.
“You don’t think, dear sis, I don’t know when questions are being asked of my associates and my men?” He leaned forward, and it was the first time I’d seen the charming façade fall off. “I make it my business to know—”
“Dial it back, Moretti,” Levi warned.
“And if you returned my call and didn’t hide things from us, Gramps wouldn’t have had to do that,” I snapped. “You keep talking about family, but it’s only family when it suits your agenda, isn’t it?”
“You’ve got a live wire there.” Luca smirked at my husband before returning his attention to me. “You’re right. I’m sorry, but like I said, I was preoccupied.”
“Luca,” Sofia said softly. “You have to tell them.”
“All right.” My stepbrother pushed his plate away. “But the Isaac Ford thing is all speculation. Even I’m not sure if Emilio and Stepanov engineered the whole thing. However, two years after his son was killed in prison, Ford met with my father. There was arguing … as though Emilio owed Ford something.”
Kelso propped his elbow on the table and steepled his fingers, stroking his chin with it. “Any proof of this?”
“They were in the study. I was pretending to arrange the flowers in the hall,” Sofia said.
“You spied on your husband a lot?” Kelso quirked a brow.
“Insurance in case I couldn’t bear staying married to him anymore, I’d have something against him. He would never let me leave with Mia, so I stayed.”
And yet she had no problem giving me away.
“Anyway, Ford said, ‘A son for a son, that was the deal’,” Sofia said. “I moved closer to the study that time, but Emilio saw me through the crack of the door and walked over to close it.”
“What did he mean by that?”
“A few weeks later,” Sofia stared at me steadily. “Your brother was killed in the SEAL operation.”
The world tilted, and my lungs refused to work.
Levi stood so fast the chair he was sitting on nearly toppled over. He slammed both palms on the table and leaned forward. “What the fuck are you saying?”
“A year after Isaac Ford died, the prosecuting attorney’s son perished in a car accident,” Luca said. “The following year, Callum McGrath was killed. You follow? Sheer coincidence?”
My pulse pounded in my ears, and I wracked my brain to remember what Dad told me of the accident that claimed the life of the prosecutor’s son. We’d always accepted that Callum’s job was dangerous, but he lived and breathed the SEALs. He embraced it. We accepted that he died doing something he loved while protecting our country. We did not expect him to be betrayed.
Levi’s hands curled into fists, and he sat down again, grabbing my hand in his, both of us clinging to each other for support. “Who?” His voice cracked, echoing my question because words choked in my throat. “Who betrayed him?” he rasped.
I glanced at the other table. Nana and Charles were watching us but Gramps and Alana were chatting with the girls.
“I don’t know. I suggest you find Roth—”
“Tom would’ve said something,” I argued. If Tom had known all along, the betrayal I felt …
“Not if he was working with the Gray Wolf—I mean, Dmitry. One of them is the key.” Luca eyed me intently. “Something has spooked the Russians and there will be terrible blowback if they can’t keep the lid on this.”
“On Walter Ford?” Bristow said. “Maybe higher. Because who would have classified information on a covert op?”
Kelso said, “Give us a name.”
“I don’t have it. Roth and Dmitry are your leads,” Luca said. “I’m thinking now, if Roth was able to get the jump on Blaze, he killed Eisenberg, and took the twenty million in product. I’m not sure how Ford figures in all of this.” His gaze scanned the table. “I haven’t had dealings with the old man. We terminated business with him before my father died.”
“Let’s get this straight,” Bristow said. “Isaac Ford was killed in the prison riot seven years ago.”
“The following year it was the prosecutor’s son.” Kelso was entering information in his phone. “Callum McGrath was killed five years ago.”
My throat closed up as I remembered getting the news that ripped the family apart. Mom was inconsolable for weeks and had to be sedated. Ronan and Levi couldn’t accept that Callum was gone and dealt with the grief in their own destructive ways. It took a while before everyone could move on, and now with new information, it was like receiving the tragic news all over again, except this was worse.
“If an American conspired to derail that SEAL op, that’s treason,” Levi gritted.
“Exactly.”
I stared at my mother. “You’ve had this information for years and you never spoke up?”
“No,” Sofia said. “No, darling, I didn’t. I only made the connection when Luca and I talked about it this time which triggered my memory of that conversation. I keep a record of what I hear. Luca provided the dates on Isaac Ford and the prosecutor’s son’s death. Everything suddenly made sense.”
“Remember this is all speculation,” Luca cautioned. “One of the men who knew for certain —my father—is dead. That leaves Ford and Stepanov. This is assuming Stepanov through Murder Sanctum brokered the deal with his Russian contacts to subvert the op.” He looked at Levi. “We can pull what we know together and determine what happened. To see if the theory checks out.” For the first time since he arrived, exhaustion lined Luca’s face. “They say Stepanov has dirt on everyone.”
“More than you?” Kelso derided.
My stepbrother narrowed his eyes. “As I was saying, Stepanov may have the proof we need. He’s known to keep recordings of conversations as insurance so no one can take him out.”
“So, we flush out Stepanov?” Bristow said.
The men continued to plot, but a silent scream started forming inside my chest, as if my lungs couldn’t contain the pain and anger that deep-dived in my heart so quickly.
Callum was murdered!
“Kelly,” Levi’s concerned voice and a tug on my hand finally pulled me out of my spiraling anguish.
I turned to him—the man who carried the pain of losing my brother for so long. An apology wanted to form on my lips, but no words came.
When his face turned soft with understanding, it made me feel worse.
My chair scraped back. I stood and fled into the house before I broke down in front of everyone.
