Dangerous Beauty: Part One: Destiny (22 page)

“Spook didn’t even know she had a child with him until she showed up on his door step with me,” Carter swallowed hard. “Then she left after she was finished breast feeding.”

Cesare looked at Angelo as if they should say something but they weren’t completely sure if it was the right thing to say. After a moment Cesare sighed. “Carterina, honey, I know you may hate your mother for leaving you, but I can honestly tell you that if she didn’t leave you with your father, Luchini would have killed you.”

“And now, what if he saw me now? There would be no way I could hide whose daughter I am.”

“He would try and take you as his, the way your mother let him take her,” Angelo said truthfully. He noticed Nathan tense and saw Carter take his hand, “Don’t worry, son. Carterina is nothing like her mother,” he said with a smile and Carter smiled in return. “She is stronger, much stronger, Luchini wouldn’t last a second in a fight with her or her army of men.”

“Thank you,” she said and Angelo winked at her. “Is that the whole story?”

Angelo chuckled. “Yes it is.”

“Is it?” Carter said giving Angelo a knowing smile then she looked at Cesare with a raised eyebrow. “Are you positive that you two have nothing else to tell us about your time with Anastacia?” she asked with a smirk. She had definitely picked up on both of their familiarity with Anastacia, and that story was pillow talk. She was pretty sure Angelo, Cesare, and Anastacia’s story was a very juicy one, and she was nosey.

Angelo and Cesare both shook their heads. “That’s all the story you’re getting. I haven’t seen or spoken to your mother in fourteen years” Angelo said with a bit of sadness in his eyes. He pulled himself together quickly. “Now let’s go, a deals a deal. Spill, child.”

Carter sighed. “Alright, alright, I suppose I should hold up my end since you held up yours,” she said with a smirk. Carter sat for a moment, trying to figure out where she would start.

“I would like to ask you one thing before I tell you what happened that night,” Carter said to Angelo and he nodded. “My father was flying to see someone the day I convinced him to stay home one more night before he left me again, do you know who that was?”

Angelo nodded, his expression becoming serious. “It was me, he called me and told me he wanted to meet privately, that he had things to tell me that needed to be said in person.”

Carter swallowed hard. There was one more secret that she hadn’t told Nathan because she didn’t know that it needed to be told, until now.

Carter took a deep breath and just went for it. “Someone tried to hire my father to kill you,” she said her tone serious and firm.

The men in the room moved to the edge of their seats and frowns appeared on all of their faces, each of them giving Carter their undivided attention.

“Carter, you didn’t mention that when we spoke,” Nathan said and Carter met his eyes.

“That’s because I didn’t know it was your father then and I do now. Spook confided in Chrissy often and I would ease drop on most of their conversations. He said that he was flying to see a dear friend because he needed to warn him that someone close to him is looking for men crazy enough to try and take him out.”

“Someone close to me?” Angelo asked.

“Yes, he said it was someone close. Spook never used names when he spoke about his business, but I’m positive he said it was someone close.”

“But why would anyone try and hire Spook to kill my father? It doesn’t make sense, everyone knows how close he and Spook were,” Nathan stated.

“That’s true. It doesn’t make sense for anyone to think that Spook would do anything but warn me.”

Carter cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. Of course there was a reason why, but there was no way in hell she was going to tell it. “It’s someone who’s been around you for a long time Angelo. It’s more than likely this person is still around, unless you’ve had someone disappear on you in the last five years.”

“I haven’t. But you still didn’t make sense of why this person would think Spook would kill me,” Angelo said picking up on Carter’s uneasiness. He could tell she was keeping something from them.

“There is a reason why, but it isn’t one I’m going to share,” she said firmly

Angelo’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Well, that was definitely something he wasn’t used to. Every time Angelo wanted information he got it, and now this young woman wants to hold back information from him after she just told him that someone close to him hired his good friend to kill him. “And why is that Carterina?” he said folding his arms over his chest.

“Trust me.”

“Trust you?”

“Yes, trust me. If it were something that you needed to know I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you. But I am not rubbing salt on any wounds and causing any more pain when there is no reason to.”

“You’re worried it will hurt me? I assure you, Carterina, I am a big boy I can take anything you—”

“With all due respect Angelo, you are not the one that I am worried about hurting,” Carter said cutting Angelo off.

Angelo frowned. “I don…” His sentence trailed as he realized who Carter was protecting. He looked over to his son who was looking at Carter curiously.

“Wait is it me?” Nathan asked. “You’re worried about hurting me? Carter, don’t. I can handle whatever it is, baby, you don’t have to protect me. If this needs to be said, say it,” he pleaded looking in her eyes.

Carter shook her head firmly. “That’s the thing, Nathan, it doesn’t need to be said. It’s not—”

“Carter, just—”

She reached up and cupped his face silencing him. “No, bubby, I will not just say it.” she moved a strand of his golden blond hair from his face. “There are some truths that are just too heavy. Even for a man as strong as you. This truth is a burden Nathan, one that I will carry for the both of us. Your curiosity will not hurt you, this would.” Carter pulled his face down to hers and kissed his lips softly. “Trust me,” she whispered looking into his eyes. She really hoped he would just let it go and trust her because the truth was Spook’s secret that Carter overheard him telling to Chrissy would hurt Nathan way more than it would hurt Angelo. It would kill Nathan, so Carter came to the decision that she was taking this secret to the grave just like Spook did.

Nathan seemed to be battling with himself about whether or not he should push her more. After a moment he nodded his head and Carter smiled. “I trust you,” he said then he kissed her forehead lovingly.

“Good,” she said. She held his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. She looked at Angelo who had a small smile on his face. “I will tell you the names of the two hit men that are still alive. The person that hired them is the one that wants to kill you. The men may be difficult to find because I told them I would be coming for them, but I’m positive you will be able to track them down.” Angelo nodded his agreement and Carter continued. “I would be eternally grateful if you would allow me to maybe have a few words with them,” she said with a wicked smile and Angelo laughed. “I just want to talk, but to be on the safe side because you all know…I have a temper. You should probably get the name of the person before you let me have my words,” she said it playfully, but Carter wasn’t playing. She was going to kill those bastards as soon as Angelo got the information he needed.

All the men smiled and laughed except for the man back in the corner. The chubby, bald man with black eyes, and sweat beads on his pale forehead, Carter believed his name to be Mitchell. Carter had been watching the man since her and Angelo joined the men in the conference room and she didn’t like him. He seemed uneasy. At first she thought it was because she scared him with the knife incident, but that wasn’t it. Carter needed more time to figure out this guy and she would have it, she’d make sure of it.

“And what about when I find this man, who wants me dead, and killed your father, young Carterina? What would you do if I put you in a room with him?” Angelo asked.

Carter’s body tensed and something deadly flashed through her eyes. For a moment Angelo thought she was a completely different person. Her body relaxed and she centered herself in her chair and crossed her legs. The men watched as a smirk appeared on her face and her eyes turned cold.

“Now that would be a very generous gift, Angelo.”

The way she said his name made Angelo tense. He spent this entire meeting doing his best to separate the girl from her mother, even though it was damn hard. But right now the coldness in her eyes, and the deadly excitement in her voice, made her a dead ringer for Anastacia.

Mitchell stormed into his office, slammed the door and locked it.

“Shit,” he said frantically looking through the drawer for the phone number he hoped was still there. “Shit, shit, shit, shit.”

He pulled the drawers out trying to find the cell number to those two greedy, lying, assholes.

They told him the job was done. They told him that Spook Steele’s family was dead, but the dumb motherfuckers lied, and now Mitchell was fucked. Screwed. And he had to make a new plan or he was fucking dead. Or he’d be forced to live his life on the run from Angelo and that fucking freak bitch.

When the hell did Anastacia Stone and Spook Steele have a daughter?
Mitchell thought as he continued to destroy his office looking for the number.

He hadn’t even gotten over the initial shock of finding out he paid a fortune for a half assed hit-job, then he had to find out that Spook Steele’s kid was Anastacia fucking Stone’s kid too!

“Fuck!” he yelled as he hit his fist against his desk.

This was not what he planned at all. His plan was always the same: kill Angelo, kill Nathan. But for some reason he can’t find anyone willing to do it. The majority of the hit-men around the world knew Angelo. And were good friends with the bastard. And the ones that hated him, where too afraid to take the job. Spook was Mitchell’s last hope at hiring an assassin to take out Angelo. Since that was shot to shit, Mitchell would just have to do it himself.

“New plan,” Mitchell said as he continued to look for the two phone numbers that he needed.

He didn’t always hate Angelo. There was a time when he loved the man like a brother. Angelo brought him into this family and let him be a part of this empire he built out of a kindness to Mitchell’s father, who was an old friend to Angelo. A man that Angelo loved and respected, but Mitchell knew that if his father knew the way that Angelo treated him now then he would hate him just as much as Mitchell does.

After years of Mitchell being a damn lap dog for Angelo, he had finally gotten to be in a position where he could demand the respect he deserved, as underboss. Mitchell did hear Angelo when he told him that the position was only temporary until Nathan came of age to take over, but he was convinced that he could change Angelo’s mind about giving that weak Russian boy so much power. He didn’t know that the little prick would grow up to be just like his damn father.

When Angelo took his position from him and gave it to Cesare to hold, Mitchell saw red. Angelo thought Mitchell would be just fine as his right hand aka lap dog again, but Mitchell had had enough. He would not spend his entire life following Angelo around waiting for him to give him tasks that are not worthy of his time anymore.

No more.

No, no more. Mitchell decided he would end the Salerno Family once and for all, and then watch it fall. His first plan was to cut off the head of the snake, then kill his son too. But that turned out to be a bust. His second plan was to start a war. So he enlisted Michael Ricci and ten other men that loved money to ambush shipments going to a very powerful business partner, hoping to piss him off enough to attack Angelo. Mitchell also tried to drop a few names of some associates hoping Angelo would be in two wars at once. But that demon seed of Angelo’s had to get involved and ruin the entire plan.

So now, after years of trying, Mitchell had a plan he knew would work. But now his list was much longer. One, all of “The Five” must die. Two, all of the fathers of the demon seeds must go to hell with them. Three and most important, Anastacia Stone’s daughter must be eradicated from this earth.

“Got it!”

Mitchell pulled out his cell phone and dialed the first number. No answer. The damn voicemail. Oh, he’ll leave a message alright.

“Hello, Kent? Yea this is Mitchell Romano and you will never fucking guess who I met today. Carter Steele, you know, Spook Steele’s daughter. The rumor baby, the one that’s supposed to be, fucking dead.”

Mitchell needed to breathe. He needed to calm down so that he could think straight.

“Look, I didn’t mean to yell, but I just don’t appreciate being lied to. You both really fucked up because now Angelo Salerno is coming after both of you and when he does you weak assholes will probably rat me out because you’re too afraid to die. So it looks like we are in this together. The only way to save our asses is to kill Angelo, and a few other problems that we now have. So call me, I have a plan.”

Mitchell hung up the phone and took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves.

Once he was calm he dialed the last number in his hand. After two rings a man answered the phone.

“Who the hell is this?”

“Mitchell. Mitchell Romano.”

“Angelo Salerno’s Mitchell Romano?” the man said surprised.

“Yes.”

“Look man, I don’t want any trouble, I called off all that revenge shit. It ain’t worth it. You can tell Angelo and baby Salerno that we’re cool,” Reeves said.

“I don’t think you want to do that Andrew, the Salerno’s are not forgiving men, they will not sell to you again, and they are already planning to kill you.”

“Bullshit, I haven’t even done anything yet, plus how the hell do you know they won’t do business with me again?”

“Because I know, and I want to help you. Let’s meet.”

“Help me how?”

“Let’s meet and I will tell you.”

“Naw man, you tell me over the phone. I don’t trust you.”

“I can help you kill Angelo and his son,” Mitchell said quickly hoping Reeves was on the same page.

He heard shifting over the phone but no one spoke. It was a full minute and a half before Andrew spoke again.

“Meet me in Brooklyn in my family’s restaurant. Don’t bring any guns and come alone.”

“Fine,” Mitchell said and he ended the call.

Mitchell knew this plan was going to work. It had to. Reeves wanted them dead just like he did, and they could do it together. Mitchell could combine Reeves’ men and resources with his knowledge of the Salerno family. He would be able to use his inside information to help Reeves conduct an effective attack on the Salerno family that results in the deaths of each powerful member.

Mitchell smiled to himself as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. He turned the door knob and swung the door open to leave.

“Hey there.”

Startled, Mitchell jumped at the sight of Carterina Stone. “Umm…. Hi,” he said tightly. He didn’t know why, but for some reason an intense fear filled his entire body.

She was leaning against the wall with a wicked smile on her face and emotionless eyes. Mitchell swallowed and brushed off what he could of his fear. Many people thought the young woman was breathtaking, but Mitchell hated her so much, he was sure she looked like a troll. He wanted to vomit every time he looked at her hideous face.

“I just wanted to catch you to say I’m sorry for the knife incident,” she said, her voice void of sincerity.

“I forgive you, now if you’ll excuse me I should be going.”

She didn’t move. She just stared at him blankly like he was the dumbest person on earth. Mitchell frowned. What the hell did she want?

She let out a small humorless laugh. “Are you serious?” she asked.

Mitchell’s fear increased. What was wrong with him? He took a deep breath. “What are you talking about young lady?”

She chuckled. “While I appreciate being called young, I have to say, you’re a bigger idiot then I remember. Open your eyes dumbass.”

Mitchell frowned. “I’m confused—”

She cut him off by raising her hand. “Spare me please. I just, I didn’t think my American accent was that good. I mean, it’s mediocre at best. And I’m positive I don’t look that young, but if you choose to call me Carterina, then by all means Mitch, let’s pretend I’m Carterina.” She let out an exasperated sigh and waved her hand in the air. “Tell me, where are you going?”

What?
He thought. “Out,” Mitchell said backing away from her. She was making him uneasy, so was the deadly look in her eyes. She looked at him like she was reading him. Like she knew every thought in his head, every plan he ever made, and every lie he ever told to cover up his betrayal. It took everything in Mitchell not to break out into a guilty run.

“Out where, Mitchell?” she asked her face suddenly serious, and a little different. There was something different about her, he just couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was, but there was a difference.

“That’s none of your business,” he said still putting distance between them.

She shook her head feigning disappointment. “You have too much in that head of yours
Mitch Romano
, thinking this way can only end badly for you.”

“I don—”

“Your fists are clenching and unclenching, you have sweat beading on your forehead, and you keep putting more and more distance between us. Your body language indicates fear. Are you afraid of me, Mitchell?” she asked in a cold menacing tone.

“No I am not, now if you would excuse me.” Mitchell tried to walk past her but she moved in front of him.

“Yes, you are afraid, Mitchell.” She cocked her head to the side. “Do you know why yet? Do you know why you’re afraid of me?”

“I’m not—”

She held up her hand, effectively halting his next lie. “Yes you are. And now I’m going to have to kill you whether you’ve done what I suspect you’ve done or not.” She shrugged. “It is time for you to die anyway. You were never any use to Angelo in the first place. I told him he should get rid of you, a long time ago,” she said, but she was starting to sound different. Mitchell noticed her accent become a bit more foreign and…Wait a minute, what did she say?

“I’m sorry, did you just say get rid of me a long time ago?” Mitchell starting to actually get a little frightened.

A sinister smile spread across her face and she nodded. “I did,” she said her accent becoming thicker with each word. “Has your brain caught up with your body yet? Your instincts are trying to tell you something Mitchell, but your mind is not listening. You’re seeing what you want to see. You’re not seeing what’s actually in front of you. Or should I say who’s in front of you?”

Mitchell’s heart beat quickened and sweat beaded on his forehand. “Wait, why are you speaking like that, what the hell is going on here?”

“Do you really want to mess with me, Mitchell? Ask yourself that, do you really want to fuck with a Stone?” She pushed his chest hard. “Don’t fuck with me,” she snapped.

“I don’t understand—”

That’s when reality slammed into Mitchell, nearly knocking him off his feet. Fear, dread, and terror ceased his body, causing him to shake uncontrollably as he tried to utter the forbidden name that no man wanted to speak.

“Ann-a-a-Ana-Ugh!” Mitchell’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when her hand wrapped around his throat and she pushed him into his office door, hard. She pressed a large golden knife against his throat, and Mitchell nearly pissed his pants.

“Shhh. What is it that Angelo’s sweet son says to you to get you to shut your mouth again? Be silent?” She flipped the knife and pushed the pointed tip against his skin and Mitchell stop breathing. “Be silent, Mitchell. This little meeting will be our little secret, okay?”

Hot tears began to fill Mitchell’s eyes, and his legs felt as if they would give out. “P-p-please don’t kill me.”

She frowned. “But why?” she asked with genuine confusion in her eyes. “Why would you say that to me, Mitch? I’ve been waiting so patiently. I want to see your blood.” Her gaze fell to the skin her knife was sitting against then she looked into his eyes. She pierced his skin with the sharp knife, and Mitchell nearly howled in pain, but she immediately stopped him. “Shh…” she said sharply. “You make a sound and I’ll kill you. I promise you Angelo won’t punish me for your death.” She looked to the side as if she were lost in thought. “Well, he might punish me, I miss his punishments…so much fun.” She shrugged and her eyes came back to him. “I think you did something bad Mr. Romano. I need more evidence to prove it, but I think you did it. And when I prove my suspicion correct, I will kill you. I would kill you right now, but I don’t need the attention. Not yet. She’s not ready, I can tell.” She frowned. “And I need my baby to be ready, Mitch. Do you understand?”

Mitchell nodded frantically.

She nodded her head once then pressed her knife against his neck again. “If you touch my child, Mitchell —I don’t care if it’s an accident, or you’re just shaking her hand— I will decapitate you. Do you understand me?”

As if she already knew his answer she pushed away from him and stuck her knife in the back pocket of her jeans.

“Get me out of here undetected. I don’t want anyone else to know I was here.”

There was no one but them around. Mitchell thought she may have been talking to him. Just when he was about to obey her orders three men that worked for Angelo came around the corner. Mitchell’s eyes shot open wide as the men lead Anastacia Stone away from him.

Once she left, he escaped the office planning to never return. He planned to collect all of his money and leave New York, but he couldn’t seem to get himself together. Over the next few days he felt as if someone was watching him. He saw Anastacia’s face everywhere he looked. That’s when he came to the realization that there was no running, there was no hiding, and there was no getting away.

Anastacia Stone was going to find out what he did. And when she found out, she was going to kill him.

Mitchell knew right then that he had to do something.