Dangerous Beauty: Part One: Destiny (3 page)

Nathan stood on the right side of him waiting for further instructions from his father. Angelo walked toward Nathan and Michael, while yelling out instructions to Nathan’s team. “Dante, Mikilo, Lucca, Kyle, kill them all, please.”

At that command, the sound of men screaming and bullets making contact with ten skulls filled the air. The shots were quick and accurate in their aim, silencing the screams and leaving ten bodies lying in pools of blood on the warehouse floor. Nathan looked at Michael, who was staring in horror at the men he had coerced into his failed plan.

Angelo turned back to Michael. “Do you see? This is why we follow rules. This is why we don’t steal from one another. Are you beginning to understand? Is the shit clicking yet?” Angelo’s anger took hold and his voice began to rise. “How is this empire supposed to be successful if I have to worry about the men I trusted, in my own fucking family stealing from me?” he shouted at all in the room. “How am I supposed to be confident in the decisions that I make if dumb fucks like him,” he pointed his finger accusingly at Michael, “make me second guess the way I run
my
shit?”

Michael was ready to run for his life, but he remembered Nathan’s threat, and everyone knew that Nathan Salerno never made idle threats. Just when he was about to say
fuck it
and run, Nathan gripped him by the hair, and jerked his neck back forcefully. Michael felt his eyes begin to water from the pain that shot down his spine. His heart rate sped up, and his breathing became labored when Nathan’s knife made contact with his neck.

Angelo walked toward him like a lion stalking its prey. “What did you do with my weapons?” Angelo asked.

Michael could barely catch his breath, but he knew if he didn’t answer the question, the interrogation would get more painful for him. He just wanted it to be over so he took the deepest breath he could manage. “I sold them,” he replied.

Angelo’s eyebrows shot up. He was surprised the question was answered so quickly. “To whom, may I ask?” He slipped his hands into his pants pockets.

Michael couldn’t breathe, and Nathan’s hold was tightening in his hair. He was so afraid he began to ramble. “I don’t know. The buyer was anonymous. The money’s at my house in my safe. The combination to my safe is in my wallet.” Deciding to try and plea with his dear friend Angelo for his life, Michael began to beg. “Angelo please if you just let me expl—”

Michael was cut short when Nathan dragged the knife across his throat ending both his plea for mercy, and his life.

The room was silent as Angelo turned to the other men at the table. “Let the events of this evening be a lesson to all of you. I do not take betrayal lightly. I have never been anything but honest with each of you about my expectations, and what is required of those in leadership. You do your job. I do my job. We all get paid, and you motherfuckers can go ahead and live your lives in luxury. If this shit ever, and I mean ever happens again, I’ll be cleaning house and replacing all of you ungrateful sons of bitches.” With those parting words he turned on his heel, and began to walk toward the exit. “And clean this shit up!” were the last words he tossed over his shoulder before he left the warehouse, with his driver and Mitchell following closely behind him.

Nathan wiped the blood off of his knife on the handkerchief he carried in his pocket, and threw it in the trash with the rest of the items that would be burned later. He looked over at the table where the men were still sitting in shock and he narrowed his eyes on them.

“Hey!” He yelled getting their attention. They all looked at him still shocked and terrified by the events that had just taken place before their eyes. Nathan sighed and shook his head, disappointed in their idiocy. Clenching his jaw, and fighting the urge to roll his eyes, he lowered his voice. “Go home, the meetings over.” They all gathered their coats and left the warehouse.

Nathan watched them leave, shaking his head in disgust at their weakness. They had probably remained seated to avoid running into his father outside, but he didn’t know why they would do that. It was safer for them outside with the Boss, than it was for them inside with Nathan.

Carter Steele wanted to kill whoever invented alarm clocks and rent because both of them were getting on her last nerves right now, and she really wished she didn’t have to deal with either of them. Slamming her fist down on the blaring alarm clock hard, Carter turned to it shooting a deadly glare. She cursed the ungodly contraption with all her heart, and wished on it a million crushing blows from a bat for interrupting her sleep.

Life wouldn’t be like this if I were rich
, she thought bitterly.

She closed her eyes and wished on whatever star was still in the sky at 6 a.m., that she would look under her pillow, and there would be a million dollars. She opened her eyes, peeked under her pillow, and found absolutely nothing.

She groaned. “Well maybe tomorrow, huh Whiskers?” she said to her roommate’s cat. The cat looked at her with a look she could have sworn was a scowl, and turned away from her. Carter gasped and shook her head side to side. She knew that cat was racist.

“Well screw you too, you little bastard.” She muttered.

Jenna picked that moment to enter her room. “Hey, don’t you talk to Whiskers like that, he’s just a baby.” She bent down to pick up the little jerk. “Aren’t you my pretty little Whiskers?”

Ugh! Carter hated when her roommate Jenna would use baby talk while communicating with that stupid cat. “Hey, Jen.” She waved her hand to get her roommates attention. “How about you and your Nazi cat get the hell out of my room so I can get ready for work?” Carter needed time to pull herself together. She was not a morning person.

Jenna glared at her. “Ha, ha, very funny,
Carter
.” Carter hated when she put emphasis on her name like that, and Jenna knew it. “I told you to stop calling him a Nazi. He doesn’t look like Hitler,” she said with a pout.

Carter bit her lip to try and hide the smile threatening to form. Jenna was blinded by the disturbing love she had for her cat, which did in fact look like Hitler. The cat was white and black. Black hair covered his back, the top of his back legs and his tail. His front legs and stomach were all white, but that wasn’t the disturbing part. The hair on the cat’s head and ears was all black, and everything else white until the tip of his nose, which was black. And there you have it, the cat that looks like Hitler. But Carter wasn’t going to explain that to Jenna, there was no point, plus she didn’t really have time to tease her. Jenna would just get whiny and bitchy, and a bitchy Jenna, makes for a very bad day.

“Whatever you say Jen. I just have to get ready for work,” Carter said as she stood up and begin stretching.

“Ahh yes, another day of changing the world at Benny’s Bar, one beer at a time,” Jenna said sarcastically.

Carter just laughed off her bitchy comment. “You are exactly right. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a shower.” Carter skipped off into the bathroom knowing her nonchalant attitude would piss of Jenna. That made her smile wider.

Her shower was so relaxing, and she hated that it was interrupted at the end by the absence of hot water.
Not awesome
, she thought, as she began to dress for work. She went through her normal routine. She put on her black shorts, her green Benny’s tank top, and she tied her long hair up in a perfect ponytail, wrapping a matching green ribbon around it in a bow. “And off to work we go,” she said as she walked down the large hallway to the living room.

Once Carter made it to the living room she spotted Jenna sitting on their couch, with Whiskers flipping through the channels on the television. Carter stood in front of the television, knowing it would make her mad, but not caring when she threw a pillow at her.

“Carter, what the hell?” she yelled.

Carter turned in a full circle moving her hips from side to side, all the while dodging pillows.

“How do I look? We’re wearing green this week. And since its summer and getting hot we get to wear our short shorts.” Carter couldn’t help but be excited about summer. She loved when vacationers came to Hope Beach, New York. It meant more customers, and more tips at Benny’s.

Jenna shook her head in disgust. “You look like a hoe,” she said pointing at Carter’s chest, “and I believe your shirt is too tight. Your boobs are trying to escape as we speak.”

Carter laughed out loud, man she loved this chick. “It’s called cleavage, and it’s gonna get me some big ass tips,” she said while giving Jenna a little shimmy of her shoulders.

Jenna tried to hide her smile, but Carter caught it. “And what are you doing today, Princess Jenna?” Carter asked while putting on her gray New York Giants jacket.

Jenna shrugged her shoulders. “Probably go shopping for clothes and food. My dad already sent me my monthly guilt money, so this month’s groceries are on me.”

“Every month’s groceries are on you Jen,” Carter replied. “You should really let me help, even though I’m ‘poor with no money’. Which is something you never hesitate to remind me about.”

Jenna rolled her eyes and smiled, “You are poor. My father still doesn’t understand why I decided to get a roommate in the first place.”

Carter skipped over to Jenna and plopped on the couch next to her, hugging her tight. “It’s because you love me!” She placed a big smooch on Jenna’s cheek while Jenna struggled to break her hold. “It’s because you need me. Admit it Jenna, I’m the light of your life,” Carter said with a big smile on her face.

Jenna frantically wiped the spot on her face where Carter kissed her and finally broke free. “You are insane, you know that?” she said with a chuckle. “Get your crazy ass to work before you’re late.”

Carter couldn’t help but laugh. She and Jen had their ups and downs but truthfully she loved the girl, they were like sisters. Carter definitely needed that since she didn’t have any sisters, or brothers for that matter.

She had met Jenna when she first came to Hope Beach, two years ago. She moved here by herself, a little while after the death of her father. She had wanted to live in Manhattan, but there was no way she could afford that. So when she decided to look at smaller areas in New York, she came across Hope Beach. When she first saw the pictures of Hope Beach online she knew it was the place for her. She loved the beautiful neighborhoods, the sunny summer skies, and the gorgeous blue ocean. She had always wanted to live near the ocean.

After her father died she went through a very dark period that took some time to escape. When she finally did she decided she needed to reinvent herself, and become someone that could live and be happy in a different environment then she was used too. She used what little money she had to get to Hope Beach, and get an apartment. She could only afford a small studio, but it was a warm place to sleep at night. Her father had left her behind some precious items he had, and she wasn’t willing to sell them for money, even if they would have gotten her a lot. So she got a job.

She began working at a trendy little restaurant called Madison’s as a waitress, and one afternoon while she was working, she saw a girl with beautiful long red hair. She was sitting at the corner table alone with a somber look on her pretty face, and tears in her eyes. Of course being who she is, Carter couldn’t help but go over to the girl to see if she was alright. When Carter asked her she was greeted with a scowl and a food order. Carter just shrugged it off and did as she was told. She figured the girl was having a bad day, but that still didn’t stop her from trying to put a smile on her lightly freckled face. So Carter just decided to do what she did best, be herself, and it worked. She even threw in a free dessert for the sad girl. She could tell that Jenna was shy the moment they started talking, and she didn’t have many friends because of her unease with interaction. But she could also tell that Jenna wanted friends, and she wanted to interact, she just didn’t know how. So Carter asked her if she wanted to hang. Why not? Carter was new there and she didn’t know anything about anything in Hope Beach. With Jenna, she would have a new friend anda tour guide.

Now two years later, the friendship was still strong and Carter got to move into a much nicer condo with two master bedrooms, three bathrooms, and the only person she loved in this world.

Carter planted another kiss on Jenna’s pale freckled cheek. “Alrighty, I’m off to break my back for the man. Please don’t forget Doritos. I can’t live without them Jenna,” Carter pleaded.

Jenna waved her hand in the air dismissively, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll remember. Have a good day, hoe.”

Carter laughed as she walked out the front door.

***

Hope Beach really was a beautiful place in the summertime. People would come from all over the country to vacation and get away from the struggles of life. They would find peace and warmth on the countless beaches that went on forever. They could lay back and relax in the sun, or brave the big waves of the summer with their surf boards. Carter loved everything about this place from the activities like horseback riding, polo fields, countless golf, and tennis courts, to the beautiful Hope Garden which was located in the middle of the city. Hope Garden was the first place Carter visited when she moved to Hope Beach. She sat there for hours admiring the manicured grass and colorful flowers. The beauty of the garden was breathtaking, and brought back hazy but wonderful memories. She and Jenna enjoyed going to the garden to have picnics and walk the trail whenever they could, but ever since Carter and Jen had both turned twenty-one last year, their fun usually took place in the downtown area.

Downtown Hope Beach was where all the fun was located, from restaurants and designer shopping, to the cities hottest clubs and bars. Carter loved the downtown area, it was her favorite place to be, besides the beautiful beaches. She was actually downtown shopping with Jenna when she landed her job at Benny’s. She and Jenna were walking out of a Gucci department store when she was approached by a handsome man. She thought she was about to get a date, but instead she got a job, which was better in her book.

Yes, maybe she only got the job because she was considered “hot” by men, but she got a lot of tips, and she loved the crazy people that came into that bar. On the plus side, Ben’s a good boss to her and the other waitresses that work there. He doesn’t let any of the men or women that come to eat, drink, and watch sports mistreat them at all. Not that Carter would let anyone mistreat her anyway, but it felt nice to have someone care about her, even a little bit after a long time of having no one.

Once she made it downtown she parked her car in the nearest parking lot, and walked the rest of the way to Benny’s. It was a perfect sunny day so she took off her jacket hoping to attract some costumers to Benny’s. The act may be a little conceited, but she knew she looked hot in her shorts and tank. Her hair was pressed to perfection. She kept it from getting wet in the shower to keep it bouncy. Carter knew that if even a little bit of water hit her hair she’d be sporting a very large afro.

She noticed a group of men on the other side of the street watching her walk to work. They were definitely here on vacation and they looked fun. She turned and waved at them, pointed to the Benny’s Bar logo on her shirt, then turned to continue walking toward the bar.

When she reached the entrance she turned once more and saw the group walking toward the bar and she smiled to herself. Now Benny would get more business and she would get more tips.

Right when she walked in the bar she was greeted by the other waitresses and Benny.

“Hey hun, oooo, I love that ribbon. I didn’t even think of that for my hair,” one of the waitresses said running her fingers through Carter’s long ponytail. “Your hair is so pretty Carter, so soft.”

Carter smiled. She got that a lot. People have always told her how much they love the texture of her thick hair. If only they knew how long it took her to make it look like that every day.

“Thanks, I’ll bring some extra ribbon for you tomorrow.”

Soon Carter heard the door open and she looked over just in time to see her group walk inside. She smiled smugly.

Damn, I’m good
, she thought.

She walked over to hand them menus and show them to one of her tables.

As she walked back to the kitchen Angie, her manager, walked up to her. “That sure is a big group,” she said looking over Carter’s shoulder. “They’re all so cute too. I love the summer time when sexy guys come here for vacation. It makes me glad that I moved here.”

Carter nodded her head and smirked. “You and me both, honey.” They both giggled and got to work.

The bar was busier than usual, vacationers filled the downtown area and businesses were reaping the benefits of the season. By the middle of her shift Carter was exhausted, but she perked up when she saw a gorgeous familiar face that she hadn’t seen in months.

“Kyle!” she screamed as she ran over to him, jumping in his arms for a big hug.

Kyle picked her up, spinning her around in his arms. She loved when he did that, he was so tall it felt like she was flying.

He laughed when he put her down. “So I’m guessing this means you missed me, huh?” he said sarcastically.

Carter giggled and hit one of his big muscled arms. “Yes, I missed you, you jerk. Where the hell did you disappear to?”

“I had to work, my boss is an asshole and he called me out of nowhere.” He hunched his shoulders and rocked back and forth on his heels, “So, you know, I had to go.”

Carter’s brows furrowed. “But you didn’t even come to say goodbye before you left, Kyle. I thought you didn’t like me anymore,” Carter said, pouting a little more than she liked, but she really wanted to know why Kyle left and never called.

She started working at Benny’s at the end of the summer last year and Kyle was her first customer. The first thing she noticed when she walked up to his table was his handsome face. With chiseled features, sky blue eyes, and gorgeous black hair that went a little passed his shoulders Kyle was the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen in her life. But he was a player and that didn’t surprise Carter one bit. Of course a guy that handsome, who could have absolutely any girl he wanted wasn’t a one woman guy. Of course she still flirted with him like crazy, but she would never sleep with him. He had come to the bar often when he was in Hope Beach and he would even call her when he was out of town. They really had become great friends, and then out of nowhere he just up and disappeared two months ago. No goodbye. No see you soon. Nothing.