Men of Mayhem (21 page)

Victor

I was on my way back to the shop when my cell phone rang. This was the latest burner and not my personal phone.

“This is Victor.”

“Hey, it’s Jimmy. Gio needs to see us.”

“On my way.”

It was a good forty-five minute drive to Gio’s estate and I spent those minutes thinking about Lauren. Her hair was so soft, but her lips, fuck, I wanted to devour them and every inch of her. As I turned onto Mulholland Drive, carefully avoiding a pothole on the corner which could’ve fucked up the tire on my bike, I passed a florist. Sudden inspiration caused me to turn around.

An older woman with graying hair stood behind the counter when I walked in. She was working on a large bouquet. She looked up to greet me and her automatic smile faded when she took in my appearance. Facial piercings and sleeves of tattoos, plus my large size, tended to get that reaction from strangers.

“Can I help you?” she asked, placing both her hands on the counter as if bracing herself for a robbery.

“Yeah, I’d like to send flowers to a friend.”

“Okay,” she said.

I pulled a wad of cash from my pocket and this got her attention. “I want something big. Can it be delivered tomorrow?” After that she warmed up to me and I had her laughing at the end. She wrote down Lauren’s address from her business card and guaranteed the arrangement would be delivered by ten the next morning.

As I left, I scanned the parking lot out of habit, and when I saw Jimmy leaning against his Jeep, I grinned and shook my head.

“What are you doing here?”

“I saw your bike. Flowers, Drago? Who died?”

“Not for a funeral, they’re for a chick.”

Jimmy raised his eyebrows, but only one lifted as the other side of his face was a twisted mess of scar tissue from being burned. “You’re buying flowers for a chick? You feeling all right?”

“Fuck off.” This made him laugh and I sat down on my Harley, fastening the chin strap on my helmet.

“Seriously, who is she?”

“Someone I just met.”

“Oh shit, Drago’s in love,” he said with a knowing grin as he climbed into his Jeep. I flipped him off before firing up the engine and twisted the throttle causing the chrome exhaust pipes to rumble and pop. I wouldn’t say I was in love, but I’d never bought a chick flowers before. Usually it was dinner and a fuck, then I’d never see the woman again. Sometimes I didn’t even have to worry about the dinner part. Something about Lauren made me want to do more. I wanted to impress her. What the fuck was that all about? Maybe I’d talk to Jimmy about it. He was a new father and had settled down with his girlfriend. I thought about my friend Natalie. She was recently back together with Dominic, the boss of the Philly mob. She’d be able to provide a female perspective at least. If I still had feelings for Lauren after our date, then I’d make a call. In the meantime, I had to keep my head attached. We had a big transaction going down in a few weeks and I couldn’t afford to be distracted.

The next day I called in a favor with a local restaurateur who got his start with a little help from Gio. His latest, a farm to table venture, required three months advance notice for reservations, but he immediately made arrangements for me to have a table for two that night at seven-thirty. After hanging up with him, I called Lauren’s extension.

“Good morning, this is Lauren Michaels.”

“Good morning, sweetheart.” I heard a sharp intake of breath on the other line before she spoke.

“Thank you for the flowers, Victor. They’re gorgeous.”

“I’m glad you like them. Just a little something to brighten up your office.”

“They do.”

I filled her in on the dinner plans and she gave me the address for her apartment. She also gave me her cell phone number and I gave her mine. We hung up soon after that and I realized I couldn’t wait to see her.

Lauren

My boss, Gary Winston, sat across from my desk, rattling off instructions.

“Daniels, are you listening?”

“Huh? Yes.”

He scowled. The wrinkles on his forehead exaggerated his receding hairline. He glared at me over bifocals that hung on the end of his long nose. I was half-listening. Gary wanted me to wear a wire, which I refused. If I got caught on the first date, I’d be dead and the mission screwed. That wasn’t an option. My thoughts were focused on the “what if” scenarios of the date. What if I was made? The idea of deceiving Victor was bad enough, but actually getting caught was terrifying.

“Daniels, we’ve had lots of agents work undercover. Some of them for years and they thoroughly infiltrated gangs. Sometimes this meant they had to take on alternate lives, do drugs, have relationships. I need to know you’re thoroughly invested in your assignment.”

“Of course I am.”

“Good. I need to know you’ll do what it takes for Victor Drago to confide in you, bring you into his inner circle.”

I knew what he was asking. Could I go all in and have a relationship with Victor, a sexual relationship if necessary? The way I felt after just one kiss, I knew that wouldn’t be an issue. “Yes, I’ll do what it takes.”

“Good girl.” It was my turn to scowl. This wasn’t the first time my boss made misogynistic comments. I tried to brush it off. He was older, close to retirement, and had that good old boy mentality. It still pissed me off that he was so condescending, but I kept my mouth shut. The successful completion of this assignment would earn me respect and bragging rights.

We went over a few more details before he left my office. It was rush hour when I left and it took me close to an hour to get back to my apartment. I rushed around getting ready for my date. After a quick shower, I spent a good thirty minutes deciding what to wear. I acted like it really was a date, nervous jitters and all. Deciding on a simple black dress and nude heels, I slipped these on, putting the rest of the clothes that had been scattered to the four corners of my apartment away.

I lived in a studio, so my bedroom and living room were basically the same space. A small kitchen with breakfast bar was tucked away toward the back of the apartment. A giant picture window at the front was the big selling point for me. It let in a lot of natural light and faced west so the sunset views were amazing. I wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods, but that was part of my disguise. I had been trained in self-defense, receiving top marks in hand to hand combat, so I could handle the typical street criminal. After putting on some light makeup and brushing my hair so it was soft and tangle-free, I spent the last few minutes before Victor arrived straightening up my apartment. There really wasn’t any clutter, but it kept my mind preoccupied. When the buzzer rang, announcing Victor, my pulse quickened and my palms went sweaty.

Taking a deep breath and wiping my hands on my dress, I opened the door and waited for Victor. He stepped off the elevator at the end of the hall and then strode purposefully toward me. His long dark hair was combed and pulled back into a ponytail. He wore black dress pants and a dark blue button down shirt. The biker chain for his wallet and his black boots displayed the Victor flair I was becoming familiar with. He had a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand and he gave these to me after placing a kiss on my cheek.

“You’re more gorgeous than ever, sweetheart,” he said.

“Thanks, you’re looking good yourself.”

He grinned and I stepped aside, giving him access to my apartment. I watched as he took in the red suede loveseat and the bright patterned chair in the living room area. A folding divider, the same deep red as the loveseat, separated my bed and dresser, but they were still visible from the breakfast bar, which is where Victor sat as I placed the flowers in a vase.

“I love sunflowers,” I told him. “They remind me of summers in Ohio. There are fields of them, some of the stalks reaching twelve feet. They’d tower over me, the flowers as big around as a frying pan.”

“I like sunflower seeds,” he contributed, and I smiled at him.

“They’re good too. My mom taught me how to roast them, but I haven’t done that since…” I sighed and filled the vase with water.

“Since they died?”

I nodded and arranged the sunflowers so they were evenly distributed. It was a colorful display of yellow, green, and brown.

“My parents are alive, but I could be considered an orphan,” Victor said suddenly and I looked up at him. Of course I knew his story. His dad was in prison for murder and had been sent away when Victor was sixteen. Victor’s mom left town with his two sisters and he stayed behind, loyal to his father and his father’s best friend, Gio Bianchi. When he gave me a brief history, I sympathized with him when appropriate. When I’d done the research, I didn’t think our childhoods would be something we had in common, but in a way they were. We both lost our parents when we were teenagers.

I brought the vase over to the coffee table in the living room and set the arrangement down. Like the flowers did to my office, these brightened up the room.

“Thank you,” I said to Victor and leaned in to give him a kiss. He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me flush with his body.

“You’re welcome.” His lips found mine, which parted for him. His tongue slipped inside my mouth and began to move in soft strokes. I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him close. One of his hands moved up my back, across the skin not covered by my dress and I shivered at the contact. This encouraged him and he unzipped my dress, sliding his hand down the opening until he stopped and cupped my ass. Surprised, I gasped and broke off the kiss to look at him. His olive skin was flushed, like he had a fever and his lips glistened from our contact. His eyes, dark like molasses, locked onto mine and we silently regarded each other as our heart rates returned to normal. “Sorry, was that too fast?”

“Uh, yes, I mean no, well…maybe?” I stopped and laughed. “I didn’t mind, it’s just that I am hungry and you promised me dinner.”

“Right, let’s go, we’ll pick this up later.” Victor zipped up my dress before reaching for my hand and then we left.

He held the passenger door to his black Audi open and I slid inside, noticing Victor watching my legs with interest. Thank God we had natural chemistry, otherwise this assignment would suck. I honestly couldn’t complain about spending time with a hot, funny, successful man.
Criminal. He’s a criminal. He’s killed people.
I had to remind myself of that.

We arrived at the restaurant and Victor handed his keys to the valet while another employee opened the door for me. Upon exiting the vehicle, Victor held my hand and we walked in together.

The name of the restaurant was called Earth and walking inside was like stepping into a forest. Rich greens and brown with deep russet reds and sunshine yellows as accent colors filled the room. The table and chairs were all unfinished wood, and large beeswax candles made up the centerpieces. The hostess marked Victor’s name off the reservation sheet, grabbed two menus, and led us to a table for two. Wine was ordered, poured, and less than twenty minutes later our entrees appeared. Everything was simple, straight farm to table, and delicious. I ordered duck breast with chestnut stuffing and a side of sautéed greens. Victor had pork chops with grilled apples and oven roasted squash. We chatted while we ate and got to know each other better.