The One (Untouchables Mafia Series Book 3)

This feeling of not wanting to handle things is different for me. Before, I used to jump at the chance to work. But I’m finding that all I want to handle right now is the Angel that I have tucked away in my home. I remind myself that she’s not going anywhere. I’ll deal with this bullshit and get back to her. She’s gone quiet on me. I’m not usually a man of many words, but she seems to draw them out of me. Unfortunately for me, Angel gave me a taste of the silence I give everyone else. I don’t like it. I enjoy listening to her. I find her soft, sweet voice soothing.

Still, as I descend the stairs, I pull out my phone to make sure the cameras are working so that I can check in on her if need be. A warm feeling settles inside me when I see her sitting down at the table to eat the plate of food I made her. Will she eat and then lie down in my bed? The thought of returning to find her there is one I have to put to the back of my mind when I see Matteo and his right-hand man, Sergio.

‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing?’ Matteo snaps out. It might be time for me to reprogram my locks. Few people have the codes to enter the warehouse to this point. It’s a necessity. They do, after all, often have to bring my work to me. Sometimes I’ll collect it myself. But most times it’s more convenient if I can work from home.

“Is he here?” I ask my own question. Matteo’s eyes narrow on me.

He owns this city and everyone in it. We’ve never butted heads before. Matteo is a decent man—well, decent compared to so many others. He runs his city with an iron fist, but he isn’t a tyrant. That’s why I settled down here. He isn’t the only person I work for, but lately he has become the main one. I suppose I have gotten comfortable here. Still, I’m not on his payroll. I don’t answer to him, but I am in his city.

“Church!” Matteo says again. He isn’t as big as I am. Not many are, but he can handle himself. It’s not always about brute force, and your size can hinder you at times. Not that it would matter. Sergio would easily put a bullet through my head before I could even reach Matteo. All of Matteo’s men are loyal. “She’s a senator’s daughter,” he says as though that makes any difference to me. She was a senator’s daughter, but now she’s mine.

“I don’t care.”

“Respect.” Sergio cuts in.

“It’s fine,” Matteo tells him. I’m not trying to disrespect him. But I’m not going to spell out my reasons for taking Angel either. Matteo knows that. It’s not as though we sit around and chitchat. I’m not one of the boys. “She better be worth it.”

“I’m keeping her. I’ll pay whatever.” No, I’m not paying Matteo for her. I’m willing to cover whatever money he will have to throw around to shut some fuckers up. “Or I could leave,” I offer. I will give him that. “With the girl.”

“You’re not leaving.” I had a feeling he’d say that, but I wasn’t sure. “You’re too fucking talented at your job.” Matteo shakes his head. “Next time, give me the courtesy of a heads-up.”

“There won’t be a next time.” I don’t go snatching girls out of their homes on a daily basis. Well, not to keep for myself anyway.

“You’re really keeping her?” His tone sounds surprised, but his face gives nothing away. I’m sure he didn’t see this coming. Hell, I hadn’t either. That’s not entirely true. I knew once I saw my Angel in that family photo that I would do whatever it took to have her. And in my mind, taking her was the only way to make that my reality. I merely shrug my responce. What Angel and I do is no one else’s business, but mine. “And the boy?”

“You mean her twin brother?” That does give me some pause, but I know what needs to be done.

“Yes. Why don’t you let Sergio and me handle him?” Matteo offers.

“Where is the girl?” I ask.

“Becky?”

I grunt a response. What other fucking girl is there? This is all taking too long. I think Becky could be worse than Angel’s twin, Brent. They’re both fucking psychos. An evil Barbie and Ken duo, the two of them. The shit I found on them made my skin crawl. They are a different kind of sick in the head.

“We have them.”

Then where the hell are they? I spotted Matteo’s vehicle when I came down. It was the only one to come through my gate, and no alert went off to let me know anyone had been inside the confession box.

“They’re not here.” I state the fucking obvious. I was sure they’d be brought here at some point.

“It’s not so easy with those two.”

“Nikolai wants them.” They had been fucking with his girl, Riley. The only reason I discovered the atrocities that Becky and Brent had done was because I was deeply infatuated with Angel.

My fascination with her quickly became an obsession, and I needed to know everything about her. That meant the people around her. How could an Angel be surrounded by so many fucked-up souls? She must be a lure for them because she pulled me right in the second I laid eyes on her. There is something about her. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it’s there. It’s her.

“It’s more political than that. The new police chief complicates matters.”

I can see that a web of politics is about to unfold. I don’t play in those games. It’s not my specialty. “Then, why are you here?” If there are no bodies present, there is no necessity for my presence.

“I want you to tell me you won’t come after them.”

“I don’t know where they are.” I couldn’t care less about the brother or the girlfriend now that I have Angel in my possession. Don’t get me wrong; I wouldn’t mind killing either one of them if the opportunity presented itself.

“Right now.” I’m going to take that as a compliment. I could dig up information, sure, but if Matteo hid them away, that wouldn’t be so easy. No, they bring my work to my doorstep.

Wait. It hits me.

“You’re letting them loose.”

“I am.”

“You know what they are capable of.”

“Zero informed me.” Of course he did. I’d asked the smart little fucker to dig more into them.

‘You are going to let those two run the streets. People will die.” Young girls. That’s their type.

“When has death ever bothered you, Church?” Death hasn’t bothered me, not in a very long time. But it was close to Angel. That’s when it began to affect me.

“What about Nikolai?” He’ll want blood. I’m sure he believes the two of them are strapped down in the basement now, waiting for him to come here later. He’s just too focused on his own woman to worry about it yet, but he’ll come up for air at some point. When he does, he’ll want those two vile humans to pay for what they did to his girl. I’m not sure how the hell Matteo is going to rectify that if he lets them go.

“I’ll handle Nikolai.”

“I’ll leave it be,” I agree. “For now.”

“Good.” Matteo smirks. “I’m sure you’ll get your confessions from them soon enough.” I grunt a response. “Don’t be sad.” Sad? The fuck is he talking about? “Sal will be here shortly with some work.” Ah, no, I’m not itching to work. I have an angel to return to. “Find out his sins, and we’ll be even for the senator’s daughter.”

“Fine.” I would have done it either way. It’s what I do, after all.

“This one might not be as straightforward as you think.” That has my hackles rising. “Keep him alive and without a visible mark in case I need to come back for him.”

With that, Matteo is gone. Sal pulls up a few moments later. I walk over to the van, opening the back doors to see whose lucky night it is.

“Fuck me.”