“Good luck,” I replied, and I hung up the phone. I’d called from a blocked number and he’d be unable to get back through to me. I glanced at my security monitors. My compound was silent, and I keyed in a few additional measures that would ensure that no one could get in. His threats didn’t concern me. Keri would be safe here until I dealt with her father. He would be handled regardless of whether I decided to help her or not. I didn’t answer to men like him.
There was one other piece of her story I needed to verify, however. If the Battistas threatened her, that would require an answer too. There were two parts of this equation I needed to fully understand. I didn’t do things halfway.
I tracked down Anthony Battista’s number and I called him next. By his background information, he was only twenty-one and pretty quiet on the criminal front. He’d been implicated in a few drug trafficking rings that his father had likely engineered for him, but nothing stuck. Overall, he did decently in school and stayed mostly clear of the activities of the Battista family from what I could tell.
“This is Tony,” he answered.
“My name is Jaxon Blackwood,” I began.
“Blackwood… Blackwood… I know that name,” he mused. “Oh! I know who you are, but why would you be calling me? I’ll connect you with my dad. You’re probably looking for him.”
“No, Tony. I want to talk to you.”
“Why me?” he asked, his voice shaking with just the slightest twinge of fear.
“I want to talk to you about Keri Esposito,” I began. I decided to tread carefully at first. Tony seemed in no way as crass as her father, so I was beginning to doubt this side of her story. I wanted to know more and if I went at this from a different angle, Tony would tell me everything I needed to know without him even realizing it.
“My bride-to-be?”
“Yes. I want to know more about the arrangement. How did it come to be?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I wasn’t really involved when my dad brought in the lawyers. The whole thing was mainly put together behind closed doors with the heads of the Esposito family and mine. I didn’t really have anything to do with it. The only thing that I really have to do is show up to the ceremony tomorrow and go through with it,” he answered.
“Are you happy with the arrangement? Do you and Keri get along?” I pressed.
“Well, we’ve never actually met. I’ve never even talked to her either, but that’s fairly typical as far as arranged marriages go from what I’m told. I’ve seen her picture though. She’s really pretty. I’m looking forward to getting to know her after the wedding tomorrow,” he replied.
“I see,” I answered. “Do you know if she’s objected to the arrangement at all?”
“As far as I’m aware, she hasn’t. Neither of us were really consulted about it, which is typical in any case.”
“Were either of you threatened into it?”
“No, it was just expected of us. Nothing more than that.”
“Thank you, Tony. I appreciate your candor.”
“It’s no problem at all. Will I see you at the wedding tomorrow?” he asked.
“Probably not, but I wish you all the best,” I replied.
“Thanks, man,” he said.
“Have a good rest of your evening, Tony,” I added.
“I will,” he answered, and I hung up the phone.
I sat back and drummed my fingers against the wooden surface of my desk. She’d been telling the truth, mostly anyway. Her father had threatened her, but her husband-to-be wasn’t that kind of man. To me, he was a pretty laid-back kind of guy who wasn’t really interested in the dealings of the family business. If anything, Keri would be the one who wore the pants in that relationship. With a sigh, I looked at her picture once more.
She was a gorgeous little thing, that was certain. When she’d batted her eyes at me and leaned forward so I could catch a peek at her young form, I’d noticed. I’d have to be dead not to. Even now, my cock was hard as I thought about her naked on her knees in front of me as she begged to suck me off.
Fuck. No, I couldn’t do that.
She was young, innocent, and most likely a virgin. She wasn’t the type of woman that I wanted in my bed.
I liked my women submissive and just a little bit naughty, enough so that they needed to be taken over my knee and taught a lesson that only Daddy could teach them. My fingers twitched. It had been quite some time since I’d taken a woman in hand. There was one very different thing about every one of those women. They’d all been willing to obey Daddy from the start, even if that meant a painful trip over my knee when they had earned one.
With a sigh, I forcibly shoved my sordid thoughts from my head and pushed myself up from my desk chair. I would confront her about her tall tale. I would take care of her father because no one threatened me and got away with it, but other than that, I didn’t know what I was going to do about her yet.