Me:Sounds good. Braxton and I are in the office.
“Seems Jace is going to be joining us while Ryker handles Amanda’s punishment personally,” I shared.
“Ah… Ryker wants to do it himself,” Braxton mused out loud as he came to lean against the desk, looking down at me. “You should have made me do it.”
Frowning, I cocked my head. “Why? That’s not your job, it’s his.”
“I’m the one who fucked up and didn’t have a clue she was working with Harvey. Making me do it would be a kind punishment if I’m being honest,” Braxton muttered.
Interestingly enough, I didn’t hold him responsible for this fuck up. Cherry was a smart girl and knew exactly what she was doing, never expecting to get caught. I wasn’t sure how Braxton would have been able to stumble upon this unless he had a guard on her at all times, and that was unrealistic.
“There’s always someone smarter than us out there somewhere. You’re in charge of all the girls across all our clubs. There’s no way you would have been able to catch her in the act. None of the girls here like her so she wouldn’t have told anyone else, leaving no leak. Cherry was a free agent who didn’t live in our dorms… her free time was her own. What we need to do is learn from this and figure out how to stop it from happening again,” I reasoned. “Let’s just hope Alfie doesn’t befall the same fate.”
twenty-eight
Theharborwasbusytoday which was odd for it being so late in the week. I knew we had a bunch of shipments coming in that had been held up by the Coast Guard, making me wonder if that’s what happened to all these people too. The Aprian government has been on a power trip trying to control our only access through their waters from overseas. Each year our government had to negotiate new terms, and that time was coming soon, which meant the bastards always tried to find a way to fuck us.
My cell started to vibrate in my pocket, pulling me out of my musings. I glanced at the screen to see it was Ryker. He was supposed to be with Astin, so this couldn’t be good.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“We’ve got a major problem. Astin’s on top of it, but I need your help. One of Braxton’s girls was passing notes in class between Harrison and Harvey. They’re coded, so I have no fucking clue what it says, and you’re the best at figuring this stuff out. I’m gonna send you a picture of the note I have, but we need to know what it says before we meet with Harrison and Raymond tonight,” Ryker explained as I could hear screaming in the background.
“Send it over, and I’ll see what I can do. All our shipments finally cleared customs, so I need to make sure we get it the fuck out of here then to our warehouse and storehouses. It’s too much product to trust it to linger here,” I warned.
The screaming intensified, making me need to pull the phone away from my ear. “Dude, what’s with the squealing pig?”
“Sorry, let me step outside,” Ryker commented as the sound diminished. “That would be our leak. Astin charged me with her punishment, and when that’s done, we drop her off on Harvey’s doorstep.”
“I assume she’s aware that if she does, it will tell him we know about Harrison,” I pointed out.
“Thing is, I don’t think she cares,” Ryker said with a sigh. “When we meet them tonight, she’s pulling out the rug from under them. This is no longer the long game we’re going for. It’s more of hitting hard and fast to make a lasting impression on all. Personally, I think she wants Harvey to know she’s figured out his game.”
“Damn, who pissed her the fuck off?” I asked, chuckling.
It seems our mafia princess is finally shaking off the disguise and showing her true colors. If she’s reached the point that starting a war wasn’t a concern, Harvey must have really gotten under her skin. The glimpse I got of her darkness that day I asked if she’d really kill us told me everything I needed to know. Everything we are seeing now was her mask, and we all needed to pray to whatever god might be out there she’d never turn that evil on us. If Harvey was her target, this would be a bloodbath of epic proportions that our country hadn’t seen since the dark days before the Caprioni Family took leadership.
“To be honest, I think it might be a few people, and this is the straw that broke her,” Ryker muttered.
“Meaning you need to be real fucking careful she doesn’t turn on you,” I said, reading between the lines. “That woman isn’t the girl you knew and grew up with. She’s a mafia queen born and bred who’s going to rule over her kingdom, crushing the bones of her enemy.”
“She ordered the woman’s tongue be removed after she sliced up her face from a shiv she keeps in her heel. I think that was a clear enough message for me to realize that all on my own, but thanks for lookin’ out,” Ryker drawled sarcastically. “Braxton sent a message with a time and place for tonight. Apparently, she wants all of us to be there, so they know the full backing of the Caprioni Family is behind this decision.”
“Is Boss going to be there?” I asked. “Seems this would be a good chance for him to show the world he stands behind her choice. Harrison has been a long-time friend to Boss, and this is a slap in the fucking face.”
“All I know is what Braxton sent in his message. She had another meeting with Harrison’s other hooker that he shares with the mayor,” Ryker answered.
“Speaking of the mayor.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Ryker snapped, which told me he fucked up with her again.
“So that’s why she’s making you do the punishment,” I said with a smirk.
He grunted in response. “I’m not so sure. I think if she didn’t have another meeting, she’d have done it herself. Problem is taking a tongue is messy, bloody work, and it would have ruined her clothes. I bet you money now she’ll make sure to have a change of clothes with her at all times.”
“Send me what you need me to look over, and as soon as I find out anything, I’ll let you know,” I said, seeing one of my men heading for me. “Looks like the first ship is unloaded, and I need to tell them where they’re taking things.”
“Will do, and don’t be late tonight. This is important,” Ryker warned.