54: One Step Closer

Marco's POV 

‘One bastard down. One more to go.’

Lounging on the couch, I dragged on my cigar and puffed, dispensing my thick smoke in the air-conditioned room, as it formed a white cloud above me. 

Kaid slightly bowed after delivering the old news, and stepped aside, taking camp behind the couch. 

The moment I focused more on Lucas and my cousin, I noticed the slight detachment on Kaid's end. 

His sudden out-of-sight mode, busy calls in the guise of work… He was next. And fuck it, if he was in with Sofia, he'd kill himself with his weapon, and his fucked-up soul would never forgive him in hell.

 

I gulped down what was left of the shot and signaled for him to pour another, only thrusting a finger up. 

“Si, Don.” 

He poured a shot and stepped aside, hands crossed in front of him. 

His phone buzzed in his breast pocket. He pulled it out to see who the caller was, stopped the vibration, and slipped it back in.

My eyes caught the small frown that lurked around his lips, and his narrowed gaze. 

And the heck, it was almost mid-fucking-night!

“Who is it?” 

He stopped for a tiny second, hands clutched tighter to themselves. “Sir Cent.” 

The tone... it wasn't the bold Kaid. And it was definitely not my transparent assistant. He had some skeletons in his box. 

A dark chuckle erupted in my head. 

Of all the people to mess around with, it had to be nasty, Cent. 

That old bastard. 

In my head, I added Cent's name to the top of my list and ticked him with a dark pen. 

Even though he turned out to be innocent of any allegation, I'd still enure to burst his ugly balls. 

Next time, I'd do my due diligence and chop off his entire limbs. 

Slowly sipping the hard brown liquor in my glass, I slowly thought things through. 

‘What does he want? What's his connection with my damn assistant?’ 

“Why is he calling?” I asked instead, voice steady, not betraying any irritated emotion. 

Than beating myself up for any news, it was better to hear from the horse's mouth. There was a higher chance that he'd lie, and it would be his doom at the end of the day. 

“I can't really say. But he has called for business the last time.” 

Business, huh? 

I picked up my glass and kissed the rim to my lips just to hide a smirk. 

Again, the phone buzzed. 

He was about to silence it and put it back when I interrupted. 

“Answer your dam call.”

Kaid retrieved the phone and did as I instructed, he followed the silent order and put it on speaker. 

“Took you so long to pick up, yeah?” His deep irky tone blurred. 

He'd made a good host for a Halloween party. 

“I was attending to something. I apologize.” 

Cent hissed. “In that tight schedule of yours, remember I'm not a patient man. And inform your boss that we need to have a meeting.” He mocked Kaid. 

His boss… perfect. 

Now, I'd have no regret for fucking up an old man. 

“He isn't taking our calls and this is urgent.”

“Si.” 

“Also,” Cent paused. “Any news about the Bratva? Our clan is ready.” 

Kaid didn't respond. 

“Let me know whenever you find something.” He instructed. 

Still, Kaid didn't respond. 

A short pause followed, with Kaid maybe hoping he shut the fuck up and not put him in trouble and Cent wondering when the silent and one-syllable attitude came about. 

“For that shipment,” he resumed. “We have a wild demand!” He forced a loud laugh, as fake as his brains. “I told you that when we starve them and feed them in bits, they want more!” 

This conversation was forced. 

Enough. I snapped a command. 

“I'll speak with the Don and get back to you.” 

He ended the call and maintained a straight pose. 

“What shipment?” 

“Five thousand crates of coke,” he spilled. “We've been trying to secure the deal. Also, the next audition is in two weeks.”

Hmm. 

Interesting. 

“About the meeting…” 

“You were about to decline his calls, right?” He nodded to my question. 

"You and Cent, why is he impatient with you?"

He tried to avoid my blunt stare. "The business, the client is in a hurry. He's the plug."

I ran the tip of my tongue along my teeth. "It had better be so... for your own good."

Leaving him without another response, I walked up to the study with my lit cigar. Putting Ramson on the dial, I waited for his response. 

“Mr. Conti.” His lazy voice came alive. 

“I'll send a number right away.” I hit the nail. “I want it hacked and every one of his calls monitored.”

“Noted.”

The call dropped. 

First thing, I shared Kaid's contact with him and set my phone aside. 

Done with that task, the next was opening the work laptop and connected to the camera I implanted in Lorenzo’s house. 

The living room was as a normal place would, with sane people. Soldato lined the walls like fine furniture. 

For about thirty minutes, there was no movement. Just me watching a boring as fuck live video. 

With the other connected to the outside of his house, at the pole of his garage to be exact, it revealed a car drive in.

It had the rare plate number. It was Lorenzo. 

We were night crawlers, and this wouldn't normally cause a stir, but seeing a masked slim blonde get out of the car heightened my suspicion. 

She looked like Sofia… not entirely, but the body physique and side resemblance were almost striking. 

Like the other day, the soldato walked out, giving their boss his privacy. It all made sense. 

Zooming in on them, I tried to make a face of the masked lady. They got in, and his deep voice overshadowed her giggle. 

Once she reached a couch, she dumped her bag, and her coat came off, revealing a stark naked bitch…

I sighed, realizing I had wasted about two hours of my life. 

Lorenzo was just an idiot seeking validation. A freak with a dick as big as his head. 

Fucking bastard!