Roman’s POV
This rat-infested safe house reeked of decay and desperation, but it was the only sanctuary left after the Thorne family’s soldiers had raided my penthouse. The irony wasn’t lost on that I, once a respected underboss in the organization, now depended entirely on so street-level punk I’d recruited from the docks. This crumbling hideout was miles from Thorne territory, but it served its purpose keeping off their radar.
At least yesterday brought so satisfaction watching Ivy jump at every shadow. Tailing her through Little Italy like a ghost had been pure entertainnt, watching her paranoia spike with each passing hour. My inside man’s brilliant move installing surveillance malware on all Thorne Group devices ant I could orchestrate my vendetta from behind this computer screen, moving my enemies around like pawns on a chessboard.
The frustrating part was Ivy rarely left the family compound anymore. Well into her pregnancy, she looked like she was smuggling a basketball under her designer maternity clothes.
"Boss man, grub’s here," Derek announced as he kicked through the door. That irritating street rat refused to use proper titles, preferring his ridiculous street nickna for . Though I had to admit, it carried a certain weight in the underworld. He was a pain in the ass, but his network of desperate contacts proved invaluable for wet work.
"Please tell you brought sothing edible this ti," I grimaced, rembering yesterday’s greasy disaster from so dive near the waterfront. The oversalted garbage he’d brought was barely fit for strays.
"Nothing but five-star dining for the mastermind," he replied with obvious sarcasm, tossing the takeout bag.
"Sit down. We need to discuss business." A plan had been forming in my mind, but execution required careful orchestration.
"What’s the play now?" Derek dropped onto the threadbare couch, propping his boots on the coffee table like he owned the joint.
"I need soone to snatch a newborn from the hospital," I said, savoring the ntal image of that arrogant don and his wife’s anguish. "Ivy’s due date is approaching fast. When she delivers, we’re taking one of those babies."
"Damn, boss man, you’re getting more ruthless by the day," Derek grinned approvingly. "I can arrange that. What kind of operator you thinking?"
"A woman who can pose as dical staff. She lifts the infant from the nursery and delivers it to . You’ll be backup, blending with the hospital crowd, watching everything, making sure nothing goes sideways," I outlined my rough strategy.
"Perfect! I know exactly who can handle this. There’s this chick I’ve been seeing, always hurting for cash. She’ll jump at the chance," Derek always had soone willing to do anything for a payday.
"Excellent, bring her here for a et. But don’t get generous with promises. Five grand maximum. Understood?" My war chest was running dangerously low.
The only funds remaining ca from Patricia’s offshore accounts that I’d liquidated and funneled through shell companies before the feds could freeze everything. Less than three hundred thousand had escaped their asset seizure. Between paying Derek and my company rat, who were both getting too comfortable with their positions, money was becoming a serious problem.
My burner phone buzzed with a ssage from my inside source. What crisis now? I grabbed the device and read.
"They sohow detected the surveillance network. All monitoring programs on phones and computers have been neutralized."
Damn it! This would complicate everything significantly. I typed quickly: "What happened?"
His response arrived imdiately.
"Unknown, but they conducted a comprehensive security sweep of all electronic equipnt throughout the organization and deactivated everything. Worse news, there’s a new security chief reviewing all departntal operations. This guy knows his business."
When did Caleb Thorne develop actual brains? He’d always been predictably violent before. This developnt would make my life infinitely more difficult. I decided to apply pressure and sent another ssage.
"Find a solution, but maintain intelligence flow if you want to keep receiving your regular envelope."
His reply increased my irritation.
"I’ll attempt what I can, but security has tightened considerably. They’re exercising extre caution, and Thorne is conducting most family business from the compound now, keeping office activities minimal. Intelligence from the top level has dried up completely."
What an incompetent fool! I explicitly told him to find solutions. Staying inford about their operations was crucial to my survival.
"Hey boss man, got a question for you," Derek interrupted my thoughts.
"What now, kid?" I sighed, feeling tension building behind my temples.
"You planning to help my buddy who got pinched in that kidnapping job?" Derek fixed with an intense stare.
"I wouldn’t even lift a finger for my own blood," I snapped, losing patience. "He earned good money for the work, prison was part of the risk he accepted, so he can handle the consequences alone."
"Co on, that’s not how the code works. You can’t abandon the guy! He’s completed countless jobs for you, quality work too," Derek protested.
"And received excellent compensation for each one. Now he’s on his own. Every man for himself," I replied, starting to eat. At least today he’d brought steak and fries. Nothing spectacular, but vastly superior to yesterday’s slop.
"Boss man, can I ask sothing else?" Derek looked sowhat nervous.
"What now?" Such an aggravating little pest.
"Why won’t you help your daughter? The girl’s practically mafia royalty and she’s rotting in lockup. Seems pretty harsh," Derek appeared genuinely sympathetic toward Yara.
"She’s old enough to handle her own problems. Yara never executes anything correctly, she only creates obstacles for my operations. Once I finish with Caleb Thorne, I’m disappearing to live comfortably without even rembering that annoying girl. She’s exactly like her mother." I started talking and before realizing it, had revealed too much. "If you feel sorry for her, she’s yours."
"Man, being your son-in-law would be incredible. That girl is absolutely stunning," Derek said with a grin. "But she wouldn’t give a second glance, I know it."
And he was absolutely right. I shook my head and laughed. Yara only had eyes for Caleb, she’d developed a complete obsession with him. Admittedly, I bore significant responsibility for this fixation. From childhood, I constantly reinforced that she should marry him, that he was her perfect match, programming her quite effectively.
During her teenage years, she beca rebellious and developed feelings for that Austin Kieran character. She started spending ti with him, completely infatuated, and he followed her around constantly. She even lost her virginity to him, and worse, multiple soldiers witnessed it happening at the social club. I was furious with her, this was devastating for my plans to arrange her marriage to Caleb. I gave her a severe beating that day and threatened that any future defiance would result in her being thrown onto the streets penniless.
She was a pampered mafia princess whose entire existence revolved around shopping, country clubs, and expensive establishnts with her friends. Prison must be torturous for her. But that’s how I maintained control over her, and she followed my every command.
"Derek, did you discover how the feds located my penthouse?" I suddenly rembered to ask. "I’d completely forgotten about it until now."
"Oh right, almost slipped my mind. I sent that junkie lawyer to the lockup to pressure that Monica woman. He went yesterday," Derek replied. "That woman’s absolutely disgusting, right boss man? She got furious and said to get her out fast, or she’ll sing everything, though she hasn’t talked yet. But she wanted you to know that the princess requested a cell transfer recently and it was approved."
"What do you an?" I asked, finding this strange since they had gotten along well.
"She only knows that the princess received a lawyer visit, and afterward, she stopped speaking to Monica entirely and requested the transfer."
"When did this occur?" I was curious.
"Around the ti they raided your place. The lawyer, he’s a junkie but occasionally thinks clearly, after speaking with Monica, he managed to identify who visited the princess."
"And who was it?"
"Damn! I forgot the na, what was it again?" Derek concentrated but couldn’t rember. He grabbed his phone and made a call, laughing when he hung up. "I don’t know how that guy passed the bar exam, he’s already wasted."
"The na, you idiot! Before you forget again," I said, throwing the takeout container onto the table.
"Oh yeah, he said it’s Austin, but he doesn’t rember the surna."
"Kieran!" I said with pure hatred. He must have visited and revealed everything to Yara.
"Yeah, that’s it. You’re brilliant, boss man! That’s insane!" Derek laughed while staring at .
"What else did Monica say?"
"She said she kept investigating and discovered that the princess was pressuring the prison warden to et with so detective. Then, Monica learned from another inmate that the princess got a detective visit, and it was significant because the eting happened in the warden’s office. And that was the day your place got raided." Derek stretched across the sofa back.
"But Yara didn’t know about the penthouse. Or did she? And even if she did, she wouldn’t betray family," I speculated aloud, though the moron was listening intently.
"Look boss man, I don’t know, but like, you whacked the girl’s mother, right? And you’re letting her rot in lockup alone. If it were , I’d want to destroy you, rip your heart out, and feed it to Brutus, my pitbull," Derek laughed, and his logic was sound.
Yara must have been enraged. But it was too late now. She knew too much, and it was definitely her who provided them intelligence, which explained why all my accounts were frozen. Traitorous daughter! I should have been more cautious. Her mother had already pulled that stunt hiding evidence of the car bomb that killed Caleb Thorne’s parents. I should have realized my spoiled little princess wasn’t as foolish as she appeared. Her mother must have taught her to gather information for leverage. But it was finished now! Done! So to hell with her!
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