That’s exactly what I planned on doing.

  Whether it was against the rules or not.

  I had to find something that would help him one way or the other. There was only one person who could do that.

  Zoe.

  My heart in my throat, I slowly picked up the cellphone. I had a limited photographic memory, including phone numbers. I rarely programmed any into my phone, only the few that I’d wanted to recognize immediately.

  Zoe had been included in that small group.

  However, I’d made myself repeat her office and cell number more than once. That allowed my frazzled mind to not need to try to muddle through the horrific thoughts.

  I simply dialed her private cell number, hoping she would answer.

  On the third ring, she did.

  “Zoe. It’s Noel. I need your help, and you can’t tell anyone we talked. You also can’t ask me any questions.”

  “Whoa. Hold on. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m on a temporary trip.”

  “You can’t lie to me, Noel. I went by your place. I peered in the windows. It’s trashed. Someone was inside. Did they hurt you?”

  “No. Someone protected me as he’s doing right now. I need some information and I need it quickly.” I hated hearing about my house, but it was what I’d already expected.

  She grumbled under her breath. “I don’t like this shit. Fine. What do you need?”

  I pressed my hand against my forehead, still praying what I was doing was the right thing. “I need you to find out everything you can about a man named Kage Bronson, including anything you can dig up on his wife and daughter’s murder. After they were murdered, he became a soldier for the Saldono Rinaldi Crime Syndicate but was railroaded to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. I also need you to find out about his grandfather and whether there was a connection between Abbot Bronson of Bronson Industries and Saldono.”

  “Whoa. Hold on. Crime syndicate? Murders? What have you gotten yourself into?”

  “I’m just working on something for a book that’s very important to me, including getting details correct. I might have ruffled a few feathers. That’s all. Can you do that for me? Please?”

  She hesitated and I pressed my fist against my mouth. “It be a tall order, but I’ll see what I can discover. Is looking into this the reason your place was trashed?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Jesus Christ, Noel. You’re finally recovering from a horrible event and now you want to dig yourself into a situation that might drag you back to it?”

  “Please. It’s the only favor I’ll ask of you. I swear to God.”

  “Fine but you will tell me what’s going on. Where are you calling from?”

  “It’s a burner phone.”

  “My God.”

  “Just trust me. Please. Text me what you find. Okay? Then email after that.”

  Oh, I was playing with the kind of fire that could burn down a forest, but it was the least I could do for the man saving my life.

  Kage

  Mistakes.

  Freedom.

  Revenge.

  The three words remained in the forefront of my mind, fueling the villain inside. I was still uncertain if leaving Noel alone was the best idea, but I also knew it was only a matter of time before our location was found.

  I’d prefer to be the aggressor in the situation.

  I had a bad feeling that my lovely guest was up to something. But I couldn’t be in two places at once and I certainly wasn’t going to place her life in worse danger. I’d simply handle my business expeditiously and return.

  After ensuring I wasn’t followed.

  Help me.

  She was one determined lady. I’d seen it in her eyes. Only I couldn’t allow that. Since I’d already established there was no decency left inside of me, next on the list was chivalry. I didn’t think that had been completely stripped away. I’d keep protecting the girl with the sharp blue eyes and caustic mouth with everything I had.

  As I’d driven down the mountain, I’d thought about her comment regarding my grandfather. Her questions weren’t far off from what I’d wondered myself, but whatever the case, my grandfather was dead and the reasons behind the attack on my family were only a small part of dealing with the horrific murders.

  Law enforcement hadn’t seemed interested in hunting down the persons responsible. Even the private investigator I’d hired at the time had suddenly dropped off the case. Then he’d disappeared off the face of the earth, which had been a not-so-subtle warning to let it drop.

  I hadn’t.

  The anger had only continued to build.

  But not once had I been threatened directly.

  How many times had I gone over what had occurred around the time of my family’s murders? Hundreds, so much so the details had become fuzzy. I wasn’t even certain if my memory regarding them was accurate or not. I’d believed then and I still did today whoever had killed them had been sending a message.

  I had to think it did have to with my grandfather’s company. But I’d found nothing up to that point to indicate any real illegal activities. Granted, I hadn’t known what to look for early on before I’d landed in prison. However, the man had kept secrets from me. It had been something even my father had warned me about.

  Maybe that memory had been the reason Noel’s comment had caught me off guard so much.

  First things first.

  Handling Saldono. How things were going to be would be explained to him. The reason I was taking the significant risk was simple in my mind.

  I wanted to push his buttons.

  I also wanted to put a question in his mind.

  By doing nothing more than showing up unexpectedly when the man was sending him goons to look for me, I’d disarm and befuddle him. That usually led to mistakes being made, which I could use to my benefit.

  My father had called it playing chicken.

  I grinned as I pulled the truck into a secure parking lot across from the restaurant where I’d confirmed Saldono was enjoying his lunch. He frequented a few different establishments he felt secure at on a Wednesday afternoon, not bothering to take more than two of his soldiers with him. He was almost always accompanied by a different woman, spending the rest of the afternoon sequestered inside a hotel suite permanently registered in his name.

  I’d been asked only once to be one of the guards and only because one of the usual two had come down with pneumonia. It was a well-known secret that somehow, he’d managed to keep from his wife.

  Either that or her marriage had been about producing children and shopping for fine trinkets. While breaking into his hotel would have assured privacy, that’s not what I’d wanted.

  In fact, I wanted as many people to see us together as possible. So when he did make his final move against me, the photos would also be plastered all over the internet.

  Even if he ended up dead in the process.

  As Dan exited a vehicle, three other men did as well in addition to Big Eddy also coming out of retirement to help with my cause. I immediately had my hand out, but Big Eddy pulled me into a bear hug, clapping his hand on my back.

  “Buddy. It is so good to see you living and breathing,” Big Eddy said as he pulled away.

  “It’s good to be seen. Thank you, guys, for coming,” I answered and shook Dan’s hand.

  “You look older,” Dan told me, half laughing. “But damn good. You’ve put on some bulk.”

  I glanced across the street, just able to catch sight of the restaurant in question. “An important thing to do when I was shoved into a cage like an animal.”

  “Yeah, I hear you,” he said.

  “You sure you want to do this?” Eddy asked.

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” And I was.

  “It’s dangerous for you to play games with the man.”

  Dan’s comment was understood. I turned my head to stare him in the eyes. He’d always been a voice of reason, but he also knew when I was determined to do something, it would happen no matter the consequences. “I learned a long time ago that by just planting a seed, often the truth would spiral on its own, festering into a painful boil.”

  I’d worked with the other three men over the years and they were studying me intently. I’d been considered a bit crazy even then.

  “He ain’t gonna budge, Kage. He truly believes you killed Antonio so you could take his throne.” Mark was finally getting older, or at least he appeared that way. Our line of work certainly took a toll on a man’s body.

  “Would you prefer I assassinate him?” I had no intention of doing that unless pushed. Maybe Noel’s influence had infected me with the desire to build a new life.

  “I doubt your parole officer would take too kindly to that,” Dan teased.

  “Yeah, well, he’s a putz. Let’s go.” They knew the plan, their presence showing Saldono I’d picked up where I’d left off before being railroaded.

  With or without him.

  I knew exactly where Rinaldi’s table was. As soon as I walked in through the front entrance, I marveled at the fact the place had barely changed. It was dark, meant for hard-drinking corporate moguls with its exotic woods or a romantic movie in the making. It was the kind of Italian place highlighted in years gone past, complete with white table linens.

  It had also been frequented by members of crime syndicates since it had opened its doors in nineteen fifty-one. A long time. I could only imagine how many murders had occurred inside.

  But not today.

  When I heard the buzzing sound of a text coming in, I feared it might be something from Noel. Shifting aside, I pulled it into my hand, navigating to the texts. Noel had sent a single picture. What the fuck was she doing? It wasn’t a close-up but the instant I looked at it, I was thrown past into the past on the night I’d left in the middle of a storm, coming home to a family that had been slaughtered.

  And before.

  Memories that hadn’t surfaced, meetings my grandfather hadn’t discussed, shipments that were kept in a warehouse I’d yet to be taken to.

  As I started to refocus, Dan moved in front of me.

  “What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “I have.” As soon as I turned my phone where he could see the screen, he whistled.

  “Oh, shit. Who sent that?”

  “Someone who has my best interest at heart.” I was almost disoriented but knew that the game had just turned into Russian roulette. If I wasn’t careful, the chamber would be spun the wrong way.

  What the fuck had my grandfather been into? Drugs? Illegal drugs and weapons? No wonder my father had wanted nothing to do with him and had all but disowned me for agreeing to work with the man. Why hadn’t my father told me the truth?

  I couldn’t lament over that now. Nor could I change the past.

  At this point, what I did would only alter the future.

  “What do you want to do?” Dan asked as I slid my phone back into position.

  “Exactly what I came here to do. Rattle Saldono.” As soon as I started to walk away, he grabbed my arm.

  “Wait. Are you thinking he had something to do with your wife and child’s murder?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Then why hire you?”

  “Haven’t you heard the expression—you keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Saldono all but shut down my grandfather’s encroaching business by employing me. And he could keep a watch on the product of tragedy. It was a very effective method.” I felt cold inside, more so than I’d felt before. However, I also had more control, the pain not nearly as bad as it had been for ten years. Ten years.

  Now I could have my revenge.

  “Yeah, I have. He deserves to die,” Dan snarled.

  “No, my friend. As a couple of wise people recently reminded me, we deserve to live. That’s what I intend on doing.”

  And I did.

  I would also tan the woman’s hide for meddling and not listening to me right after I’d told her what she meant to me.

  The chill remained but now, I was the viper, carefully preparing a strike. I buttoned my jacket and headed deeper into the restaurant, no one bothering to even look in our direction. One thing that had worked to my benefit was that I’d changed enough since being carted away that few would do a double-take to gawk at the horrible convict. Especially since I was dressed in the second thing I’d purchased after getting out of the joint, the truck the first.

  What my beautiful girl also didn’t know was that I’d hidden a significant amount of cash inside of the cabin, enough we could disappear if necessary for a very long time and live more than comfortably.

  Not that I had any real plans of entertaining that thought.

  My, wasn’t my mind all over the place?

  I was smirking by the time I was only a couple of feet from the table. As expected, Saldono was with a lovely but way too overdressed woman. At least she was a brunette this time. It would seem he was branching out.

  She was laughing at whatever stupid joke he was telling her. Since one of his hands was underneath the tablecloth, I could only imagine what naughty deed he was doing while wooing her.

  We’d all aged but Saldono looked like a stuffed pig ready to pop. His suit was ill fitting, sweat beading across his forehead from the limited exertion and I gathered a stench of perspiration from his pits.

  What in God’s name had this woman been promised to get her to tolerate spending time with the man?

  Since he didn’t notice my arrival, I merely slid into one of the chairs in front of him, immediately snapping my fingers at the waiter. Any waiter.

  Meanwhile, Mark and Sam immediately stopped Saldono’s goons from trying to convince me to walk away and not bother the pig.

  As if I would pay any attention.

  I’ll be damned if it didn’t take the puffy man almost ten full seconds to recognize me. By that point, a waiter had scurried over, already looking nervous. Hell, maybe my scraggly mug had been plastered on the nightly news. I could be a celebrity by now and not know it.

  When recognition finally settled in, I had a feeling instead of groping the chick, he was reaching for his weapon.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I told him as I opened my jacket, allowing him to see I was armed. “It’s a favorite spot for you to seduce your weekly girls and the owners are good people. Besides, you won’t walk out of here alive.”

  “What’s going on, Daddy?” the girl asked, her voice high enough it would quickly get on my nerves. It was like one of those cartoon moments and I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say to her.

  “Why don’t you take a little walk, baby. I have business to discuss.” He nearly pushed her off the edge of the booth. She was already cursing under her breath.

  Daddy, huh?

  Kind of made me a little sick.

  “I’ll have a Macallan, neat. Put it on my friend’s tab here. He owes me,” I said to the waiter and sat back in my seat comfortably.

  Saldono lifted his glass indicating a refill, never allowing his eyes to leave me except when he flitted his gaze up to the four men standing close.

  “So, you’re getting into the business, Kage. I would think that would go against the mandates of your parole.”

  I laughed. “I’m running my grandfather’s company, Saldono. And unlike you, given I make billions, I often use some old friends to ensure my meetings are handled professionally.”

  He appeared uncomfortable, which is exactly what I wanted.

  “Yes, well, I wish you well, my friend. Now, what can I do for you?”

  I waited until the drinks were brought less than a minute later before answering him. “First of all, I just wanted to let you know that if you continue to send your goons after me, they will all die like those I’ve already handled.” I wasn’t prepared for the fact the man looked confused. “Oh, you don’t know anything about it?”

  Either he was losing a part of his mental faculties, or he really didn’t know. “It was nothing more than a warning. I’m sorry if things got out of hand.”

  “Like by trying to kill a woman I just met, someone I was providing assistance to. Was that a mistake?”

  He finally pulled himself together, able to laugh. “It was nothing more than a reminder that you stay on your side of the playing field and I’ll stay on mine.”

  I enjoyed a sip of the expensive scotch before leaning over the table. “Let’s cut to the chase, Saldono. You blame me for Antonio’s death when there’s a small part of you that knows I had nothing to do with his murder. Yet, as you always told me, blood is thicker than water. Since I was right and Gio is behind the attack, doesn’t that place a question in your mind? Some doubt? He has the most to lose if I unearth the evidence I have against him and against your trusted friend Domingo.”

  He slammed his hand on the table, almost knocking over my drink. “How dare you accuse my boy of doing something so atrocious. He wants nothing to do with you. He has more important business to deal with.”

  “Mmm… Well, then I was wrong. I’m certain Gio is fully entrenched in taking over for you as he should be. However, did it ever dawn on you that one day he will manage to cut certain ties you’ve relied on and put you in a position where you’ll no longer have any control? I’d hate to see that happen, my friend. Especially after everything you and I went through together. Just a reminder, while blood might be thicker than water, it doesn’t mean it can’t be laced with arsenic.”

  He studied me intently for a full minute. “What do you really want, Kage?”

  “All I want is what was promised to me. A life. I took a fall for your son. I will not live my life looking over my shoulder. I am a bit deranged. Remember?”

  “Are you threatening me, Kage? That doesn’t look good on you.”

  “Neither does it for you to be taken advantage of.”

  I’d piqued his curiosity as much as I’d desired. Now it was simply up to him what he did with the information. What I did know about Saldono was that he didn’t like betrayal of any kind.