Page 82 of Power
Dante pulled up beside him, pointed to a Lamborghini. “See that sweet ride over there. She’s mine. I have money, Mr. Santini. I’m a successful businessman, just like you.”
Stuart pulled the sedan over to the curb, got out, and opened the back door. Luciano glanced in Dante’s direction. “If you’re so successful, why the hell are you hanging out with Willie Boy?”
Dante’s mouth dropped open.
“Crawl back under whatever fucking rock you escaped from,” Luciano murmured before ducking into the vehicle. Stuart shut the door, got behind the wheel.
“Where to, sir?” Stuart asked.
Knock-knock.
Dante rapped on the window with his diamond pinky ring. Luciano rolled it down.
“You’re gonna regret not doing business with me.”
Despite the threat, Luciano wasn’t scared. While he could have had the last word, he didn’t need to. In this situation, his silence held more power.
Luciano tapped the button and the window closed. “Drive.”
Back at his office, he gave Stuart the rest of the day off. Rather than head inside, Luciano entered the garage beneath the building and got behind the wheel of his black SUV, parked in his spot.
As he headed out, he called his brother.
“Yo,” Teddy answered.
“I need a check run on someone using an alias. I’ve got photos.”
“Send over what you’ve got.”
“Are you working?”
“Recon,” Teddy replied. “What’s his name?”
“Dante.”
“What’s his story?”
“He’s hanging out with Willie Boy?—”
“So he’s a loser douche?—”
Luciano chuckled. “He wants a mil in boodle. Willie Boy told him I could help.”
“Willie Boy’s an idiot. I could never understand how you two were friends.”
“We were kids.”
“Gotta bolt,” Teddy said. “Here he comes.” The line went dead.
After texting Teddy the photos of Dante, he continued on Route 7, then turned onto a quiet side street. A few more turns until he drove down a dirt road, then past the NO TRESPASSING sign. The woods cleared, he turned into aparking lot, continued to the back of the unmarked warehouse, and pulled up an app on his phone. He entered the passcode, the hangar door opened, and Luciano parked behind a black SUV, one of several in ALPHA’s fleet.
He’d arrived at ALPHA’s Black Site.
He exited the vehicle, made his way toward the door. The scanner flashed green, the door slid open, and he entered. Down the hall he strode toward the break room. The closer he got, the louder the voices.
There he found Carrera, Sin, and Sin’s twin, Dakota Luck, head of BLACK OPS. Also in the group was Cooper Grant, ALPHA co-lead, Rebel Dillinger, head of the rescue team, and Jericho Savage, ALPHA’s sharpshooter.
“Looks like I found the party,” Luciano said as he shook their hands.
