Page 4 of Scarlet Embrace

“By chance, is that little bird Alex?” I asked with a smile.

Speaking with him always elevates my mood, and with the recent disaster, I needed some elevation. Rufus laughed and told me that he had spoken with Alexander, who was pissed that the lawyer couldn’t end the trial today. Of the three brothers, Alexander was the youngest and the naïve one. Just a few years older than me, Alexander had no intention of involving himself in the family business, though he didn’t have a problem spending the family’s money.

My father doesn’t seem to mind, but I hated the fact that he was always in the news and tabloids. We already have people talking about us. I don’t think we can take any more risk at the moment.

“Is everything alright, Lucas?”

I sighed and explained to him that I had a little bit of a problem in my hand. I explained to him that someone had stolen a few things I got for myself, and I was in the process of trying to get them back.

“Anyone who dared to mess with you must be quite foolish. Get your things back and drop by my place later.”

“Definitely going to do that. I would like to pick your brains on a few things,” I informed him.

We chatted for a few more minutes before I ended the call. My mood was far better than it was a few minutes earlier. Seeing I was done with my call, Thomas told me that a taxi had been following us ever since we left Sonto’s place.

“Do you know who it is?” I asked as I reached for my gun.

“Not yet. Seems like a regular taxi. Do you think it’s the thief?”

Doubt it. Maybe it was some reporter or something.

Whoever it was had made a huge mistake, but dealing with them was the last thing on my mind. I needed to meet with Marcus first. Whoever was tailing us would have to wait till my meeting was over, and if they were still hellbent on following me, then maybe I’d give them whatever they were looking for.

Since I did not intend to stay long in Marcus’s restaurant, I told Thomas to park right outside and wait for me. The second I stepped out of the car, I noticed some of Marcus’s men reach for their guns. They recognized me almost immediately, and they knew that the fact that I was right in front of Marcus’s restaurant could only mean a fight.

“Don’t worry, guys. Not here for a fight,” I assured them.

“Then why are you here, Lucas?” a feminine voice questioned me right before she stepped out of the restaurant.

Diana LaRosa, the leader of the LaRosa cartel and one of my father’s enemies.

The fifty-eight-year-old matriarch was a force to be reckoned with, and I knew better not to mess with her. I really did not expect to meet her here, but maybe it was a good thing that I did. Unlike her son, she knew better than to mess with anything that belonged to my family.

“To meet with Marcus,” I said, flashing her a smile.

“And you expect me to believe that?” her frown made it clear that she wasn’t buying my story.

Her face told me that she wasn’t entirely convinced, and the truth was that I really didn’t care what she thought. I needed to speak with her son and make it clear that I needed my cars returned as quickly as possible. Diana slowly walked to me, her hands folded right in front of me as she considered me for a moment.

The LaRosa matriarch was wearing a floral summer dress with a summer hat, and I supposed she was heading out of town or maybe she had some sort of event.

“Marcus is a little bit busy at the moment,” she told me with a stern face. “If you have a message for him, I’ll have to pass it to him.”

Something about her demeanor did not sit right with me. I looked at the guards, who had suddenly found something interesting to look at. I clasped my hands and told Diana that a few hours ago, I had somehow misplaced a shipment of mine.

“I believe that Marcus might be able to help me find it.”

“And what’s this shipment of yours?”

“A number of cars. Five to be exact. My father has been thinking of indulging in a few hobbies, and they were meant to be gifts to him.”

It was a lie. A huge one at that, but she has no way of knowing, and hopefully, it might convince her to tell her son to get me my cars.

“Alright. I’ll tell him, though I doubt he knows anything about your cars,” Diana said with a shrug.

I told her that all that mattered was that he knew that I was searching for the cars. With that, I walked away, heading to my car, but not before I spotted a camera pointed at me. It was the same taxi Thomas had spotted earlier. It was just a few cars away, and I considered ending this shenanigan.

Or should I just let it slide?