Ghost killed the engine in front of the hide-out, and his headlights illuminated the dark area. For a split second, he thought about swerving back into the roads that led here. It wasn't too late to get out. His fingers drummed the steering at the last minute thought which made no difference, unfortunately.Refusing to be swayed away from his promise, Ghost alighted the car, slamming the door shut. He opened the trunk with the key as he headed inside."Get the girl from the trunk." He ordered the men who were standing guard outside. They bowed and hurried to his car while he walked the hallways to Don Carianno's office.The door opened before he could touch the knob and Sergio(Viper) walked out. He had a sardonic smile, and the cigarette between his fingers was lit and spilling little ashes. It was almost burning up to his fingers."Punk." He let out a throaty chuckle, bumping his shoulder against Ghost's, as he walked away.Getting riled up and going after Viper would have been the l
"Ryder!" He looked up, ignoring Jay's repeated taps on his lap. Grunts filled the air as both men struggled against each other. Ryder had the poor guy in an arm triangle submission, and it's been almost a minute. With a grunt, he finally let Jay go, pushing him away. He collapsed on the floor, while Ryder got out of the boxing ring, taking off his pad. "What's up?" Ryder asked between pants. Beads of sweat ran profusely down his bare chest, sliding down his shorts. His hair was ruffled, and there was a funny feeling in his toes, safely tucked inside low-top Nike boots. He flexed his legs, trying to release the tense feeling. An Omega came over, handing him a bottle of water and gently wiping the sweat with a towel. "This just came in." Fred waved the envelope in the air. "It's from the OIA." "Let me see that." Ryder snatched it from him, ripping it open. It was a few seconds and he was trembling in mad rage. The nerves in his temples were throbbing nonstop. "They won't help, wil
Ryder's reply was an ultimate convo-ender so the guys ate up their words. Jay was disturbed and pessimistic about going against the Cariannos, but he'll never let Ryder do it alone. So he was in, regardless of his fear.Fred was more torn between being rational and throwing caution in the wind and stirring up a war with the Mafia. But no matter how he felt, Ryder had his complete loyalty. And that's never gonna change."Hey man, uh. A quick one." Jay started with a mischievous smile on his face, breaking the icy silence."Sure." Ryder was heading to the door, and they tagged along, trailing at his sides in slow, counted steps. "What is it?"Jay had a full-blown smirk. "If it was me who'd lost his memories and was in danger, would you also wager everything to come save me?"Fred broke into a muffled wheeze, keeping it in with a hand clamped over his mouth."Now why would I do that?" A thin line of amusement stretched Ryder's lips. "You a pain in the ass. I'd give anything to make you g
JASON! JASON!! JASON!!!With a leap, Ghost jerked up from the couch, almost hitting the ground but pulled himself back and curled into the couch. He was panting like he just ran a million miles a second. Beads of sweat ran down his face, sliding into his clothes. He was a mess. Mumbling and almost panicking."What happened?" Dr. Studgens asked, kneeling in front of him. She was a woman in her 30s. Professional and his shrink. Her hands repeatedly rubbed his kneecap to try to get him to settle down. She was a bit scared. Putting him under hypnosis was her idea. But seeing him like this afterward, it just might have been a bad idea.Words eluded Ghost as he buried his head between his legs, waiting for the trembling to stop. "Tell me. What did you see?" Dr. Studgens urged."Werewolves." Ghost muttered. Just like the nightmares he's been having these past two weeks, his trance right now was the same. Don Carianno had given him a week off but he had taken two instead. To deal with his
Ghost walked through the door, meeting an uproar and an arena filled to its brim. Dressed in his usual black suit, he slid his hands into his pockets, stopping for a second. His hawk eyes searched the place. There was nothing odd. It was just another underground fight.He began walking, squeezing through bodies as he headed to where he supposed Don Carianno would be seated.The referee was announcing the fighters and Ghost was sure to listen. There wasn't any one of the Brotherhood fighting tonight. Why the hell had Don Carianno insisted he came down here?The year he showed up in Sicily and joined the family was the only year he got into the ring. After winning all the fights for half a year, and leaving his victims permanently marred, Don Carianno had granted him the Capo position. It was the last time he ever participated in underground fights. Nor came in here.Being the most dreaded Capo made him barely at home. He was mostly visiting countries, playing enforcer, establishing cas
Another loud cheer from the crowd for the Asian fighter left Ghost almost writhing in his seat. The fight was growing more intense and impossible to watch. The Asian guy had just run through his sixth victim, leaving the man with a broken rib. He was carried off the ring by a stretcher. And now, the Asian fighter was being flaunted as the winner. That wouldn't be the case though if someone else challenged him.Gritting his teeth, Ghost prayed that someone else stepped into the ring. He wasn't close to being a religious man or a firm believer in the power of the cosmos. But right now, he needed a supernatural intervention, 'cause it was humanly impossible to intervene. He was in a tight spot. He could never whisk her away from these many eyes as easily as he did before. It would only get things messy."I guess we have a winner…" Don Carianno was wheezing from the outcome of the fight. He signaled with his fingers and the men around Ciara untied her.Ghost had his unwavering gaze pinne
Don Carianno swiped a cloth around the sharp edge of his dagger, admiring the finely sculptured metal. The blood on it was an evident indication of what he just did. Slitting a throat. A measly life that shouldn't have stayed breathing as long as it did. The geezer owed him a fortune, he'd been lenient enough. Not anymore.The door opened and Sergio walked in, agitated and furious. He had a gun in his hand and his eyes were hooded with the crazy urge to kill. "Speak." Don Carianno said, returning the dagger to its small sheath. He was disturbed but had a knack for concealing his emotions, no matter how raging they were.The Asian fighter had died in their ring, brewing a pending feud between them and the Asian Mafia. And if badly handled, the triads would come for them. It would bring a devastating catastrophe. He was sickly worried, no matter how coordinated he seemed."Scar gave the order." Sergio sputtered out. "He bloody asked one of our men to spike the Asian guy's water with th
The distant blaring of the sirens haunted Ghost's ears, forcing him to glance at the Cartier wristwatch, firmly wrapped around his left wrist.It was a very distant sound, incapable of being heard by normal hearing ability. But his acute hearing brought the sounds to his ears, making him grow impatient.He hated being teamed up with amateurs who didn't know how to carry out swift missions. Coming out here had been a chivalrous act on his part, since he wasn't busy. Also, it was an important mission and he had to secure the files.A couple of the Rino cartel bosses were hosting a night party in the gigantic nightclub building across the street, from where his car was packed. The Rino family was one of their rivals here in Sicily. Not much of rivals, 'cause the Carianno dominated more than half of the city. Still, they were a bit of a threat.Just recently, they had erected the biggest casino, a tad bigger than theirs. Don Carianno had felt insulted and wanted ownership of the casino. O