Caught:A Dark Mafia Romance
By: Piper Stone“Very.”
“Good.” I hung up the phone and swallowed hard, the little girl in me wanting to curl up in a ball. The pissed-off woman inside ready for a fight.
I was also terrified. My father didn’t simply die of a heart attack.
He was murdered.
Chapter Three
Jagger
“What in the hell are you talking about?” Goddamn it, I was furious, seething to the point there were spots dancing in front of my eyes. I heard what Mr. Rutherford was saying to me, the callousness in which he’d said the words, but I hadn’t been prepared for the basic pushback. Not even after the death of Mr. Markum. Business was business in my world. Fuck the rest. When he hadn’t been able to reach me first thing in the morning, he’d had the audacity to call Montego.
“There are certain reasons, Mr. Bishop. I assure you that Ms. Markum will be coming into town the first of next week and we’ll be able to get the ball rolling again. She needs just a few days to adjust as well as to begin making arrangements. You can certainly understand her grief.”
“Her grief.” What should I care about grief? Life moved on. The voice inside my head attempted to remind me that I wasn’t king of the world. I stormed toward the window of my office, furious that everything had gotten so far off track. And yes, I felt somewhat guilty for the man’s death, even though I had nothing to do with his heart attack. What had I gotten myself into? I’d already heard enough rumblings. More power struggles. More leaks to the New York family. Confidence was failing, and I was to blame.
“Yes, Mr. Bishop. She is his only child and she lives out of state,” William continued. “She’s reeling from the information and trying to deal with her father’s estate.”
The same shitty attitude encompassed every syllable out of the man’s mouth. I willed the increasing anger to subside and rubbed my eyes as I squinted from the late afternoon sun. I didn’t trust this man with any regard. I understood he remained loyal to Richard Markum, and the only person I should be talking to at this point is Ms. Markum. She had the power to keep the deal alive. The news had pissed off Montego as well as the entire organization, but what the hell. Things had certainly been worse. “Fine. I’ll expect a call from you early next week.”
“Of course. You’ll be the first on my list.”
The trite bastard. I almost tossed my cell phone into the window. Instead, I poured a drink, trying to figure out what was the next course of action. At this point, there was no pressure that could be applied, but when the daughter came into town, I would at least have the upper hand—one ugly way or another. This wasn’t a satisfying conclusion, but what choice did I have? Besides, there was other work to be done that would keep me busy.
Not according to Montego. Our terse conversation had lasted exactly three minutes. That’s all he’d cared to give me before ending the call. And that was after making several promises. The old man was shaken by events I wasn’t privy to, but I’d already heard the crap coming from the massive grapevine. What was the point of trying to keep Bishop Enterprises legitimate if savagery was still going to be used?
I held the glass to my head, rubbing the coolness against my temple. I hadn’t slept at all the night before, thoughts about the way Richard had looked at me, the knowing and hurt in his eyes. I would forever hold a certain level of guilt in my system, but it was time to move on. I had no heart and had been told more than once I had no soul. So be it. Soon, I would have everything I’d set out to achieve, thereby satisfying Montego. The thought made me chuckle. A man died and all I could think about was what my father would or wouldn’t do.
Lola. The name rolled off my tongue.
What no one would ever learn is that I knew Lola Markum, or at least I had many years before. As children. Even though her father wasn’t considered wealthy by the Calduchi standards, he’d spent every dime he could afford sending her to private schools. I will never forget how she was taunted, bullied by the rich kids, myself included. Even after two years, she had few friends, but she excelled in school, ignoring the name calling, the vicious games played at her expense.
