Taming the Monster by K.J. Thomas

Chapter 3

Luca

I chuckle to myself as I glance out the window leading to the long main road to the Mancini estate. If those fuckers only knew that I was a couple miles down the road, they would shit themselves.

I wanted to be as close to Avery as I could. I feel more grounded when I’m closer to her.

We got lucky. We found an abandoned house with only a caretaker that comes every so often, and thankfully for us it wasn’t shit. The house was actually kept up. I hate when I have to live beneath my means.

Of course we got lucky but the caretaker didn’t. He was an older man. He reminded me a lot of my grandfather for a second there. I thought we could just let him go with no problems. But I knew that bitch would sing like a canary. I had a couple of my guys just take him out in the backyard and end him. They were out there for a while, I wonder if they had him dig his own grave.

I laugh, that man did not look like the grave digging type, maybe that’s why they’ve been out there for so long.

I know that Avery and the rest of them have been in hiding in the Mancini house, thinking they’re safe for the past six months. I wanted to relocate here right away and find a place, but I’m grateful that we waited for at least four months. The longer you stay in a place, it’s harder to disguise yourself. And seeing how I’ve been on the run for the past year, I understand.

I can hear Avery’s voice echo through the computer screen as her and Tate start to laugh. I laugh, too, but not in a funny way. I’m mocking her. She should be with me. I shouldn’t even be in this dreadful state. I’d rather head back to Chicago, back home.

Now I am stuck right here in the middle of nowhere New York. At least I can see were a couple of the rich people live. The Mancini’s like their privacy. Most people wouldn’t want to live too close to the mafia, look what happened to this insufferable fool. Guy’s only been taking care of the house.

When we first came up here I thought a huge problem we would face is how to find out information on the inside. How do we find out what they’re planning? How do we find out if they know that we’re down the street?

I laugh. “Stupid Mancini’s.” I have two guys that are working for me inside the house. I almost had a third but he was a fucking pussy, too afraid of Asher and Vito Romano to worry about getting revenge. That’s all this is for the guys that are helping me get much deserved revenge.

Cameras are installed in every single room, hallway, kitchen, garage, backyard, everywhere. The only place that I can’t get them in, is in the bathrooms. That’s what they told me, anyway. That’s fine by me, I really don’t want to watch somebody shit.

I wouldn’t mind watching Avery or even Tate taking a shower, together. My dick swells. Bastard always gets hard and ready whenever I think about Avery and everything she promised me and still has yet to give.

The master bedroom is the one I wanted more than anything, but Asher has a security code on it. Fucker has a retina scanner. My guys don’t have access to that yet. So him and Avery are the only ones that are able to go in there. My men have a plan, so hopefully we’ll be in there sooner than later.

I’m hoping to see my girl have some alone time with herself, touching herself, thinking about me. It’s better the cameras aren’t installed, because if I see him touch her I’ll probably lose my shit.

“Fuck!” I scream as the thought of him laying one finger on her enters my mind in full detail, nothing is left out.

The door slams open as my right hand guy Seth eases his head around the door, weary. “You okay, boss?” I give him a quick nod making sure he knows to back the fuck up, before I lose my shit even more. He listens and quickly closes the door.

I sit back down getting myself together. To see him close to Avery makes my blood boil, the all-consuming rage grips and sucks the life right out of me. I know I possess quite the temper. I find it ironic that Avery had such a problem being with me, but she’s just with the same kind of animal I am, a boss.

A thought goes through my head. What if Avery has no choice? What if she has wanted to be with me all this time, but she’s not able to. Yeah, the parents dying in a fiery blaze will be a problem for us down the road. She’ll come to understand why it had to be done, maybe she already does. Maybe the Mancini’s are in her head, feeding her lies. Things that aren’t true, things about me that I could never do to her.

I cringe deep down. I know that’s not true. I haven’t fully lost my head but there’s always a possibility. It makes my heart constrict when I think that she could be there reaching out for me. I look at the computer screen and see her and Tate playing with an ugly ass cat.

I hear static from another monitor, informing me of another conversation taking place. As much as I don’t want to, I look away from Avery and focus on Asher’s office.

I have men assigned to watch the monitors twenty-four seven, but most of the time I find myself in front. I just can’t get enough of watching her, if I can’t be with her, at least I could see her every day.

Asher and Mac are going over details as they did before. I already know about their plans and their deliveries for the day. I get up and head out toward the kitchen, ignoring my men as they give me tight smiles. It’s better this way, small talk is never needed, there’s nothing to talk about, so why bother.

We found out so much information from having the cameras and audio equipment in the house. They are the size of a pea, but flat. They’re very easy to hide. I’m surprised Asher and his team haven’t done a thorough check. They probably figured they didn’t need to because they were safe in their compound.

I’ve been collecting information. I know at least sixty percent of the Mancini’s business dealings. Sixty fucking percent just by listening in on these audio devices. I know I should probably have them pulled out because they’re going to start noticing, especially when we start taking over their shipments. I can’t allow myself to do it yet, though. I like seeing Avery, and honestly if I’m caught, who gives a shit?

The info I have now is gold. A few times a year the Mancini’s run very big shipments. It all makes sense, this lowers the risk of them getting caught, less time to deal with the police. A huge shipment every three months destroys the demand of tiny runs once a week, or once every other week.

The big one is coming from Russia by barge.

Asher and Vito have guys stationed in southern and eastern Maine. The barge can slip in without having to go through border protection. Payoffs and a deserted location will make this work wonderfully. Soon, when I take down the Mancini’s and Romano’s, I will continue to keep doing things this way.

It’s like learning all the inside information without having to pay for it. That makes my life ten times easier.

I grab a few bottles of water in the fridge and head back to the office staring straight ahead and not making eye contact with anybody. If I had time to talk I would come and sit out here or we’d go to the fucking park.

We could’ve made our move for Avery a while ago. We have extensive knowledge with the blueprints that were provided to me on where the fuck everything is in the house. She would’ve never seen it coming.

She could’ve been with me for the past couple months. She would’ve been my queen. While she still will be, just a bit longer. I want heirs like crazy. That’s Avery’s job; fucking and popping out babies.

I growl remembering how my father, the head of the Delano family, wanted to knock off all the Romano’s. If I didn’t listen to him, I know without a doubt Avery and I would still be together, she loves me, well she did once.

It’s time to figure out a plan and just go in there and get her. There are too many men to do the whole guns blazing. There are other ways I just need to find one that’ll work, hopefully within the next few days. They’ve all been cooped up in that house for a while, that’s not going to last much longer.

I have a feeling very soon that they’re going to change residences and I’ll have to start all over.

“Fuck,” I growl to myself. “Seth!” I scream toward the doors. Seth being a good soldier, he opens it right away.

“Get everybody in here, it’s time.” It’s time for me to get my girl.