Original Sins by Faith Summers

36

Georgiou

Ihate when I have to think on my feet and my brain is fucking scrambled.

There are too many conflicting things happening at once and my worry over Evie is overpowering me.

I hate that I can’t even call her to check she got back okay, and she can’t call me either.

Christian came here just after she left so he’s been here for the last half an hour.

I have him looking into Ricco. He wasn’t able to find anything more on Peter.

He’s got his system set up to track both their phones now.

We’re looking for something a little more concreate to go to Donny with. Something solid so he won’t kill my ass when he sees me.

“Fuck, I found something,” Christian announces.

I rush over to him, and Henry who was already sitting opposite moves over too.

“What did you find?” I blurt.

“It’s on Ricco’s personal computer. It’s a file with contracts he’s made with people for hits. Look.”

Christian points to two files. One labelled Dante Ricci from three years ago and the other is for Donny. That one is from last week.

Jesus Christ, they’re planning to kill Donny too.

That’s what’s going on and fucking fuck, it’s the only thing that would be left for them to try to get the business.

How the hell would they do that though?

Donny has an army of those loyal to him. You would die before you could think to kill him.

But… I’m sure the same could be said for Dante too. Something is missing— a key piece of information. Yes Peter is behind it and killing Dante was easy enough with the trust they had for Peter. I think he would still need help though.

Curiosity makes me take the mouse from Christian and click into Dante’s file first.

I want to see if there are any details that will pull what I don’t know into the picture to complete it.

The contract comes up on the screen with details of how they were going to carry out the killing. Peter was to lure Dante into the woods under the guise of talking about the drugs he’d bought from Ricco. Ricco then took over and carried out the killing.

The contract lists the half a million Ricco would get paid for the job and another name instantly pops at the bottom of the screen—Marcus.

Fucking Marcus, Donny’s head of security.

That’s it.He’s the missing link and the help they had.

Christian points at his name on the contract too and Henry’s eyes fly open.

“Fucking hell,” Henry rasps. “They were all in it together. Come to think of it, the guy at the lake who was watching us might have been him. The build fits now that I picture him.”

Fuck. We never stood a chance.They were just waiting for the right time to strike. But there must be more.

“Someone else had to be working with them,” I state. “It has to be one of Cordelia’s guards. Maybe it’s not someone who’s there all the time, or they would have found us out long before they did, but it’s one of her guards for sure. That’s the only way Peter could have known we were there the other night.”

It’s not Tony. Evie told me he’s at Cordelia’s practically every day. But it’s someone though.

I come out of the contract and open Donny’s.

Marcus’ name pops again. His name is at the top this time and the contract is between him, Peter, Xiou, and Ricco.

They’ve all signed and agreed to split the business between them.

The next line states that they’re going to kill Donny today.

It’s fucking happening today.

I straighten up when I see that and something clicks in my mind.

Evie came here. She wouldn’t have just been allowed to do that. That makes no sense.

Marcus would know what Cordelia is like with her guards. He would have known the guards would ease up on security when it came to Evie too.

He would have also known that she wouldn’t ask him to allow her to see us, but she’d ask Tony and he would take her out of the house.

As Donny’s head of security and one of the guys tasked with keeping Evie locked away, Marcus would never have offered to drive her here himself. Evie would have probably been suspicious of such an offer, especially after Donny threatened to kill me and everybody I care about.

So getting Tony was part of the plan and probably bought them time for Marcus to go wherever the hell he went—if that’s even true.

It was all a set up.

And Evie…

Fuck she’s in danger.

“I have to get to Donny now!” I say. “They want him and Evie. You guys stay here. Christian get the men together I need muscle.”

Christian stand. “I can do that on the phone while I go with you. I’m not letting you go by yourself.”

“And I’m not going to sit here like a chump,” Henry adds rising too.

We don’t have time to argue. Whatever is happening is happening now.

“Alright, let’s go.”

* * *

I take my motorcycle and Henry gets in with Christian in his car.

I always take my bike for anything like this. It’s fast when I need to be fast and I’ll also admit it balances me when I’m thrown out of my fucking element when dangers on the horizon.

In my pocket are the print outs of the two contracts. Those are leverage to reach Donny.

I’d say that more than gets all of us back in his good graces. But only if we can stop whatever plan that fucker, Peter, has up his sleeve.

When we get to the resort we head straight to Donny’s office. I lead the group so when one of his guards try to stop us from going through the door I knock him out with a punch and I hit the other guard with the back of my gun.

When he tries to get up to tackle me again, I cock the hammer on my gun and he freezes.

While Christian attacks two guards that run toward us, Henry and I kick the door open to Donny’s office and go in.

Donny is, however, ready for us with his gun aimed and heavy scowl on his face.

“One more step boys and done,” he threatens.

“Do it and you’ll never know the details of the planned assassination on your head, or how much danger Evie is in,” I counter.

“What the fuck are you talking about Giordano?”

“Did you summon Marcus to a meeting?”

“No, he’s supposed to be watching Evie all day.”

“Well he’s not. He’s in on it Donny.”

His face loosens and I take the chance to pull the envelope with the contracts from the inside of my jacket pocket.

“You need to see this now,” I add.

I want to say it might already be too late because anything could have happened to Evie but I hold off. I can’t form those words.

I don’t want to hear them and I don’t want to hear myself say them.

Donny lowers his gun and I walk up to him to hand him the envelope.

He takes out the contracts and when he scans over both he looks like he’s aged a hundred years. That, however, is the effect of seeing the contract to kill Dante.

“They killed my boy and now they want to kill me too,” he rasps, balling his hands into tight fists. “I should have killed Peter when I had the chance. My daughter… I have to check to see if she’s okay.”

He grabs his phone and I pray with everything inside me that someone will answer and tell him she’s fine. I just want to hear that she got back home safe.

The phone Donny calls rings out to voicemail so he tries another number.

Someone answers this time.

“Where’s Evie?” Donny demands.

I can’t quite hear what the person on the other end is saying but whatever explanation he gives has Donny standing with the same rage.

“She’s not back yet!” Donny snarls and that’s when my heart shatters. Evie would have been home at least an hour ago. If she’s not then she can’t be safe. “You should never have let them leave the premises. I told you all she wasn’t to go anywhere.”

Donny hangs up and calls Tony and I think we all hear the dead tone of his phone.

I can’t look away from Donny. I think my skin has gone as pale as his because my blood feels like someone siphoned it from my body.

“Evie’s not home,” Donny stutters.

“She came to see us,” I tell him. It feels right that I do.

His brows furrow into a deep crease and his nostrils flare.

“You?”

“It was a trap, Donny.”

He’s about to answer when we hear a weird sound coming from outside.

I can’t quite place what it is.

Thwap, thwap, thwap.

That’s the sound. As it gets closer and louder I realize it’s a helicopter.

Donny’s phone rings and he answers straightaway.

“Hello.”

I recognize the voice that comes on to be Peter’s. He has a distinct mocking edge that irritates the fuck out of me.

He doesn’t say much and again I can’t hear properly but I don’t need to know that he has Evie.

The business and her.

That’s what he wanted. This carefully thought out plan was well put together and played all of us.

He got me and Henry out of the picture. Of course he would have done what he did to us to fuck us over, but the bastard also wanted to destroy us.

Then he drafted us into his fucking plan today to play the fools.

I growl when Donny hangs up and stares back at me like he’s lost everything.

“They have her. The helicopter is for me. I’m to go alone with no guns. They want the business in exchange for her life. I have to go Georgiou.”

“Wait, we have to figure this out. We can get the men together.”

“I don’t want to risk my daughter’s life. Peter wants her, but he’s the kind of fucker who will kill her to be spiteful. Whatever he feels for her won’t matter. I have to go.”

“You’re dead if you go, you know that right?”

“I know. That’s the price I’m willing to pay.”

He steps around me and opens a safe in the wall. He pulls out a large brown envelope and heads through the door.

We all watch him go, and that bastard feeling of helplessness writhes through me.

We hear the helicopter take off and know he’s gone. But since I can’t stay here and do nothing I glance back to my brother who is already looking at me.

“Christian, can you access the cameras and track the helicopter?”

“Yes, I think I can.”

“Do it and call Frankie,” I tell him and look at Henry. “Be ready to go when we have a location.”

Like Donny, I’ll die too trying to make sure my girl is safe.

She will not be trapped by that motherfucking dog.

She wanted freedom and to live her life.

I will do everything I can to make that possible for her.