Brando Read online

  “There’s someone in the green caravan,” she said.

  “Drago?”

  She adjusted the lens again. “Maybe.” She swept over the other caravan windows, checking to see if more gypsies were hiding inside. “I can’t see anyone else.”

  Brando took the binoculars off her and peered through them again. “If this is Drago’s doing, he would’ve told his famiglia to leave, but it looks like all the caravans are still there.” He handed the binoculars back again. “Train your rifle on the front of the green caravan, while Kennedy, Sae Ra, and D can scan for threats. If the gypsies pass Vinnie over without any trouble, I’ll leave straight away. The snipers on the other hill will also keep an eye out for threats, while the soldiers are monitoring the exit routes. If the Balaks try to leave by car, the soldiers will get them. If they go via foot or water, you snipers will shoot to kill.”

  “Understood.”

  “I expect you all,” he glanced at the three other Vipers, “to stay here until I return to take care of the Balaks.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s time for me to go.” He went to get up.

  Ivy grabbed his arm, stilling him. She let go and cupped his face, giving him a kiss to remember. He returned the kiss fervently, causing Kennedy to make retching sounds. Brando ignored her, continuing to kiss Ivy.

  “Stick your slimy tongue back inside your mouth and get lost, Brando,” Kennedy said, “before I throw-up.”

  Brando pulled away from Ivy and waggled his tongue at Kennedy. “Save it to lube my dick, blondie.”

  “You’re vile.”

  “You’re all words, because deep down I know you want my cock.”

  “To chop off.” Kennedy turned to D and grabbed her head, kissing her on the lips. She let go and turned back to Brando, ignoring D’s loud complaint. “Because I only like pusssy.”

  “I do too. Now, tell me if my breath smells like,” he leaned his head forward and breathed on her face, “Ivy’s sweet pusssy.”

  Kennedy screwed up her face in disgust. “You’re even more vulgar than Dominic, and you shouldn’t be joking at a time like this. For Christ’s sake, your brother’s being ransomed.”

  Brando pushed to his feet. “Humor eases the tension, because if I go in there all wound up, I’m bound to make a fucking mistake, you judgmental stronza.”

  Kennedy stiffened. “I’m watching your back, so watch your mouth around me.”

  “You’ll be watching my back for my sisters’ sakes, because if I die down there, Ivy will be sure to tell Anna and Bella exactly who allowed me to get killed. So, stop giving me lip and focus on the village, not what I’m doing!”

  Ivy pushed up and cupped Brando’s face again, forcing him to look at her. He was shaking with anger, Kennedy having touched a raw spot; his brother’s kidnapping obviously rattling him more than he wanted to let on. “Ignore Kennedy; she’ll do her job as you will do yours, and later tonight, when Vinnie’s safe at home, this will seem like nothing.” She pushed up onto her toes and kissed him softly, pulling back a moment later. “Just come back, that’s all I ask of you.”

  Sadness clouded his wonderful eyes. “You’ll be better off without me, Vinnie would be too. If I’d confessed to what I did with that gypsy puttana he wouldn’t have been enticed here.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I seduced her ten years ago on the orders of my mother.”

  Ivy’s eyes widened. “Why would she order that?”

  “To split Vinnie and Gemma up. I just didn’t realize how much it would break him.” He breathed out. “I also broke Jagger. If I’d spoken out about Padre Michael, my baby brother wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Hell, if I wasn’t born, he would’ve had his father to protect him.”

  “I understand why you’re upset,” Ivy said, “but Vinnie needs you now and Jagger needs you to return home. Yesterday I saw him talking to Alessandro. Alessandro was saying cruel words to him, telling him he wasn’t welcome in the house. Jagger walked off, the pain I saw on his face heart-wrenching. He noticed me and came over, asking where you were. I told him I saw you heading for the twins’ studio. Relief crossed his face and he smiled, thanking me. I think you mean more to him than you realize.”

  Brando frowned. “I hardly know him.”

  “Whether you do or not, it looks like he wants to be around you. So, don’t be reckless down there, because you mean more than you realize, both to Jagger and me.”

  Something passed over his eyes, so much emotion she stopped breathing for a second. He said something in Italian, words she didn’t understand, then spun around and disappeared through the trees.

  Ivy stared at the empty space he’d left behind, the man affecting her more than she knew how to handle. Sasha had installed sorrow into her heart, whereas Brando filled it with every emotion under the sun. She wondered whether love was amongst them, because in that moment she desperately wanted him to come back to her ... to hold her, to make love to her, and to not leave her like Sasha had.

  “Ivy?” Sae Ra said. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,” she lied. Turning, she lowered herself to the ground and picked up her long-range rifle, training it on the area in front of the green caravan.

  Sae Ra nudged her. “My Italian isn’t very good, but I think he said he wants you more than anything in this world, and that he’ll cuff you to his bed if you refuse him, because he’s not letting you get away. I think he might have said he loves you too, but I’m not certain about that.”

  “Did he say amore?”

  Sae Ra tightened her ponytail, a few strands of black hair coming loose. “Not sure, he was speaking too fast.”

  Ivy refocused on the village, willing herself to concentrate on her job, not what the Korean Viper had relayed, although a small smile pulled at her lips, Brando’s words making her happy.

  Sae Ra continued, “Looks like your wishes of snagging a Santini will come true, just not the one you’d set out for, which is good, because Brando suits you better than Ricardo.”

  Ivy kept quiet, silently agreeing with her.

  “While I’m suited to Alessandro,” Sae Ra added. “Once I get him to settle down, I’m going to marry him.”

  “You’re dreaming,” Ivy said. “That man’s going to remain a bachelor for the rest of his life.”

  “No, he said he cares for me a lot.”

  “He probably says that to every woman he wants to fuck, which is infinite. If I were you, I’d find another brother, because you’ll have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting that sex addicted, muscle-bound moron to settle down.”

  “Don’t insult him! I didn’t insult Brando.”

  “It’s the truth, and you can insult Brando all you like, because I’ve called him every name under the sun. But at least he only wants me; whereas Alessandro wants every good-looking female he lays his eyes on. You can’t tame that one.”

  Sae Ra breathed out. “Why does he have to be like that? I know he finds me hot, he constantly compliments me, and when we have sex, it’s always dynamite. I should be enough for him.”

  “Brando said Alessandro was brutalized badly when he was kidnapped the first time. He copes with it by losing himself in his addictions. Allow him to live his life as he pleases, it’s his choice.”

  “But, I love him.”

  “Oh, Sae Ra, he’s not the type of man you should fall in love with.”

  “Brando isn’t either, yet you love him.”

  “I never said I loved him.”

  “You act like you do.”

  “No I don’t, I just care for him.”

  “Liar, everyone knows you love him. That’s why you warned all the Vipers away from him, like I did with Alessandro, the bitches just won’t listen to me.”

  “Again, he’s not a man you should love, because if he loved you back he wouldn’t be fucking every woman he can get his hands on. Now, please, no more talking about Alessandro. We need to concentrate on the job,” Ivy said, not willing to bring up the ba
n on Brando’s brother just yet, Sae Ra obviously obsessed with him.

  “Alessandro does love me,” Sae Ra mumbled. “I know he does, otherwise he wouldn’t keep coming back.”

  “Sae Ra, I said no more talking about him. We have to protect his brother.”

  Sae Ra mumbled something else, then went quiet, only the sound of the seagulls in the distance filling Ivy’s ears. A few minutes later, Brando’s car entered the village, stopping in front of the green caravan. The caravan door opened, a man emerging from it. Ivy recognized Drago Balak from the photo she’d been shown, her rifle’s lens allowing her to see his face clearly.

  “Boss,” Sae Ra said, looking through the binoculars. “There’s someone else in the green caravan. It looks like a large man... Damn, he’s moved.”

  “D, do you see anything?” Ivy asked.

  “No,” D said, looking through her own binoculars. “There’s no movement in the surrounding area either... Wait a mo, there’s something near the water. Fuck! Soldiers in camo are coming in on a boat, they look like Landi. Call, Brando, it’s a setup. Get him out now.”

  “Sae Ra, radio him, then the Capo,” Ivy said. “Kennedy, take out the camo bastards.”

  “Boo-yeah!” Kennedy said. She placed her rifle down and lifted the rocket launcher.

  Sae Ra radioed Brando, yelling at him it was a setup and to get out, then contacted the Capo. Down below, Brando spun around and ran for his car, while Drago flung himself to the ground as a soldier in camo gear appeared in the caravan doorway. The soldier started shooting at Brando’s tires. Ivy fired off a shot, taking the soldier out, while Kennedy launched an RPG. The rocket reached its target within seconds, destroying the boat with a massive blast. A billowing cloud rose into the air, dirtying the horizon.

  “Another soldier’s in the caravan,” Sae Ra said, “take it out.”

  “No!” D yelled. “Vinnie could be in there.”

  Ivy’s attention returned to Brando as he turned the car around, the ruined wheels kicking up dirt. Out of nowhere, a projectile hit the car’s trunk, spinning it around. Seconds later soldiers appeared out of the bushes, racing towards Brando.

  “Fuck!” D swore. “I thought you took the bastards out, Kennedy.”

  “They must’ve come from somewhere else.”

  D swore again. “They did, there’s another boat farther down the shore.”

  “Not for long.” Kennedy reloaded the launcher. “So long, motherfuckers,” she said, firing off another rocket. Seconds later it tore into the boat, sending a billowing cloud of ash into the air. She put the launcher down, then picked up her rifle and started firing at the soldiers down below.

  Ivy joined her, picking them off one at a time. More soldiers fell, the snipers on the other hill probably taking them out. A moment later, gunfire came their way, making Ivy duck for cover.

  “They’ve located us,” Sae Ra snapped. “We need to leave now.”

  “We can’t abandon Brando!” Ivy yelled.

  Sae Ra cried out as a bullet hit the ground in front of her. She scrambled backwards, D and Kennedy doing the same. Knowing she had no choice, Ivy followed them. Once they were in the clear, they rose to their feet and ran for their motorbikes.

  As they reached them, Nero’s voice came over Sae Ra’s radio: “There’s too many of them. We need help. Get down here, now!”

  D and Ivy went for the same motorbike, D jumping on it first. Ivy climbed behind her, not willing to wait for Sae Ra. A second later they were speeding towards the village, intent on getting their men back.

  ***

  The butt of a gun smashed Brando’s window. He went for the other door as it flung open. A different gun appeared in his face. The soldier holding it yelled: “Drop your weapon!” Brando dropped his gun, knowing without a doubt the man was a Landi soldier, the pricks always wearing camo gear.

  “Out!” the soldier snapped. He was a big bastard with forgettable features, other than the scar above his right eye.

  Brando climbed out, the soldier yanking him the rest of the way, making him fall to the ground. Gunfire started up. The soldier grabbed Brando’s arm and dragged him behind the car, where another soldier was leaning against the fender. He was holding a gun in one hand and a radio in the other. A voice crackled over the radio: “We’ve pushed them back. Get the target out now!”

  The big soldier yanked Brando up and shoved him towards the bushes. “Move.”

  Needing to stall, Brando turned around. “Where’s my brother?”

  “At the Landi compound, where you’re going.”

  “The ransom is in the car.”

  “We don’t give a fuck about the money.” The soldier raised his gun. “Move if you want a bullet-free head.”

  Brando grinned. “Too late, there’s already one in there.”

  The soldier blinked at him. “Just get moving.”

  “What are you going to do if I don’t?”

  “Shoot you.”

  “Do it, then.”

  “Are you fucking mad?”

  “Yeah,” Brando said, sitting down on the grass.

  The soldier pocketed his gun. “If you don’t move before the count of three, I’m taking you out.”

  “Cool. Take me out to a Chinese restaurant, will ya.” Brando said, leaning back on his hands. “I fancy some chow mein.”

  “One...”

  “But, you’re paying.”

  “Two...”

  “Just don’t expect a kiss afterwards, because you’re butt-fucking-ugly.”

  “Three.” The soldier pulled out another gun, sending a dart into Brando’s chest.

  ***

  D drove into the gypsy village, stopping near Brando’s wrecked car. Several dead Landi soldiers were lying on the ground, while the Santini soldiers roamed the village, some of them checking the caravans. One of them opened a brightly painted blue door, yelling out: “More dead in here!”

  Ivy got off the back of the motorbike, already knowing they were too late, since Brando was nowhere to be seen. She headed for Capo Nero, who was talking to a soldier. “Where’s Brando?!” she snapped at him.

  Nero turned to face her. He appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties, with olive skin, black hair, and even blacker eyes. He didn’t look Italian, his features more Slavic, but she knew he couldn’t be, because the Mafiosi didn’t give non-Italians positions in their ranks, especially one as high as a Capo.

  “The Landi have taken him,” Nero answered Ivy.

  “You were supposed to be covering all the exits!” she yelled.

  “They escaped via the water. We didn’t have boats to go after them.”

  “Then we need to storm the Landi compound to get Brando back.”

  “And Vincenzo,” D said, behind her.

  Ivy ignored her friend. “So, stop fucking around here and get moving!”

  Nero’s face hardened. “Watch your tone! I don’t take orders from you, and I’ve already phoned through to the Don. He’s calling in the Orsini to help us. We have to meet back at the compound first, then we’ll march on the Landi compound.”

  “The Vipers will come too,” Ivy said.

  “Of course, we will take as many fighters as we can. The Landi aren’t to be underestimated. We may have won this battle, but we’re going into their territory now.”

  “We didn’t win, they got Brando.”

  “And lost many soldiers in the process.”

  Ivy swept her hand out. “He’s worth more than all of these men times a hundred, so don’t give me bullshit about winning. And why are you still here? We need to leave now.”

  “We will, right after—”

  Someone yelled out, “Move!” cutting him off. Nero turned around as a group of Santini soldiers emerged between the caravans, one of them pushing a tall gypsy forward. Ivy recognized Drago Balak in an instant. He was an expressive-looking man, with wavy black hair and exotic features, which right now were grief stricken.

  “Bravo,” Nero said. �
�You found him.”

  The soldier pushing Drago shoved him at Nero’s feet. Drago went to get up. The soldier aimed his gun at the back of his head, snapping: “Stay down!”

  Drago looked up at Nero. He said something in a foreign language, then spat at Nero’s feet. The soldier behind him raised his gun, looking like he was going to bring it down on Drago’s head.

  Nero barked, “Stand down.”

  The soldier lowered his weapon and stood at ease.

  Nero’s eyes returned to the gypsy. “Tell me what you said.”

  “You should already know, traitor,” Drago spat. “You’re naš.”

  “What does naš mean?”

  “Ours. Yet you fight for the mafija scum!”

  “I’m not a gypsy, so I owe you nothing. But you, Drago, will be executed for helping the Landi.”

  “I didn’t help them!” Drago yelled. “They swarmed my village, killing my people! They herded most of them into the caravans, gunning them down like they were animals. They took my family and forced me into talking to Brando. My mother, brothers, nephews, and nieces were all taken.” Drago bent over, the grief coming off him in waves, the man openly sobbing.

  Nero’s attention shifted to one of his soldiers coming out of a caravan. The young guy covered his face, looking like he was crying.

  “Why are you crying, Bruno?!” Nero called out.

  The soldier uncovered his face, his features stricken. “Who kills children? WHO?!”

  “The Landi. They wipe out whole generations.” Lowering himself down, Nero placed a hand on Drago’s shoulder.

  Drago jerked back. “Don’t touch me!”

  Nero retracted his hand. “I’m sorry for your loss, I was wrong to jump to conclusions. I would like to help you. My people might be able to get your famiglia back, but for that to happen, you must also help us.”

  “How am I supposed to help you?! I don’t understand why this has happened,” Drago sobbed. “My people are just entertainers, nothing more; they didn’t deserve to be massacred.”

  “I agree, but you could still be of help. I want you to tell my Don everything you heard the Landi say. Maybe something will be of use.”