BK 2 - Chapter 60 - Meeting Luca
It had been two weeks since Kitty was shot, and they were all preparing to head to San Francisco to force a meeting with Luca Giordano. Thatcher had gotten rid of the two bodies in the forest, so there was no evidence left behind.
They were taking Trey's truck and Janel's car because, with Theo's car seat, they couldn't all fit in one vehicle. Everyone packed enough stuff for a week, hoping the trip wouldn't take that long.
"Alright, this first stop will hopefully be the quickest. Everyone has their assignments, so let's head to San Francisco." Trey kissed Cat on the forehead before helping her into the backseat, where she was sitting with Theo and Kitty. Aiden got into the front with his brother while Thatcher and Janel got into her car.
They were going to the restaurant that Luca liked to eat at on Monday nights. That was when he supposedly collected the money from the men who did his dirty work. Roger had gotten in contact with someone he knew in the organized crime division at the San Francisco Police Department. They had an undercover working for Luca, and he had told them his typical itinerary.
Trey decided the restaurant would give them the best opportunity to get him alone because Luca likes to go to the back alley to smoke. Thatcher would hide on one of the rooftops, and when Luca was alone, he would swoop down to get him. The others would be waiting in an abandoned building the next alley over.
The drive to San Francisco was a quiet one. Everyone was nervous. They'd learned many times that even the best-laid plans never go as expected.
When they arrived in the city, they drove toward the Tenderloin district, where Luca's restaurant was. It was late afternoon, so they had a couple of hours to set up. They found the building that Roger's contact had told them was empty. Thatcher did a quick walk-through to ensure no squatters were hiding inside. He opened the side door and gave them a thumbs up.
Everyone exited the vehicles and went into the building. Their contact had made sure there were no cameras in the alley where they were parked. No one wanted to be caught on camera kidnapping Luca Giordano. Once they were inside and the door was locked behind them, everyone seemed to breathe easier.
"We have about two hours to set up. Let's find one of the inner rooms where there are no windows. If we have to scare Luca, I don't want anyone passing by getting a look at a lion, or it may cause some unwanted attention." Trey started leading the group to an inner room in the abandoned building.
The room where they had entered was large and bare, with white walls covered in graffiti. The next room was perfect for what they needed. It was smaller than the first, with no windows and only one way in or out.
"Let's clear these boxes out of here and put them in the other room," Aiden said. They all began using their speed to get everything out of the room. Cat had taken Theo to a separate room to feed him while the others set things up. They were done in no time, and then it was time to wait.
Thatcher left an hour later after giving Janel a long passionate kiss. He worried about her being the only human. She was the group's most vulnerable, except for Theo. He jumped onto the roof of the building across the street and ran to the other side so he could see down into the alley where Luca liked to smoke.
He watched the foot traffic going in and out for a couple of hours. It was so dull he thought about going into the restaurant and grabbing Luca, not caring about witnesses. Just when he was ready to go down and take a peek to see if their target was even there today, he saw the side door opening. Luca walked out and lit a cigarette. Thatcher prepared to jump down and grab him when another man walked outside.
"Luca, we haven't heard anything from Don and Joey for a couple of weeks. What do you want to do?" The younger man was large and built like a bodybuilder with slick-backed black hair. Luca was short with a stocky build and thinning grey hair.
"I don't know yet. We'll talk about it at tomorrow's meeting. Go back inside and watch those idiots to make sure they don't steal from me." The younger man nodded and went back in the side door. Thatcher waited a minute to ensure no one else came out, and then he made his move.
He jumped from the roof, snatched Luca, and jumped back up before the other man knew what hit him. By the time Luca struggled, Thatcher was already across the roof and jumping into the alley where the others were waiting. He went into the building in a flash, and Trey locked the door.
Luca didn't know what hit him. One minute he was smoking, and the next, it felt like he was flying through the air. He tried to yell out, but something was covering his mouth. He tried to push whatever was holding him off, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly he was thrown onto the floor, and he jumped up, looking around.
Luca saw two petite females and three large males looking back at him. None of them looked very old, but one of the females looked familiar to him. It took him a minute to know where he knew her from, and then he realized she was the one who had taken Ricky's money clip.
"What do you want?" He spat at the young woman.
"I want you and your men to leave me the hell alone. That's what I want." Kitty spoke with fury in her voice. She was done with these men coming after her. It had to end here.
"You should have thought about that before you stole something that didn't belong to you. Now you have to pay the price, little bitch." Before Luca could get another word out, a fist smashed into his face breaking his nose. He yelled out in pain and used his hands to try and stop the bleeding.
"You better watch that mouth of yours. If I hear you talk to my fiance like that again, it won't be your nose that gets broken next time." Aiden was shaking with rage, and Harley was ready to rip the guy to shreds.
"What do you want?" Luca yelled while still holding his face.
"She told you what we want. We want you to call your men off and leave us alone. Consider this your warning. We will let you go if you agree to what we want. If you don't agree, we will kill you. If you agree but send men after us anyway, we will kill them and come back for you. So what's it going to be?" Trey was trying to contain his smile seeing his brother taking a stance against Luca. Even though he still saw him as his little brother, he was proving now that he was a man that would protect his mate. He had never been more proud of Aiden than he was at that moment.
"Who do you think you are to make these demands on me? You are nobody. I can have you, your finance, and your whole family killed just for talking to me." Luca couldn't believe the nerve of these kids. He would have them all slaughtered.
"Really? Why don't you tell me how well that worked for your previous men?" Kitty threw pictures at Luca of the two men who had hunted her and Aiden in the forest. He didn't need to know that one of them had shot her. He just needed to see the pictures that Thatcher had taken when he went to clean up the bodies.
Luca looked down at the photos, and his eyes widened in shock. Joey had his head completely severed from his body, and Don looked like he had been ripped apart limb by limb.
"Where's Ricky? What did you do to him?" He asked, feeling fear for the first time in many years.
"He's gone as well as the last three men he sent before he came. We tried to give him a choice, and he ignored it. Now we're giving you that same choice. Will you leave us alone, or are you going to die?" Aiden was speaking in pure anger as he glared at the man he wanted to kill. It was time for his mate to feel safe.
"You can't do anything to me. If I die, you'll have a whole army of men after you. Now let me go, and I'll think about not making you fish bait." Luca put his hands on his hips. He couldn't believe they thought they could negotiate with him. He was ready for all of them to die.
"Okay, I think it's time to show you who's in charge, and then maybe you will change your mind," Kitty said softly. Luca didn't know why but a chill went down his spine.
As he watched in horror, the two women and two of the men suddenly turned into enormous lions. The third man looked at him with large fangs protruding from his mouth, and he had a sickly smile. Luca tried to run, but there was nowhere to go. He backed up against the wall shaking in fear as the four lions and the vampire inched closer to him.
