Chapter 23 - Know the Enemy

***Zach’s POV***


I stood on the rooftop of the Golden IT’s Vegas building, watching my chopper fly away, returning to the private airstrip where my jet was waiting. Even after the chopper had vanished, I stayed rooted in my spot, watching the grey sky as my brain tried to calculate my next move.
“You look like you’re waiting for the sky to catch fire.” Keiran’s voice interrupted my thinking process.
“More like waiting for an idea on how I will set that asshole’s world on fire,” I admitted.
Keiran sighed before reaching over and squeezing my shoulder, “All in good time, buddy. Come on. Charlie is waiting for us downstairs. Maybe he will give us some insight into our next move.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before nodding and heading for the lift where my personal assistant Talia was waiting.
Talia adjusted her tight skirt and rubbed her bright red lips together before flashing me a big smile. Normally, I didn’t take her for meetings outside of Seattle with me, but she requested to come when I told her I was flying to Vegas. She said something about wanting to see an events coordinator we were looking at hiring for an upcoming event.
“Mr. Masters, I have Mr. Frankie, Mr. Collier, and you booked for lunch at Baos at 12 pm. You have a meeting with Mr. Cooper in Seattle at 6 pm, so we must leave Vegas at least 2 pm.” Talia informed me as I got closer.
*Good.* I wanted to be back in Seattle as quickly as possible anyway. Being this far from Zadie was giving me anxiety. I didn’t care what she thought; I was going to call her Zadie. That was her name, and I preferred it. I loved the way her name rolled off my tongue.
Talia held out my laptop bag for me as she batted her long lashes, sticking her chest out a little more than usual. Talia had started as an intern at Golden IT 5 years ago, and after my old personal assistant retired, Talia had scored the job. In the beginning, Talia was simple, hardworking, and had a great sense of humor allied with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. She wasn’t like the other girls that worked for my company, and after doing her reference check, I was certain she was perfect for the role.
But as time progressed, Talia changed. The brunette went from wearing Target-bought loosely fitted suits to designer tight pencil skirts and revealing silk tops. Her simplicity disappeared and was replaced by a flirtatious blonde that had forgotten her boundaries. From time to time, I reminded her of her roots and was tempted to fire her, but she was really good at her job and scheduled my work life so well that it scared me to lose her.
“Thank you, Talia. You have organized transportation to get you to your destination?” I asked, pulling out my phone to check my emails.
“Yes, sir. I appreciate your concern for me. Make me feel very special. I’ll meet you here at 2 pm.” She gave me her best smile.
I ignored her ever-growing propositions and wished she would stop trying so hard. I had already found my soul mate, and no one besides that gorgeous brunette would have my entire attention.
“Don’t get too happy. I’m not concerned about you. I’m more worried about having to deal with a lawsuit if something were to happen to you on the job.” I advised, slipping my phone into my pocket and taking off my sunglasses.
I narrowed my eyes at her showing her there was no need for her to take things out of context. Talia’s cheeks turned pink before she dropped her eyes and nervously shifted her weight between her feet. I nodded, satisfied with her reaction. I wasn’t afraid to put her in her place. She may be valuable but not indispensable.
The lift behind Talia dinged, making her jump a little. Kieran chuckled next to me, licking his lips as he watched Talia’s fake boobs bounce under her tight shirt. He had tried multiple times to get her to drop her skirt, but Talia rejected all his advances. It was the first time a girl had rejected Kieran’s propositions, and he was determined to make Talia change her mind.
I rolled my eyes and walked into the lift, Kieran and Talia joining me.
“Welcome back, gorgeous. My eyes were aching to see you again. You look stunning today, by the way.” Kieran commented, giving her a wink. He stood a little too close to Talia, towering over the 5” 4 blonde. He stared down at her like she was a piece of meat, and he was ready to eat.
Talia had taken two weeks off after we returned from Germany so she could spend some time with her family after being away for two years. It was her second day back, and Kieran was already getting on her nerve.
Talia sighed and took a step away from Kieran, trying to create space between them. She crossed her arms and looked up at me.
“Can you please tell him to stop? Otherwise, I will make a sexual harassment complaint to HR.” Talia rolled her eyes.
“K, come on, man. Not right now,” I pleaded, not in the mood to deal with his shit.
Kieran sighed and nodded, leaning against the lift wall. I knew he was starting to question his charisma.
***~ “Dude, millions of girls are begging to get into bed with you. Why can’t you leave this one alone?”**** I used Kieran and my telepathic connection.
***~ “Have you ever wanted something but couldn’t have it? You want it so bad that it becomes an obsession. The more they resist you, the deeper your obsession gets.” he replied, keeping his eyes away from me, so it wasn’t obvious that we were having a telepathic conversation. ~***
I closed my eyes and blanked out Kieran’s voice, trying to suppress the annoyance rising in me. I definitely understood his predicament. It was like my feelings for Zadie. Whenever she talked about me being her employer or moving out, I just wanted to chain her to my bed and fuck her so hard that all those thoughts were permanently erased. She was my obsession, and her resistance just made me want her more.
The lift dinged, and I snapped out of my thoughts. The bustling tenth floor brought me back to reality, and I was thankful. If I had kept thinking about my gorgeous brunette, my dick would have come alive, and it would probably give Talia the wrong idea.
I walked out and headed toward our Conference Room. Staff stopped to greet me, flashing me their most sincere smiles. As I got closer to the glassed room, I could see a man standing at the window staring out toward the city. I opened the door and walked in, clearing my throat to announce my arrival.
“Oh, look who’s finally here. Thank you for gracing us with your presence, my lord,” Charlie snickered, making me chuckle.
Charlie and I had been friends since college. He, too, was part of our supernatural world but came from a different pack. However, his connections to the FBI and multiple other organizations kept him and me in contact.
“You know it takes time to get from one state to another. My jet may be fast, but not superman,” I snickered.
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Here,” Charlie opened his briefcase and pulled out a folder, sliding it across the table toward me.
“It’s the information you wanted on Knox Morelli. His file was quite big, so I summarized it for you as much as I could without missing out on crucial information. Fuck, this man is viperous.” Charlie explained.
I picked up the folder and started flipping through the pages.
Murder charges.
Drugs.
Weapons.
Sex trafficking.
You name it, and this guy has done it.
All the FBI needed was one person to testify because up until now, no one had dared to stand up against them. They were dangerous criminals, and silencing any witnesses was essential to keep their business running.
Derek knew exactly what Zadie was getting herself into. If I knew the lengths these men would go to make sure they didn’t get caught, then so did Derek.
I let out a loud growl when I found Zadie’s picture attached to the next page. It was the same picture that was attached to her Witness Protection folder. Her beautiful hazel eyes glistered under the bright light.
I flipped the last page, and Knox Morelli’s photo was attached to it. I remember the chill that went down my spine when Zadie took his name in my office last night. The part I didn’t tell Zadie was that I knew exactly who he was. I had met him once before. That meeting with him was enough to leave a lifetime’s worth of memories.
I looked down at the scar he had right above his left eyebrow, trailing down to the top of his cheekbone. It was faded, but my eyes knew exactly where to look. After all, I was the one that gave it to him. I clenched my teeth as memories of that day flooded my head, making my blood boil.
“There is one more thing, Zach,” Charlie interrupted.
I looked up at him arching my eyebrow.
“When K told me about Knox’s connection to your girl, I reached out to my contact that’s part of Knox’s immediate circle. He had a lot to say”
“Like what?” I question closing the folder.
“Apparently, Knox was very serious about Dr. Carter. He was evening moving coasts and setting up business just to be close to her. But it’s his initiation that started the series of chaos that followed.” Charlie pulled out a chair and sat down, making himself comfortable.
I was too wound up right now to care about sitting. So instead, I leaned down, placing my hands on the table and bracing myself against it. I arched my eyebrow again, waiting for Charlie to go on.
“The Morelli family have this senior table. The head of the family plus six other senior Morelli’s. They don’t have to be like the older generation, but they have to prove they are worth being part of the table. An oath is taken, and if anyone breaks it after initiation, they are punished by death. No questions asked, no second chances.”
I already knew all that. After my encounter with Knox, I made a point to know everything I could about the Morelli family.
“It doesn’t matter who you’re father is; the only time you get a chance at the table is if someone leaves. When Knox was in New York with Zadie, one of the table members was killed, and a spot opened up. It was the first time space had opened in ten years, and Giovanni Morelli wanted Knox to join. You have to do five tasks as part of the initiation, the fifth one being the decider on whether you get to join the senior table or not. The applicants are people that current members have recommended, and with six contenders for one spot, the stakes are high.”
So, that’s why Knox left Zadie. He had to go for his initiation.
“For the final task, Knox and his cousin Franco were left. The task was to go into Mexico and bring back 12 palettes of heroin for a buyer in New York. They didn’t care how they brought it back, as long as they didn’t get caught and there were exactly 12 palettes. Apparently, Franco got caught at the airport after someone tipped off TSA, but Knox made it through. Unfortunately, before he could get the palettes to the buyer, their East Coast competition ambushed him, and Knox had to run, ending up at Zadie’s doorstep. When Giovanni didn’t hear back from his son, he tracked Knox down and sent his men to retrieve him. Knox had a plan on how he would tell Zadie about who he was, but Giovanni’s man scared Zadie so much that she ran and went straight to the FBI for help. Knox started turning over cities so he could find Zadie. Somehow he found out that she was in the Witness Protection Program, so he had a guy hack into the system to get her information. You know the rest of the story. The guy I spoke to said Knox was still obsessed with finding Zadie.”
Over my dead body. There was no way I would let him come remotely close to her. She wasn’t just my obsession; she was my life. Zadie didn’t know this, but she literally had the strings to my heart tightly wrapped around her hands, and I intended to go to any lengths to ensure that string stayed intact. A criminal like Knox didn’t deserve an angel like Zadie.
But the biggest question is, could I wake enough love in Zadie’s life for her to shun any leftover feelings she had for Knox? Or were her feelings for Knox still strong enough to make her forgive Knox’s criminal life, leading her straight back into his arms?
***~ “Zach…” ~ my mindlink echoed, breaking my internal debate.***
It was Jaxson’s voice. *Fuck!* Was Zadie okay?!
***~ “What’s wrong?” ~ I asked quickly.***
***~ “Derek asked Zadie to come to see him. I suggested going with her because it was in Derek’s and our interest to work together. She agreed, and so were heading there now,” ~ Jaxson responded.***
Why the fuck did Derek want to see her now?! That man was really starting to piss me off.
***~ “Okay. But Jax, please keep your eyes and ears open. Knox is out there looking for her like a crazy man, and her being outside the penthouse is dangerous.” ~***
***~ “Yeah, man, don’t worry. I’ve got it covered. I have almost twelve guys watching us. I’m just thankful she trusted me enough to tell me instead of sneaking out as she had planned.” ~ Jaxson replied.***
I smiled at that. That was the whole reason I called Jaxson. I knew he would be able to build a relationship with Zadie and make her feel comfortable.
***~ “I’m thankful for that too. God knows why she feels that need to sneak out. Anyway, we should be back in a few hours. Bring her back home by 7 for dinner and make yourself scarce. I want to spend some alone time with my girl.” ~***
***~ “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll make sure I stay away too. The last thing I need is to walk into your penthouse and find you railing her on the kitchen counter,” ~ Keiran interrupted the conversation.***
***~ “Fuck off, asshole. Please do not talk about her like that! I will remove your access from the security system.” ~ I growled, turning to glare at him.***
Keiran raised his hands in surrender and started laughing before pulling the chair next to Charlie and plopping down on it.
***~ “Hahaha, you got it, man. See you in a few hours.” ~ Jaxson responded before the mindlink went silent.***
I was confident that Zadie was safe with Jaxson watching over her. Jaxson would do anything to protect his future, Luna.
“Thank you so much for all this information, Charlie. I really appreciate your help. However, there is one more favor I need from you.” I turned to face him…….