Lucian (Filthy Marcellos #1)(37)

Jordyn snorted. Sure she could. "Is today my first day?"

"Oh, no, sweetheart. Today is for us."

"What?"

Antony smiled. "Seems to me, I've neglected getting to know you properly. Another thing my lovely wife decided to point out in her ramblings. Well, you are the first principessa for my family. That's very important. In a nutshell, I now get to treat you like the princess you are, for everyone to see. And I've waited a long time do be able to do just that for a woman one of my sons love."

Jordyn glanced down at the jeans and shirt she wore. How was she supposed to argue with him? She had a feeling it'd be pointless. "Can I change first?"

"Hmm. You should. Something appropriate, like what you wear for church. Other than that, you're just fine beauty-wise. Hurry, we have reservations for breakfast with Cecelia before she goes to that awful gallery again. She'll have a fit if we're late."



       
         
       
        

Ten minutes later, Jordyn came out of Lucian's office with her black pumps in hand. She didn't feel like explaining how they ended up in there, so she was quiet coming back down the hallway. Out of the corner of her eye, something unusual made her pause. The door to the room she just assumed was an extra, unused bedroom was slightly ajar. Even if there was an electronic keypad outside the door like the ones on the outside of Lucian's office, and the elevator. Sometimes it was better not to ask. It was always locked so seeing it opened had her curiosity spiking.

Even so, Jordyn knew she didn't have the time to explore if Antony was waiting. With that in mind, she grabbed the doorknob to close the door all the way.

Antony's sudden presence beside Jordyn stopped her. "Don't. Did he leave it open?"

Jordyn turned to the man. "Yes."

"Then we can safely assume he intended for you to see what was inside. Lucian would never leave it unlocked, otherwise. Not even when he lived alone. Go on, open the door."

"But-"

"Open it," Antony repeated. "We have a few minutes. Better you see it with me than by yourself."

Jordyn pushed open the door without further argument. The room was as big as the master bedroom in the condo. With no windows, there was no light, so the unlit glass cases weren't illuminated very well. Certainly not enough to distinguish what rested in them. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Many looked like they were closed drawers. In the middle of the room, an island sat as if it was used for things to be laid out on, but not much else.

Antony hit a light switch behind Jordyn, lighting up everything. Another switch was hit, and shelves rolled out automatically and near soundlessly.

Jordyn's heart found her throat. "Oh."

Guns. Ammo. Clips. All the accessories any weapons enthusiast could want. Enough weapons to draw Jordyn into complete silence. From semi-automatic handguns, to vintage revolvers, to sniper specialties, to rifles, to an assortment of assault weapons. They were all there. She was pretty sure there were even military grade weapons, as well, though she wasn't sure how Lucian would get his hands on those.

"He has quite the hobby, doesn't he?" Antony asked.

Jordyn forced herself to breathe through the shock. "There are a lot of guns in this room."

"A couple hundred, give or take. These are just the ones he keeps at home."

All were on display, some in opened cases, others resting in a grey velvet that matched the walls and shelves.

Why would Lucian want her to see this when he wasn't here? Jordyn didn't understand.

There was an opened gun case resting on the island, the weapon inside missing. From the size and shape compared to the others, she guessed it was one of the assault weapons. It wasn't the only one gone, she noticed. In one of the more expensive glass display cases, where the magnums and Eagles were, one was gone from there, also. 

Lucian was trying to tell her something.

"I thought he liked the Eagle he always keeps on him," Jordyn said offhandedly, not knowing what else to say.

Antony made a dismissive noise. "He does. Gio wanted something of an assault calibre, I believe."

"He's taking care of an issue, right?" Jordyn asked.

"Yes. Around three in the morning, one of my many apartment buildings was  …  damaged. Burned to the ground. Several tenants didn't make it out, unfortunately, and the fire department said the accelerant used insured complete ruin in minutes."

Jordyn chewed on the inside of her cheek, nervously. "Oh?"

"A short while before the fire, witnesses reported motorcycles in the area. Very uncommon in that district at that time, as they have strict noise by-laws."

Of course The Sons of Hell would be involved in something awful like that. Given it was towards Antony's property, Jordyn could easily assume it was because of her. Apparently her trip to Brooklyn the week before didn't go unnoticed as she hoped.

"Antony, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. We do have rules on these sort of things, though."

"What's that?" she asked.

"If they hurt one of ours, we'll send theirs to the grave. They hurt you, so now it's time to pay the boss his due. We've waited long enough."



• • •



"Where did you pick this up?" Lucian asked from the passenger seat.

Dante shrugged as he pulled the black SUV into a relatively quiet parking lot. "Mentioned to a friend I needed a vehicle he wouldn't want back. Another friend of a friend is looking for the insurance payout. It worked."

It wouldn't be wise to risk the vehicle they used to commit a crime being videotaped and later it turn out to be a personal car of a Marcello. At least this way, the friend of a friend would have a valid excuse to say his vehicle was stolen and used in the commission of a crime. It only made his story look better.

"Dio! I love this gun," Gio said in the backseat.

"So do I. Scratch it, and I will cut you, Gio."

"I wouldn't."

"So, Antony was clear," Dante said, changing the topic just as fast. Opening the compartment between the driver and passenger seat, he pulled out a Glock .22, undid the clip, checked the ammo cartridge, and slipped it back in with an audible click. "In, work it fast, and get the hell out."

"Just like fucking," Gio joked.

Lucian groaned. "Not right now, Gio."

"Sorry."

Dante leaned back in the seat, eyeing his brother. "You going to be okay to do this?"

Sure. It'd be good to get some aggression out. Lucian had waited a long time to get some kind of retribution for what happened to Jordyn. It wasn't the job itself that bothered him at all. It was the building ball of rage in his gut the closer they became to their destination that was eating away at him. Lucian needed to get that shit under control.

"I'm good," Lucian finally answered. "You?"

"I haven't done a scene in a while, but I don't think it's any different than it was."

"That's because Dad keeps you close," Gio said. "You've missed a lot these last couple of years. We had some fun."

Yeah, fun. That was one way to put it.



       
         
       
        

"No one's getting damaged today, except for a couple of MC members," Dante replied, sounding tired. "Are we ready?"

"I am," Lucian said.

Gio leaned between the seats. "Me, too."

"Plan is simple," Lucian explained. "We're a half a block away. Gio, take the back alley between the buildings. Keep out of sight until you're at the back of the club. The lock on the back door shouldn't be hard to blow it open. Come in through the hallway, clear the rooms, and meet us in the middle. With that rifle, thirty rounds per second, just a pull of the trigger and any random people will drop to the floor and keep their eyes down. That's what we want."

"You're just going to go in through the front entrance?"

Dante smirked. "Why not?"

"I don't know  …  seems obvious that'd be a bad choice."

Lucian rolled his eyes. "And they're so cocky, they probably don't have anyone at the front at this time of day. It's eleven in the morning. What do you want to bet half of them are just starting to wake up from their stupor because of last night?"

It wasn't hard to get information when a price was on the streets. Money talked. Seems after the club went stupid on one of Antony's apartment buildings the night before, they decided to celebrate back at their favorite haunt Legs and Leather. According to one source, they were partying before they burned down the building and it continued long after, too. Given the couches and shoddy loungers in the backrooms of the strip club, Lucian seriously doubted many club members left.

Not if there was free alcohol, drugs, and an abundance of holes willing to be filled.

Disgusting men were disgustingly predictable.

Apparently private parties like that were common for them.

"Let's just hope he's there," Dante said quietly, drawing Lucian from his thoughts.

"And if he's not?"

"Then this will really piss him off."