Uncontrollable Temptations (Tempted #3)(72)

However, I didn’t expect Anthony to stand in front of the door, with his arms crossed against his wide chest, his brother-in-law Mike at his side.

“Move out of my way, Bianci,” I growled, fire in my eyes as they met his. He glanced over my shoulder at Riggs, Wolf, Pipe and Bones who had joined the pack behind me.

“I get you have a code you people live by, a brotherhood, but you’re down a man and I owe you a favor. So, like it or not, I’m a part of this thing. I’m with you until you get your right hand back and your woman, because not too long ago you laid it all on the line to help me get mine.”

“And him?” I tipped my chin toward Mike.

“Now come on, Bulldog, you and I go way back,” his lips curved. “You saw my shot with your own eyes,” he said, raising an eyebrow, slapping the palms of his hands together and pointing his index fingers outward, mimicking a gun. He clicked his tongue. “Bang, bang,” he added.

They were both right, not that long ago I vowed to help Anthony get his life on track so he could get his woman and I was there when Michael first pulled a trigger at our shooting range. The kid was his father incarnate. They weren’t Satan’s Knights, but we were allies and when one was at war they needed all the help they could get. Anthony and Mike provided us with an advantage—they’d been around Jimmy a lot more than any of us had. They would have insight to that lunatic, knew what made him tick and what they didn’t know they could get from their people on the streets.

I looked at them once more before turning around and looking at my club.

“That okay with you?”

“Since when does what we think play a factor when dealing with the likes of them?” Pipe grunted.

Wolf elbowed him. They had a right to be bitter but now wasn’t the time for it to surface. No, now we needed to be a unit, and our honor and loyalty to one another needed to play front and center.

“Fine, but I’m not riding with one of them on my fucking back, they drive a cage,” Wolf warned.

“A cage?” Mike asked, leaning into Anthony. Bianci shrugged his shoulders and stepped aside allowing me to walk into the chapel. One by one we filed through the door, taking our respective seats at the table. I stared at Blackie’s empty chair for a moment before slamming down the gavel.

“A couple of months ago, Pastore asked me to take care of a problem he had. A Fed was sniffing around one of Jimmy’s bodies and they wanted me to make the Fed disappear. That Fed was my brother, Danny. This guy over here…” I pointed to Bianci who was leaning against the wall, “…was about to help me save my brother’s life but we were too late. Jimmy killed Danny and set his house on fire. Reina, the woman I’ve been seeing, was Danny’s girlfriend and she was in the house with Danny when he let the house go up in flames.” I glanced around the table and sighed as I continued. “I’ve been planning my revenge for months, figuring it was personal and so no need to bring it to the club. It’s not personal anymore. It’s not even about Danny anymore. Wolf, Pipe, you two have been around since Cain’s days, you guys remember the G-Man, right?”

Pipe nodded. “Remember going to a lot of funerals at his hand,” he said.

“Yeah, well, long story short, Jimmy has been working with him since the days of Val.”

I averted my eyes to Mike as he cleared his throat at the mention of his father. I realized I wasn’t sure if he knew Jimmy and the G-man were responsible for his father’s death. Victor had taken out the hitman responsible and when Nikki was kidnapped by the G-man’s son, Mike had killed him but the man he killed went by the name of Deke Rogers, an alias to throw off the Pastore’s. I looked over at Anthony, allowing him to see the questions in my eyes before he continued. Mike’s eyes moved back and forth between the two of us before he rolled his eyes and stared at me expectantly.

“Keep on, I know all about it,” he informed me.

“Every blow to the Pastore family has been orchestrated by Jimmy and his quest for control, including Val’s death,” I stated.

“That’s your pops,” Wolf said to Mike. “And Victor’s underboss.”

“I remember the newspaper headlines. The press called his death a ‘mobbed up massacre,’” Pipe added.

“With Val dead and Vic in jail, Jimmy is the head honcho, paving a clear path for the G-Man to move drugs through the streets. The thing is, without Cain and his connections, and Victor cutting out whatever smack he could, they became vulnerable and in search for a supplier. The plan was for us to supply Jimmy with the heroine, give him enough to make some money. When his dick got wet, he’d come crawling on his hands and knees for more and we’d tell him we were only in business to get large quantities. He’d agree because he’s a greedy cocksucker and we’d set the scene for the cops to find him with all the drugs.”

“So now we’re playing cops?” Pipe asked. “When did we start doing citizen’s arrests?”

“When Victor Pastore gave the green light he’d be waiting on the other end, ready and willing to do our dirty work,” I retorted.

“Hold the phone,” Riggs said, holding up a hand. “Tony Soprano is going to take out that crazy clown in prison? That is your plan?” He asked incredulously.

“Was the plan,” I corrected.