"You have built a reputation over the years as a man who keeps his word. Do not disappoint me now. If you fail, I will make certain that no one in the Mediterranean does business with you again. You will be finished."
He walks out of the room without waiting for a response.
Eren follows behind him and closes the door.
I sit alone at the table and stare at the phone.
Seventy-two hours to secure product, move it across Rome, and deliver it to the Turks without Gerard intercepting it.
It's a damn near impossible task, and I will have to pull off a miracle.
I leave the hotel and drive back to the villa.
The December afternoon is cold and gray, much like every afternoon in winter here.
The traffic crawls through the city as Christmas shoppers fill the streets.
I pass decorated storefronts and street vendors.
The whole city celebrates while my world balances on a knife edge.
When I reach the villa, I go straight to my den where my men are already waiting for me as I instructed.
They know just how important that meeting was for me, and none of them have a clue what's coming.
I'm not a happy man.
My temper is already flaring before I even sit to speak to them.
"I met with Kemal this afternoon," I say. "He's given us three days to prove we can deliver a replacement shipment. If we succeed, the alliance continues. If we fail, he releases everything and our organization is finished."
Rico leans forward. "Three days isn't enough time, Boss. We'd need to secure the product, arrange transport, and move it through new secret channels. That's impossible with our current resources." Obviously—but I hold my tongue.
I don't want to hear what we can't do.
I need to hear what ideas they have on what wecando.
"Then we find new resources… New routes."
Leaning back, I drum my fingers on the desk, waiting for one of them to come up with a new plan.
Enzo shakes his head.
"What new routes? We've been using the same routes for years. The ports are compromised. The highways are watched. Antonelli has contacts everywhere. The moment we try to move anything, he'll know. He's ruined every deal and interrupted every shipment for months."
"Then we move it somewhere he is not watching."
Luca speaks up. "Where? We’ve exhausted every option. There's no hidden route that suddenly appeared overnight."
I slam my hand on the desk.
"Then figure something out, dammit." Standing, I glare at them all, knowing this isn’t their fault but unable to control my fury. "Find a contact. Bribe someone. Threaten someone. I don't fucking care what it takes. We have three days and failure’s not an option."
Rico stands. His expression is hard. "We're doing everything we can. But you're asking for something that doesn't exist. Three days to secure a shipment, transport it across the city, and deliver it without detection? You're asking for a miracle."
"I am asking you to do your jobs," I say coldly. "Now, get out," I say in another fit of anger. "All of you. Get the fuck out of my house and don't come back until you have a solution."
They exchange glances.
