The thought of Antonelli getting anywhere near my family makes my blood boil.
"Then we fortify the villa. I want men on every entrance, every window. Cameras covering every angle. If a bird lands on the property, I want to know about it."
"What about the port?" Rico asks. "If he hits the shipments, the Turks won't care that it's a Mob war. They'll cut ties and we lose everything."
"The Turks are covered." I check my watch. Kemal's contact should be here any minute. "I've arranged a meeting with Eren. If the Turks agree to back us, we'll have enough manpower to defend both locations."
Enzo raises an eyebrow.
"You think they'll commit to a war that's not theirs?"
"Antonelli threatened them too. Sent word through intermediaries that any supplier working with me is complicit in the skimming and will suffer." I straighten and cross my arms. "Kemal doesn't take threats lightly. Neither does his organization."
"So we're banking on the Turks to even the odds?" Luca shifts his weight, wincing as his injured shoulder protests. "That's a big gamble."
"It's the only gamble we have." I move around the table, staring at the map.
If we get this wrong and put all of our resources somewhere they're not needed, we will fuck it up.
"If Antonelli comes at us with full force, we need more than a dozen men and good intentions. We need an army."
Rico nods slowly. "And if the Turks say no?"
"Then we go to war understaffed and hope we're faster than he is."
I meet his eyes.
"But that's not going to happen. Kemal's invested in this partnership. He's not going to let Antonelli destroy it."
The door at the far end of the warehouse opens and one of my guards steps through, followed by Eren.
The Turkish contact is dressed in a dark suit.
His eyes linger on Marco's empty chair for a moment before shifting to me.
"Dante," he says, his accent thick but his Italian clear.
"Thank you for meeting on short notice." He begins walking deeper into the warehouse toward us as my men shift to watch him.
"Eren…" I gesture to the table.
"We were just discussing tomorrow's potential targets. I assume Kemal received my message?"
"He did."
Eren approaches the table with his hands clasped behind his back. "And he is not pleased. Antonelli has overstepped."
"Do you have details?" Rico asks, and I watch Eren's face for an answer we all clearly are eager to hear.
"He sent a courier to Istanbul three days ago. The message was clear—any supplier working with you is against him, and that we've chosen the wrong side. Kemal is furious. Gerard threatened to take us out when he is finished with you, and you know how the boss takes threats." Eren's eyes are dark and brooding. Kemal didn't just send him here to confirm what I already know. He's here because they're going to side with us.
"What was Kemal's response to that?" I ask.
Eren's expression hardens and his chest puffs out.
"Kemal does not respond well to threats. Especially from a man who has no proof, no standing, and no respect in our organization."
He pulls a folded paper from his jacket and slides it across the table.
