“I do have soldiers already that I know can be loyal. You’re right that breaking away is going to cause some distress financially, especially when Cristian and Il Padrone figure it out. They likely already have. At least, I know Cristian would havebeen on the phone with suppliers as soon as it became obvious we weren’t coming back. Whatever path we take, we need to strike fast.” Carter frowns at the list I’ve been compiling of things to do and issues that may arise. “This last entry…can you explain it?”
I shift uncomfortably, because this is going to be the hardest part of the conversation. But it’s one Keegan and I both agree on. “We need to work with Il Padrone and Cristian. You’re Bosses. You need to meet with them under that guise. Il Padrone gave us a list of targets to research, yes, but he didn’t explain his reasoning. I can keep up with monitoring them, but it would be far easier if we knew what was going on.”
“You really expect him to explain himself to you?” Carter asks incredulously. “After what he’s done…I can’t foresee that happening.”
Wincing, I rub the back of my neck, unsure of how to handle this. Taking a deep breath, I try to put Il Padrone into words—knowing I’ll likely fail. Fuck knows I did with Keegan every time. “Would he explain himself to me? No. Would he tell another Boss something important so that you can work together? Yes. Especially if you have something he wants. And I know him. There is something he is going to want more than anything.”
The temperature plummets as Carter glares at me, his mind immediately clicking to what I’m talking about. “There is no way in hell I’ll hand Lio over to that asshole.”
Throwing up my hands, I growl, “Fuck no. I’m not saying that. But when he realizes he’s lost everything aside from Luca, it’s going to hit him hard. When he realizes he lost the man he loves…he’s going to flip. It’s not in him to come waltzing in, get down on one knee, and beg. But he will cooperate with Lio if he thinks it’ll make a difference.”
“No. I won’t do it. I will not put Lio near that asshole. Don’t ask again. He’s been abused enough.”
I want to argue more. After all, being a Boss means you have to do shitty things at times, but Keegan touches my shoulder, forcing me to back down. “Fine. Just…at least think about bringing it up to the other Bosses. Lio should get a say in this shit. He’s no longer the innocent kid that Il Padrone twisted. He’s a Boss.”
Carter’s lips purse as he considers it. It pisses me off that people immediately want to protect Lio. Yes, he deserves respect, but Lio will never be an actual Boss if everyone wants to step in front of him. And I know Lio is more than capable of going up against his old Master.
“Let’s table this,” Keegan breaks in. “We need to get back to logistics. Marcus has already pulled some soldiers, but again, if we’re going to do something that requires more than what he has, we need to make decisions about how far we’re going to ruin the Martelli name—and, to some extent, the Amato. That’s a conversation for you to have with the other Bosses. Once we have a better idea of finances and targets, the easier it’ll be to pull resources. Marcus is right, we should give some to Lio, especially since you already have your own men.”
“I agree that some of the men should go to Lio. He deserves it. So does Ignacio—although I’m not sure where he’s going to end up.” I inhale sharply, forgetting there’s a possibility that Ignacio will choose Roman instead of Lio, but Carter continues without reacting. “What’s your opinion on what we can handle?”
“I don’t think it’s smart to pull everything. We need to consider our objectives. The first is finding out who wants us exterminated, because I doubt splitting off has suddenly put us in the realm of safety. Antonio can lead most of the stalking and monitoring, along with Hollis.
“It would be better to put me toward building the actual Family. Weapons are easiest. Drugs…Il Padrone didn’t use that a lot. The Amatos were stronger there. I’m not sure where the DeLucas fall on it. Ignacio is out of the picture while he recovers, so I’d keep the focus more narrow. Let Il Padrone keep the drug trade, especially since it’s one of his weaker areas. It’ll give him income, but it'll be limited. We can redirect the weapons trade over to the De Lucas. And then the whores would go to Lio via Antonio.”
“Even though Antonio is going to be busy with tracking?”
“Yes, he has someone in charge of the upscale whorehouse—Angel—and she’ll keep them in line. I know the twins are happy working with the street level ones. It would be a significant blow to the Martellis. Again, this can give you some leverage if you do sit down with the other Bosses.”
“Right, it’s like throwing a match on a gasoline spill… I can see that going very well.”
I shrug off Carter’s grumbling because he’s not wrong, but fuck, there are only so many options. My frustration must show because he looks at me and says, “Mi dispiace.”
I wave away his apology. “No need to apologize. This is just…difficult. Il Padrone saved my life. If he hadn’t interfered, I wouldn’t have lived. It’s the same with him and Ignacio. Antonio was a special case, where he was elevated from within the ranks. Luca is a fucked up story. And Lio…even more so. But betraying Il Padrone will never be easy. Not when I owe him my life. Still, he fucked up, and I have no regrets about siding with you. We just need to work out some potential issues.”
“Alright.” Carter sighs as he looks at the connecting room where Cole is playing with one of the maids. The door is closed and we have a monitor that shows what is happening in case we need to intervene, but he’s safe. And that’s why I’m doing this. It’s why I’ll follow Carter anywhere he demands of me, because he’s shown over and over again that he has my son as a priority. “I understand your point. I know Tennant has already pulled people—I’ll have to check with him, or rather him and Roman,to see what else he’s been doing. After his conversation with Cristian... Let me talk with the other Bosses. You’re right, I can’t just make decisions for Lio. But I don’t think we’re at the point where we need to address anything with Il Padrone or Cristian. I’d rather them come to us instead.”
I shrug one shoulder. I can’t say he’s wrong. It’s always better to negotiate from a point of strength. I just highly doubt Il Padrone would ever come to us first. Not even when everything is crumbling. Then again, maybe I don’t know him well. Not anymore. What him and Cristian went through obviously fucked them up. It’s the only explanation for this fuckery.
“Alright, then we’ll pause on this. Let us know what you decide and we’ll take it from there.” Keegan stands as he rests his hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to drag Marcus over to the gym so he can work out some of his stress.”
“I think I’ll pop in to see Cole before setting up another Bosses meeting. I agree, we need to move fast, but…”
“Breathing room helps.” I smile half-heartedly.
I’m glad my son is able to give him some comfort. Carter is strong. I know he’ll make this work. All of them need to think about it more as Bosses. I don’t envy them. These are hard calls, and often go against what they want personally. But it’s the only way forward.
“Perhaps after the meeting we can all use the media room and watch one of Cole’s favorite movies. We’ll eat popcorn and set things aside for a bit.”
Carter nods in acknowledgment, but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he stands and heads right for Cole’s play area. Sighing, I turn to Keegan, unsure what to do.
“Come on, Tease. Let’s go see if there’s someone you can spar with. And then once you’re all sweaty…I’ll put you on your knees so you remember that it doesn’t matter—Martelli, De Luca, whatever—end of the day, you’re mine and only mine.”
“Fuck, yes.” I stand up and offer him my hand.
I can’t wait to see who I can beat on before I let my Sir do wicked things to me. And knowing him? It’ll be perfectly twisted and just right to shove me out of my head, to get rid of this taste of betrayal that lingers, because this is far harder than I want to pretend.
Going against the man who saved me…fuck. All I know is that it’s the right decision, and if Il Padrone was still sane, he’d have agreed with me. There’s a reason I was his War—his strategy—and it’s because I can see through the bullshit. Right now, it’s bullshit that he’s covered himself in. Fuck. I hope he snaps out of it before I have to put him down permanently…
