I zoom in on the photo. The bodyguard's hand is on her elbow, guiding her toward a black car parked at the curb.
Professional. Appropriate. Exactly what a bodyguard should do. I still want to break his fingers for touching her.
Another text from Sal: Want me to find out who they are?
Me: No. Leave it.
This is what I deserve. This is the consequence of my failure, and I have to accept it.
Liana has moved on with her life. She's protected. She's safe. Without me.
"Boss?" Paulie knocks on the door frame. "We got a problem that needs your attention."
I look up, forcing myself to focus. "What kind of problem?"
"The kind that involves the Benedettis finding out we're poaching their suppliers." He steps into the office, concern on his face. "Roberto just called. Wants to meet. Says he has a proposal for you."
"He wants to negotiate?"
"That's what he said. Sounded desperate."
I lean back, considering the implications. He’s smart enough to know he's losing this war before it's really begun. His operations are falling apart. His suppliers are jumping ship. His protection is spread too thin. He's trying to salvage what he can before it's too late.
"Set up the meeting," I say after a moment. "Neutral location. Tomorrow night."
"You sure that's a good idea? After what he did to—"
"I'm sure." I cut him off, not wanting to hear her name. "Roberto wants to talk. We'll talk. But the conversation ends with him understanding that the Benedettis are done in this city."
Paulie nods and leaves to set it up.
I pull out my phone again to look at the photo of Liana that Sal sent.
She's wearing a dark blue dress—simple, elegant, professional. Her hair is down, loose around her shoulders in soft waves. She looks beautiful in a natural, effortless way. And she looks nothing like the woman who jumped out of my moving car, or ate my steak, or played helpless with my gun in the office.
This is the real Liana, the one she's been hiding from me.
The one I never took the time to know or understand.
I zoom in on her face, studying her expression. She's smiling—really smiling, the kind that reaches her eyes. When was the last time she smiled like that with m
I'm not sure she ever did.
Because I never gave her a reason to smile like that.
I force myself to focus on the work in front of me. The Benedettis. That's the priority now, the immediate threat. I need to eliminate them completely, permanently, so they can never threaten her again.
And then—maybe—I can figure out how to make things right with Liana.
If that's even possible anymore.
The next twenty-four hours are a blur of meetings, negotiations, and carefully delivered threats.
By the time I arrive at the neutral location for the meeting with Roberto, three more of his major suppliers haveswitched their contracts to us. Two of his warehouses have mysteriously failed their safety inspections and been shut down by the city. And his biggest shipping contract has been "delayed indefinitely" due to "logistical concerns" that will never be resolved.
The Benedettis are hemorrhaging money faster than they can stop the bleeding. And everyone in our world knows it.
Roberto is already there when I arrive, sitting at a table in the back of a private room at an upscale restaurant that caters to families like ours. He looks older than he did three days ago—tired, worn down, defeated in ways that show in the lines of his face.
