"Possibly. That's why we need to be careful." He turns back to face us. "But if Liam's telling the truth—if he really wasn't involved—then this changes everything."
"How?" I cross my arms. "The Irish still took Elena. Still assaulted her. Still threatened Rina. Why should we give a damn if their heir wants to make a deal?"
"Because Liam is the key to ending this without an all-out war that could destabilize the entire city." Vito's voice is measured. Calculating. "If we go through with the full offensive, dozens of our men will die. Maybe hundreds. The Costellos will retaliate. Civilians will get caught in the crossfire. The Commission will get involved."
"So what? We let them walk because it's inconvenient? This is Liam Costello we're talking about. The same man that shot up your wedding. With all due respect, Don, I'm surprised you're even entertaining this."
Vito sighs and turns to look at me. I can see the sadness in his eyes. The pain that this life has brought to bear on his soul in that moment. "I'm aware of his prior actions. And, we will makethe Irish pay for what they did to Elena, but we need to be smart about it."
"I don't see how meeting with this man is smart."
Vito shakes his head. "Liam was supposed to be their leader. He knows the entire network. Every safehouse, every soldier, every dirty cop and politician on their payroll. He could dismantle his own organization from the inside if we agree to let him live."
The offer is too good. Too convenient.
"Why would he do that?" Dante asks. "Betray his own people?"
"Because he's not loyal to them. He's loyal to survival." Rafa pulls up more intel. "I've been digging into Liam's history. He and his father disagreed on everything. Liam wanted to modernize. Move away from the old violent ways. Mickey refused. They were barely speaking when Mickey died."
"And now Liam sees an opportunity," I say slowly. "His father's dead. Kieran's dead. Ronan's in our custody. The organization is in chaos. He can either go down with the ship or cut a deal and start fresh."
"Exactly." Vito returns to his desk. "He's offering us everything we want—justice, information, the dismantling of the Irish threat—without the bloodbath."
I pace the room, my mind racing. The logical part of me sees the value in this deal. Ending the threat without massive casualties. Getting intel that could protect us for years. Having a man in charge of the Irish that would be an ally.
But the part of me that loves Elena—that held her while she sobbed on the living room floor, that sees her flinch at sudden movements, that knows what they did to her—wants blood. Wants to watch the entire Costello empire burn.
"What does Elena get out of this deal?" I ask quietly.
Vito's expression softens slightly. "She gets peace. No more war. No more threats. The people who hurt her answer for their crimes."
"Ronan already answers for his crimes. He's in our basement."
"And we can make Ronan's death as slow and painful as Elena wants."
"She hasn't even decided if she wants to face him yet."
"I know. Which is why we're not making any moves until she's ready." Vito's voice is firm. "But this offer from Liam has an expiration date. Forty-eight hours. After that, he disappears again and we're back to planning a war."
Forty-eight hours. Two days to decide if we take the deal or go to war.
"I need to tell Elena," I say.
"Agreed. This affects her more than anyone." Vito leans forward. "Whatever she decides, then that's what we'll give her."
I stand there stunned at what Vito just said. Did he really leave it up to Elena to decide whether or not to go to war with the Irish?
"You're leaving it up to her?" I ask, certain I must have misheard.
"I am," Vito confirms.
"But... why?" The question comes out bewildered. Not because Elena shouldn't make this call—Vito's right, it's absolutely her decision—but because I've never known him to let anyone decide matters of war for him. Especially not something this big. This consequential.
Vito's expression softens in a way I've only seen since Rina came into his life. "Because Rina made it very clear that if I start a war without considering what Elena wants, I'll be sleeping on the couch until our child graduates college."
The room goes silent for a beat.
Then Dante breaks the tension with a bark of laughter. "Boss got pussy-whipped by his pregnant wife! That's what this is!" He slaps his good hand on his knee. "The mighty Don Vito Rosso, brought to his knees by a five-foot-nothing woman who probably threatened to withhold the cannoli."
