I pulled out my phone, unlocked it, opened the folder, and stared at the pictures. It wasn’t a good idea to keep too muchthat might slap a target on Dom’s back or incriminate him to anyone who found my phone, but...I hadn’t been able to resist. My favorite was the two of us on the cliffs outside town, the sun setting fire to the horizon. We were all smiles for the camera, his arm wrapped around my neck. There had once been another picture just like it, but we had been fifteen, so this one of us as adults was my favorite.
“Soon,” I told the picture of Dom. I knew he and his family were still safe, protected by the men I had sworn to guard them with their lives, no matter what might happen to the rest of us. I ached to see him again; to dial the hospital so I could hear his voice. Even if it was just him answering the phone, and silence from me, to hear him speaking and breathing. But no.
Hearing him, let alone seeing him, would only make me falter. And at this, the final step of my plan that had already been wildly successful...I couldn’t afford to falter; I couldn’t afford a misstep. I would have to accept the memories I had left and count that as good enough to get me through the next hour or so. That would have to be enough. It hurt to delete the pictures, but no more than it had hurt to leave him in that hospital room, knowing I would never see him again...and definitely not worse than watching him die repeatedly.
He and his family were safe for now, and by the time I was done, I would make sure they were completely safe.
Now for the finale.
Leaving the bathroom, I stepped into the hallway and looked around, listening to the quiet. This building had served me well since I came back to Cresson Point, as a secondary home at times, but mainly for business. I glanced into the nearby office, watched the fish lazily swim around their tank, and spared them a thought of regret. It wasn’t their fault that they would be another casualty in this war that I might not have started, but was certainly going to finish.
Walking into the office, I pulled the chair back and pushed it away as I knelt under the desk and touched a spot that revealed a panel seamlessly integrated into the desk. It revealed a small storage space with a few data cards, a few hundred dollars for emergency funds, and a gun. At the top of the hiding space was another button that loosened the bottom panel, revealing a safe. I punched the numbers in before opening it and drawing out the cylindrical device I had stored there a few days ago.
“Let’s go,” I told it softly, closing everything but leaving the data storage device on the desk. There was vital information on it that could cause a lot of trouble for The Family, but that would sort itself out soon.
Taking a deep breath, I left the office and made my way deeper into the building. It had served as an office building once before, so there was still a large room at its center used for meetings. I would use it one last time.
Will stood outside the door of the meeting room; the blinds were drawn, but I figured my...guests were waiting. “Anything?”
“The one guy kept looking at me like I was a cut of rare beef and he was starving,” Will said, looking disgusted and uncomfortable as he fidgeted.
“That would be Luis,” I said with a snort. “Of course they brought him along...good.”
Will’s eyes darted around before dropping his voice. “Sir, I know you’ve kept me in the dark for a lot?—”
“For good reason,” I told him patiently.
“I get it, you’ve got your reasons, I know. But...I’m gonna be honest here. I’ve got a bad feeling. I’ve had one all day, and I can’t get rid of it.”
“There’s a lot going on, so I understand,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. “But you can shake it off. You’re in no danger. Follow the orders I gave you, and let me deal with the rest. After today, everything will be taken careof. And maybe you’ll even find yourself in a better position than you’ve been in the past few months.”
Will’s shoulders slumped. “I wasn’t worried about me. You’ve always taken care of me, even when you didn’t need to...and probably shouldn’t have.”
“Stop selling yourself short,” I told him. “If you’re going to continue in The Family, then you need to find out what your strengths are and play to them. The only time you should worry about your weaknesses is if someone can take advantage. And that’s true even if you do find a way to have a normal life, you hear me?”
“Yes...sir,” he said, his mouth turning down at the corners like a flower pushed too close to a flame.
“Good,” I said. “I’ll deal with them, you do what I told you, and your phone is ringing.”
“Right,” he said, pulling out his phone as he stepped out of the way. There was a hesitation before he answered the call nervously.
I imagined it was probably Augustine trying to reach him, since I was no longer taking his calls. Will had already been instructed not to take Augustine’s calls and to avoid him at all costs. I couldn’t say for certain as I hadn’t devoted resources to it, but I was pretty sure Augustine had come to Cresson Point, or he would soon make an appearance. Not that it mattered much; everything was going to be settled soon, so he could deal with the mess I was going to leave him. If anyone could fix it and make something good out of it, it was him.
Ignoring what was probably my father’s repeated attempts to get hold of me, I opened the door to the meeting room and stepped in. There were three, two more than there were of me, but at least they had left the guards somewhere else. I had arranged for it to be just us in the meeting, and I was pleased they had honored the arrangement, but I was sure if it had beenleft up to Luis and Reg, they wouldn’t have agreed...or shown up with a platoon of men armed to the teeth anyway.
“And there he is,” Luis said with a wide grin that would have been right at home on a shark. “We were waitin’ for you.”
“I’m glad you were willing to wait so patiently,” I said as I walked up to the far end of the table and looked at the three men appraising me in turn. Luis was practically vibrating with excitement; I was sure that in his head, he was about to have some fun, perhaps even been promised it. The arrogance that had hung around Reg before like a stink cloud was gone, replaced by a sour glare and a nervous flick of his fingers against the table. The other man, though, was calmer, more composed, filling out his large suit, but his wide eyes were watching me carefully. “These two I’m well acquainted with. Which would make you Leo, or do you prefer Leonardo?”
“This is business, but since three of you seem to know each other, we can stick with Leo,” he said, his voice rough but his words clear with only a faint accent.
“We don’t know each other as much as I’d wanna,” Luis said, and his accent was thicker.
“I don’t know about that,” I said, raising a brow. “I think you and Reg have become acquainted with me over the past couple of weeks. That is, unless I failed to make a strong enough point, which would be...disappointing.”
“I told you he was a smug son of a bitch,” Reg muttered to Leo, a scowl on his face.
“And why wouldn’t I feel self-satisfied?” I wondered with a smile. “For all your talk, for the underhanded way you tried to deal with me at what should have been a peaceful meeting, you have found yourself with your backs against the wall, scrambling to keep control of what was never yours in the first place. I decided to play the game your way, and you’ve found that I’m thebetter player. Yes, I think that calls for a bit of smugness, don’t you?”
