He released me and walked around to his desk as I tried to draw a breath that didn’t hurt. Fuck me, I knew Alessio’s fists were lethal, but that single punch might have rearranged my organs.
I dropped into the chair opposite his desk. “Interesting way to thank me.”
“Don’t push it, Aiani,” he warned, his voice edged with something dark that told me he was still reeling from Finn’s blackout.
Even though it was obvious Alessio and I merely tolerated each other, I truly respected the man. Not only for how he led us, but also for how he loved Finn. He loved him like a brother. I was glad Finn always had someone like him in his corner.
“I should be thanking you,” I replied, and his eyes narrowed in confusion. “You’ve been there for Finn when I wasn’t. You’re a great friend, and I’m glad he met you in the fighting rings all those years ago. You saved his life, so, as much as we don’t see eye to eye, I’ll always be grateful to you. I know you’ve been contemplating putting a bullet in my head every day since I came back into his life, but before you do, you should know I love him. I never stopped, not for one second. And even if he never forgives me or wants to be with me, I would rather die than let anything happen to him.”
“I’m counting on that.” Alessio’s lips tugged at the corners. “It’s the only reason I’m sending you with him to America. You’d take a bullet for him. So would I.”
I nodded.
“The problem is… Finn would do the same for you. And me.” Alessio rose from his chair and strolled to the window. “I caused this. Joey Galiz won’t stop until I’m no longer breathing, but that’s not what bothers me. Killing me isn’t enough anymore. He wants to destroy me by taking someone I love. I know his type. He thinks with his gun, not his brain. Young, foolish and murderous.” He turned back to look at me. “But I need this to end. If a single person I love dies saving my skin, I won’t be able to live with it. I’ll hand myself over to Joey willingly, just so I can kill him with my bare hands. His men will take me out, but it would be worth it.”
The strain and pain in his eyes made me realise how much he was carrying. The guilt. Not for killing Don Anthony Galiz, but for starting a war that had already cost us so many lives, and the fear of losing someone he truly loved.
He chuckled, a dark, humourless laugh. “Mypapiwas right. Love weakens men like us.” He glanced at a photo of his family. “But it also strengthens us in a way that makes us lethal. A man who doesn’t love fights for nothing. A man who does fights for everything. Who do you think wins in the end?”
“The man who fights to protect.”
“Exactly.”
He opened his desk drawer and slid a file towards me. I opened it to find blood-splattered photographs and profiles of Santino, Soraya, Giovanni’s children, Liliana and Raffaele, and Alessio’s twins, Siro and Isotta. The final photograph showed Nerina wearing her rainbow tutu and a tiara. My heart squeezed in my chest.
“Those were found on the American soldiers who attacked Sani and Raya. And this morning…” he paused, waiting for me to lift my head to look at him. “When Joey realised his men had failed, he placed a bounty.”
“A bounty?”
“Two million dollars for Finch Rossetti.”
All the blood drained from my face.
“An email went out to every boss in Italy. Check yours.”
With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and checked my emails, and there it was. An encrypted message from Joey Galiz.
Bring me consigliere Finch Rossetti, dead or alive. Reward: two million dollars.
“No Italian Boss will betray you for two million,” I said, but the rage and fear still burned in my blood.
“I doubt it. But somehow, as soon as that email landed in an inbox, it was then forwarded to everyone in that person’s contacts.”
My eyes widened. “Meaning soldiers?”
Alessio nodded and ran a hand down his face. Fuck. Low-ranking soldiers wouldn’t have the same loyalty. And the money would be tempting.
“Does Finn know?”
Alessio shook his head. “And we’re not going to tell him. He needs to get out of the country and stay level-headed if we have any chance of these negotiations working. This war has to end, Aiani. Or I’m handing myself over. No one I love will die for me. This is just another example of Joey’s impatience and recklessness. The Americans don’t even have that kind of money to spare, so I know Frankie will be pissed off about his nephew’s antics. But Joey’s clearly happy to run his late father’s business into the ground just to hurt me.”
“So… What the fuck does this mean for our plan to ambush Frankie Galiz? Surely flying Finn to America to blackmail Frankie is the last thing we should be doing?”
Alessio leaned back in his chair and sized me up. He pressed his clasped hands to his mouth as he thought hard, his blue eyes piercing mine. “I have a plan. But it’s a fucking risky one. Can I trust you, Aiani?”
“Si.”
“I’m going to send Frankie the video we have of him and offer to reveal who his mole is in exchange for a private meeting. I’m going to tell him you’re coming to America. It won’t be an ambush. It will be an invitation.”
