Financial documents detail money flows, property holdings, and business fronts that will all need to be destroyed.
I stand at the head of the table, Alessandro to my right, Matteo to my left, with the rest of our people arranged around the room like pieces on a chess board.
The weight of command settles across my shoulders and instead of being anxious, I feel assured.
Begin with their weakest point,Giuseppe’s voice rumbles in my head, sharp and focused.Strike where they can’t defend.
No, begin with their strongest,Sophia counters.Break their confidence first, then they’ll crumble everywhere else.
Begin with intelligence,Matteo’s voice adds calmly.Know what we’re dealing with before we commit to any approach.
For the first time since the voices started, I don’t feel torn between their competing demands.
Instead, I consider each perspective with the detached professionalism Alessandro taught me, weighing their merits before integrating them into something uniquely mine.
“Gentlemen,” I begin, my voice authoritative. “We’re not just going to destroy the Calabrese family. We’re going to make their destruction serve multiple objectives simultaneously.”
I move around the table, pointing to specific locations on the map as I speak. “First, we take out everyone who matters in their organization. Every lieutenant, every soldier who could pull things together after we hit them. We basically cut off their head and break their arms all in one night.”
Giuseppe’s approach.
Nods around the table. This is language they all understand.
“Second, we make their friends turn on them,” I continue, stopping to point at names of Calabrese allies. “We feed the right information to the right people, make it look like the Calabreses are screwing over their partners. Once we’re done, nobody’s going to want anything to do with them.”
Sophia’s approach.
I can see the wheels turning in several minds, recognizing how good that part of the plan is.
“Third, while they’re falling apart, we move in and take everything good they had. Their territory, their businesses, their connections.” I look around the room, making sure they understand I mean business. “All of it becomes ours. We don’t just destroy them, we get stronger from their destruction.”
“And the timeline?” asks Antonio, his eyes shrewd as he watches me.
“Forty-eight hours,” I state flatly. “I want them destroyed in two days.”
The silence that follows is loud. Even in our world, what I’m proposing is unprecedented in its scope and ambition.
“That’s…” Mario starts then stops, tapping his finger against his teeth. It took a lot to get me to agree for Mario to show up, but he has the goddamn Irish in his back pocket thanks to Elena and I can’t turn down allies.
Mario leans back, looking at me with dark eyes. “That’s goddamn beautiful. What a message you’re sending to the Calabreses, Bianca. Anything less sends the message that you can attack the DeLucas and live to tell about it.”
“And that’s not acceptable,” I retort, watching Mario nod approvingly.
Exactly right,Giuseppe’s voice purrs with approval.Show them what happens to our enemies.
But make sure they understand why it’s happening,Sophia adds.The lesson must be clear.
And ensure we can maintain what we take,Matteo’s voice cautions.Conquest without consolidation is meaningless.
“The first wave hits their leadership,” I continue, pointing to photos of specific individuals. “We hit eleven locations at the same time, between midnight and three AM. Nobody walks away, nobody gets to make phone calls to warn anyone else.”
Alessandro steps forward, his shoulder brushing against mine as he takes over. “Coordinated teams, synchronized timing, clean extractions. We’ve identified the key personnel and their routines.”
“The second wave starts right after,” I continue, feeling comfort from Alessandro’s presence. “While they’re all running around freaking out because their bosses are dead, we drop a bunch of information to the FBI about their money laundering stuff. But we make it look like it came from one of the other families trying to screw them over.”
Matteo’s eyebrows rise slightly—not with surprise, but with what might be admiration. “You’re going to make it look like someone else is moving against them while we hit them from a different angle.”
“Exactly.” I nod at him, relieved he gets what I’m trying to do. “And when the feds start raiding their places, we plant evidence that makes it look like the Calabreses were working with families we want to get rid of too. Kill a bunch of birds with one really big stone.”
