Ren’s question wouldn’t leave me alone. It followed me through the house at all hours. It was there while I sat through meetings and endured security briefings. It lingered in the back of my mind as I went through the books. In the quiet moments when the property feltalmostpeaceful. Her words didn’t come from fear or judgment or accusation.
And how does threatening a child accomplish that?
It was a damn good question that forced me to take a step back and think. The Russians didn’t operate that way, and they never had.
They kidnapped and they disappeared people. They made examples for the world to see. These threats were sloppy and amateurish, meant to scare instead of control. And fear without any kind of follow-through was…useless.
Fucking useless.
I’d been turning those words over in my head since Ren asked the question, and now that I had Luca’s ear, I confided in him. “There’s a chance we have two enemies,” I finally blurted out.
He looked up from the tablet on his lap, brows creased and lips pursed in a frown. “Two?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, explaining the conversation with Ren, word for word. “She’s right. What do the Russians get out of threatening to kidnap Matteo? The Russians don’t threaten to kidnap; they kidnap.” The question had slapped me right where I needed it to, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. “Ever since she asked, I can’t shake it.”
Luca leaned back, thoughtful as usual before he spoke. “That’s not…wrong.”
“And if this isn’t them,” I started, “then someone wants me distracted and afraid. Reactive.”
Luca nodded, his expression shifting from easygoing to deadly serious in a flash. “There’s something else, Enzo.”
“What?” My heart sped up so quick and so loud, I barely heard his next words.
“Your cousin, David,” he sighed. “His kid, Ella, was threatened last week.”
My jaw tightened. “David is a fucking accountant, and he doesn’t even work for the family.” He was the one who got out properly, never had to dirty his hands even though he got the benefits of being a DeRossi.
“Yeah, but he is a DeRossi,” Luca replied. “And Ella made an easy target, a freshman living off campus in the big city.”
It was the right play if you wanted to force someone’s hand, but it still didn’t feel right. “That doesn’t make sense, though. Does it?” Leverage and pressure were the name of the game, but there was a piece missing. “The Russians haven’t made any demands.”
“Yet.”
“You don’t find that ass-backwards?”
Luca nodded. “I do, and I’ll look into it. I promise.”
“Yeah, all right. In the meantime, let’s put extra protection on Ella. Tell no one and have them report directly to you.Onlyto you.”
“Got it.”
We sat in silence for a beat, the weight of it all settling between us. A potential traitor in our mix or an unknown enemy.
Then Luca smirked. “So. How are things going with Serenity?” His grin went even wider. “She’s still hot.”
I rolled my eyes, but there was an unstoppable smile on my face. “She’s fucking gorgeous, grew up even better than I guessed. But,” I sighed heavily, “she still hates me. Less than yesterday, but her feelings are still squarely in the hate column.”
He laughed. “That’s progress.”
“It’s something,” I agreed. “I told her the truth,” I added. “All of it. Somehow that made things betterandworse at the same time.” I understood where she was coming from, and I thought she understood me too, but that didn’t translate into forgiveness. At least not yet. “It’s fine,” I lied.
“You’re a horrible fucking liar for a mob boss.” Luca shook his head, laughing at me in a way very few men could. “Look, Enzo, you still have it bad for Serenity. You always did.”
“Luca,” I warned, but he held up a hand to stop me.
“No disrespect, but it’s the fuckin’ truth. I told you back then to bring her into the fold, and you didn’t listen. You were miserable other than at the birth of Matteo. Don’t even try denying it.”
I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.
