“Make any progress? I’d be interested in seeing.”
I don’t respond right away. I don’t want him seeing. I know I have to, but I don’t want to admit it.
“In fact, we were just talking about the Rossi slave. We’re going to need to see how she’s doing real soon.” A sick smile snakes across his lips as he suggests, “Maybe a little video? Your father told us about the tapes.” I turn to look at my father, that rat fuck. He should keep his goddamn mouth shut.
“We’re very grateful for the opportunity,” my father quickly says, that sniveling shit. “Gio here is working very hard on the girl. Right, Gio?”
“Of course,” I say.
“Not too hard, I hope,” Marco says. “You have a more important job to do.”
This is the moment, then. I can practically feel my father ready to talk about his plan, ready to try and convince these impatient, stupid Romanos that killing some old lady would do any good for anyone.
I can’t let him have this moment. “I have an idea about that,” I say quickly.
My father looks at me, surprised. Marco smiles. “Go on,” he says.
“Toni’s well-guarded,” I say slowly, the idea forming as I speak. “He’s clearly the next in line for the Rossi throne, and his power is increasing every day. But what if we didn’t kill him?”
Marco cocks his head at me, and my father scoffs. “Killing him is the job,” my father points out.
I hold a hand up to him. “Wait. Hear me out.”
“Okay,” Marco says. “What are you thinking?”
“There's another man in the Rossi family that’s just as important as Toni.”
Recognition sparks in Marco’s face. “The Don,” he says.
“The Don,” I agree. Visions of Grace’s scarred skin flash before my eyes. Yes, the Don. I’m going to kill that piece of shit. I’ll make it slow for her if I can.
“He’s weak,” my father says. “He’s on the way out.”
“Maybe,” I say. “But he’s still the Don. I think we can get to him more easily.”
My father’s clearly pissed. He’s probably barely holding back his anger, but that’s fine with me. He’s the one that wanted to play these stupid fucking games.
There's no way we can really get to the Don right now though. It’s possible of course, but not the way things currently stand. This is more about buying us some extra time from the Romanos to figure shit out and to plan a solid hit.
Besides, as far as I’m concerned, the Don is already dead. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but his death is coming. I'll be the one standing over him holding a smoking gun for what he did to my princess. If Marco decides to shift the target to the Don, then that'll be killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.
“Very interesting,” Marco says.
“We can get to him,” I say, half-lying. “He goes out with protection, but he still goes out. Toni never goes fucking anywhere. If the Don goes into the open, I can take him.”
“He has guards,” my father says. “That’s a suicide mission.”
“Not for a highly skilled sniper, it isn’t,” I say, staring back at him, daring him.
I can see the rage flash on his face, but he quickly gets it under control.
“Everything okay between you two?” Marco asks casually.
“Great,” my father says, looking back to Marco. “Listen, I have a different plan.”
“No,” Marco says, interrupting him. “That’s okay. I like this. I would love to see the Don dead. Toni will have to come out of hiding to take over the Rossi familia duties if the Don is killed, and then we can take him, too.”
“That’s right,” I say, encouraging his line of thought.
