Silence engulfs us for a few minutes while we both think. “Angelo always believed the Grecos bought the Colombian angle,” I say. “If Greco took out Juliet, because he believed Gino killed Carlo, then they clearly discredited that theory.”
“Accardi would be the natural person to blame in that scenario,” Ben says, running with my train of thought. “And if that theory was discounted, it means they went looking for other guilty parties.”
I can hardly force the words out of my strangled throat. “Angelo injected himself into that situation. Mateo made no secret of his hatred of Carlo, and everyone knew Natalia was terrified of him.” I rest my head against the headrest. “Fuck.”
“The path led back to us,” Ben says.
“They have partnered to take us down,” I say, extracting my cell to check the tracking app for Gino’s whereabouts.
“It’s all connected,” Ben says. “It’s got to be. The Chicago situation and this Colombian drug issue.”
“They are trying to discredit you because they can’t very well take you out without repercussions.”
“Not at this juncture,” Ben says as Ciro slides behind the wheel and starts the engine.
“Natalia needs to get out of that house,” I say, waiting for the location map to load.
“Is he still in Chicago?” Ben asks, looking over my shoulder, understanding what I am doing.
“Yes.” I breathe a sigh of relief, but it’s minor. I won’t rest until I’m holding her in my arms and I’ve gotten her to safety.
“Natalia can’t leave.” Ben eyeballs me. “It will tip Gino off. Until we know more, we can’t play our hand yet.”
“She’s in danger,” I grit out. “He has more reason to take her out now. She’s a Mazzone, and she was the catalyst for this whole fucking chain of events.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he roars. “You think I don’t want to get her a million miles away from him? Because I do. But we’ve got to take emotion out of it. Like I had to do with Sierra that time.”
I’m instantly chastised remembering everything Ben suffered during that period. I know he knows how I feel.
“You are letting your feelings for her cloud your judgment,” he says in a calmer voice. “Natalia is strong. She will want to do this the right way. She will prioritize the twins, and they will get caught in the middle of this unless we bide our time and plan a course of action.”
“Nothing can happen to her, Ben.” Emotion chokes my voice, but I’m beyond the point of caring.
“Nothing is going to happen to her, Leo. We will make sure of it.” His eyes bore into mine. “I know about you and her.”
I gulp. “How?”
“You live in my building, Messina. And Philip is on my payroll. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”
I suspected it would be hard to pull the wool over Philip’s eyes. He’s a fucking tech genius and on top of everything for Ben. I can’t say I’m overly surprised except Ben didn’t challenge me on it. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was going to have a conversation with you that involved my gun in your mouth, but I took my don hat off and looked at it from a different angle.” His expression softens a little. “You two love each other. You always have.” His lips kick up. “Who am I to stand in the way of true love?”
“You’re not mad?”
The grin slips off his mouth. “Oh, I’m plenty mad. You have placed her in even graver danger, but you have also made her very happy. It’s obvious. Sierra and Serena have both commented on the change in her demeanor this past month. I want my sister to be happy, and I know her happy place is with you.” He briefly glances out the window as we make our way through the streets of Brooklyn. “I understand why you felt the need to keep it a secret, but I was waiting for you to come to me. I know you would have sooner or later. And if you didn’t, I would have broached the subject with you. Discussed how to get her out from under Accardi. Now, we may have lost our edge.”
“I refuse to accept that. There are always options. You and I have gotten ourselves out of more scrapes and dangerous situations over the years. If anyone can do it, we can.”
He nods. “You need to get over there. Fill her in. Talk to Caleb. See if he knows anything that can help. I’m going to round up the capos. Get some eyes and ears out on the streets and see what intel we can find. Then I’ll set up an emergency meeting with The Commission.”
“Will you tell them?”
“I can’t. Not yet. Not with Greco involved. This has the potential to split The Commission apart and undo everything we have achieved the past few years. I can’t let that happen. It would be fucking chaos.”
“It’s a mess,” I agree.
“Just focus on Natalia for now. Make sure she is fully up to speed. Tell her everything. I will come over later, and we can decide what to do.”
