“I know this is a major setback, but we will rebuild. We will come back from this.”
“The blowback will be felt for some time, Leo. And our enemies are closing in. This is the perfect moment for them to strike when we are on our goddamn knees.”
Ben is usually one cool customer, and I have never seen him this rattled. Then again, we have just lost most every don across the US. Blown up by a motherfucking bomb set by the Sicilian DeLucas. A few of our dons weren’t in attendance. Either they were running late or they hadn’t bothered to show up, like Salerno from Vegas.
“I know the situation is dire, and most of the families are without their leaders, but we haven’t lost the heirs or the loyalsoldatiandcapos.” Except for Don Maltese. He lost his only son to the bomb. “They will defend their territories, and everyone knows to be on guard for enemy attacks. We will train the heirs to be new leaders. The kind of leaders who will get behind your ideas, not dismiss them because they’re not traditional. This could be a good thing in the long run.”
“If we last that long. We are weak and vulnerable right now.”
I hate hearing such defeat in his tone. I know it’s the result of minimal sleep and worry for his family. Sierra is noticeably pregnant now, and he fears retaliation because DeLuca’s men clearly intended for us to die that day too, and we got away. They will try again. But it’s not something we need to worry about now because The Outfit is undergoing more change, and I’m sure solidifying the loyalty of the men and consolidating the territory is top of their list of priorities.
“Not us,” I remind him because we haven’t lost our leadership and The Commission’s ruling board is intact with Ben, Maltese, and DiPietro joined by Luca Accardi and Gabriele Greco. The latter men are smarter and more accommodating than their predecessors. They understand the considerable threat to the future of themafiosoin the US, and they see the bigger picture. They have agreed to let the past stay in the past. That now is the time to band together instead of letting the sins of our forefathers tear us apart.
The Outfit has broken away from us, which is probably for the best. Because every otherfamigliain America is baying for their blood. They turned on us. They turned on their own, and that is unforgivable.
“Did you get anything else from the Chicago PI?” Ben asks, handing me a scotch.
“It seems the Sicilian DeLucas came to the US six months ago. Presumably when they stopped hearing from Giuseppe and Alfredo. They infiltrated the rank and file, won their trust quickly, and got the word out who DeLuca was and who was really behind his termination.”
That would be us.
“It’s ironic Barretta fled to Sicily and they came here,” Ben says.
“I very much doubt he’s alive.”
Ben nods as he takes his seat. “It was probably a relief for him. His days were numbered anyway.”
“True.” I doubt his death was painless, but it was probably less painful than the prolonged progression of his illness.
“I should have gone to Sicily myself last year,” Ben muses, swirling his drink in his glass. “The intel we received was obviously false.”
After the showdown last year, Ben hired some men to do some digging in Sicily. We wanted to find out if anyone would miss Giuseppe DeLuca or if there were any potential successors who might try to lay claim to Chicago. The findings indicated not, which clearly wasn’t the truth. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. We thought we had it covered. You can’t be everywhere at the same time, Ben. You can’t be everything to everyone.”
A muscle clenches in his jaw, but he doesn’t comment. After a few beats of silence, he says, “Ask Donny to stay tight with his guy on the inside of The Outfit. We need to know what they are planning.”
“He wants out,” I explain. “He’s terrified.” Accardi had beaten the man bloody when he discovered him trailing him, sending our PI to the hospital for a week. We paid Donny an extortionate sum of money to gather intel after we fled Chicago, and though he tried to refuse, we wouldn’t let him. Now, he seems to have grown new balls, and he’s adamant he’s had enough. Even said he’d give us back the money. He wants no part of this.
“Tough shit,” Ben says. “He’s staying on the case whether he likes it or not.”
His phone pings, and he picks it up, reading the message with a rare smile. Knocking back his bourbon, he stands. “Come on.” He grabs his suit jacket. “My wife has laid down the law. I suspect your wife had a hand in it too. We’re to come home early, and they’re not taking no for an answer.”
* * *
NATALIA
I knockon Joshua’s bedroom door, waiting for him to call out before I step inside. My heart sinks when I find him lying on his bed, throwing a baseball up and down while he stares blankly at the ceiling. “Dinner will be ready soon,” I say, walking across the room to sit on the edge of his bed. “Ben and Leo will be home shortly.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat, Joshua.” I reach out, brushing strands of messy blond hair out of his eyes. “I’m worried about you.”
He lets the ball drop down onto the bed and pulls himself up against the headboard. “I hate this.” He swipes at the angry tears forming in his eyes. “Why can’t we go back to the penthouse? It makes no sense traveling in and out every day.”
“Ben wants us all together. It’s an extremely dangerous time, and it’s not safe to stay in the city. This place is a fortress, and with the extra security guards and measures Ben and Leo have added, this is the safest place for us to be.” My sons don’t know I had to fight tooth and nail to get them to agree I could continue at NYU and the boys could continue going to their normal school. Leo wants me to switch to online classes, and Ben wants the boys to be homeschooled. I had to put my foot down, even though I know the risks.
Caleb and Joshua are suffering. They watched their father get gunned down in front of them in cold blood. Now they have been wrenched from their home and their friends. I couldn’t take them out of school too. I feared what it would do to them. So, I reached a compromise with my brother and my husband. We travel to the city in Ben’s helicopter every day, and a swarm of bodyguards meets us at the CH building, splitting off as we go our separate ways.
I get some strange looks on campus because of the four burly men in black suits with fierce expressions who follow me everywhere, but I can deal. If this is what my brother and my husband need for their peace of mind, I can handle it.
