Leo chuckles. “Give him a break, boss. This has been a long time coming.”
I arch a brow in his direction.
“Pun intended.” He flashes me a wicked grin, and I flip him the bird. Leo is guessing I got some last night because I’ve been grinning like a loon all morning, much to Ben’s chagrin.
“Sorry, boss. I’ll focus. What were you saying?”
“They found Barretta and Cinisi’s men in Sicily. All gutted and hanging from the rafters in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere.”
“Damn.” I scrub a hand over my jaw as I lean back in my chair. We had suspected as much, but it’s still a shitty way to go. “How did Cinisi react?”
“As you would expect,” Ben says. “He wants DeLuca’s head on a platter, and I intend to deliver it.”
“Did Phillip make a breakthrough?” I ask, wondering how much I missed when I was tuned out.
“Unfortunately not.” He swipes his jacket off the back of his chair. “I think we need to consider a Plan B.”
“Which is?” Leo inquires.
“We need to get men on the ground in Chicago,” I surmise.
Ben nods as he slips his arms through the sleeves of his jacket. “Men on theinside,” he clarifies, eyeballing me and his underboss. “Think about how it would work while I’m at The Commission meeting. I’ll see you both later,” he adds before striding out of his office in the CH building, leaving Leo and I working at the conference table in his room.
Ben is only gone about thirty seconds when my cell pings. A growl slips through my lips as I spot the caller.
“Saverio again?” Leo inquires, and I nod.
Ben has had a couple of tense calls with the Vegas boss, and he’s not backing down. He’s demanding a meeting. Insisting we travel to Vegas to discuss where my loyalties should lie. I told Ben hell will freeze before I leave Serena when the danger is so pronounced. Especially after she received that warning note at college. Ben sent Phillip over there today with a couple of oursoldatito try to discover how someone could’ve gotten that close to her. Of course, I wanted Rena to stay home today, but she refuses to be bullied into hiding. One part of me respects that. Another part wants her to stay in Connecticut and never venture out until we find this guy.
“He’s a fucking idiot.”
“He dances to his own tune for sure.” Leo drums his fingers on the table while piercing me with a look. “Do you really want nothing to do with him? He’s your uncle, and he could tell you about your father. Aren’t you the slightest bit curious?”
“Of course, I’m curious. But that information comes at a price, and I’m betting it’s one I won’t want to pay. I have lived this long without knowing anything about my father. I’ll survive.”
* * *
“I’m announcing your appointment tomorrow,” Ben says later that night as we head up the stairs to the roof to meet the others before journeying home.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” I ask, walking up the stairs behind him.
“This is the perfect time to make the announcement. Across the US, made men are getting used to organizational changes. Our men will too.” Ciro opens the door to the rooftop waiting area, and Ben passes through. He glances over his shoulder as I enter the room. “It’s time.” I read the unspoken part of that statement. Putting it out there that I’m his newconsiglierewill also send a pointed message to Salerno.
“You’ll be stirring the hornet’s nest,” Leo says as I stride toward Serena.
An ecstatic smile spreads across her face as she stands, and my heart thumps wildly against my rib cage while butterflies swoop into my chest. Uncaring that we have an audience, I pull her into my arms and kiss her deeply. “Hi,” she says, in a breathy voice when we finally break our kiss.
“Hey, beautiful.” I clasp her head in my hands and tilt her face up. “Were there any issues today?”
“Not since the last time you asked.” I might have gone a tad overboard today, texting her on the hour every hour, but I need to know she’s safe.
“I’m worried. Are you sure you won’t switch to online classes again? Just give us another couple of weeks to try to flush this guy out.”
“I’m not hiding.” The stubborn set of her jaw tells me not to bother arguing. At least not here.
“Did you discover anything?” Ben asks Fabrizio and Edoardo, putting an end to our conversation. Rena’s bodyguards were with Phillip and the other soldiers today. Some guarded my girlfriend while others conducted an investigation.
“Phillip spoke to campus security and their internal tech team, and he personally checked the camera feeds, but there is only one camera over that part of the building and several entrances. We didn’t find anything or anyone suspicious,” Fabrizio says.
