“Ben is correct,” I reiterate, “so do the right thing. The honorable thing. Give Ben the Russians, and when things have settled down, I agree to sit down and talk.”
“How do you have spies within the Bratva in Chicago anyway?” Ben asks before Saverio can instantly dismiss my statement.
“Why should I tell you?” Saverio counters.
“Because it’s in your best interests, dumbass.” Leo rolls his eyes as Ben shoots him a warning look.
Ben eyeballs the Vegas don. “A lot of the families are suspicious of you and the other dons who didn’t attend the meeting and escaped unharmed. It looks shady as shit. At least prove to me you didn’t sell us out.”
“I would never side with the Bratva. You, of all people, know why.”
“Then explain it to me,” Ben says.
“I want to annihilate all Russian scum in the US. I want to wipe those bloodsucking leeches off the face of the earth. I won’t stop until I’m avenged.” I know he hates them after what happened with Gambini in Vegas, and I know he’s a bloodthirsty motherfucker, but wanting to wipe out the entire Bratva in the US is a tad extreme and a tall order to fulfill on your own.
“I don’t have all day, Saverio. You’re seriously testing my patience.” I can tell Ben has reached his limit.
My uncle smirks, seeming unconcerned, which is a mistake. “Not every Russian bastard was killed that day we retook Vegas. I have been torturing a bunch of them these past few months. Managed to turn a few. They have contacts in several states, and we’ve been busy forging alliances and buying allegiance. There is little loyalty or discipline within the Bratva, so it’s been a lot easier to achieve.”
“You bought a couple guys in Chicago and they gave you a heads-up?” Ben surmises as a look of horror materializes on his face.
“You fucking asshole,” Leo seethes. “You knew and you didn’t warn us?!”
Saverio grabs Leo by the shirt, and around the room, men stiffen and reach for their weapons. “I tried to warn you. None of you fucking assholes picked up your phones!” he bellows.
Shock filters through the room, along with regret and a whole heap of related emotions. Goddamn it. He was trying to call us that day, but we thought it was about me. If only we had picked up.
Saverio lets our underboss go. “Well, shit.” Leo sighs, briefly closing his eyes.
“Keeping me at arm’s length backfired,” Saverio says, and his smug tone is wrong on so many levels.
Ben thrusts his hands into Saverio’s chest, and he stumbles over his chair. “You have the nerve to say this is all my fault when you knew?! You knew!” Ben roars. His nostrils are flaring, and his hands are twitching at his side, his fingers dangerously close to his gun. I can tell he’s seconds away from putting a bullet in Salerno’s skull. Tension oozes into the air. “Why didn’t you call the others?” Ben pushes him again, and Salerno falls back into his seat. Ben places his hands on the armrests, putting his face all up in Saverio’s. “If you couldn’t reach me, there were plenty of dons who would’ve picked up your call. You are full of shit, Saverio.” Ben prods him in the chest, looking ready to rip him limb from limb. “This is on your head, you scheming motherfucker!” Ben grabs him by the scruff of his shirt, lifting him up halfway from his chair. Renewed tension sucks the oxygen from the air. “You knew they were going to kill everyone, and you did nothing.” Ben releases him, as Salerno’s men slowly move toward their boss, hands on guns, ready to start a bloodbath.
“Fuck you!” Ben snaps, glaring at Saverio. “You have never been a team player, but how could you do this? You let every man die! Setting aside your selfishness, how could you even begin to think letting our enemies wipe out most of our skilled leaders would end well for any of us? We are all exposed.Youare exposed. More so now. No one will ally with you, and you can forget about finding a suitable marriage contract for Anais. You fucked everyone over when you kept your mouth shut.”
Salerno works his jaw from side to side, looking like he wishes he could shoot Ben, but really, what can the man say? It’s all true, and he knows it. I’m guessing he’s regretting his little outburst now. He would have been better keeping that information to himself. Better to be suspected than to know he deliberately fucked up.
“You have an opportunity to put things right now,” I say because this is our leverage. “It’s too late to save those who died, but you can stop more good men from going to an early grave. Put us in touch with your Bratva contacts, and let us end this.”
“I will gladly instigate the contact if you agree to swear loyalty to me.”
“No deal,” Ben interjects before I can say a word. “And you have lost whatever bargaining position you perceived you had. You give me the Russian spies and relinquish your claim on Alesso, and I won’t tell the other dons what you did.”
My eyes swivel to Ben’s. I don’t want to switch allegiances, but Salerno is stubborn, and I can’t see him giving me up, no matter how many threats Ben slings his way. If we can end this now, maybe I’ll have to make this sacrifice. It’s not like Ben can follow through on his threat at this juncture. If we tell the other families Salerno knew in advance and did nothing, they will focus their energies on him, leaving their territories even more exposed. So, Ben’s hands are tied now. Only when things are settled can he release that intel and let the men come for the Vegas don.
Salerno knows it too, so we are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
“No,” Ben growls, spotting the look on my face and understanding the wheels turning in my head. “He owes me.” He drills me with a look, warning me not to say a word with his eyes, before swinging his gaze on Salerno. “You owe me, and I’m calling it in. Those are my terms. Agree to it, and let’s be done with this.”
“No can do.” Saverio flicks his cigar butt on the ground, mashing it into the glossy hardwood floor in a deliberate attempt to rile Ben up further. He truly is treading a fine line. “What you are asking is two favors in one. My proposition is the only one I’m prepared to offer. It’s that deal or nothing.”
“You would go back on your word and dishonor your name?”
I don’t know why Ben sounds so shocked. We all know the kind of man Saverio is. He is a selfish prick who only ever looks out for himself. The only time he has given us anything is because there was something in it for him.
Sierra was right.
We never should have saved his ass. We should’ve let him rot in his own blood, piss, and shit. Let the Russians finish the job. Instead, Ben gave him a lifeline, and now it’s backfiring, in a major way.
