“I’m fine. Not even a scratch, and Caleb is fine too. Luca and Benedito took the fall.”
“It’s so sad about Luca. How is Giulio?”
“I haven’t spoken with him but Caleb has. He’s devastated, and he wants revenge. He resigned from his Wall Street job this morning, and he’s being sworn in today as our newconsigliere.”
“Everything is happening so fast.”
“We’re playing catch-up, and we’re on a deadline now. We’re not letting these pricks run rings around us any longer. We’re going to take the fight to them and bring it all to the surface.”
“Was Liam responsible for the hits too?”
“You were kidnapped about an hour before the timed attacks on us and Rowan, and we think it was orchestrated by two different parties. The attacks were planned but sloppy and amateurish. A skilled marksman would have taken us out with less mess and publicity. I had an early-morning con call with The Commission, and we think the Barone went rogue. Ben and Leo are itching for blood, and Massimo had to threaten them to force them to back down.”
“I don’t blame them. If someone tried to murder my kids, I’d be itching to spill blood too.”
“We all want revenge, but we can’t act without a strategic plan. We intend to use this situation to draw our enemies out. It’ll take a few weeks to pull it all together, but then it’s going down, and we will emerge victorious. We approved four new dons to join the board this morning, and those appointments will be official this week.”
“Will they provide men?”
“It’s part of the terms. Don Greco has also sent spies to Florida and Vegas to find out if they are traitors, and we’re bringing the full IT team in to review the tracker reports now we know Liam and his allies found a way to reverse engineer them.”
“I’d like in on that. I can work remotely from here.”
“You need time to heal, Gia.”
“And I will, but when I feel up to it, I want to be involved. I was always invested in this mission as my duty, but I have a personal need to see these pricks taken down now.”
“Okay. As long as the medical team in charge of your care signs off on it. I don’t want you jeopardizing your recovery.”
“Deal.”
He stares lovingly at me before his expression sobers. “You’re handling this incredibly well, but you’ve been through a traumatic event. You don’t need to put a brave face on for me. I’m here for you if you want to talk about it or you want to break down or whatever it is you need.”
“I know that, and I’ll need you, but I’m not letting Liam break me. I’m stronger than that.”
“You are,” Natalia says, entering the room with a tray. “But I’d still recommend therapy.”
Joshua takes the tray from his mother, holding it on his lap.
“I had psychological training as part of my induction. Kidnapping and assault are expected when you’re a femaleinformant. I’ve been trained to accept it, and I know how to compartmentalize.”
“It’s one thing to be trained and quite another to handle it in real life,” Nat says, her face awash with compassion.
I know that personally. I was pretty upset after Liam forced me to blow him in front of his men, but this is different. I’m angry and hellbent on getting revenge. “I will attend a few therapy sessions. I’m not opposed to it. I’m just saying you don’t need to be overly worried. I know I can handle this. Like I said, I won’t give Liam that power over me. If I fall apart, he wins, and I refuse to allow that to happen. It helps that I don’t remember much. I know some women might find that harder to deal with, but it makes it easier for me.”
I think that’s the big difference between what happened in the basement of the Irish bar and what he did to me last night. Not being aware means I can separate my feelings and not let it impact me as much. Plus, the former was all about power and control, but last night, he lost that. He acted recklessly and out of malice. Liam only has power if I give it to him and I refuse to do it. I won’t be a victim. I’m a survivor and an avenger, and when I personally end him, I’ll be the one with all the power and control.
“I’m in awe of you, Gia,” Nat says. “You are a truly remarkable young woman.”
“Thank you.”
Joshua lifts a spoonful of soup to my mouth, and I open for him.
“I’ll leave so you have privacy,” Nat says, “but I’d just like to say one more thing.” She sits at the end of the bed. “You asked me last night not to call your mother, and I have respected your wishes, but I’m asking you to reconsider. She’s your mother, Gia, and she loves you. It will hurt her if you shut her out of this. Ifthis was me, I would want to know. I would want to be there for my daughter.”
“I don’t want my family to see me like this. They will just worry.”
“They will worry anyway,” she says.
