“Because Don Lorenzo was a cruel man. He even beat his wife and daughters. No one liked him. He didn’t deserve to sit on his throne of power.”
“And Don Davide?” I keep my tone neutral, conversational. How far back does his corruption go?
His lips twist in a sneer. “He was a fool. Too weak to be don.”
I lean in, unblinking. “And how about me, Lazaro? What is my fatal flaw?”
“Arrogance and pride.” He spits at my feet. “Julius was going to ruin all my plans for you, so he had to go.”
I grind my teeth. Elena was right about the both of them. Lazaro and Julius were never to be trusted.
“So you confess that you’re behind the attempts on my life? The missing shipments, obviously. How about attacking the other dons’ family members?”
He grunts. “Yeah. But you’ll never guess at the full scope of it. You don’t have the capacity, or the vision.”
“What do you mean? What was your big plan? Kill me and then what?” I press.
Lazaro glances away, lips pressed into a thin line.
“Tell me,” I demand. “You know you want to, so spit it out.”
He’s already confessed to murder and betrayal, so why clam up now? Why the long pauses?
His restraints rattle as he shifts in the metal chair. “I’m tired of not being at the very top of this food chain. I fucking deserve to be don. Not justadon, butthedon. The one and only.”
He’s fucking insane. That’s what this is all about? Greed?
“Just how were you going to become the one and only don?” No one would ever allow that to happen.
“I got nothing to lose by telling you now.” He shrugs. “First, I was going to take out all the sons: Enzo Casella, Falco and Gabriele Rizzo. Marcus, Luca, and Aurelio Valente. You, and probably your two brothers. Without heirs, the families would soon collapse. Then I was going to marry Francesca Casella. She’d make the perfect wife.”
That ambitious of a plan would require a lot of help. His sons must be in on this too. He’d need capos and soldiers. Where is he getting his muscle? It can only be from among our own ranks.
Damn it. Grabbing my phone, I grunt when I realize there’s no service down here. “When I’m back, we’ll finish this conversation.”
Lazaro laughs. “Whatever you say, Pontrelli.” His easy demeanor and loose tongue tightens my chest. This almost feels like… a distraction. A decoy. But from what?
“Keep him here,” I order. “I’ll be back to deal with him later.”
Taking the stairs two at a time, I pull up Elena’s number. I need to warn her not to trust anyone right now, but especially Niccolò and Dario Achilli.
Her phone rings.
And rings.
Why isn’t she answering?
CHAPTER 50
Elena
The door buzzer sounds, and I make my way to the foyer to answer it. “Hello?”
“Hello, Mrs. Pontrelli. This is Niccolò. Boss sent us here to give you extra security. May we come up?”
“Of course.” I press the button to let them into the lobby elevator. They’ll be up in a moment, so I linger by the door. A minute later there’s a knock. Ever vigilant, I peek through the hole to confirm it’s Niccolò, then slide the lock open.
Niccolò and his brother Dario stroll into the penthouse, glancing around. We have guards in the lobby and the hallway outside, but usually not in here. Something must have happened to have Maximo so worried that he called in reinforcements.
