“But what about tech?” Marco asked. “We haven’t hired Michael’s equivalent yet.”
Michael shook his head. “I’m not leaving either.”
Tony ran his hand down his face. “Fuck.”
“What about Deshawn?” Marco asked. I had no idea who that was.
Michael was already shaking his head. “His younger sister is still in high school. There’s no way he’s leaving the country. Hell, he won’t even leave Philadelphia.”
“We have to do something,” Tony said. “We have a contract with these people.”
Michael blew out a breath. “As much as I hate to admit this, Sal’s computer guy, Gio, is really good. He’d be able to handle the work.”
“I thought you had to help him last month,” Tony said.
He shrugged. “It was a minor thing he was getting wrong. Once I showed him how to do it, he took off. He’s a natural.”
Tony rubbed the back of his neck. I could practically feel the tension rolling off him. With a heavy sigh, he said, “Okay. I’ll call Sal to see if he’ll loan Gio to us. Marco, you make the calls to put the rest of the team together.” He looked at Michael. “We’ll definitely owe him one for this. He’ll probably want you to stand in for Gio while he’s gone.”
“If he even says yes,” Michael added glumly.
Tony sat next to me and leaned his body heavily against mine. “I’m about to find out.”
I put my arm around him so he’d be more comfortable. I kissed his cheek when he settled in with a sigh. “Thanks for being here.”
In that moment, I knew there was nowhere else on Earth I’d rather be.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
TONY
I took a breath to steady myself and hit Sal’s number. He picked up on the first ring. “Tony, how’s Uncle Santino?”
“Still in surgery,” I replied. “It’s been more than four hours.”
“I’m sorry, Tony. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
My stomach twisted. This was it. “There is something. It’s not directly related to Pops though.”
After a short silence, he said, “Explain.”
I laid out the whole personnel extraction problem to him, ending with, “Only if Gio agrees. I don’t want him to think he has to do this.”
“If Gio does agree, who will be my computer expert while he’s gone?” Sal asked.
I glanced over at my brother, who was pacing the floor a few feet in front of me. “Michael said he would take Gio’s place while he’s gone.”
He hummed thoughtfully. “It’s a lot to think about. I’ll talk to Gio and get back to you within an hour.”
I blew out a breath. It wasn’t a no. “Okay. Thank you for considering it. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Michael came over as soon as I ended the call. “What did he say?”
“He said he’d ask Gio and get back to me. If Gio does say yes, Sal will expect you to take his place. Be prepared for that.”
My brother ran his fingers through his hair and tugged on it. “Yeah, I know. I’ll do it. I just don’t want to be so far from Ma or Pops.”
“You’ll also have to be available to jump in and help Gio during the mission if he needs it,” I warned.
