Chapter One
Lorenzo
“He wants to see us.” I watched as Romeo angrily disconnected the call from his father, head of the Morelli family.
“Why me?” I raised a brow, curious as to why the boss wanted me there. I was a low-level, second-generation soldier for the Morelli crime family. My dad worked his way up in rank and, eventually, became a capo before he was killed by a warring house when I was ten. I was thankful the boss took me in following his death. That being said, while my loyalty should belong to him, it actually belonged to his son and daughters.
I would do anything to protect the family from harm, but I also knew who Luca Morelli was and what he was capable of. He may have taken me in, but it wasn’t from the kindness of his heart. Since the man didn’t have one, based on the way he treated his own children. I’d witnessed him taking his anger and frustration out on them numerous times, which led me to shoulder the blame and, therefore, the consequences, instead of one of the girls.
“He didn’t say. Only that we needed to get to the house now.” Romeo reached for his shot of whiskey and slammed it back. I did the same, finishing mine. We had been enjoying them while discussing the books mere moments ago.
“Do you think he’s going to step down since his cancer is spreading?” I doubted there would ever be a day he’d retire as Don. He loved power too much and expertly wielded it to manipulate and destroy anyone who stood in his way, even if it was his own blood.
“Not until he’s in a body bag and his soul is in Hell with Lucifer,” Romeo muttered as we moved through the crowded den of the nightclub.
Romeo had taken an old, run-down club and revitalized it. Area 212 was now one of the most popular and well-known spots in Manhattan, gaining a loyal crowd of customers looking for a fun time. He made a nice profit from that venture alone, but it wasn’t the only business he had his hand in.
“What do you think this could be about?”
“Knowing him, nothing good. Especially if it’s a surprise and he’s pulling Gino in.” Fuck. This wasn’t good. Gino Cavallo was the consigliere. He and Luca were cut from the same cloth, and I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. When it was time for Romeo to take over, he had every intention of getting rid of Cavallo. Since his father’s health was deteriorating so rapidly, Cavallo had to know his position was coming to an end. I’d already warned my friend once about the man, but Rome knew. He didn’t trust him either.
I hopped in the driver’s seat of the SUV and drove toward the gated Brooklyn manor. The family home was massive and had security surrounding the grounds. When your life revolves around the city’s underworld, protection is as much a priority as privacy.
“I got a bad feeling about this, Rome,” I muttered, my knuckles white as I squeezed the wheel hard while turning onto the bridge.
“I do, too.”
“Who’s on your sisters tonight?” I asked, hoping they were well covered. I tried to keep loose tabs without hovering. Romeo made sure they had a guard whenever they were away from the house, something his father should have made common practice, but didn’t.
“Rossi is covering Nicoletta. She and a friend from school went to the movies. Giana is home studying for a big test.” Rome hesitated.
“And Bianca?”
“Costa. She had rehearsals for her performance next weekend.”
“You may want to tell Costa and Rossi to be on guard. I don’t know what’s going on, Rome, but I have a feeling we aren’t going to like what we’re about to hear. Last time he called a meeting with Gino and us, it was to let us know we were going to war with the Russians.”
I glanced from the road as I watched Romeo take out his phone and send a text warning the guys to be extra vigilant. My jaw clenched in helplessness at not being able to be there to protect them. Nicoletta and Giana were like little sisters to me, and Bianca was the pain in the ass who liked to push my buttons and drive me crazy in a way nobody else dared.
It took almost twenty minutes to get to the house, and when we pulled up, the gate was already open–the gate was never left open.
“Shit,” Romeo cursed upon seeing the gate already open, something that never happened. He reached for the gun in the glovebox, checking to make sure it was loaded. I didn’t have to check the weapon strapped to my hip. It wasn’t a paperweight. No use having it if you aren’t always prepared to use it.
“Why the hell would he leave the gate open?” I shook my head.
“I don’t know,” Romeo said angrily.
The guard was at least in place, though we’d be discussing the lapse in protection later. I parked behind an unknown luxury SUV with windows tinted so dark it was impossible to see inside.
My instincts were screaming at me that something was off as Romeo and I headed directly toward his dad’s office.
“It’s about time you got here,” Luca Morelli snapped when he saw us. The once vibrant, foreboding man with a full head of hair had become bald and frail with paper-thin skin following several rounds of radiation and chemo. The tube running over his earsand under his nose to deliver oxygen to his cancer-riddled body served as yet another reminder that his time on this earth was drawing to a close.
Gino stood at his side, arms crossed and a bored look on his face. In the seats across from him were two dark-haired men. One had streaks of gray at his temples and a goatee, the other was clean shaven and younger, but the matching dark hair and tan complexions spoke of a familial connection – probably father and son. Two others were on the couch near the front window. As I’d never seen them before, I knew they had to be with the mysterious guests sitting across the desk from Luca Morelli.
Romeo didn’t take his eyes off the unknown men in the room. “What’s going on?”
“I’m getting everything in order for when I die, and you take over. I’ve arranged for Bianca to marry Antonio Arias.” Luca’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. It took everything in me not to reach for my gun and kill them all. I’d get one, maybe two, but I wouldn’t be able to take five men out before they got me.
