Danny flicked his dark hair out of his dark eyes, an unconscious gesture, and frowned. “We’ve got problems.”
Enzo sighed. Probably a vast understatement. “What kind of problems?”
“Men have set up at either end of the street. They’re watching the house. There’s no way to leave by car without them seeing.”
“We expected that, so why is it a problem?” They had discussed things earlier and had planned for this likelihood. Of course, Enzo had hoped to be out of here before that happened. Or at least before the teams were dug in.
“I expected them to be watching. I didn’t think they would have gunmen posted on the rooftops.”
“Fucking hell,” Enzo swore as he crashed down into his chair.
“I’m sorry, Sir, I should have anticipated this.”
Enzo waved him off. “I didn’t think of it. No reason you should’ve.” He glanced up. Danilo Ferrara had been part ofLa Famiglia.He’d joined Enzo when he’d retired, and Enzo had never had a reason to doubt the man’s loyalty. But then, he’d never really been on the outs with the family. At least not like this.
“Okay, we’re going to have to rethink the plan slightly.”
Danny nodded. “I have some ideas.” He opened his mouth to continue, but Enzo cut him off.
“You should know Rocco is about to declare me enemy number one. I will bepersona non gratavery shortly.”
Danny frowned. “What the hell, Enzo? Why? You’re the reason the Rinaldi family is still in the game.”
Enzo waved him off. “With Bianca being held hostage, Rocco sees it as his time to finally be able to move against me. He still sees me as a threat.”
“He’s not totally stupid then,” Danny commented. “You are a threat. Everyone prefers you to Rocco. He’s too damn volatile.”
“But,” Enzo reminded his head of security, “I’ve retired.”
Danny snorted.
Enzo shook his head. “Seriously, I do not want to be brought back into that mess. I am enjoying my retirement.”
“Bullshit,” Danny blurted out, then immediately grimaced. Danny was in his mid-thirties and wore a suit like a runway model, but he was a street rat just like Enzo, and sometimes his rough edges showed. He’d managed to curb it most of the time, but now and again, his attitude and true nature would burst out. Enzo liked it. Reminded him of where he’d come from. Even though he had a good seven years on Danny, they were, in fact, the same people. It was good to have people around who understood who you were.
“Sorry,” Danny mumbled.
Enzo sighed. He was not wrong. “Okay, maybe enjoying is a bit of a stretch, but Danny, I was serious when I said I wanted out. I meant it. Rocco is just paranoid, which makes him dangerous. My understanding is that he is negotiating with Vitale to get Bianca back, but blaming me for the whole situation. He will then be able to exact his revenge and finally take me off the board with no blowback.”
Danny stared at Enzo but Enzo knew his brain was working all the angles.
“Oh, shit,” Danny blurted. “He’s going to kill Bianca, isn’t he?”
“That’s my read on the situation as well. They hate each other, and Massimo has always favored her. This is Rocco’s chance to get even.”
“Fuck me,” Danny growled. “So how do you want to handle this?”
Enzo studied the man before him. “I wanted to give you a heads up because all of our usual contacts will dry up. I am under no illusion that we will have any support from anyone inthe family, but also anyone who usually does business with the family will side with them.”
Danny blinked, and a muscle popped in his jaw. “So… you’re saying we can’t expect help from anyone, and if they do offer help, we can’t trust them.”
Enzo nodded. His gut churned, and his fingers drummed an erratic beat on the desk. This next bit could alter things dramatically. “Danny, I’m also telling you this because you have to make a choice. I know you chose to come with me when I got out, but we still had some connection to the family then. This is burning all of those bridges. If you want out, now is the time to tell me.”
Enzo had a Glock in a holster on the underside of his middle desk drawer. He could reach it in seconds. If Danny said he wanted out or worse, reached for a weapon, Enzo would be ready. It would break his heart, but he wasn’t a fool. He’d spent too long with the mob not to anticipate being betrayed.
Danny’s face went dark. “I’m insulted that you even ask. I told you when you first hired me… My loyalty is to you. It will always be to you. You never have to doubt that.”
Enzo nodded, and his hand relaxed. “Good, because this is going to be the fight of our lives.”
