Noah’s reply is muted by the slamming of the door.
He’s a dick, but I know he won’t disrespect me by disobeying a direct order. Not when it comes to the pack, anyway.
Aurora is our heart. He knows that as well as I do. We’re a pack that’s meant to protect her and cherish her. Which means marking her will be a joint activity, not a solo one.
Unless otherwise discussed, of course.
Settling behind my main desk in the den—which is adjacent to the conference area I just left—I pull up my computer and connect my cell phone to a nearby Bluetooth speaker.
Then I dial up Stefano using video conference technology so I can see the Ricci family don on my computer screen.
His frowning face appears in seconds, his dark eyes glowering at me. “I wanted an in-person meeting, Lazarus.”
“And I wanted a calm meeting the other night with your men, Stefano. But they tried to kill my second-in-command. Clearly, we can’t always have what we want.”
His square jaw ticks, his gaze narrowing even more. “Bastian was a bastard, but he didn’t deserve to die like that, Ferraro.”
“If one of my men tried to kill your second, how would you respond?” I demand.
“He was my brother.”
“And Johan isn’t just my second. He’spack. I know you understand that. So cut the shit and tell me why Johan was really targeted. Are you trying to start a war? Because I’ll gladly give you one.” This isn’t going at all like I planned. But my patience is suddenly incredibly thin.
All I want to do is rejoin my pack in the other room. Watch Noah knot Aurora again. Help her pleasure Johan with her beautiful mouth. Maybe convince her to indulge me in a round, too.
But instead I’m stuck on the phone with Stefano, talking about a dead man.
Brother or not, he earned his fate when he attacked Johan.
“If you’re looking for an apology, you won’t be getting one,” I go on. “And if anyone should be apologizing here, it’s you for targeting my pack first. Now tell me why I shouldn’t set fire to your entire fucking world.”
There are a few logistical reasons I can think of that prevent me from letting Noah go on another killing spree. But I’m sure we could find a way to properly navigate the shattered businesses and take over as the new owners.
Of course, Giovanni may have an issue with that. Which Aurora already commented on.
The balance between the three families only works because we respect one another.
But the Riccis just disrespected the Ferraros. And I can’t let that go unanswered.
“My brother was an ambitious man,” Stefano says slowly. “His desire to run the Ricci family empire wasn’t a secret. He took great pride in telling me how he would one day replace me.”
I say nothing, just fold my arms and wait for him to continue.
Because so far, I haven’t heard a good reason not to kill him.
Rivalry among brothers is common in our world. But a good don knows how to command respect. If Stefano couldn’t convince Bastian to support his leadership, then that’s a Ricci family don problem. Not mine.
“We weren’t close,” Stefano mutters. “That’s why I gave him an enforcer position out in the field, not in the family home. Ialso didn’t know about the meeting he arranged with you until after it occurred.”
I arch a brow. “The request came through your official channels.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” There’s a note of irritation in his tone, one that doesn’t appear to be directed at me. “I’ve handled that issue. It will not happen again.”
Someone moves into the background, the all-black suit giving him away before his face appears near Stefano’s on the screen.Nazar Petrov.
It was quite the scandal when Stefano named the infamous Russian assassin as his second-in-command.
I found it rather amusing at the time.
