I listened as he contacted Sinclair, ordering him to put together a team to secure Sergio’s whereabouts. In the meantime, I stared out the passenger window, thinking about both what Carmine had shared and the conversations held with Anastasia.
She was a pawn in a dangerous game that had been started years before. Scavullo. Scavo. The names were far too similar. Maybe distinct enough that while living in America, Anna had managed to hide under the radar. While Donatello had yet to provide any real information on her, tiny pieces were falling together.
Maybe her father was powerful enough he’d fought off the wolves for years. The reason the Five Families had remained happy, healthy, and their businesses had thrived was because of a basic alliance they shared under the leadership of one man. The reason they remained alive was because the identity of the leader of boss of all bosses had remained mostly private.
Of course certain information had been leaked over the years. But family members were protected, often because they were considered prisoners of their wealth and power.
That’s why Emmeline had fought so hard for her independence.
That’s why her four brothers had treated her as if she was fragile. I couldn’t deny the way I’d acted, stifling her activities. I’d even been vocal about her being allowed to head to college, for fuck’s sake. Yeah, I’d had my reasons, but Rose’s death hadn’t been about my father and his world of crime, but about a corrupt law enforcement officer and his buddies.
How strange.
I’d almost caused a serious rift with my sister, being a suffocating bastard. In turn, I’d almost ruined what could be thebest thing that ever happened to me before I’d had a chance to spend quality time with the woman I was definitely falling for.
Love at first sight?
Fuck, no.
Maybe the third.
I leaned my head back against the seat, enjoying my private thoughts while reminding myself to purchase the big bouquet of flowers my sister had reminded me of. Maybe I should not leave anything to chance.
Just as I pulled my phone into my hand, it rang. Donatello. Maybe the final chapter of the story was about to be revealed.
“What did you find?”
“You were right,” he said, the tension evident in his voice.
“Go on.” A blip in the side mirror caught my attention. The SUV with two of our men was directly behind. With the afternoon sun behind us, the glare was just enough all I could make out was another vehicle had moved alongside them. No big deal on the interstate.
“I had to call in some favors. Her name is Anastasia Scavullo.”
I sat up in the seat. “One of the Five Families. I was right.”
“Yep. But there’s more. Her father is Francesco Scavullo and he’s not merely a Cosa Nostra Don out of Sicily.”
“Shit,” I gritted out.
Alexander turned his head toward me.
“He’s theCapo dei Capi.”
The boss of bosses, a highly coveted position. How many men had been betrayed and lost their lives to obtain the fame and glory?
My brother took a deep breath as I made the statement.
“Yeah,” Donatello added. “And an active opponent of the Camorra. Some say he’s the reason the Naples syndicate was shoved into the shadows. This I’ve yet to confirm, but apparently there was some big explosion in the ports in Sicily.”
“Retaliation from the Camorra. A war has begun, which means…” I didn’t need to finish the sentence. Which meant Francesco would agree to sell his daughter to the Russians to do what was necessary to keep his position, his power, and his fortune intact. “Christ.”
The thugs in New York had been sent to drag her back home to prepare for a wedding, possibly strong-arming her father. Or maybe not.
“I’ll be heading to the theater in thirty minutes or so. Get additional guards there now.”
“There’s one more thing,” he said.
Alexander suddenly stiffened and I twisted in my seat. “What is going on, Alex?”
