Satriano…
Michael McDonald…
I can’t wrap my mind around proceeding with such a huge, public event when there is one massive threat and an even greater unknown out there. “You all really want to go ahead when we know Satriano flew in one of his top people and could be bringing in more?”
Gabe runs a hand back through his thick, blond hair that’s starting to go gray at the temples. “Like I told you earlier, we’re trying to track down this Michael McDonald guy, but he’s basically a ghost. We can’t find any information on him, and he vanished after he landed here. All we have is the photo and information from his passport, which is likely all fake. Even the photo looks doctored, like he was in disguise.”
He’s right.
I’ve seen it.
And something about it is just off in a way I can’t put my finger on.
His hair, too dark. His eyes, too green. His skin, too pale.
The man in the passport photo might actually be Michael McDonald, but it certainly isn’t what he looks like now.
Which makes finding him even harder, even for the experienced people we have working for us and our connections who are digging into every dark corner they can find looking for him.
I pace in front of the windows on the second floor of the club, unable to sit still, the storm raging outside perfectly echoing the tumultuous current coursing through me. “We have less than a week. What if we don’t get eyes on this guy? What if he came in because Satriano has plans and wants to make a public statement? You know we can’t trust that man.”
Everyone nods.
We may not all be on the same page about how to handle the situation, but we can all agree on that point.
Dad pushes off the wall where he was leaning and walks over to place his large hands on my shoulders. “You know as well as I do that if we canceled our plans every time there was a threat, we wouldn’t have a business anymore.”
I scowl at him and his logic that is far too logical. “I know, but this just…feels different.”
Attempting to explain it to him or anyone else in this room is like trying to explain how you can feel an incoming storm. The charge in the air. The energy that feels “off.” That’s how I’ve felt since Atlas threw that fight, and it has only gotten worse since Allegra left him behind and joined us. Couple that with the arrival of Michael McDonald in town, a man Allegra says worked for her father and who has mysteriously been absent for over a year…it feels more like a hurricane brewing.
I slide out of Dad’s hold and resume my pacing. Not wanting the placation or the reminder that there isn’t much we can do without more information. “I don’t know how to explain it. But I have a bad feeling…”
A massive understatement.
But it’s all I can say.
Luca looks from Savage to Gabe, then to Dad before coming to rest on me. His dark eyes hold sympathy and understanding. If anyone would understand the mind of a man like Satriano, it would be him. “It wouldn’t be the worst idea to wait until we at least have eyes on this guy. Satriano has been silent for far too long. This feels like a move for McDonald to come here after being MIA for a year and a half.”
Mom shakes her head, exchanging a look with Dani. “It would be a PR nightmare to have to retract all those invitations to the grand opening. I wouldn’t do it. It’d kill all the momentum we have with the hotel and casino.”
“And Satriano could kill us.”
Luca’s dark words cut through the room, silencing everyone.
Savage glares at him. “Really, Luca?”
The former mob boss shrugs, his perfectly tailored suit jacket clinging to his broad shoulders. “When everything went down with Allegra, we knew that we’d be poking the bear by protecting her and bringing her into the fold. We also told him we’ll never partner with him. If he can’t get us on board with some sort of business agreement, then what other option does he have than to remove the competition?”
Who are about to open another major portion of the lucrative business he wants a piece of…
I point at him. “You’re the one who told us to never partner with him.”
Which pissed him off more.
Luca nods. “You shouldn’t. But I also think you’re right to be nervous. We haven’t heard from him in months, and it typically doesn’t end well when he disappears. When he reappears, it’s usually with a bang.”
Savage’s jaw locks, and a muscle there tics. The memories of what has happened to the family over the last few years because of that man have left all of us scarred—none more so than him.
