My mother and sister look at me warily, but they know better than to ask.
“I promise, baby, now go.”
“Okay,” she says through her tears and gives me a hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby. Forever and always.” I place my hand on her lower back as she pulls away from me, and I give her a comforting smile. “Now go, please. I don’t need to be worrying about you tonight.”
She follows Marco and the rest of my family out the door. They’ll be safe.
After they leave, Ricco says, “I’ve called Vince and the other three families. They are sending over all their available men. This place is going to be a fucking fortress, Michael. Romeo doesn’t stand a chance.”
“I hope you are right, Ricco.” I look at the door my family just closed behind them. “I’m not fucking ready to die.”
***
It’s been two hours. We’ve got roughly twenty-five guards surrounding the house out of sight and fifteen posted throughout the house. Ricco is right outside my office door, as usual, but he’s also got three other guards standing post with him. Alex insisted on staying, and he’s sitting across from me while we wait.
My phone beeps with a text from Ricco:
Romeo just pulled up to the front gate.
He’s got Gio and two other men with him and surprisingly nobody else.
I’ll tell you one thing, that fucker has balls.
I text back:
Keep me posted of his every move.
A few minutes go by, and my phone beeps again.
Told Benny at the gate he wants to meet with you
to renegotiate your business deal.
That fucker really does have balls. I have half a mind to tell him to go to hell. Normally I would, but thanks to Gio, we’ve got things in place. And, dammit all to hell, the curiosity of how he’s gonna do this is getting the best of me.
By all means, send him in.
A few minutes later, Ricco comes in with Romeo, Gio, and two other men I don’t recognize. Alex and I stand when they enter the room. Gio immediately walks to Alex and makes a stand. He is showing Romeo and me where his true loyalties lie, which I never doubted for a minute.
Romeo narrows his eyes, staring at Gio while he processes his thoughts, then an evil grin spreads across his face as he squares his shoulders and faces me. “Mr. Vitali, I apologize for the surprise visit, but I believe we have business to discuss.”
“Our business ended a long time ago, Romeo. We have nothing to discuss.”
He smirks. “Oh, but I believe we do. You see, young man, nobody tells me no and nobody takes what is mine.”
“I may have told you no, but I’ve taken nothing,” I reply.
“The games are over, Mr. Vitali. You have my wife, my niece, and my fucking money.”
“I personally don’t have them, and well, they were payback for what you did tomywife.”
The anger on his face is more than a little satisfying. I’m glad I have pissed him off. I want him to be angry. I want to egg him on even more when he leans forward and jabs a finger across my desk toward me. “Your wife was treated like a queen.”
A queen?I reach across my desk and shove him away.“Yeah, especially the way you hog-tied her like an animal!” I yell. I’m pissed off. Ricco gives me a look, and I know I need to get my temper in check.
“Michael, what’s done is done. You know what I did, and I know what you did.” He crosses his hands in front of him and says, “Even Steven.” He stands there waiting for me to agree. When I say nothing, he keeps talking, “And I am sure you are aware by now that I am untouchable. I have the backing of the CIA and the FBI. You lose, son.” The condescending tone in his voice makes me want to jump over my desk and fucking strangle the bastard with my bare hands.
