As soon as he locks the door behind him, we gather around the long table in the center of the room. I’m the only one of us not still wearing party clothes, and the only one who doesn’t look both disheveled and agitated. The tension is thick. But I’m in my element.
I already filled them in earlier on what happened with Candi and the Bruno bakery. They were none too pleased to have been left out of the loop of my little scheme, given how quickly things escalated with the Bruno thugs who crashed the reception. But no matter. My brothers might not understand my secrecy or exactly why I’m playing my chess pieces the way I am, but they don’t have to. I’m the master of this game. I will orchestrate our every movement.
“I’m sure you’ve guessed why I called you here. We need to implement a war plan,” I say, cutting right to the chase. None of them look happy about my words.
Not that I care. The situation we’re in with the Brunos was always an inevitability—a matter of when, not if. Now it’s up to me to make certain we destroy our enemies as cleanly and quickly as possible. Slice the head off the snake and crush it under our boot heel. It’s the only way to ensure this feud doesn’t drag on indefinitely, a never-ending cycle of devastation, retaliation, kidnapping, violence, murder. Tit for tat, bullet for bullet. We can’t just keep killing each other.
I need to put a stop to this once and for good.
“I see no viable alternative,” Dante concedes, nodding at me. “We’ll move against them in full force. Where do we begin?”
“I’d like to start by delegating the duties, make sure we’re all on the same page,” I say. “There are a lot of moving parts to this, and if we’re not unified in our actions, the Brunos will home in on that weakness and exploit it. It’s a risk we can’t take. No more half measures, no more pretenses of civility, no more long game. It’s time to end this. So if anyone here needs to back out, for any reason, do it now. I need 100% commitment and 100% follow-through until this is finished.”
“You can count me in,” Dante says.
“But the baby—” I start.
“I’m doing thisfor her,” he interrupts. “I’m the boss, I’m responsible for all of us, and I won’t hide behind my wife and daughter while the rest of you put everything on the line for this family.”
“Fine. How about you, Marco?” I ask.
“I’m in,” he says without hesitating.
“Me too. Always,” Clayton adds. “Family first.”
I nod. “Good. Here’s what you need to know. I’m taking Candi to the island for a honeymoon—”
“Wait wait wait. Seriously, bro?” Marco scoffs. “You’re gonna run off and diddle your backstabbing mole wife on the beach? How exactly does that constitute a war plan?”
“Marco,” Dante warns.
“It’s not a real honeymoon. It’s how I’m going to get her off the grid and neutralize her,” I say.
My great-grandfather purchased a small island off the coast of Morocco many years ago. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, so tiny it’s not on any map, and all but forgotten. I can’t honestly remember the last time any of the Bellantis visited. The property—including the house, the landscaping, and the beachfront—is maintained seasonally by trusted staff who have been on our payroll for generations, and they know the name of the game is discretion. Every so often, a family ally will use the place as a safehouse or a neutral meeting zone, but it’s currently empty with no upcoming visitors. It’s the perfect hiding spot. And an excellent location to conduct a little underhanded business.
“Right now, thanks to the intel Candi passed along with the wedding cake order, Sergio Bruno thinks she’s the perfect mole,” I go on. “That means he’s going to get greedy. He’s going to want more intel, and soon. If she doesn’t give it to him, she’ll lose her value. They may even stop trusting her.”
“Bruno will get suspicious fast if she doesn’t cooperate,” Clayton agrees. “He’s paranoid enough about employee loyalty as it is. Speaking as a former employee.”
“Exactly my point,” I agree. “If he thinks she’s been compromised, we lose our edge. We can’t have that. I don’t want to give him any reason to question which side she’s working for. Which is why I’m taking her out of the equation completely.”
“If she’s out of the country, she has an excuse not to have any info,” Dante says.
“Correct,” I say. “And the Brunos will still trust anything that comes out of her mouth whenever we do return from our trip. She’s our tool now. I have to keep her sharp.”
“Makes sense,” Marco says begrudgingly. “So what about the rest of us?”
“You,” I say, pointing at him, “don’t make any more stupid moves. Or moves at all. And no fucking bets, either. As far as you’re concerned, it’s business as usual for you and Karina. Just lay low.”
He’s not smiling, but he gives me a terse nod.
“Clayton,” I continue, “I need you to do your usual intel gathering. You’re my eyes and ears no matter which continent I’m on.”
Clayton raises his glass to me and says, “Always.”
“And Dante—” I turn to my big brother last. “Take care of Frankie and Lili.”
He’s silent for a moment before saying, “So our jobs are to do nothing. You want us to just sit here with our thumbs up our asses and wait for you and Candi to come back from your vacation.”
