As I turn to leave, I feel her hand catch mine. "Come back to me."
"Always.”
I stride into my office where Adriano and my five most trusted capos already wait, faces grim. They stand as I enter.
"Gentlemen," I begin, not bothering with pleasantries, "the Vitale family is planning to strike us in three days. They believe we're weak, divided. This is their final assault to take everything, our territory, our businesses, our lives."
I outline Isabella's intel on the plan.
Adriano leans forward, his expression troubled. "Alessandro, how certain are we about this information? The Vitale girl?—"
"My wife," I correct him.
"Your wife," he acknowledges with a nod, "was locked up and starving. She could be confused, or worse, this could be staged,a trap to pull our forces in one direction while they attack from another."
The room falls silent. It's a fair question, one any rational Don would consider.
“You yourself have been torn?—”
“I have clarity now.”
He blinks and then his lips twitch up slightly. “Alright, then. I’ve got extra security around us and our properties, but not as much as we need.”
"Boss, their plan seems to follow the same pattern as when the Russians breached our security to target Luca and Katerina," he says. “When the Bratva was trying to destroy you.”
I nod and smile with confidence. “Enrico is blinded by his ambition. He lacks vision.”
Adriano nods grimly. "Enrico thinks he’s smarter and braver… the big pussy."
"Which makes him predictable," I continue. "He wants everything that is mine. He wants to defeat me personally. To prove himself to Marco. It's why he poisoned Marco’s gift. Why he targeted our warehouse with my personal key. I can’t deny he’s gotten the drop on me, but never again. In two days, we strike at them. We burn everything they have to the ground along with every treacherous bastard inside it."
My men exchange glances.
"Don Alessandro," one of my older capos begins cautiously, "a direct assault on their fortress… we’ll need more men."
“I’ll get them.” I move around the table, meeting each man's eyes. "Gentlemen, tonight isn't just about survival. It's about sending a message that will echo through every family in New York. I suspect you have some doubts in my ability to run this family. I’ve allowed insults to go unpunished. That ends today."
I see the fire igniting in their eyes, their belief growing in me.
"Every man who stands with me now will be rewarded beyond measure. Your loyalty will be remembered for generations. In two nights, we remind New York why our name has been feared for half a century."
I give my men assignments and they leave with the same burning passion to end this feud with the Vitales.
Only Adriano sticks around. “You’re calling Luca, right?”
“Right.”
He salutes me and heads out to prepare for war.
I call Luca, and while I’d normally feel like a pussy asking for help, I’ll kneel in front of him and beg if that’s what it takes to protect Isabella and the baby.
"I need you.”
"How bad?" Luca is already planning to come to New York. As strained as things were between us, in the end, we’re Dantes and Dantes always have each other’s back.
"The Vitales are making their move in three days. We move in two.”
"And Isabella?"
