Finn raises a brow. “Is that so? Well, I’d be interested in talking with her.”
Panic shoots through my chest, seizing my heart. Fuck. “Cat… Nino captured her too. We have to?—”
“Con.” Brody grabs my arm. “She’s okay. I’ve already talked to her. She’s safe.”
The onslaught of relief almost knocks me to the ground. Bending over, I prop my hands on my knees, allowing myself to absorb Brody’s words and rein my adrenaline back in.
Cat broke free.
I peer up at him. “How?”
He shrugs. “Don’t know. But I called her as soon as you called me. She was in the basement of the estate with a guy named Frankie. And another enforcer, his cousin Carlo, was managing Nino and then driving her to safety.”
“She talked two of Nino’s guys onto Team Cat in under five minutes, and they snuck her out of the estate.” Finn whistles. “Impressive.”
Smiling hurts my cheeks, but I can’t help myself. “I imagine she’s talked a lot more onto Team Cat since. She’s a real leader.”
“A woman at the helm.” Finn runs his hands through his wavy, auburn, shoulder-length hair. “I definitely want to chat with her.”
Brody grins. “Ballsy move from the grave.”
“No one deserves the power more than she does.” My joy for Cat is short-lived. “Shit. The funeral.” I look from Finn to Brody and back at the boss.
Brody steps toward me. “What about it?”
“Can someone take me there? Cat’s going to walk in with her guys, and Nino’s going to lose his mind. That dude’s middle name is ‘unhinged,’ and I don’t have a car.” I face Finn directly. “I know I don’t have a right to ask for your help, but I love her, and I can’t let her die.”
If either of them are shocked by my confession, their reaction doesn’t show.
Finn tosses Brody the keys. “You’re driving.” He pauses. “And Connor, or whoever the fuck invaded your body?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m riding shotgun. Let’s go.”
Weight drops off my shoulders. Finally.
On the way to the vehicle, Finn calls approaching the funeral without a concrete plan dangerous and tactically stupid. He also adds that it’s about the most disrespectful thing one family could do to another. “Funerals are neutral territory. The only real place in the history of mob life where everyone bends a knee and shows some respect for the dead. A time of reflection and humility.”
Yeah, screw that.
We hop into Finn’s forest green Rivian S1, and I climb into the back seat. “I’m not suggesting we barrel through the church doors, guns blazing.”
As he slams his foot on the gas, Brody eyes me in the rearview mirror.
Finn cranks his neck and scowls. “You’re not suggesting anything, Connor. My men, my plan.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you.” And I mean that.
I don’t have my people here, so I need Finn’s. I need his help a hell of a lot more than I need to be the hero and save the day.
For the first time, I can take a back seat. As long as Cat’s safe.
“I’m doing this for everybody,” Finn continues, “before the Russian mob swallows the Riccis whole. If we allow them to add money and numbers to their organization, it will be impossible for the Irish or Port Kings to ever stack up against them.”
I find a bottle of water in the back and start washing blood from my face. “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Brody barks out a laugh as he shifts to Finn. “After we save his girlfriend’s ass, we’ll have him checked for a brain tumor.”
