Page 51 of Maximum Bet

“Bullshit, Dominic.” Leo throws his notepad on the desk. “I have been working with you since before our fathers retired. I know something’s up. I get that you’re in charge, so that’s why I haven’t pushed, but it’s obvious that you’re hiding something. Who the hell are you talking to?”

I take a deep breath and catch the tip of my tongue between my teeth.

“Please.” Leo’s tone softens. “I can’t advise you if I don’t know all the pieces on the board. If your contact has the potential to cause harm to the family, I need to know.”

I shut my eyes, debating. Leo isn’t wrong. If the shit hits the fan, I’ll need his help, but I gave my word to the man I’m sharing information with. And if it gets out that we’re talking to each other, it’s not just the two of us that will be in trouble. Cassandra will end up with a target on her back, too.

“Dominic.”

“I know,” I grunt. “You’re right, but if this information gets out, the repercussions could be dire.”

“Who the hell do you think I’m going to tell?” Leo scoffs, clearly offended.

I turn back to him and sigh.

“If there were one person in the world I would be willing to share information with, who do you think it would be?”

“Outside the family?”

I rock my head side to side. “Sort of.”

Leo stares, unfocused, out the window as he thinks. He blinks as he runs through a list of names and faces he knows. Suddenly, he freezes, his lips twitch, and his brows raise.

Without warning, he bursts into laughter. Leo slams his palm down on my desk and throws his head back. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I cock my head. “What?”

“The only person who is ‘sort of’ outside the family, who you would be willing to share information with? Jesus Christ, Dominic. By any chance, does this person happen to be in a department of the government that could cause us a lot of problems?”

“All our conversations are off record,” I explain. “We’re using cold phones being fed through scrambling services. No one can trace our calls.”

“And what about your conversations at family gatherings? Can those be traced?” Leo grins.

“We’re not talking shop around anyone else.” I roll my eyes.

Leo chuckles. “Are you the only one giving information, or is he sharing with you?”

“He doesn’t have anything to share.” I shrug. “For the most part, their investigations lag behind ours. Too much red tape on their side.”

“So, what’s up with refusing to fly directly into Puerto Rico?”

“He’s watching my flight logs.” I grimace. “I told him Kozlova and Perez are meeting in the Caribbean, but I won’t tell him where.”

“So, we fly to one island and take a boat to another,” Leo summarizes.

“Exactly.”

He sighs and closes his laptop. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised, and I think you already know you need to be careful, but to be honest, I get why you’re doing what you’re doing.”

“It’s the best way to keep the peace,” I say.

Leo stands. “Well, tell Agent Bain I say hi next time you talk. Now, how about lunch? Marco’s right, a calzone sounds great.”

I laugh and rise to my feet. “Let’s go. I’m sure Uncle Sal is waiting for us.”

Chapter 19

Dominic