Page 10 of Revenge & Truth

“I think what I really love about the place is the interesting clientele they have. Did you know a rather prominent judge likes to frequent the place? He has some of the most interesting stories, and since his wife died two years ago, he’s just so lonely. Poor thing really needs someone to listen as he talks about every aspect of his day.”

“How lovely it is that you can be there for him,” I agreed, pressing a hand to my heart with a sympathetic smile.

Ivy hummed, nodding as she finished her coffee, setting it aside. “Sadly, he can’t handle his liquor, and after a few drinks, the poor dear has no sense of what he tells people if they ask the right questions.”

“Would there be anything of interest to us in an old man’s drunken ramblings?” I questioned.

“As a matter of fact, that was the reason I reached out to Mr. Gallo. I have the linchpin you need to blow the whole case up and take out a judge who seems to hold the biggest grudge I’ve ever seen against your family,” Ivy informed me.

Liu pulled out his phone and handed it to me. I glanced at the messages there between him and Bert Renolds. Knowing the context of the conversation, it was easy to figure out it was Ivy he’d been speaking to. When I got to the last message, I understood the purpose of showing me this.

“If you believe the information is worth this fee, it must be some secret,” I commented, flicking my gaze back to the woman. “You might have Liu’s confidence in your abilities, but that doesn’t mean you have mine.”

Resting her elbows on the armrests, Ivy steepled her fingers as she considered my words. “All right, how about I give you a sample, free of charge, in a show of skill?”

“Not to sound like a bitch, but it better impress me. I’m not a man to be distracted by your beauty and sweet words,” I warned.

“Yes, I’m aware. Your reputation for not being one to shy away from spilling blood precedes you, Mistress Caprioni,” Ivy said, her respect clear in her tone and expression. “Normally, I wouldn’t give this kind of information away, but as I said, I dearly hope we can be friends.”

The seriousness in her tone had me sitting upright, my mind racing, trying to figure out what she could possibly know. Was it regarding me personally? Something about Daddy? Or was there another snake in my inner circle that needed to be hunted down?

“Three out of five of the founding families are coming for you,” Ivy announced but kept going before I could say anything. “I know you had suspicions, but I have names for you, along with the warning that they won’t stop until the Caprioni Family is destroyed. No other family has ever been allowed to become as powerful as yours. And, the only reason it’s happened is because you’re in a different fucking country, but others have suffered the same fate over the decades in a much quieter fashion. It’s time someone stood up to the founding families and brought the Cosa Nostra into the current century.”

This was the first time I’d seen any trace of genuine emotion on this woman’s face, and it didn’t surprise me that it was rage. If I had to take a wild guess, I’d say it originated from her family being one of those snuffed out before they became a problem for the founding families. Telling me this not only proved her worth but gave me the bullets for the gun to take out those who had wronged her as well.

“Which three?” I asked.

“Accardi, De Santis, and Leoni,” Ivy answered. “Accardi is the most vocal, but the Leoni is pushing for full annihilation to ensure no one else dares to challenge them.”

“And the De Santis family?”

Ivy leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “On the surface, they are falling in line, but if you dig deeper, there’s an internal war of the generations. Rocco De Santis, the head of the family, is old and losing ground to his grandson, Domenico, who’s working toward a hostile takeover. Something tells me with the right push…” she raised a brow, “… you could get Domenico on your side.”

That was a lot of information to take in, but all of it was worth its weight in gold. “Send her the money, Liu,” I directed, returning his phone to him. “If she has information like that about the founding families, then a simple city judge is child’s play.”

“Thank you. It’s not often I get recognition for my work,” Ivy pointed out. “The dirt I have on your judge isn’t as interesting, but it will kill many birds with one planted murder weapon your assassin has hidden away.”

Holy fuck. How could she possibly know about that?

“Just trying to make sure I impressed you enough,” she teased. “Our dear Judge Clement Rupp might have a safe in his basement where he keeps key evidence hidden away so it can’t be used during trial. There are many things hidden in this safe, all neatly packaged in police evidence bags, so if the item were truly needed, it could be found and used without a hitch. If a gun that matches the one used to kill the mayor with a certain detective’s name on it were to be discovered in this safe…” Ivy shrugged and clapped her hands together, “... they’d have to throw the whole case out while they investigate matters.”

Liu let out a scoff. “You make it sound so simple, Ivy.”

“Isn’t it? You already have one of Apria’s most wanted thieves at your disposal,” she reasoned, gesturing to me.

Other than Hound, Ryker, Glenda, and Casimira, I hadn’t told the others about my hobby. Guess the cat is out of the bag on that one.

“I see…” Liu murmured as he studied me with a confused expression. “Then it seems this plan could be exactly what we need to put this matter to rest and bring Luca home.”

Ivy’s phone buzzed on the side table, causing her to scoop it up and glance at the screen. “Well, that’s my cue to head out.” Tucking the phone away, she pulled out a business card and handed it to me. “I’ll stick around until I hear the news about our dear judge, so if you need anything, let me know.”

She rose and headed out only to pause, shifting to look back at me. “Feel free to call me if you want to go out for drinks or need some girl time. I’m sure being smothered in as much testosterone as you are must get old. Besides, every woman, no matter how strong or badass, needs a friend to bitch about her lovers to.” With a cheeky blown kiss in my direction, she rounded the corner and was out of sight.

I sank back into the couch. “Liu, what the hell just happened?”

“You just met Ivy Foxxx, one of the most notorious spy-assassins in the world,” Liu said, getting to his feet and extending a hand with a cheeky smile. “And she wants to be your best friend.”

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