Page 5 of Revenge & Truth

“Paid off tonight, though,” I countered. “Now, when it comes to our dear White Knight, you can put a tracker on him. That asshole is too cocky to ever think someone would dare track him because he’s a cop. I want to know just who the fuck this prick is and why he was transferred to Springmont. There is more to that story than any of us thought.”

Ryker reached for the phone, which I handed over. “We investigated Kody when he first arrived but didn’t find much. We now know Kody has help covering his tracks, but Hound can reverse whatever’s been done. I think there’s a chance we’ll see a whole different story.”

Hearing this had me grinning. “I knew there’d be a crack we could use to bring this whole thing down around that fucking prick’s ears. He struts around my city like he owns the place, spitting on our family name. Well, his time is up, and I plan to make the most out of it.” I glanced over at Hound. “Find everything down to when he takes his morning shit because I’m going to nail him to the fucking wall. Our dear White Knight will be the perfect display for those outside the Family to know who they’re dealing with.”

Hound flashed me a toothy smile. “Damn, it’s fucking hot when you talk like that, Luna. I’ll get you everything you need and more to serve this asswipe on a silver platter to you.”

Needing no further encouragement, Hound shoved out of the chair and exited my office with a distinct pep in his step.

“That man is twisted in the best way possible,” Jace commented as his gaze lingered on the door for a moment too long before shifting it back to me. “He’s exactly who we’ve been missing to give you the support to run this Family right.”

I couldn’t quite put my finger on why that statement felt a little off to me, but I let it pass. Hound had done work for my father years ago, and the guys had their own history with him. If there were something I needed to know, Jace or Hound would tell me, of that I had no doubt.

“Anyone else have something they need to share?” I inquired.

When none of them said anything, I nodded and sat behind the desk, grabbing the file Ryker had originally brought in. Flipping open the folder, I looked down at the picture of my stepmother, Flora, all cozied up with Harvey. The moment I kicked her out of the Family, she’d run right to him, but it was obvious they already knew each other. I moved the photograph out of the way to the paperwork underneath that listed her phone records. The stupid bitch didn’t think to use a burner phone or one that wasn’t being paid on our dime.

“Ry, why are these three highlighted?” I questioned, noting they looked like an overseas number.

“They’re Nepreea numbers,” Ryker answered.

My head snapped up to look at him. “What?”

“Flora called two different people in Nepreea. She called one, having rather lengthy conversations each time, while the other was a different person lasting only five minutes,” he explained.

Now I knew why he’d been so riled up when he barged into my office with Hound hot on his heels. “Which family?”

“Accardi.”

The Accardi Family was the oldest of the five founding families who created the criminal world we now call the Mafia. Each of the founding families divided up Nepreea into sections they ruled over, creating a criminal empire. My grandfather, Frediano Raffa, is the current leader of the Raffa Family, the third established family out of the five. We’re also known for being the most bloodthirsty and slightly unhinged, which I can confirm with personal experience is true.

“What the hell is Flora doing talking to the Accardi Family and at great length too?” I mused aloud, not really expecting anyone to have the answer.

Liu cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him since he’s never displayed such an obvious tell. The man had the most skilled poker face I’d ever seen, but right now, I could read him like a fucking book. I didn’t say anything, just held his gaze, knowing he’d tell me even if the others wouldn’t.

“She’s related to a distant cousin, but it’s still enough to tie her back to the Accardi name if you got through the trouble of looking,” Liu finally shared. “I noticed some odd phone calls and charges on Flora’s accounts, so I looked into it. The deeper I dug, the more I found out about her and stumbled upon that information.”

“Did my father know?” I asked.

“No,” Liu answered, shaking his head. “By this point, you’d graduated, and your real training started, which is also the time Flora started to travel since we didn’t need a parental presence in the home. She was also never around when your grandfather was in town. To me, the similarities between his arrival and her departure were just too well-timed for me not to notice. Out of all the odd things Flora did, none of them added up to her being a danger, so I didn’t bring it up to him. It’s not like he could stand the woman, but having her family’s shipping business was too massive of a game changer for Boss to do anything about it.”

“All right then, do we think this is her calling family back home, or do we have yet another sign that some of the five families are sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong?” I muttered as my mind drifted back to the data my father gave me on the five families.

Ryker dropped onto the couch, letting out a groan. “It’s a phone line that connects directly to the Accardi Estate. That’s about as solid of an answer as we could get on the matter. At least we confirmed one of the five families is gunning for us. Yet we both know more than one of them would love nothing more than to see us crash and burn.”

“Too bad for them. I don’t plan on making it that easy. I think once we’ve settled matters here with Luca, we should take the chance to visit my grandfather. It’s a trip that’s long overdue, wouldn’t you agree?” I commented, shoving aside the photographs until I came to one of Harvey getting out of his car. “It would be rude to greet them empty-handed, and I think I have the perfect gift in mind.”

three

For the meeting at the prison, I kept my appearance simple and understated. If I was posing as Liu’s assistant, I needed to look the part. My thick, chestnut brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, neat and professional-looking. In keeping with the theme, I put on minimal makeup, simple jewelry and wore a light gray pants suit with a soft blue button-down. While all the clothes were designer, I didn’t think any of the prison staff would think that much of it.

A soft knock sounded on my bedroom door.

“Come in,” I yelled, grabbing a pair of shoes from my closet.

Walking back into my room, I found Atticus standing awkwardly just inside the door with a binder in his hands. “Good morning, Atty. How was your trip with Braxton?”

“We accomplished all that needed to be done, and I’m relieved to be home,” he answered.