Page 74 of Love & Power

“I suppose I never considered there being an option of one without the other,” Gramps commented. “Those two families have been in a rather symbiotic relationship for generations. The Leoni do the dirty work, and the Accardi take all the credit.”

“Which is why I need to know just how deep the roots grow,” I explained. “In my mind, the Leoni is the bigger threat. We don’t know who they’ve dug their claws into or strings they have to pull. They are masters at having the right puppet in the perfect spot. Look what they managed to do last night when we only gave a twelve-hour heads-up to the meeting.”

Armond leaned forward, pulling the copy of the Leoni family tree closer for him to inspect. “The bond between those families has always been backed by marriage. Honestly, the system is brilliant because they always have their first-born children marry if they can. Gian’s heir, Zeus, is married to Ambrosia, Bosco’s first-born with his late wife, Mia. It’s how they’ve chosen to keep leverage over each other. They function like the kings and queens of old who back all treaties with blood ties, not just money.”

“Wait, wouldn’t that lead to some close family relations getting married?” Braxton questions.

“With how many wives and mistresses all the families have, that is easier to avoid than you think. However, if that would become an issue like it would have been for Gian, they pull from extended family. They might want to act medieval, but they won’t cross some boundaries,” Frediano said with a chuckle.

“If I might weigh in on the matter,” Ivy interjected. “Astin, you’re correct in that the Leoni trap those who will be of use to them, creating this network of killers and spies. However, once Bosco, his lieutenants, and handlers are gone, there is no one holding their leashes. Many will vanish for a time until they begin working for themselves or just go into hiding until they believe the threat is truly gone.”

“Ah, so that plays back into my theory of what gives these men power over people,” I mused aloud. “If it’s not money, it’s fear or blackmail.”

“When it comes to these people, yes, your assumptions are correct,” Ivy assured me. “Yet I would still caution you to keep an eye out for those who, like The Siren, are truly loyal to Bosco. When you manipulate someone’s mind in the manner the Leoni Family has done for generations, it creates a soul-deep loyalty.”

That had me slightly on edge to know I’d taken out the true evil of that Family, but the devil’s spawn might still be coming after me for years to come. I suppose I should be prepared for something like that anyway—it’s not like taking out these two families means all my problems disappear forever. Someone would always be willing to test the boundaries and try their luck against me, but they’ll lose every time. I’d make sure of it.

“I’ll keep that in mind, but there’s not much we can do about that before it happens,” I reasoned. “So for this plan of mine to work, of the Accardi, we need Gian, his three oldest sons, their wives, and mothers to show up to this event so I can kill them. That’s straightforward enough. As for the Leoni Family, the only thing I know for sure is Bosco, his lieutenants, and both sons who will be a threat. Ivy, you mentioned something about handlers… would they need to be dealt with, or are they as trapped as the people they handle?”

Her expression went dark as she met my gaze. “Those will be mine to deal with.”

There comes a time in every friendship when you just need to take them at their word, and this was one of those times. It was obvious to me there was some kind of history with these people, and I wasn’t going to press the issue in front of others.

“Works for me,” I assured her. “Von will deal with the Accardi cleanup, and you can have the Leoni Family. The less I have to manage so I can focus on running two different Families, the better.”

Dom leaned forward, tapping a finger on the map of Dolsa. “So you want this to happen in the city? Don’t you think that will be risky?”

“As opposed to a converted monastery out in the middle of nowhere?” I sassed back. “Think about it, Dom, Dolsa is the capital of Nepreea. Where do all the visitors go? What town has the most tourists? It’s the one place we can move through freely without attracting attention. Also, let’s just acknowledge that keeping my presence here quiet is already blown out of the water. I have no doubt his two spies made sure to send word back before they came to talk to me. If their plan was to blow themselves up, you don’t hold back information ’til the end.”

“What makes you think a party is something they wouldn’t suspect?” Cedro questioned.

My brows shot up. “Seriously?” Then I paused for a moment, trying to remember what Ivy said about them. “Hold on, you did grow up in this world, right?”

“Yes,” Cedro answered.

“Okay, then you know these self-centered pricks love to flaunt their power and wealth around,” I challenged. “They thrive off any excuse to have a party, dress up, and make everyone else jealous would be commonplace. Also, do you really think these good old boys wouldn’t make Dom pay homage, and prove he’s loyal like the good little De Santis he pretends to be? Trust me, if Dom weren’t looking to break away from tradition, there would be a party of some kind.”

“When you put it that way, I suppose you’re right,” Dom muttered. “I’m not saying yes to this yet, but I can see where you’re going with it. If, and I mean if, we managed to pull this off, how exactly do you plan to take them all out? I don’t see you mowing them down with a machine gun… you’re too classy for that.”

“Dom, don’t even try to flirt with me. It’s not a good look for you,” I warned, pointing a finger at him. “As for your question, I haven’t quite decided how I want to do that yet. Well, that’s not really true… I do know how I want to kill Gian and Bosco. Those two dried-up-past-their-prime-bastards will die by my hand, leaving no room for doubt I was the one who ended their lives. Nothing too fast, but I also don’t want them to think I care enough to take my time, so that’s going to take a little thought. However, when it comes to everyone else, we could spike the punch for all I care. Dead is dead at the end of the day.”

Cedro’s jaw visibly dropped at my words. I suppose he wasn’t expecting something so callus or crude to come out of my mouth, but I didn’t give a shit. This was long overdue, and I planned to make sure my revenge made an impact. No one would ever question the lengths I would go to when it came to settling a score.

“I might be able to offer some ideas when it comes to the other guests,” Ivy commented. “Over the years, I’ve had to come up with some creative ways to take out my targets that couldn’t look like an assassination.”

“Oh, I want to listen and learn too,” Von cut in. “Subtle isn’t really my thing, but Astin, if you wanted some options with more flair, I might have a few suggestions.”

The more time I spent with Von, the more I grew to like her even more. She had this manic golden retriever psycho energy that I found strangely endearing. In some ways, Von had me thinking she just might be Harley Quinn come to life.

“I’m always open to suggestions, Von. Just because I don’t use the idea this time doesn’t mean I won’t later on,” I shared.

Dom looked between the two of us and rubbed his forehead like we were giving him a headache. “God, why does it scare the shit out of me that you two are becoming such good friends?”

Von’s smile faded as she gave Dom a baleful look. “Because you have a healthy dose of self-preservation running through your veins. Most people wouldn’t trust the tingle on the back of their neck when in the presence of something or someone who could kill you.” Instantly, her smile was back, and Von perched her chin on her hands. “Guess you have your grand-pappy to thank for that.”

Armond nearly choked on the drink he was sipping at his daughter’s words. Once he recovered, it was clear he didn’t appreciate his daughter’s sentiment. “Evonnia,” he snapped. “Domenico is an ally, meaning there is no place for threats like that. I don’t give a shit that you’ve known each other for most of your life, he will be the head of the De Santis Family, and that means you show him respect.”

My brows shot up, seeing this side of Armond and hearing what Von’s full given name was. If this was the man Armond had turned into when trying to rein Von back in, I can see why it did the opposite of what he intended. The room fell silent as we waited for Von to respond, but in true Von fashion, she chose option C. With no explanation, she got up, lifted both hands, kissed her middle fingers, and flipped her father off. Then she walked right out of the room.