Page 63 of His Assistant

My other phone rings. Only a handful of people have that number. Rafe. Chiara. Bradley. The men stationed at the real location.

I answer before the first ring finishes. “What?”

Static crackles for half a second.

Then Sal’s voice comes through. “Boss.”

Every muscle in my body tightens. “What happened?”

Tomasso’s eyes snap to mine.

“Marco stepped outside,” Sal says, his voice rough. “He said he needed air. We had eyes on him. I swear to God we had eyes on him.”

“Where is he?”

Silence.

My grip tightens on the phone. “Sal.”

“They came from the alley. Two vans. Maybe three. They hit fast.”

The world narrows until there is nothing but his voice and the wet street outside the windows.

“How many down?”

“Joey and Vince. I’m hit, but I’m standing.”

“And Marco?”

“They took him.”

The room seems to get smaller around me. We failed. Someone leaked the real location. Which means my mole is in my most inner circle. I feel sick.

Tomasso is staring at me now, face pale in a way I’ve never seen before.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I say.

I text Bradley to meet me downstairs in two minutes. Tomasso reaches for his phone.

“Don’t,” I tell him.

He freezes. “I was calling Rafe.”

“I’ll call Rafe.”

His jaw tightens, but he lowers the phone.

I call Rafe as I walk to the elevator.

“They took Marco,” I say the second he answers.

“How?”

“Someone had the real location.”

“Fuck.”

“Get there.”