Page 82 of Power & Punishment

My fury is mirrored in Dante’s eyes. Everything I’m feeling, he’s feeling tenfold. “I want to see her.”

“It’s too risky,” Michael says, taking a step back. “Especially when we’re this close.”

I run a hand through my hair, finally feeling my heart rate start to drop. I have to push her face out of my mind just to calm down.

“Let’s just get on with it. Tell me what you have for me.”

Dante shakes his head and pulls out a cigarette from his pocket. He doesn’t light it up right away. He just rolls it between his lips like it’s a calming mechanism.

After a quick glance over his shoulder and a few deep breaths, he starts talking. “I did as you asked. I was able to plant some bad information with the crews I do have in. Just small things like wrong times, route changes, and police raid rumors. It spread from there.”

I lean against a pillar, crossing my arms. “Good. And you think it’s working?”

He pulls out a lighter and an orange hue illuminates his face as he takes his first drag. The smell of nicotine fills the air, making my skin squirm.

“There were already rumblings of people losing faith in Enzo. He’s getting old, and people are skeptical of his relationship with the pigs and people like you. My rumors just added fuel to the fire.”

Of course, I already knew about the distrust surrounding Enzo. His empire had gotten too big and his ego had blinded him.

People were ready for a change. But I didn’t care about that. I just want Enzo to burn for his sins.

“I’m assuming you’re being careful?”

“Of course. Every crew is getting a variation of the same lie. It’s close enough to be believable and off enough to cause real damage.”

I nod slowly, watching the smoke dance around his mouth. “Explain what you mean by variations.”

“Not all of my tips are fake,” Dante explains. “If everything’s a lie, they catch on, so I’m mixing in some truths here and there.”

“And?” I press.

“I’m good at what I do. Shipments are already being missed. Crews are pointing fingers at neighboring territories, believing someone is setting them up. And of course, guys are holding back on intel or not correcting people because they don’t want to get blamed. It’s a Jenga tower of stupidity.”

“How’s Enzo handling it?” I ask, feeling a little too giddy for my own good.

Dante takes a step back, studying me closely before continuing. “He’s already started making examples, which is causing more rifts.”

I push off the column and stretch my legs. “Anyone influential?”

“He’s being thorough. Cracking down on different crews—especially the Mariano’s who have been loyal to him since the beginning.”

I nod, filing away all this intel for later. The Mariano family runs most of Enzo’s underground casinos across the city, which is a significant amount of income for him. If he pisses them off, then he loses a majority of his bankroll.

“Sounds like the old man is getting paranoid.”

“Yes,” Dante confirms. “And paranoid men don’t think before they react.”

A smile tugs at my face. “He’s right where I want him.”

Dante doesn’t return my smile. He just throws his cigarette on the ground and smothers it with the toe of his boot. “He’s still a wild card. When men like him start lashing out, they don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire.”

Mia’s face flashes in my mind.

I push it away.

“Then we won’t give him a reason to look our way,” I say.

“What do I do when he starts tightening his circle? He hasn’t been the king for as long as he has because he’s dumb. He’ll start pulling back crews and vetting jobs himself. It’s going to get harder to make waves.”