Page 156 of Fallen Rook

“You break his heart, I break your spine. You understand me?”

“Clear as day.”

“You’ll treat him right.”

“The world will be his oyster. No happier man will ever walk this earth,” I promised.

“Then you have my blessing.”

“I didn’t ask for it, but thank you.” I frowned at the board, suddenly remembering I’d forgotten to ask Enzo the very question that’d most troubled me in the past three years I’d been working on the Ferrante case. “Luca?”

“Yes?”

“I know your father gave each of you a chess piece. You’re a king, Achilles is a knight. What is Enzo?”

He smiled at the chess pieces, lost in thought.

“A rook.” He brushed his fingers over the piece contemplatively. “Enzo’s role is defensive. He was not born to rule, but to govern. This is why he is the enforcer. His job, like the rook’s, is to protect the leadership. Put it behind robust walls.”

I sucked in a breath. I couldn’t believe I’d been idiotic enough to think the man who dedicated his life to guarding his family would actually take a plea deal and leave it behind. Even with all my love for him, I had still underestimated him.

“Where does it leave you, after we execute our plan?” Luca asked, flicking his Zippo open and shut with his thumb.

“Depends on how fast you can silence Slava,” I admitted. “Could be looking at prison time, or I could avoid the consequences altogether.”

For now. If I wanted to be with Enzo, which I did, I couldn’t keep my job and be with the Camorra’s enforcer. But I’d give up my career for him. Easiest sacrifice I’d ever have to make.

“Enzo will deal with Slava.” The corners of Luca’s lips tugged derisively. “It’s his call. He’ll kill him before the ship anchors.”

At the sound of his name, something tugged at my chest, unfurling and spreading warmth inside it. That he’d do something for me pleased me, even if it was murder. Moreover, I knew that he would follow through. That despite how things had ended, he would kill for those he loved.

And maybe he didn’t love me, but he loved Luca. He’d see this task through.

“Do not be at that port on Wednesday,” I said, standing. Luca remained seated.

“Rothwell…”

I stopped. Turned toward him.

“Now that you’ve switched sides, does this mean I can persuade you to work with the Camorra?”

My mouth tightened. I’d known Luca would ask this of me. It was only natural, since I had become a renegade. My loyalty was to Enzo now, and, by extension, to the Camorra.

“I can’t,” I said honestly. “On the off chance I’ll get to keep my job—a prospect I’m not hanging my hopes on—I couldn’t be with your brother in any real capacity and still keep working in this department. My days in the organized crime unit are numbered.”

“I’m not asking you to work for us from the inside; I’m asking you to keep your finger on the pulse while you pursue other ventures in the bureau.”

“If I stay in the bureau.”

He stared at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. I mulled it over.

“I don’t like you,” I admitted.

“Join the fucking club. My wife’s the president, by the way.” When he didn’t produce a smile out of me, he sighed. “Any reason in particular?”

“You’re unnecessarily cruel, and though you are loyal to your family, you are unpredictable and too deep inside your own world.”

“And yet I am your best option. If you work with me, I will make sure I bore the FBI to tears. I am the don, and it is my responsibility to take care of my people, my community, my legacy. I will never hurt innocents. This is not how I run my business.”