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Surprisingly, Joaquin didn’t make a fuss about losing his seat. Instead, he clapped Dominic on the back. “Good to have you home, boy. How was Chicago?”
“Windy.”
All the capos and their men laughed, and I knew right then that Dominic had done it. There was no way he didn’t have the nominations for underboss. Grey knew it too. I could practically feel him seething behind me. We still hadn’t spoken about Dominic’s little slip, but I knew time was running out. We’d have that talk eventually, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.
Tennessee and Moore, who were stationed on opposite sides of the room, nodded, telling me that everyone had been thoroughly searched for recording devices, weapons, and poison. Family or not, trust was one of the only luxuries the powerful couldn’t afford.
With confirmation that we were in the clear, I rapped my knuckles on the table once, and like Pavlov’s dogs, everyone turned to me. Joaquin dropped into his seat, an insolent smirk on his face. He always looked at me like I was nothing but a seat-warmer, ruling until the real king knocked me off the throne. If killing him wouldn’t turn the rest of the family against me, I’d have removed him a long time ago.
“Thank you all for coming. We’ve got a lot going on, so let’s move through things quickly. If you have something to say, wait until the end to bring it up.” I shot a pointed look at Dominic, and he nodded. “First, we found Zander.”
It was like watching a room full of hawks locate their prey. Everyone’s eyes were laser-focused on me, tension tight in the way they held themselves.
“Where was the little asshole?” Gabriele, one of my capos and uncle by marriage, cracked his knuckles. “I’d love to take my time with him.”
“That won’t be necessary. Zander’s been removed from the chessboard. He went underground with the enemy and paid the price.”
The men flashed gruesome smiles, and I had a moment to think Zander was lucky that I’d personally overseen his torture. If any of them had been in charge, he would’ve been in pieces.
I waved Greyson forward, and he moved to my side, tablet in hand as he explained what little information we’d gotten from our captive. While he talked, I watched my family’s faces.
Did any of them know about the Aces? Had they known there was a new player and kept it from me? Were they the ones who’d invited Cash in? The thoughts whirled through my brain as I scoured every inch of them for a sign. A betrayal.
A tap on my calf turned me toward Dominic. He lifted his chin just a touch, and I zoned back into the conversation. “There isn’t much that we know about these Aces and even less about Cash. None of our usual channels are cutting it.”
“You need us on the ground,” Gabriele guessed. “I can have my men combing the city in an hour.”
I shook my head. “We need to be more subtle than that. This isn’t a full-on attack yet. It’s whispers in the dark and poking the bear to see what riles it up. We need to move carefully. In an ideal world, I’d like to end this skirmish before it becomes war.”
Joaquin scoffed. “How kindhearted of you. While you wish on roses and rainbows, we look weak. We need to defend ourselves loudly and with force.”
I checked my watch and nearly laughed. Less than five minutes into the meeting and we were already at each other’s throats. A new record. “That’s your problem, Joaquin. You see everything as a show of power without realizing that subtlety can be the better option.”
“How so?” Sometimes, I wondered if he intentionally forgot that I grew up at his brother’s knee. I might have been raised to be a mafia wife, but I hadn’t been raised to be stupid. I’d been learning strategy since I was cutting teeth.
“Your way has us running down the streets proclaiming that someone’s trying to kill us, while Mari’s has us removing the threat before anyone else finds out.” Dominic leaned back in his chair, the lazy playboy persona in full effect. “If it were me, I’d rather keep my silence and maintain the family’s position in the city than get a gold star for taking out some wannabe usurper.”
Silence.
I caught Dominic’s eye and dipped my chin, a silent thank-you. He nodded once, a sharp return. I could practically hear him telling me I’m always in your corner.
I just wasn’t ready to believe it yet.
“What do you know about the Aces now?” Dominic asked. Grey gritted his teeth.
“A name and a symbol, which is almost nothing. We need more information on them. Who they are, what they do, where they live. We need their friends, their allies, and their enemies. We need to know where they came from and why they’re here. We can’t defend against a ghost.”
He flipped his tablet around to show us a playing card. A typical ace of spades, but with a skull making up the spade, which sat close to the hilt of a dagger. It was intended to be intimidating, deadly, but it came off as more than a little clichéd.
“These guys are definitely a new crew. Gang tats stopped being a good idea when the Feds started creating databases,” Mathias, my third capo, said.
I agreed. “The hope is that they’re new enough to fuck up quickly. I want them wiped out as soon as possible.”
“Do we have a kill order?” Moore asked.
“No. Detain alive and bring them back to the compound. We need information more than we need bodies right now.”
The men nodded, and I felt a trickle of relief. Despite our differences, they were some of the best at what they did. If I wanted information, they’d get it for me. I just had to let them work.
