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“The bigger question is how are we going to tell Trino that we know where he is,” Ivan asked. “I mean, Trino’s been cool with the very little glimpses he’s gotten into Sephie’s weirdness, but I’m not sure I like the idea of him knowing everything.”
Andrei once again got a look like he was thinking about something else and not at all paying attention to our conversation. “He already knows. It’s partly why he’s so enamored with Sephie.”
“He does?” Ivan asked.
I laughed. “I suspected he did too, but never thought much about it and never tried to clarify,” I said.
“Santeria is common in Colombia. It wouldn’t be a stretch for him to believe Sephie has special powers,” Andrei said.
I couldn’t help but giggle. “I want to make him think I’m a voodoo priestess now. Does anybody have a snake I can borrow? I’ll give it back once he leaves.”
They all laughed at me, the relief clear on their faces that I was starting to feel better. Ivan looked at Andrei, saying, “You really are a genius. She feels much better.”
I smiled widely at Ivan. It made me happy to see them help Andrei be more confident in his newfound abilities. “As for your earlier question, Squish, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch that Sal would run to Italy. It’s probably a very safe bet that Ricardo is there as well. They’re likely trying to plan. What about Niko and Vito? Where are they?” I asked.
Viktor pulled his phone out of his pocket, stepping away to find that answer as well. When he stepped away, I said, “It wouldn’t surprise me if they also ran. They’re probably still trying to come up with a plan to make this coup happen anyway. I almost want to let them. If Lorenzo was the logistical brains behind this, whatever these morons come up with should be hilarious.”
Viktor walked back to the kitchen, with a stressed look on his face. Ivan grinned at me, then asked, “Niko and Vito ran too, didn’t they?” Viktor just nodded his head, looking surprised. “Sephie called it when you stepped away to check on them.” Viktor’s wide smile stretched across his face as he walked to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and kissing the top of my head. “It’s good to have you back, sestrichka,” he said.
That evening, once everyone in the office had gone home for the day, Trino and his guys stopped by. Gus and Oscar were with him, but Chen was absent this time. “He’s working on a contractor job. He said it was really important and he wants it to be perfect, so he couldn’t get away when we told him we were coming here tonight,” Gus said when I asked where he was. I smiled, knowing it was one of Adrik’s projects that he was working on.
“Miha, you look much better this time,” Trino said when he walked into Adrik’s office. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. It’s still too slow, but better,” I said. I’d still been coughing occasionally when I talked. The cough sounded horrible, even though I was feeling better.
Trino cursed in Spanish when he heard my cough. “She got pneumonia after she got home from the hospital. The doctor said it’s common after your lung collapses,” Ivan said as he helped me onto the cabinet behind Adrik’s desk.
“Dios mio, Miha. How are you still functioning?” he asked.
I laughed. “Ask them. I haven’t been lately. I’ve done nothing but sleep for, like, an entire week.”
Trino looked at Adrik, who nodded his head in confirmation. “Armando has had to suffer greatly because I’ve been bored without her,” he said, his sly smirk on his face.
“I fully support this, Jefe,” Trino said.
“What did you find at Sal’s house?” Adrik asked.
Trino took a deep breath and blew it out loudly. He was clearly frustrated. “We found a tunnel underneath his house. That’s how they got out without my guys seeing anything, which is advantageous for my guys. I was ready to kill them if they’d fallen asleep and missed Sal leaving.”
“We just don’t know exactly when they left. They could be anywhere by now,” Gus said.
“They’re not anywhere. They’re in Italy,” I said.
“And they left in the middle of the night a day and a half ago,” Ivan said.
“Along with Niko and Vito at some point as well,” Viktor added.
“How do you know they’re in Italy, Miha?” Trino asked skeptically.
“It’s the most obvious choice. There’s a very high likelihood that’s where Ricardo is as well. Sal is likely running to him for direction now that Lorenzo is dead. Niko and Vito are simply running after their master as well,” I said. Trino looked at me thoughtfully, but didn’t say anything. I caught Andrei’s eye. He was trying not to smile.
“Who’s Ricardo?” Gus asked.
“We think he’s really the one that’s behind this coup. He’s been working with Lorenzo for years, but he has a relationship with the other bosses as well. He’s the one that’s been pulling Armando’s strings behind the scenes. Likely since he was still an underboss. He’s been using a fake name this entire time. It was likely Ricardo that instructed him on what name to use to keep from raising suspicion with the other bosses, as well as my father,” Adrik said.
Oscar laughed quietly. “Italians are so dramatic,” he said quietly.
“You are not wrong, Oscar,” I said.
