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His attention flicked to Romeo. “Can he get me a meeting?”
“Yes,” I said. “But only if you prove yourself valuable to the Family.”
Romeo’s jaw tightened.
V drummed his knee. “I’m listening.”
I opened my phone, showing him a picture of Elise. “Elise Harper was killed six months ago. She’s my son’s mother.”
His eyes lit up. “I see.”
“Anyone approach you about her?”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “But I turned them down. I don’t take contracts unless it’s through a fixer.”
My heart pounded. “Who offered you the job?”
“It was on the dark web. Anonymous.”
“Any idea who took it?”
He rubbed his jaw. “A member of the Animals. Xaden. Big guy with a bird tattooed on his neck. I saw his handle replying to the message.”
I looked at Romeo. “Doesn’t he fight in Santino’s ring?”
Romeo frowned. “Not sure.”
“Who’s the leader?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Right now, they’re all about cutting out a piece of Boston for themselves.”
Street gangs kept chafing my ass. The Animals had sprung up in Boston proper after we made a play for Chelsea. They ran their protection rackets like the sock-puppet MC clubs we just got rid of. Same shit, different day. If they hadn’t murdered a civilian, they might’ve stayed under the radar for a while. Now I would torch their entire crew.
“If they’re this sloppy, there’s a chance they’ve left a trail. I’ll visit Santino. See what I can find out about this Xaden. Then I’ll set up a meeting and shoot you a text.”
V stood. “Let me know if you need help. I’m friends with a few guys who’ve been keeping a low profile since the Animals started making moves. They’re not happy about the new competition.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Romeo said.
The bodyguards escorted him out.
A muscle ticked in Romeo’s jaw as he faced me. “What was that? You have no authority to grant this kid a sit-down with the boss.”
“I do. I talked to Michael.”
“The underboss? You little fucker,” he hissed. “You can’t go over Santino’s head like that.”
“He was dragging his feet, and I need to settle a score.”
“For who? Elise? If that girl hadn’t died, you’d still be in the dark about your son.”
“I’m aware.”
“So why do you care so much?”
I downed my drink in one gulp. “What kind of father would I be if I didn’t avenge my boy?”
His fingers tensed around the glass. “I hear you, but we don’t have the resources to fight street gangs right now. We can’t pull back from Chelsea.”
