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The entire courtyard falls silent.
“Put him on the ground,” Roman orders with a sneer.
He steps aside to let the two men toss Dominic down the stairs.
“This is what happens to those who cross this family.” Roman points his gun at Dominic and turns his gaze across the crowd of men, looking each of them in the eye.
The first gunshot makes me clap both hands over my mouth to stifle a yelp. Roman fires more shots, joined by his brothers, making the body on the steps twitch and jerk with each bullet.
Cheers ring through the air, and I freeze. The only part of my body able to move are my lungs, which inhale air tinged with the scent of gunpowder.
Roman turns his head to the left, and our eyes meet.
Adrenaline shoots through my system like an electric shock. I duck back behind the corner and take off running.
I just got caught witnessing Roman and his brothers murdering Dominic.
How the hell will he react to my snooping?
TWENTY-FIVE
ROMAN
Emberly now stays in the pool house, not daring to leave after seeing me make a public example of Dominic. According to Sofia, she’s eating all her meals and filling her canvases with paint.
Since there’s been no more meltdowns or demands for my presence, she’s either terrified of what she witnessed or finally satisfied that I’m not her captor. Regardless, she’s exactly where I need her—quiet and contained.
I walk around the new meth lab, surveying stainless steel tanks and vats and tubes. The engineers have moved the equipment from the Galliano hideout to this new location and restored the machinery to its former glory.
According to Isabella Cortese, Galliano wouldn’t let production stop for maintenance, which led to more waste and a substandard product. They also cut the meth with copper salts to turn it green.
“Everything’s all tested and ready for production, boss,” says the engineer. “When are you expecting the cooks?”
I grin down at the gray-haired man who installed the lab at our original hideout. “Monday. Make sure there’s enough supplies to last the team a month.”
“You got it.” He gives me a salute and disappears behind a row of tanks.
Gil sidles up to me and snickers. “You’re in an unusually good mood.”
I smirk. The past few days have been stressful, but have pushed me further toward my goals. The Di Marco Law group received a delivery of Samson Capello’s head, thanks to my cousin Leroi and his new girlfriend.
Our lawyer texted earlier to say the executors of the old bastard’s estate are ready to transfer funds from Capello’s personal bank accounts to one of our choosing. Now, they need Emberly’s signatures to transfer ownership of the stocks, the casino, the loan company, the property portfolio, and the vaults containing Dad’s stolen gold.
“After so much shit luck, things are starting to go my way,” I say.
Gil nods his agreement. “But what are you going to do about Tommy Galliano moving in on our turf?”
My stomach sours along with my good mood. I turn to my trusted companion and weigh up solutions.
“Word would have spread to New Jersey by now that I’ve taken back the meth lab. Galliano will send someone down to check out the situation, and we’ll be ready.”
Gil rubs his chin. “With guns?”
“Whatever it takes. Anyone who enters our territory without permission will be sent back to New Jersey in pieces.”
We walk out of the lab, ascend the stairs, and continue through the parking lot of Beaumont City’s busiest shopping mall. Grandfather Giovanni was involved in its construction in the sixties and made sure the builders created an additional underground level. It was his secret hideaway, and now it’s mine.
At this time of the afternoon, the parking lot is filled with shoppers and cars. Gil and I make our way to a black BMW with a small procession of our men.
