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“Time it seems that is threatening to suffocate all of us.”
“You have a way with words, Kane. Have you sent the list of possible enemies Leonardo provided to Constantine to check out?”
“I was just getting ready to do that. I glanced over the list and nothing rang a bell.”
“Well, between the contacts Constantine has developed and those of the Brotherhood, if there’s a single connection, it will be found.”
“Have you looked at it yet?”
“I haven’t had time. I will on the plane or when we get there. I also need to get up to speed on the Rossi Empire since according to the contract, I am now solely responsible for the operations.”
“What about the real Maria?”
I took a deep breath. “Without having seen the will, which I understand was recently changed, I won’t know. Whatever was left for their daughter, she will be well taken care of until…”
“Is she really dying?” he asked.
“Unless the medical reports were falsified, she has maybe a month to live.”
“And Margot’s mother?”
“From what little I heard, mostly from Margot, her mother has responded favorably to the ongoing treatment.”
Kane nodded. “This is an unusual experience. So what are you going to do in Italy other than provide a show of forces?”
I grinned before heading to the secure room I had installed years ago behind bookshelves in my office, pulling the correct book to be able to get to the code to open the door. “I’ve learned that sometimes that’s all that’s needed.”
“You’re not staying permanently. Are you?”
“Not indefinitely, but I need to ensure it appears I’m taking a second residence there. At some point that will be the case but as you can imagine, I hadn’t prepared for that scenario to come so quickly.” Kane had been ordered to hold down the fort in Kansas City, Brock heading out of the country with a contingency of men. He’d become the main coordination between the two brigades of soldiers. It should prove to be interesting.
“I don’t mind telling you that I don’t like this,” he said. “The game is risky to play.”
“Agreed and neither do I.” Right now, the only thing I had to go on was my instinct. I had a hunch whatever I was missing would only begin slithering into the light once I learned one twisted aspect of the game after another. The best thing to do was to allow my instinct to make some of the decisions. “I want you to do something for me.”
“Alright. Shoot.” Kane knew me well enough to realize I was tossing things out there, refusing to accept I couldn’t discover the answers. He’d called me a dog to a bone where my brother and father had said I was too nice.
Today, I would be a German shepherd mixed with a pit bull. I almost laughed at the thought. “I want absolute proof the people who died in that car are Liam, his wife, and Ronin.”
“You saw Liam’s face. That was him.”
“Yeah, well, there is something significant we’re missing and I’m determined to find it.”
“What else, El Jefe?” he teased.
I lifted my middle finger on purpose. “I also have a list of people who’ve found it difficult to interact with the Thorn family over the years. This goes way back to when my father was in charge. I think it’s time to put that list through the same level of scrutiny as the one provided by Leonardo.”
“How many are we talking?”
While Kane had been with the family for years, he certainly didn’t have the knowledge of how many changes had gone into effect in two decades, the shift to more legitimate aspects of business cutting the percentage of those wanting to carve their initials in my skin, but they were still around. Just because it wasn’t apparent some corporate moguls crossed the invisible line between right and wrong didn’t mean they weren’t just as dangerous. However, this had all the indications of being revenge based. The level of surprise as well as the increasing brutality were just two pieces of evidence that made me certain.
“Maybe eighty-five.”
“Jesus Christ. You don’t want me getting any sleep. Do you?”
I laughed. “Not if I’m going to be awake for days at a time.”
“One of our computer experts might come in handy.”
