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“About two months ago, we stumbled upon an unknown yacht at the port. One of the Coast Guards we keep on our payroll informed us about the heavy cargo aboard. The boat was full of cocaine. Pure. Uncut.” I explained, trying to be as careful as I could with my words as I saw Jamie’s eyes bulging. “It was headed up the river to one of their safe houses for treatment and distribution. As soon as I found out, I ordered Gio and Max to light it up. We sank the yacht with everything and everyone inside it. I didn’t care to do the math on how much we made them lose right there.”
“How had I never heard of this until now?”
“You were buried in the Amato shit up to your head. No offense.” I said towards Jamie, who simply nodded. “There was no need to pile more onto your plate.”
“You could have told me. I had a suspicion they were trying to crawl back into their old neighborhoods. The rapid rise of the drug trafficking activity on the streets was indicative enough.”
“And who’s Hiro?” James asked.
“Their Oyabun. When our Grandfather started the hunt on the Yakuza, he was just a Capo. But Hiro Naoki always had higher aspirations. He’d stop at nothing to become an Oyabun. It’s like being a capo di tutti i capi, boss of all bosses. He’s ruthless, and there’s nothing too low or too grim for that man if it means achieving his goals. Nothing is sacred.”
“And they have Francesca?” Alison asked.
“We can’t know for certain. She’s been gone for two days, and now I found that note in her bedroom.”
“In her bedroom?” Alison picked up on that little detail. I shot her a warning glare, making her put her hands up in mock surrender.
“I’m worried. The Yakuza is a heavy-weight enemy. I can’t underestimate the slightest of signs.”
They were savages in my eyes. They didn’t care who they had to fuck to get what they wanted. Family was a whole different concept for them than it was for us.
They accepted new members into the family with ease, not even blood-related ones, as long as the prospects accepted to cut all their real family ties, transferring their loyalty to the gang.
Automutilation was their way of penance. If one of them crossed their new family, they had to cut off the tip of their little finger and offer it as a gift of repentance to their boss.
There was cultural meaning behind it. Some shit about weakening their grip on a sword from the loss of the finger.
Fucking self inflicted!
It takes a different level of fucked up to do that sort of shit.
How did I know all this?
My best friend from college was a Naoki. Hiro Naoki’s son, to be more precise. After the massacre, our friendship took a sharp left into the deadly enemies lane.
His father had been caught in the crossfire and was in a coma for several months, dangling between making it and meeting his goddamn maker in Hell.
Knowing all this was what made me wary.
They had specifically targeted Francesca. I just couldn’t understand why. The Amato’s hadn’t taken part in the massacre, so why them? Why her?
“This note seems personal. Whoever it is calls Francesca my baby. That sounds too lovey-dovey to be a threat,” Alison pointed out, James and Max agreeing with her with their insistent nods. My blood boiled over at the image automatically painted in my mind.
The elevator doors dinged before opening. Without hesitation, six guns were drawn and aimed at whoever decided to crash this party.
Without so much as a flinch or fucks to give, Francesca strode in, taking in the sight of every barrel pointed her way with a brow lifted in defiance.
Fuck she was sexy.
“What? What happened?” She asked with an innocent expression on her face.
“LEAVE! All of you. NOW!” My voice came out deadly. Murderous tension spilled onto my raging words while my gaze burned through my wife. In less than a minute, we were alone. No questions asked. Not when I was in future Don Battaglia mode.
Before leaving, I saw Liam motioning for me to stay calm.
STAY CALM? How the fuck was I supposed to stay calm?
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I growled as soon as the doors closed, quickly closing the gap between us, my face just inches away from hers. “Where the fuck were you? Do you have any idea the mess you were about to create?”
