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“Yes, sir.” Dante inclined his head and his eyes were burning with an interesting passion and rage.
Don Leone pushed his chair back. Dante helped the man stand, though I didn’t think he needed it. Don Leone looked at his Capo for a long moment before shaking his head. “I’ll approve of this war for now,” he said. “Do what you believe needs doing. I will deal with that fool Maksim. The old pig can’t allow his son to run wild, no matter what he might think, the boy doesn’t own this city.”
“I agree, sir,” Dante said. “How should I handle it?”
“As I said, however you see fit. Try not to kill Vlas, but if you have to use violence against some of his men, then so be it.”
A strange look flashed across Dante’s face. It was half excitement, half anger. He wanted to hurt some of those bastards, but he clearly resented the Don stopping him from going after Vlas directly.
“Thank you, sir,” he said.
Don Leone patted Dante’s arm. He took up his cane and the two of them moved to the door. They reached the hallway before Don Leone paused and looked back at me.
“It was lovely meeting you, dear,” he said. “I can see what Dante sees in you. Perhaps you’re worth a war, or perhaps not. I suppose time will tell.” He turned and began to walk again. Dante didn’t look to me, only moved along with his Don in silence.
I sat back in my chair and stared at the table for a long moment without speaking. Steven walked past me and followed Dante and Don Leone outside. Gino lingered near the table then gave me a smile.
“Sorry,” he said, his voice soft. “I should’ve warned you.”
I smiled back and shook my head. “I should’ve figured it out.”
“Don Leone doesn’t look like what you’d expect. But that man is something else. Don’t let him trick you.”
I nodded a little and he nodded back before heading down the hall, following the others.
I sat there for another moment before getting up, walking over to the abandoned teacup, and taking it over to the sink. I rinsed it, put it into the dishwasher, then stared at my hands.
The idea that I could be worth going to war over…
It made my heart beat hard in my chest.
I didn’t want war. Nobody had to die on my account. My father already lost his life, and the idea that Dante might put himself or any of his men in danger for me made me want to vomit in my mouth. I hated the position they were putting me in, like I was some object they had to guard at all costs.
But I didn’t know what else to do. Because in the end, Dante thought I was worth it, and I didn’t think I could change his mind.
Or if I really wanted to.11DanteThere was a light drizzle as I leaned back into the leather seat of my SUV. Steven sat behind the wheel, his gun in his lap, frowning down the block. Ryan and Biagio sat quietly in the back seat, not speaking with each other, just staring out the window.
I watched water trickle past in the gutter, running over trash and half-chewed gum before disappearing down a storm drain. Nobody moved on the sidewalks, though the neon-colored signs of the bars on this block still glowed, despite it being past one in the morning. I could taste the storm and my blood pumped excitement with each heavy beat of my heart.
“They ready?” I asked Steven.
He nodded. “Parked a half hour ago.”
“Good.” I lifted my own weapon, a simple Glock, dependable and efficient. I checked the slide, made sure the magazine was full, and leaned against the window. “Shit night for it.”
“Or a good night, depending on how you see it.”
I grunted a little and shrugged. We were on some beat-up block in South Philly on the edge of my territory, just over the dividing line. There were crumbling, boarded-up houses on the left, brick fronts and gray concrete stoops leading to red doors. On the right were shops, some closed, but most full. There were a couple of restaurants, one Mexican place that was open late, one coffee joint that’d been closed for hours, and a few bars stretching down to the corner. Drunk college kids liked to come around here and wander from the Mexican place into one of the dives a few doors down, but it looked like nobody wanted to be out in the rain, which was a blessing in some ways.
I watched the door of our target without a word. The sign read MAXI BAR in bright red neon, though the windows were papered over with black and a lone bouncer sat out in front of the door. He looked bored and kept checking his phone, like he didn’t expect much to happen. He hadn’t noticed us, not in the hour we’d been sitting in the car, just waiting.
