Page 123 of Vow Of Fire

“No problem,” she said, getting up. “In that case, I’m going to head off. I’ve got a high-stakes poker game on tonight and I need to be on site.”

“Watch your back,” Leo muttered, as she glided past.

“Always do,” she retorted, giving his arm a squeeze as she left the room.

I listened while they hashed out the finer details, in which Dante played an important part. Targeted hits on two of the cartel’s key players, both unsavory guys by the sounds of it. Not that that justified anything. Russian weapons. Bratva MO.

I decided I didn’t want to hear any more, but I couldn’t leave.

“You have a problem with this?” Marco asked, his sly gaze landing on me. He wanted me to react, wanted a reason to oust me from the inner sanctum. See, she’s not trustworthy, he’d say.

So I refused to give him one. Instead, I shook my head.

“Good,” he said, unconvinced.

The discussion moved on. Eventually, when everyone had been assigned tasks, Leo got to his feet, helped by Nico.

“I will leave this in your capable hands,” he said to Valentina, who gave a regal nod.

“Let me see you to your car,” Marco said, getting off the barstool, but Leo lifted a hand and turned to me.

“That’s all right. Evelyn can walk me out.”

33

CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE

Dante

My gut twisted as I watched Evelyn walk Il Lupo to the door. What the hell did my grandfather want with her? Was he going to warn her? Threaten her? Question her about our relationship?

Leo had been feared for a reason. In his prime, he’d been cunning, strategic, and utterly ruthless when necessary, though never reckless with violence. Every move he made had served a purpose. Every punishment sent a message.

Under his rule, the Marcelli empire had flourished, evolving from a traditional crime family into something far more sophisticated and untouchable. He was the foundation of the reputation we had today. Not Valentina, though she would fiercely disagree with that assessment.

My mother had simply continued in the same vein. Our enemies feared us. Our allies respected us. And the people under our protection remained fiercely loyal because we delivered exactly what we promised. Stability. Security. Power.

We weren’t some street gang trading bullets on corners or engaging in sloppy drive-bys. The Marcellis had outgrown that decades ago. Our battlefield now was corporate boardrooms, political offices, the construction industry, and international shipping routes.

Violence still existed, of course. People like us could never truly escape bloodshed. But it was controlled. Precise. Professional.

Not to mention profitable. With four ambitious children, Valentina had expanded the business even further. We’d moved aggressively into cyber operations, financial hacking, surveillance tech, underground gambling, vice, and high-end black-market logistics, all while maintaining the traditional pipelines that had built the family fortune in the first place.

The Marcellis no longer operated only in the shadows; we operated in the bright light of day too.

Evelyn was gone for nearly ten minutes and I was about to go and find her, when she reappeared, looking flushed.

“All good?” I asked her, lifting a brow.

“Yes, fine.”

I knew it wasn’t. The sly old fox had said something to her, and I was going to find out what as soon as we got out of here. As always, when I was with my family, there was a point where I’d had enough and it was time to leave.

I got up, said my goodbyes, and, taking Evelyn’s arm, steered her back toward the door.

“Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” she asked, as we got into the SUV.

“Reached saturation point.” I turned to her. “What did Leo say to you?”