Page 34 of The Bond

“Mrs. Romano-De Luca,” my wife corrected.

I grinned inwardly. Should have guessed that she’d choose to stick with both names, despite the combination now being long as hell. It was her way of showing that the two families were joined now. Our fates were intertwined. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Mrs. Romano-De Luca,” the agent corrected. “Whatever extralegal violence you’re planning...don’t. Your mafia tactics are not welcome in my agency.”

“We’re not going to use violence,” she said. “We are going to bring him directly to you so the FBI won’t have to do anything. We also plan on including evidence when we hand him over, that way we can bolster our case. Does that satisfy you, Agent Jasinski?”

“No, it does not. I won’t be satisfied until that terrorist is off the streets,” the agent said.

“Clearly, you want him far more than you want to waste your time with some businessman’s dealings going a little off the rails,” Valentina said.

“Your father is no businessman and you are no businesswoman,” Agent Jasinski snapped. “You, Mrs. Romano-De Luca, are just as ruthless and violent as the rest. Funny thing is, if I weren’t so disgusted with what you people did for a living, I might admire that there was a woman running things the way you are. You might say I’d allow myself to be impressed by you.”

“A pity,” Valentina said.

“Yes, indeed. You’re fortunate that we want that terrorist far more than we want the mafia,” Jasinski said. “Organized crime is at least predictable and tries to avoid civilian bystanders. The public is far more likely to want a terrorist brought to justice and the FBI needs a win.”

“I know nothing about the mafia,” Valentina said innocently. “I’m a simple businesswoman trying to do the right thing.”

Jasinski sighed audibly. “What I can do, is hash out an immunity deal with your lawyer, Mr. Mario Lupino here. He’s credible. We’ve worked with him before and we like him.”

“So it’s agreed,” Valentina said. “Complete immunity from investigation, charges, or prosecution for all Romano and De Luca family members. The federal government drops every case it has against all of us.”

“The deal only takes effect when you bring that terrorist to us and we’re satisfied that he is who you say he is,” Agent Jasinski muttered.

“That’s fair,” Valentina said, reaching out her hand to Jasinski.

There she was, surrounded by a bunch of men. A lone woman in a man’s world. Despite her father trying to isolate her and deny her power, she was wielding power far better than he was. She was using it to protect not just her family, but mine as well. Because she had decided to do what was right instead of merely choosing blind loyalty. Both of us had refused to just go along with our fathers, and difficult as that was, we now had each other. We would face both of our fathers together, the pair of us finally resisting them after years of going along with their misrule. It was time for both of us to fix our fathers’ mistakes and set things right.

The agent looked at her in surprise, but he took her hand, shaking it momentarily. “Mario and I will draw up an immunity deal for both families. However, the rest is up to you. There will be no immunity without the US National Bank bomber being handed over to the FBI. You have to be the ones to hand him over. If the FBI reaches him before you do, there’s no deal. Do we have an understanding?”

“We do,” Valentina said with a nod.

Valentina and I stayed to help write up the immunity deal with Mario’s help. It was a good deal. Better than we could have hoped. But as I helped Valentina into the front passenger seat of my car in the lot downstairs, I knew that time wasn’t on our side. That meant our honeymoon was going to be delayed.

Because if the FBI got our hitman before we did, the deal was worthless. That meant that somehow we had to outsmart the FBI, all while trying to prevent another attack. But if there was one thing I knew, it was that if anyone stood a chance of catching our shared enemy, it was Valentina. She could do anything. I’d seen that firsthand. Between the immunity deal and trying to close in on the would-be assassin, my wife had gotten us this far. I had to believe that we’d get to the killer before he got to us.

Chapter 14

Valentina

Days after going to the FBI office, I was getting ready to see my mother.

“You’re sure about this?” Enzo asked, helping me zip up the back of my cocktail dress.

I had arranged to meet Mom at one of my family’s more upscale restaurants. That way, we’d be able to have a conversation without arousing my father’s suspicions. He wouldn’t think anything nefarious or clandestine was going on if I was just going to have a nice dinner with Mom. Meanwhile, I’d be trying to get information out of her. If there was anyone who might know something about who my father had hired to set the fire, it was my mother. Even if she wasn’t conscious of the value of the information she had, even one small scrap of intel could lead us to the hitman.

“I’m sure,” I said with more confidence than I felt. In truth, I was feeling nervous and guilty. I hated the idea of using my mother to track down the hitman. I didn’t like lying to her, but my father had left us with little choice. Papa had said it himself—he wouldn’t reveal a name even if he was threatened with prison. If anything, Enzo’s presence that day at my family home had just made my father dig his heels in even more. Going in guns blazing hadn’t worked, so clearly we needed a more subtle approach. That meant secretly questioning my mom for information while using alcohol to get her to open up.

“Papa tells my mother more than he tells me sometimes,” I added. “If he’s given my mom some kind of clue, I have to try to get it. This is probably our best chance at gathering new intel.”

“And you’re sure you don’t need me there?” my husband asked, concern in his voice.

“I’ll always need you, but we want Mom to be unguarded tonight,” I said. “Talking to her one-on-one is our best bet right now.”

He smiled and pulled me close to kiss the corner of my mouth, avoiding smudging my lipstick. “You call me as soon as you get there.”

I smiled back and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, wishing I could bring him with me. Much as we needed to get information out of my mother, I desperately wanted to spend the night here in the townhouse, making love to my husband. But I had a duty and time was of the essence. We needed to get to the hitman before he struck again. Before the FBI got to him. Otherwise, we’d have no deal and we’d all be in danger of an FBI investigation, my father especially.