Page 22 of The Boss

“Why do you think there’s a bounty on his head? The Russos wouldn’t do that, right?” Alonso asks.

“They wouldn’t do it, but it has to be someone who wants him for themselves. And I have no idea who that could be. Jake, Gabe, Marco, I know your dad is retired, but do you think he could help us out?” They look at each other, then at me.

“Maybe. Mom would hate it, but I don’t think she’ll have an issue if he’s just helping with this stuff,” Gabe says.

I nod. “We just need his help on any contacts. I’ll call Kevin and ask for his help. I think we’ll need to ask some of the old guard to come out of retirement for this. And we might need to do things we don’t want to get him back.”

Once everyone has their tasks, they leave my office, and I decide to give Anthony a call to see if this bounty is actually legit.

Once he picks up, I start without even saying hello. “You have some fucking nerve putting a bounty on him.”

“Hello to you too, Gino,” he replies calmly.

“Fuck you,” I grit out.

“You don’t get to talk to me like that. I don’t care where your head is at; you have no right.”

“Someone put a bounty out on Mateo, and I have a feeling someone in your family has something to do with it.” The tension between the two of us is palpable.

Anthony Russo is ruthless, just like my father was. Now, no one can compare to my father, but if he wants someone gone, he’ll make it happen.

“No one within my family would do that or even care to do that. You need to be looking elsewhere,” he says.

“If I find out someone from your family put this bounty out, I will come after you,” I shout at him.

“I’d like to see you try.” Then he hangs up.

Before I set my phone down, it rings again. “Hello,” I say.

“Hello, Gino.” Lorenzo fucking Russo.

“Lorenzo, what do you want?”

“I hear you’re giving my father grief,” he says.

“Well, someone has to consider that his son kidnapped someone,” I growl.

“My father won’t help you. He has no clue of my plan,” he chuckles—fucking chuckles like he’s some sort of comedian.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” he says, almost shrugging it off. “It’s going to be fun watching you try ever so hard to find him, when we both know you won’t be able to without help.”

“Lorenzo, just give him back; he didn't do anything to you.”

“He didn’t, but you sure did, and sending Mateo here was a mistake.” Then he hangs up.

I stare at my phone, trying to understand what both Anthony and Lorenzo just said.

ELEVEN

JULIET

As we all leave Gino’s office, I know I need to tell him.

I hear him on the phone, so I pace the hallway, trying to gather the courage to walk back in there.

That call is the reason I know now is the time. I need to be honest about the other messages.