Page 50 of Sicilian Savior

Knox snorted. “Not enough to keep us out, though.”

“So, Victor thinks the Vitalis killed Mario? He doesn’t suspect us?” I asked.

Wes answered, “Yeah. We’re good. He knows they’re pissed at him, so he thinks it was some kind of warning to get him to back down and move out. But I also picked up some chatter this morning that the Vitalis think Victor took out their guys. They think it was a hit to let them know that he’s onto them. And since the guy Knox killed with Mario was Rico Vitali’s brother, shit has seriously hit the fan.”

“Wait,” Knox said. “That dude was Rico Vitali’s brother?”

“Oh, yeah,” Wes said. “You took out the one-and-only brother of the head of the most powerful mafia in Europe.”

“Oof,” Marcus blew out. “Rico Vitali is a big deal.”

“Yep,” Wes agreed. “It was his brother. And those two were tight, so Rico is on the warpath. Rico thinks Victor found out about Mario’s betrayal and sent a team to kill them all. And he wants payback. Bad.”

“Victor does not want to be on the wrong side of the Vitalis,” Marcus said.

Wes blew out a puff of air. “Yeah. Victor is right to double his guard. He’s nothing compared to the Vitalis.”

Knox straightened up taller. “I can’t believe I took out a top Vitali on accident.”

Wes snorted. “Right? Him and almost a dozen of their toughest thugs. But Rico thinks Victor had them killed, and Victor has no idea that they think he did it. If only he knew the hellfire coming his way with Rico out to avenge his brother. He just thinks they’re gunning for him to get off their turf, and that’s why they killed Mario. The Vitalis allowed him to operate here when he moved from the States because he didn’t overstep, but Victor got a big head and started moving into their turf.”

“Not smart,” Marcus said. “Victor may have been a heavy hitter in the States, but he’s a small fry when it comes to the Vitalis.”

“And now, Rico Vitali isn’t going to stop until he gets justice for his brother,” Wes said.

“So, they both think the other side killed their man, but really it was Knox?” I asked.

“Pretty much sums it up.” Wes chuckled.

“And Victor has no idea that they think he killed Franco? So, he has no idea they are really out to get him now?”

“Yep,” Wes responded. “Knox really kicked the hornet’s nest for both sides.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re moving tomorrow,” Knox said. “We don’t want the Vitalis to get their hands on Luca, especially when they think he’s the son of the man who killed Franco. It was one thing when they were gonna hold him to teach him a lesson, but now things have changed. They believe in blood for blood, and they won’t hesitate to kill a kid as a response. The sooner we get Luca out of this shit, the better. What’s the rest of the plan?”

As Marcus went through his strategy, I listened in on every detail. How he and Knox would breach the stone wall surrounding the place. How Piper would use her new inside position to get to Luca first, handing him a phone so he could see me on the screen, and I could convince him to go with her without them having to force him out. How Marcus would meet Piper and help her extract Luca to the part of the wall where they had a sling ready to hoist him and Piper to safety. Then, Marcus would go back in and make sure Knox didn’t have trouble taking Victor out.

It sounded so simple the way they explained it, but I knew how much could go wrong... how much of a risk they were taking to help me.

“Thank you. All of you. I know you don’t have to do this, but it just means the world to me. I’d almost given up hope I’d ever get him back until Knox came into my life.”

Marcus smiled softly. “If it were my kid, I’d smash the world to pieces to get her back. I never even hesitated for a second when Knox called for help. There’s a kid’s life on the line here, and we aren’t the kind of people to sit back and watch that go down. Not when we can help.”

“Here, here,” Wes said. “I mean, I know I’m not there in the ‘life on the line’ part, but just so you know, if you needed me there, I would be. I’m not as well-trained as this band of merry assassins, but I’ve been through the basics. I can kick a little ass if I need to.”

“You’d get us all killed, Pretty Boy,” Knox teased.

I heard Piper snort through the computer before covering it with a cough.

“I’m just saying,” Wes went on, “I’ve been working out. You here that, Piper? I’ve got a six-pack now. Boom.”

Another snicker through the screen.

Marcus pushed his hands on his knees and stood up. “I’m gonna go call Irene and turn in. You guys enjoy the house tonight. And thanks for dinner, Lucia. That was amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” I answered. “And I’ll make you guys an authentic Sicilian breakfast tomorrow to get you the energy you need to get Luca.”

“I’m kinda pissed I don’t get the cooking,” Wes said. “It looked damn good.”