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Chapter 25
Lucas
It wasn’t long before Emil was knocking on the door, and we were walking downstairs, Leda’s hand in mine. A D’Agostino standing against her father. That was what they were going to see.
Emil was waiting near the door. “You still want to do this?”
What choice did I have?
I released Leda’s hand and straightened the cuffs of my jacket before looking over at Leda. She was pale, and I debated on sending her back upstairs before deciding that she wouldn’t listen to me anyway.
“You ready?” I asked her. “They’re waiting.”
She swallowed a few times before straightening her shoulders and giving me a tight nod. “I’m ready.”
She looked so fucking powerful that I wanted to take her against the nearest wall and bury my cock inside her warmth. Emil probably wouldn’t appreciate it, so I turned to him. “Open the door.”
He did, and the capos started to file in, wariness and hesitancy heavy in their expressions. They were probably thinking what we were: that this must be some sort of trap, and at any moment, they would lose their lives.
Leda had swayed them, but not all of them were completely convinced just yet.
Leda stepped forward, and I watched from the sidelines as she greeted them all. I smirked when they bowed their heads like she was the fucking Don. I would be lying if I said it didn’t get under my skin, but I was glad it was her they were bowing to and not Adrian or her father.
So, I stepped forward and greeted them at her side, listening to not only the capos but some of the soldiers that had lost their entire leadership structure to Carmine.
“It’s good to see you alive, Don Valentino,” one of the capos said as he bowed. “That fucking bastard needs to pay for what he has done. He has no right.”
“Agreed,” I told him, giving him a grim smile. “And we will. With everyone’s help, we will.” I believed that we could take Carmine and Adrian down. I just needed some power behind me.
The steady stream of people soon came to a halt. I had to admit that I was surprised by the numbers. Leda had done a good job getting this much manpower willing to take on the powerhouse that we were all up against.
“Thank you all for coming,” Leda announced, and there was hardness in her voice that commanded respect. “We are all here with the same goal in mind. To give to you what had been promised.”
“Vengeance.” Some of them replied. “Power. Honor through blood.”
I clasped my hands behind my back and watched her work, realizing that everyone, including me, might have underestimated Leda. I knew her father did, but where I stood, she looked every inch a Don in her own right. She spoke flawlessly to the group, not an ounce of fear on her lovely face, and damn, even I was sucked into what she was saying.
“You want retribution for what happened,” she continued, her eyes flashing. “But I know my father better than anyone else in this room. He will expect us to come at him like moths to the flame. We must be as cold and calculating as he is. We must understand what he wants, and exploit every crack in his armor. To take him down when he least expects it. For now, my father is still in consolidation mode. Most of you have been driven underground, but he knows you’re still around. He may have your businesses and your associates, but you have something he doesn’t: knowledge.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“An age-old tactic,” I spoke up, not looking over at Leda. “Hit and run. Get them to respond, and let the NYPD hit back harder.”
We hadn’t discussed this before, nor had Leda shared with me what her true plans were, but I felt like I had to say something. If nothing else, I knew how to piss people off. And there was nothing that pissed off rivals more than having their businesses disrupted.
Hit and runs were mostly used as smokescreens for a larger plan, meant to draw the fire off whatever the plan was and have the cops focus on where the violence was happening.
It wasn’t the best idea I had ever had, but my guess was that once we started provoking attacks on the enemy, they would either have to draw back on their retaliation or fight, which would only expose them in the end.
“We’ve done this to each other countless times,” I continued, catching a few eyes. “But this time, we will have one target, one goal: to draw out Carmine and Adrian. We keep them off balance and stay on the offensive.” The cops would be pawns and would have no fucking idea that we were controlling their moves.
“Solid start,” one agreed with a nod. “If we put the pressure on from all sides, then they will start making mistakes. I still got a handful of boys who are more than happy for a little payback.”
There was a murmur of agreement all around the room, and only then did I attempt to steal a glance at Leda. The pride infused on her face was all the confidence I needed.
“But what happens after we start this?” one asked. “What happens after we win? Do we all become part of the Cavazzo Mafia?”
I wanted to say yes. My heart swelled at the thought of the power that I would have, the fingers that would reach out past lines I had only stared at before now. I would be the most powerful Mafia Don on the East Coast, with enough business dealings to keep Leda draped in diamonds for the rest of her days.
