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“I’ll be the judge of that.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, knowing if I tell Dominic what Milo said to me, there might be bloodshed in the living room. “What’s he doing here?”
“Milo’s the one who tipped me off about Lorenzo.”
I swallow at the sticky lump lodged in the back of my throat. I can’t shake this feeling that having Milo here is a massive mistake. I could be overthinking. My first impression of him definitely left a sour taste on my tongue. This is bigger than that, though. Call it a mother’s instinct, but that man isbadnews.
“I don’t like him,” I whisper. “I don’ttrusthim.”
“To be honest, neither do I.”
I blink up at him, confused and alarmed. “Then what is he doing here?”
“Milo and I are the farthest thing from friends, but right now, we’re on the same side. I need as many allies as I can get, even temporary ones.” Dominic cups my face and presses a kiss to the tip of my nose. “He’s not to be trusted, but I promise you, you can trust him enough to have him in our home.”
Ourhome.
God, that has such a lovely ring to it.
I take a deep breath, though it comes out shaky and thin. “Alright. If you say so.”
“Our meeting is almost over. I’ll let you know when they’ve all gone.”
“I couldn’t help but overhear. You’re making your move tonight?”
He nods. “I don’t want you to worry.”
“You do realize that only makes me worry more, right?”
Dominic smirks, kissing me softly on the lips. “I’ve got everything under control. After tonight, Lorenzo and Renato will be too busy fighting each other to bother dealing with me. That’s when I swoop in for the kill.”
Chapter 27
Dominic
There are six of us, so we divide into two teams of three.
Nico, Tony, and Peter head to SoHo while Johnny, Milo, and I make our way deep into the Downtown Eastside—Lorenzo’s territory, but not for much longer.
It’s true what they say. New York City never sleeps. Even though it’s a few minutes past midnight, the streets are still bustling with activity. There are late-night club goers, nurses working the nightshift, people up to no good. I suppose I fall into that last category. Plenty of lights are still on, and the sound of traffic never goes away. However, it’s less crowded now than during the day. We have to do this now or never.
We walk straight up to Lorenzo’s loan office. Johnny keeps an eye out while Milo douses the side of the building with gasoline. I stand just off to the side, ready to strike a match.
“I gotta hand it to you,” Milo says, laughing as he works. “I never thought you’d go through with this. Figured you’d just up and leave New York, not set your place of work on fire.”
“This is his most profitable business,” I explain casually. “The only way to hurt a man like him is to go after their wallet. The moment he stops producing is the moment he has to answer to the Family.”
“Damn, you really are a cutthroat. I thought you were just Lorenzo’s lapdog through and through.”
“Shut up and hurry,” I snap. “We’ve got to hit all seven of Lorenzo’s businesses.”
Milo steps back, admiring his handwork. “That oughta do it.”
“Stand back.”
I strike the match, listening to the hiss and burn as the flame flickers to life. I toss the matchstick down, the fire catching in an instant. It crawls up the exterior wall, burning with ferocious and mesmerizing might. I’m tempted to watch this place go up in smoke, but there’s still too much for us to destroy.
Within minutes, all of Lorenzo’s precious records will be nothing but ash. Anyone who’s ever owed him a penny will be free and clear now that their contracts are about to be destroyed. With nothing to hold over his customer’s heads, Lorenzo will have no leverage against them. This is a massive financial loss.
