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Chapter 31
Dominic
It’s almost midnight. I’ve made one of Renato’s old gambling dens—one of the few we didn’t burn down to its foundation—my new base of operations. The construction crew was swift to gut the place, renovating everything to my exact specifications. It’s centrally located between both Renato and Lorenzo’s old territories, which gives me better control of all happenings within my newly founded kingdom.
“They found a body,” Milo informs me.
I forgot the bastard doesn’t bother with knocking, but I’m too on edge to call him out on it. “Where? Do you think it’s Elio?”
Milo hands me his phone where an image is already pulled up. It’s grainy and poorly lit, but it’s obviously of a cadaver resting on a cold examination table in the morgue. I’ll admit that some of the body’s features are strikingly similar to Elio’s—same nose, same hair, same square jaw—but…
“That’s not him,” I say.
“How can you tell?”
“Head’s too small.”
Milo rolls his eyes. “Are you fucking serious? Is this your idea of a joke?”
“When have I ever given the impression that I care for comedy? I need you to keep looking.”
“I’m telling you, it’shim.”
I grind my teeth, pausing for a moment. Am I in denial? Elio was a giant pain in my ass, but he was also a dear friend. The thought of him actually being gone is too difficult for my brain to understand. I’m not ready to grieve again. Fuck, I don’t think I ever stopped grieving after Tomasso was killed. There’s a good chance that my refusal to believe Elio’s been murdered is my brain’s way of protecting me from the shock.
I swallow hard at the sticky lump in the back of my throat. “Get me a positive ID,” I say. “I’m not going to write him off until then.”
Milo clicks his tongue. Even though he’s on the other side of my office, I can smell his smug arrogance stinking up my air. “No wonder they’re all so loyal to you. If I ever go missing, will you send out the search party for me, too?”
I glare at him. I’ve always hated this guy, but he knows my answer. He’s one of us, a part of a bigger whole. Of course I’d search for him if he went missing. “I don’t play favorites.”
Milo puts a hand over his heart and gives me a cheeky grin. “I’m flattered.”
“Now, get out of here. Don’t come back until you’ve found Elio.”
“Dead or alive?”
“Preferably the latter.”
“Will do,boss.” His tone makes it sound like an insult. I pay him no mind. Sometimes the only way to deal with yapping dogs is to ignore them until they wear themselves out.
When he leaves, all the stress I’ve been carrying suddenly doubles down to crush my shoulders into my chest. To say I’m exhausted is an understatement. I’m so bone tired that I’m two blinks away from passing out where I stand. Lorenzo’s racket was easy enough to rearrange and consolidate, but Renato’s books were a mess. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out his accountants had been skimming off the top because that’s just how disorganized his numbers were.
All I want is to go home, fix myself a scotch, kiss my daughter, and hold Arin in my arms. The sooner I get all this sorted, the better.
Johnny is stationed outside my apartment door on security detail. Good.
He’s also falling asleep on the job, his head bobbing as he tries to keep his eyes awake. Not so good.
“Report,” I say.
Johnny snaps to attention with a snort. “Wh—uh… All clear, signore. We arrived home after her go-see event around five.”
“How’d it go?”
“Boring as hell, signore.”
“Not for you. Forher.”
