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Kira snorts, “So because you’re a Don now, you think you can take whoever you want from the streets? Don Sorvino will not stand for this.”
I watch her carefully. I don’t particularly want to be near her, not after how she left me, but I know she matters a lot to Alessandro. She matters almost as much as Arianna.
I don’t know what to do. My emotions are running high, and I can’t think straight. Mostly, I want to let her go so she’s not near me. Being in her presence is intoxicating, and it brings back memories I don’t want to remember, feelings I don’t want to feel.
I lift a hand to wave her off, but she spits at my feet. “If you think I’ll do anything for you, you’ve got another thing coming.”
That coldness in her voice, that resentment and hatred, it’s so clear that I find I can immediately shut off my own emotions. Coldness replaces my confusion when I’m around her, and I tilt my head to the side and chuckle. “It’s fine, cousins. She’s right. She does mean a lot to Don Sorvino, enough for us to continue with our plan.”
“Should we leave her here with you for now?” Lyle asks, shifting awkwardly. He can sense the tension between the two of us, and he doesn’t like it.
I shake my head. “You can untie her and release her into the guest bedroom. Nothing she can do from there. Then come back so I can tell you how to send a message about her to the Sorvino family.”
I watch as my cousins cut the cable ties holding Kira’s feet and hands together, and then they each take an arm and lead her toward the guest room. I turn to face the city again.
The sun is high now, and the city has lost its magic. Now it’s just another grimy, industrial city with a section of trees just visible in the distance: Central Park, one of my favorite places as a child.
Of course, the park is enormous, but it’s surrounded by the concrete jungle of apartment buildings and office blocks. The roar of the city rises as traffic congests, and more people join the pedestrians on the sidewalks.
Most people would find the view dizzying if they were not used to heights, but New Yorkers are used to it. We love being on top of the world because we are just that, on top of the world. Everyone wants to live here, work here, and be here. New York is an experience, a culture shock, and it will be all mine to rule over when I dethrone Alessandro Sorvino and pull all other families under my rule.
Lyle and Jarred come back. I hear their footsteps and turn around. “Have the kitchen make her something to eat. We should, of course, show common courtesy to our enemies. It’s what is done. Lyle, you stay. Jarred, you go organize that.”
Jarred leaves, and I turn to Lyle. “Did she have a car?”
“It’s down at the docks. We had to smash the back window to get in to get her,” he explains.
“Okay, see if you can get it and drop it off at one of the warehouses. Then I want you to send a bike messenger to La Club with a message for Alessandro.”
I lead him into my office and sit down at my computer. I pull up our family letterhead on the screen and type a letter underneath it.
Don Sorvino,
By the time you’re reading this, you may already be concerned for the welfare of your cousin Kira. She is safe in my custody for now.
Should you try and retaliate against my family again, she will no longer be enjoying the hospitality of the Rossi family.
We need to meet for negotiations for her trade.
I prefer to meet in neutral territory: one guard each, no other guns allowed.
Should you agree to this, send word with a messenger to my casino on Seventh Avenue, a stamped envelope marked for my attention.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Don Rossi
I print that off, and as my printer clicks and clacks, I look at Lyle, “Make sure it gets at least into his sister's hands at La Club. She’ll ensure that it gets to him. Do not go yourself. They will kill you instantly.” I pull the sheet of paper out the printed and fold it neatly. I tuck it into an envelope and seal it. I pick up a stamp on the side of the table, ink it on an ink pad, and stamp the Rossi family symbol where the envelope seals.
I hand it over to Lyle and nod. “Be quick, so you can get her car before the family does.”
“What are you going to do with her while you wait?” he asks curiously.
I give him a look. “Are you questioning me?”
“No, Don Rossi,” he says respectfully, bowing slightly. “I’ll be on my way.”
“Leave Jarred here. He can stand guard in case she tries to escape. Sorvino’s like to try their luck at the best of times.”
