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I hold my hand up. “They missed,” I say as Leonid hurries in. “But they knew I’d be there, and if I hadn’t forgotten my phone in the car, I’d probably be dead.”
“Thank God you’re not,” Leonid says, then he turns to eye out Tori. “Is this your cousins doing?”
Tori frowns, but I involuntarily snap at Leonid before she can say anything. “Give it a damn rest. Not everything is the fucking Italians.”
“There was an attempt on your life, Ivan, and the Italians will gain a lot from your death,” Leonid says, looking sorry for himself.
I turn to Evgeni. “Find out who ordered the hit. I want to return the favor as soon as possible.”
Evgeni leaves immediately, and Leonid perks up. “It could be the Italians. It is a possibility.”
I turn to Tori. “Speak to Don Sorvino. Find out if he ordered the hit?”
Tori nods. “I can, but they won’t tell me anything with your men there.”
“Phone your brother to collect you, and tell him to bring guards. I don’t want you getting hurt,” I say, then watch her leave.
“It’s a bad idea to trust her, Ivan. This could all be part of their plan to get revenge. Don’t you see that? You’re assuming she will be honest if the Italians did put a hit out for you.” Leonid is frustrated. I can see that. I pull my gun out, grab his shirt and slam his back into the wall, placing my gun under his chin as I growl, “I trust her, Leonid. That is the end of this goddam discussion. Now piss off and make yourself useful, and find out who the fuck put a hit on me! The Sorvinos are not the only fucking enemies I have.”
Leonid looks livid, but he won’t talk back to me. I’ve effectively chosen Tori over him. We both know that, but Leonid leaves without a word after I release him. I feel fuck all. Does he think I’m an idiot? That I don’t know who to trust.
Until Tori proves she can’t be trusted, I will trust her. I’ve given her no reason to lie to me.
I sit at my office and shoot a text to Anastasia to come to see me. I pour myself a glass of bourbon while I wait for her, sitting back and sipping on it. I go over and over in my head who could possibly have it out for me. That list is long. I’ve fucked with many people in my life as a career criminal. There’s no shortage of people who would be happy to see me dead.
I still don’t think it was the Sorvinos, though. If I die, Leonid takes over. They don’t want me out of the way until they gain some of my territories.
There’s a soft knock at the door, and I look up at my daughter. “Ana, we need to talk. Sit down.”
She knows when I’m serious and hurries to sit in the armchair in front of my desk. “What’s wrong, father?”
“There was an attempt on my life today,” I won’t sugarcoat it for her. She knows what kind of life I lead. “And I don’t know if they’ll try to get to me through you or Tori, so I don’t want you going anywhere without your security details. Do you understand me? This is serious. Don’t evade them or leave them outside. Have them with you at all times.”
Anastasia looks sad and asks, “Are you okay, though?”
“I’m fine, honey. They were lousy shots, to begin with.”
Ana gets up and comes around to hug me. “I promise I’ll take security everywhere.”
“Good girl. For now, though, stay in the apartment for the day, okay?”
She nods and leaves quietly.
I sip on my bourbon, going over my list of enemies in my head.
Chapter 16 - Vittoria
While I wait outside, Ivan’s guards protect me. Luigi arrives in his car, followed by security from our family. I bid Ivan’s guards farewell and got into the car. Luigi pulls into traffic and immediately asks, “What happened?”
“Someone tried to kill Ivan,” I say calmly. “He wants me to ask Alessandro if this is from him.”
“He trusts you that much?” Luigi laughs. “The fucking idiot.”
I feel so guilty when he says that. Ivan has been very trusting of me and always defends me against Leonid, who clearly suspects I’m up to something. I fidget slightly, and Luigi asks, “Is anything wrong? Is he hurting you?”
I shake my head. “Don’t worry. I’m taking care of myself.”
We reach Alessandro’s estate, and I’m led to his office to wait for him. Luigi promises he’s just outside the room if I need him, which I find sweet of my brother.
