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Which is why I need to deal with Tommaso now. Once he’s gone, no one else will care that I took Pia for myself.
After calling a meeting with my men to go over our plans, I head out, reminding my sisters to keep an eye on Pia. Adelina agrees right away, but Serafina takes some convincing. Once I promise her that she can go shopping tomorrow, she agrees not to bully Pia.
I kiss Pia before I go, and she responds in kind, but there’s a hesitancy in her kiss that worries me. She was so gung-ho around me before. Why the sudden change?
But I don’t have time to question it. Duty calls.
I drive into the city, my mind racing with ideas of how to stop Tommaso. I need to get him cornered so I can kill him. That’s the only way this ends.
We meet at an old, abandoned chapel in a dingy part of the city, far from where I live, so if I’m spotted, none of my enemies can find my house.
Only my inner circle is at this meeting—ten men in total. A lot more men work for me, but they’re soldiers who do dirty work. The men here today are the ones I trust the most with any private information.
“Dario.” Matteo nods. He’s scruffy, unkept, and wearing a leather jacket proclaiming the name of the motorcycle club he heads—The Raptors. Even though he has his own group of men who call him boss, we work together. The two of us have joined forces over the years to help each other out in times of need. Matteo even sent some of his men to help me attack Tommaso’s mansion.
I give him a nod in return as I approach the front of the old church. All the pews inside have been ripped out and thrown away, leaving behind a discolored carpet. The place smells like mildew. Not the best spot for one’s health but a great spot to hold meetings since no one ever comes here.
The rest of my men show their respects, too, then it’s time to start the meeting.
“I was told that Tommaso Vitale was spotted in my territory. Where?”
“By the ocean,” Riccardo, one of my more intense confidants, announces. “Not too far from your house. If he finds out where you live, Dario, he could kill you, and then what?”
A burst of chatter arises, and I raise a hand to shut them up. “Tommaso Vitale is not going to kill me. I’ll be the one killing him.”
Matteo leans casually against the wall. “I thought your initial plan was only to hurt him. I didn’t sign up to kill other mob bosses and get involved in an all-out war.”
“There won't be a war once I kill Tommaso. He’s only targeting me because I took his daughter. Once he’s dead, we can take out any competition that rises.”
“Then kill him.” Matteo makes it sound so simple.
“Well, if I knew exactly where he was, then I would. Do you have any more leads on his location?”
“We could attack his home again and, this time, kill him for good. You got in once before. No reason you couldn’t again,” Riccardo says.
“That’s not a terrible plan, but he’d have the advantage of the home turf, and he knows I got in before. He’s probably locked his home up already. There’d be no way we could ever get in.”
“It’s still worth a shot,” Riccardo says. “None of us else knows where he could be. Tommaso doesn’t get out. He’s only been seen now because he’s looking for you. If you don’t want him finding your own home, then go to his and attack. It’s your only shot. He won’t expect you to strike again.”
“He has a point,” Matteo adds. “I don’t want to be a part of any war, but I’m willing to end one. I’ll go with you to kill Vitale, and you can claim his territory. Just be sure not to forget what my men and I have done for you.”
“I would never. I always stick to my promises.” I think about the idea some more and finally say, “All right. Let’s attack him again.”
“Maybe your wife knows about any secret ways into his home,” Matteo says.
“I’m not bringing my wife into this,” I snap.
Matteo holds up his hands. “It’s just an idea. She knows that house better than any of us. Better than you. It’s worth asking her if she knows how we can sneak attack Vitale.”
“Fine,” I grumble. “I’ll ask. But that’s it. I won’t include her in anything else. I don’t want her getting hurt.”
Riccardo frowns. “I know you stole Vitale’s wife to hurt him, but it’s starting to sound like you might care for the girl. I never knew you to be soft, boss.”
“I’m not. I’m just not going to risk her after I went to so much trouble to get her.” That shuts up the rest of their grumbling. “I’ll talk to her today about it, and tomorrow, we’ll attack. No point in wasting time.”
I leave a few hours later after we’ve gone over in detail how we’re going to attack Tommaso again. I drive home feeling like a small weight is being lifted off me. I have a plan to end this, and then Pia is all mine. I’ll never have to worry again about Tommaso showing up in the night to take her back.
Once I get home, I quickly head upstairs to find Pia. She’s sitting on the balcony, overlooking the ocean, lost in thought. She’s a vision, even in her simple sundress. What I would give to lay her down on the ground and claim her as mine. But she’s holding back, and I still need to figure out why.
