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Ididn't like the ideaof getting Intel from someone within Andrea's organization but after hearing Isabella's story, I believed her. I hoped that my trust in her would not be in vain. Isabella told me how she was able to access Gianni's computer and how she found plans to travel to Corsica after abducting Mia. It made sense. I had enemies in Corsica that would be willing to help other enemies of mine. After all, there was a reason for the saying the enemy of my enemy is my friend. If Andrea couldn't take me down himself, the coward would run to someone more powerful like the Corsicans. And he was right in one regard, I never would have expected it.
I hadn't given much thought to the Corsicans since we took down that team of shooters five years ago. Memories flashed in my mind of the attack on the beach, when the men threatened to take Mia, describing all the horrible things they wanted to do to her while I watched. The thought of her being in their custody, and their country along with Andrea who was a monster in his own right, was more than I could bear. I pushed my fears out of my mind and blocked out the thoughts of what Mia might be going through at that very moment so that I could focus on getting her back. I called an emergency meeting of all the most trusted men in the organization, along with a few other capos who I knew had strong forces. I also called La Guerriglia for help. He had the largest militant group of men, loyal only to him, outside of an official Italian crime family. Best of all, he was a loyal friend to me.
If Mia had still been in Italy, I would have already stormed wherever she was being kept, shooting down anyone in my way, but traveling to another country would be tricky. Especially somewhere as tightly controlled as Corsica. It wasn't that the French government was keeping a close look on the island, but no one came into or out of Corsica without the Corsican mob knowing about it. They were well infiltrated which meant we had to be extremely careful.
Choosing the wrong entry point could mean the difference between making it to save Mia or being stopped at the port before we even stood a chance.
There were no borders to sneak across, there was only the open sea, ready to expose any vessel that headed toward its shores. We had to be extremely smart. I didn't have many contacts in France but luckily I knew someone who did. La Guerriglia was an independent mercenary who gained his nickname from his preferred fighting tactics. He had a large loyal Army of men and no official allegiance to any one crime family. Even though he did jobs for other families, he never accepted any that targeted the Venturi family. He was loyal to me, and I had been trying for years to get him to officially join us. But in Mia’s case, his stubbornness to keep independent might help me.
La Guerriglia had contacts in France and Corsica with the ability to smuggle through a company of cargo ships. We had to wait two days for him to hear back from his contacts and one more for them to prepare a way for us.
The moment I got the intel on Mia, things moved very quickly. I couldn't waste any time getting her back. With men like that, I didn't know how long she had before they would break her. Memories flashed in my mind. Images of girls I had seen in the past broken, beaten, before they sent them out to the streets to make their money. I couldn't bear to think of Mia in one of those places. I hadn't realized how tightly I was gripping my glass until a strong hand gripped my forearm and stilled my shaking.
"Whoa there, my friend. Are you alright?” La Guerriglia spoke in a low tone so that only I could hear among the crowds of my men gathering in the parlor, preparing for our meeting.
“I'm fine.” I scrubbed a hand over my face to try to wipe away the images in my mind.
“You can't go in there thinking like this. You're emotional. Emotions get you killed. Set aside any fears you have, any feelings you have for this girl, and just focus on the mission. It's the only way that you'll survive this and it's the only way you'll have a chance of getting her back.”
I nodded, knowing that he was right, but I didn’t know how to turn off the turmoil churning inside me. I doubted that I’d be able to gain any control over those feelings until Mia was back in my arms.
Once all the men were gathered, I drew their attention to me. My father sat to one side, watching as I took control of the meeting. Since he had named me as his successor, he’d slowly stepped back, allowing me more responsibility and leadership. While I was grateful for the authority to sanction a mission to save Mia, part of me wished that my father was still the one calling the shots. He had more experience, but I had more passion. That passion would either get me killed or be the driving force to get Mia home.
I gathered with Nic, Alessandro, Enzo, Luca, and Dante to go over our plan before leaving for Tuscany. Each man would have roughly five men who would answer to him, except for La Guerriglia's team of twelve.
"Where's this famous mercenary you told us about?" Dante asked once the meeting was wrapping up.
"His team will be traveling separately. They have their own connections and it's easier to fly under the radar if you keep your groups smaller. Besides, if we have two groups going in separately, we double our chances that one of them will succeed and get Mia out safely."
"And you're sure that he can be trusted? He isn'tfamily."
"One hundred percent. I wouldn't risk Mia's life by bringing in someone I didn't trust. He's been loyal to me and my family for years. He takes on other jobs but only if they don't conflict with my family's well-being."
"Good." Dante nodded his approval.
I nodded in return before facing the rest of the men. "Any other questions or concerns before we head out? I want us all to be on the same page."
"I think we're all clear here. We'll have time to brief our men on the ship to make sure that everybody's clear on our mission. Getting Mia out is top priority. And if we have the chance to take out Andrea, we do it," Enzo confirmed.
"All right. Let's do this."
The men filed out of the house, spilling into the yard where their men waited for instructions, but Dario stopped me at the door.
"Are you sure that I can't come along? I care about Mia too."
I slapped my hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a fond expression. Dario was younger than the rest of us, less experienced too. I didn't want to see my younger cousin get hurt. Besides, I had another job for him.
"I know you do. But I'm counting on you to be Papa's right hand while I'm gone. I need you to make sure that you keep Mira out of trouble and help protect Isabella. Andrea's men may be looking for her, so she needs to stay hidden somewhere they won't think to look. I gave her my word and now I need your help in keeping it."
Dario took a deep breath, his shoulders lifting with his newfound determination and purpose. He gave me a sharp nod while meeting my eye.
“You have my word. I will do everything I can to keep her safe and keep Mira out of trouble—as hard as that might be to do.” He smirked and I let out a small chuckle before I patted him on the back and climbed into my car.
