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We have to be strong for Angelo. The whole weight of the city is on his shoulders. He has to take back control.
“What about Ma and the women?” I ask, Sage front and center on my mind. “None of them are safe.”
“We put guards on all of them,” Angelo says. “They will all do as they’re told, or I’ll lock them all at Fortress again. I’m not going to let this fucking asshole run our family’s lives and tell us what to do and when to do it. They can still go about their business; it will cause too much suspicion if we go into lockdown. That will only take us ten steps back.” His voice gets louder and louder.
“I’ll check security footage around the Whiskey Run,” Enzo says. “See if I can get anything at all. If he owns businesses, then he has an identity, and if he has an identity, we can find him.”
“Why does he have an Italian name?” I interrupt. Il Diavolo is Italian forThe Devil.“Doesn’t that strike anyone as being strange?”
“He’s messing with us,” Marco says. “Getting inside our heads.”
“And our pockets,” Dante adds. “Not one of our men came to us. Instead, they just took the money and looked the other way. This cannot go unpunished. I’m still having a hard time believing they think they can double cross us and nothing happens.”
“Except now they have to hide and wait for an untimely death,” I interject.
“They’ll all be dead by nightfall,” Rocco informs us. “The ones hiding, I will find personally.”
Sucks to be those guys.
“I want justice to be swift,” Angelo says. “Nobody can hide from our wrath. By sending Cameron’s head to the Whiskey Run, that will send a clear message to all of those who think they can sneak around and betray us. This will flush even more traitors out, because they’ll know we mean fucking business. The time for sitting around, waiting for our enemies to come to us is over.”
“Does that mean I have to go and fucking dig him up?” Rocco complains.
I turn to the big guy. “Hey, it could be worse, you could have set him on fire like you usually do.”
He grumbles something about needing an assistant.
Marco stares at Angelo. “What are you saying, we’re declaring war?”
Angelo shifts his gaze to Marco. “Oh, it’s long overdue, brother. Now we have the fortunate situation of having Bratva at our disposal if we need them. Nobody will expect it. Nobody knows Aleksi and his men were responsible for half of the Triads’ massacre at Fortress. This can only be to our advantage.”
It’s not like this is normal.
Familia and Bratva don’t mix. Or they’re not supposed to.
But ever since Angelo made a deal with Aleksi, and now Marco is with Katiya, they’ve looked out for one another on numerous occasions, all the while keeping up the pretense of enemies.
It is perfect.
“I will talk to him,” Marco says.
Angelo nods. “I will cut Aleksi a better deal. He can expand his business in the south side, but there will be conditions.” I know it pains Angelo to have to do this. It pains us all. But nobody will suspect we have Bratva as backup.
Marco nods. “I understand.”
“And? Once we get the employees from Whiskey Run to the warehouse? After we get the intel, what’s the plan?” I nod to Angelo.
“We play him at his own game. The only way to outsmart a snake is to be the better viper, brother. I’ve played this game a while now, so I know what needs to be done. And this feels like some kind of vendetta, not just wanting power and money. This asshole thinks he has some hold over us, and I’m going to remind him that the only one who holds anything, including the heart of the city, is me in my own fucking hand.”
I nod. “Whatever you need us to do, Angelo.”
“I need you to all be vigilant. Once Rocco and his team have got the employees at the warehouse, we’ll reconvene there.” He looks at Rocco. “You have twenty-four hours.”
“And Darko and Garrett?” Rocco questions. “They go undercover?”
“Precisely,” says Angelo. “The less conspicuous, the better. Once the employees are detained, it’ll make their associates scatter, and hopefully talk. They’ll be worried, which is exactly what we want. Il Diavolo will know we’re making a move and that will force him to act.”
And making a move, we will.
