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What it had taught me was that the quickest way to bring down a man was through his most precious possession. In this case, I’d find the single entity or being and exploit it. That was something I was damn good at.
“Remember, we find a weakness. I refuse to allow this to continue for more than a few days.”
Two days had passed since the time I’d spent with Dominick. I’d picked up the phone to check on him more than once, realizing finally that he had his God to repent to for what he’d called a mortal sin.
That made what I’d done with Chrissy seem filthy in comparison. Maybe the fact we were lamenting over our respective pasts meant we were getting old. I chuckled under my breath at the thought. Yeah, maybe we were.
The hope that the mystery girl’s sudden appearance at the church would lead to something hadn’t panned out. The redheaded girl hadn’t made a second appearance. Even worse, there’d been little activity and less chatter on the streets about the assassination attempt.
However, I’d sensed fear, as if threats had been made, people told to keep their mouths shut.
Including my trusted informants. Two had disappeared, although that wasn’t unusual activity when a turf war was on the horizon. What the temporary silence did do was heighten my level of impatience.
And my continued rage.
In our world, no news wasn’t good news. The quiet usually meant evil was festering in the shadows like a venomous snake preparing a deadly strike. Whether or not Maxwell wanted to admit it, he’d placed the entire organization on high alert status, locking his family down.
Viper was prepared to return to California with his wife and child and our businesses had been placed in a cautionary status. For all practical purposes, our empire was on standby, which annoyed the fuck out of me and could establish a dangerous precedent if we weren’t careful. The last thing we wanted or needed was to appear as if we were concerned with an inferior syndicate’s outward threats.
At least with Carmine’s body being hand delivered to both Roberto’s and Dante’s homes in several different crates, they were aware we weren’t taking the situation lying down. What I hadn’t believed possible was that Dante could shove aside his darker needs, hunkering down in the short term. He’d kept mostly to himself, seen out only once in the two days since I’d been trailing him. Now he was standing inside a restaurant not unlike the one I’d been in the day of the assassination attempt.
“What are we looking for? Drugs? A woman? Money exchanging hands?” Cayman asked.
“You’ll know it when you see it.” I eased my elbow onto the ledge of the dash.
“I feel like a creeper, my man,” Cayman said from the driver’s seat as he peered at the brownstone across the street, the massive front window allowing a perfect view of the celebrations and dinner engagements inside.
His words brought a smile to my face. “Don’t you think soldiers from the Bianchi family have positioned themselves on the outside of one of our businesses or homes at least once? They’ve been watching us and you know that.”
“Yeah, but they’re soldiers. That’s what they’d supposed to do. We’re different. I’m not equipped to remain pent up in a car watching our enemies enjoying themselves. It’s not a good look on me.”
The smile remained and I drummed my fingers on the dashboard. It took him a few seconds to realize what he’d said, his comparison amusing as hell. Granted, the man had made a fortune given his long-term standing within the organization. He was royalty in comparison.
“I meant no disrespect to your family, boss.”
“None taken, although maybe I’m paying you too much. You have an arrogance that didn’t used to be there.”
He grinned and lifted the binoculars, holding them close to his eyes. “Remember, boss man, I was taught by the best. You’re the most arrogant son of a bitch I know.”
He was right on both counts. The truth was, I certainly wasn’t used to handling surveillance on my own but felt it necessary given the situation.
“I’ll have you know I spend my money wisely,” he added.
While I never interfered or asked but so many questions about what he did with his paycheck, I was privy to the fact he sent a significant portion of his funds to his family in Jamaica. He’d put two sisters and a brother through college already. “I’m sure you do. That’s why you own three luxury vehicles that cost more than mine.”
“Investments, my friend. That’s the key to long-term wealth. I can hook you up with my financial advisor if you’d like.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I told him, still laughing at his usual antics. Nothing dampened his mood for long. I scanned the street, observing the guests continually arriving. “A party. How fascinating.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say the restaurant was closed for a very private affair. I do believe the mayor is inside with his lovely wife.”
Of course he was. The mayor was a predictable greedy bastard, loathing everything we stood for as a corporation. With it being an election year, I was more concerned that his appearance meant he’d taken sides. He was determined to win reelection, even courting Maxwell’s political support. I could imagine what Don Powers would think of Mayor Santiago’s appearance. Perhaps my thought of crashing the party was positive on more than one level.
“Definitely a private party,” Cay continued. “I can see at least four of Bianchi’s men guarding the door.”
Given it wasn’t the holiday season, the party was more of a curiosity than a typical family gathering. In the last few days, the Bianchis had gone into a self-imposed lockdown, beefing up security around their facilities. I’d taken it upon myself to have their activities watched, which of course they’d known about. Now I was more than just intrigued. “I wonder why the special occasion?”
“Maybe you should look at this.” He handed me the binoculars, his expression turning dark.
