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“Even from a woman?”
I suppose that was going to come up eventually. “Can’t say I feel much one way or the other about that,” I tell her. “But I gotta be honest, ma’am. The way I see it, I’m still working for Don Castellani. His orders were to make friends, and that’s what I plan to do.”
“Loyalty,” Anna-Vittoria says with a small smile, “is valued very highly in the Esposito Family, too. I think you’ll fit in well here. Don’t you agree, Soldano?”
“Sure,” the kid says, after a long pause.
Anna-Vittoria’s smile thins. “Then I’ll leave the details of your assignment to your discretion, Soldano. Do not disappoint me. Nor you, Signor Pedretti.”
I bow my head. “Maestra. Always a pleasure.”
Sarcasm is a dangerous game, but she doesn’t bother to call me on it. She just twists the knife a little harder.
“By the way,” Anna-Vittoria adds, dropping her last bombshell in a casual tone, “while you work with us, Signor Pedretti, you’ll stay with Soldano at his home. I find picking up a new culture is easiest when one is forced, head-first, into the new situation. And I prefer you not to have any contact with your old Family while you’re with us. If you would hand over your phone, please?”
And she holds out her hand.
CHAPTER5
BRICKER
The Castellani standsthere staring at Maestra’s outstretched hand while I replay the last few minutes in my head.
“You want a goddamn Castellani meddling in Big One? Are you kidding me?”
It came out of me as soon as the door shut behind the outsider. An audit from another Esposito would’ve been bad enough. There are enough ambitious assholes in this Family gunning for me already. But now the Maestra wanted me to work with the enemy?
The Shadow took a step forward at my explosion, and the Baron gave a scoff, about to tell me off—but Anna-Vittoria raised a hand. “Let his tantrum wear him out,” she said lightly. “Like all toddlers, he’ll exhaust himself eventually.”
Ouch “The crew won’t go for it,” I warned her.
“Are you admitting now that you do not control your crew?”
“Of course I control them,” I snapped, going a little further again with my tone than I should have, because the Shadow took another step forward, a silent reminder that there was no choice in the matter. I paused, took a breath. “I’ll take him,” I said through gritted teeth, trying to contain my frustration. “But I don’t like it.”
“It doesn’t matter whether you like it, Fabrizio. This is my desire.” Anna-Vittoria leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs. “Allyouneed to do is carry it out. You are to treat the Castellani like any other member of your team.” She looked pointedly at me. “That means no special treatment, understood?”
“Understood.” She meant no specialmistreatment, of course. I clenched my fists by my side in an effort to keep my mouth shut. Some Castellani bastard waltzing into my life, threatening everything I worked so hard for—and he had no damn right to be so attractive while he did it.
“Take a seat,” she said, her voice still infuriatingly calm. “We do have other business to discuss.” I dropped into the chair the Castellani had just vacated, wiping my palms on my jeans. “You’ve had a string of fuckups recently,” Anna-Vittoria continued bluntly, tapping a manicured nail on the arm of her settee. “Jobs gone wrong. Shipments disappearing. I’m starting to think there is a mole in your crew.”
My gut twisted. “There’s no mole.”
“Are you sure? If there’s no mole, it suggests poor leadership instead.”
I swallowed hard, meeting her stare. “We hit a rough patch, that’s all. It won’t happen again.”
After a long moment, she inclined her head. “See that it doesn’t.”
The problem is, I’ve had the same thought myself: a mole. Things keep going wrong. No one has bad luck likewe’vehad these last few months, and it’s not for lack of planning, either. I fucking love my crew, and I hate to even think it, but…
Her expression softened. “You know why I’m hard on you, Fabrizio. I want to see you succeed.”
“I know.”
“Do not let your heart overrule your head.” She had my number. I can’t bear to think someone close to me might be betraying me. I just nodded. She turned to the side. “Barone?”
Giancarlo Barone slithered up with a folded-up piece of paper in his hand. “A brief,” he told me. “On your new crew member.”
