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“I’m coming with you,” Giada said.
The hair on the back of my neck tingled, and my blood instantly flowed hot. Before I could respond, Stefano surged from the table, asserting his responsibility as a capo, putting a lower-level soldier in her place.
“Fuck no,” he seethed. “Your power in this family died with my father. You want something, you fucking ask me, and I’ll ask the boss. Chain of command, bitch.”
“You’re under Stefano, Giada,” I said.
Stef licked salt from his thumb. “He doesn’t mean on your back, either.”
Carmine whistled.
Giada had already attempted to make demands of me. I had the name of my father’s killer, but not the reason. I’d have that from Adami. And then I’d take his organization from him, even if I had to take it one fucking soldier at a time.
“Roberto would want me there. You know what I meant to him, so stop treating me like I was just a piece of ass. I’m not a fucking soldier for your family. I’m more, and we both know it. Marco, don’t take this from me. I want to look into Lazaro’s eyes when he confesses what he’s done.”
“She comes,” I said.
Not because I had some fucked-up affection or consideration for her, but because she was right about Roberto Bruno. Giada was a made woman because of him. Once in the mafia, there was only one way out—in a casket. She’d shared more than a bed with my father. They had Savio. Unless I had a reason, I wouldn’t kill his mother.
“But remember your place, Giada. You answer to Stefano. And you answer to me.”
Forty-five minutes later, she sat in the backseat of the SUV squeezed between Stefano and Carmine. I sat up front while Ant drove.
“I’ve asked for a courtesy meeting.” I glanced over my shoulder at Stefano. “I’ve been to Adami’s estate a couple of times. It’s a house built for entertainment. Open rooms, lots of windows. We’ll be exposed. As soon as we enter the house, you and Carmine take position. I leave it up to you to decide how best to cover our asses and still secure the entries.”
Stefano nodded.
I stared hard at Giada. “Stay the fuck out of the way. Keep your mouth shut. Look beautiful. It’ll keep Adami distracted.”
“If you wanted Lazaro distracted, you should’ve brought Orlando. He likes them young and hot.”
Furrows lined Ant’s forehead, and my jaw clenched. He’d noticed the same thing I had. Two things had become clear. Giada had twice used Adami’s first name. Her tone revealed a familiarity. Unusual because our families didn’t socialize.
And two, I needed to distance Orlando from Giada. I didn’t trust her with Orlando. He loved women and weed, and the cracks of her insecurity were showing. No way was I letting her seduce Orlando.
“How do you know Adami?” I asked and took out my phone todisguisemy interest.
“I’ve met him on a few occasions with Roberto. I wouldn’t say that qualifies as knowing him.”
“Any idea on why he’d order a hit on my father?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “None.”
Stefano used his thumb to crack the knuckles on his right hand, one finger at a time. “We’re about to find out. I’ll give Marco ten minutes to get him to talk. Then I want a turn.”
Ant drove up to the palatial estate. Several soldiers surrounded the car. With the twirl of a finger, they requested the window to be lowered.
Ant pressed the button to lower his.
“We’ll need your guns,” the guard said.
Ant laughed. “That isn’t fucking happening.”
The click of a locked and loaded weapon sounded. A guard stepped into my line of sight and leveled his weapon at me.
“Guns will stay in the vehicle when we go in,” I said. “Everyone but my consigliere.”
“Agreed. You’ll be searched.”
