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I kissed the top of her head, picking her up slightly so I could get up. It was rare for her to not wake up when I moved, so I knew she needed the sleep. I quietly went about getting ready. I needed to meet with Armando this morning. He needed to let it slip to Dario and Massimo that Anthony and Lorenzo had indeed met with the Colombians and had gotten their support. Then we would wait and see what Dario and Massimo did with that information. If Ivan was correct, they would likely try to meet with the Colombians as well. I would make a call to Trino to inform him of this move as well, so he’d be ready. I trusted him, but I found myself wishing that Sephie could see him to get her opinion of him. Right now, that was out of the question, but perhaps we could arrange for her to meet him at some point.
I was ready to leave and Sephie still hadn’t woken up. I left her a note as usual and leaned down to kiss her, as well as cover her up so she wouldn’t get cold. The weather was starting to get cooler outside. She liked sleeping in my long-sleeved shirts more now.
I met Viktor in my office. “Sephie’s still tired from shopping, isn’t she?” he asked, still laughing about the evening before.
I looked at him, amused as well. “She didn’t even need triple strength tea this time. She really was exhausted. Can you have one of the guys go up and wait for her to wake up again?”
He nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He typed a few words, then put it back in his pocket.
Ivan walked in with Armando. “Good morning, Boss,” Armando said as he walked in. “Is Sephie not with you? I need to thank her for yesterday. Giana was so happy when she got back last evening.”
Ivan and Viktor both chuckled, knowing Sephie did not share the same sentiment. “She’s still upstairs, but I will make sure she gets the message,” I said.
“Giana introduced me to Ms. Jackson as well. She said she spent the day with them as well. She’s quite the woman,” he said, running his hand through his hair.
I smiled at him. “Did she threaten your life?” He nodded. “Don’t worry, that means she likes you,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.
“I’m going to have to figure out how you surround yourself with such interesting women,” he said, laughing.
“It’s not me. Ms. Jackson came with Sephie. It’s all her.” I smiled to myself, thinking about how lucky I was to have her in my life.
We quickly got down to business, discussing Anthony and Lorenzo meeting with Trino. I explained Ivan’s plan to see if we could pit those two against Dario and Massimo, using the Colombians as the bait, basically.
“I like that plan,” Armando said, nodding toward Ivan. “It’s possible they’ll take care of each other for us.”
“Exactly,” Ivan said.
“I can make a call to Dario and Massimo and ask them to meet, see if they’ve heard anything from their guys, and tell them my guys found out about the deal they made with Trino. I still can’t imagine that Dario is working with Sal. I could be wrong, but those two have hated each other for so long. I can’t see them putting that to rest. What did Sephie say they do again when they’re lying?” Armando asked.
“Dario will repeat the question back to you, like he’s buying himself time to think of an answer. Massimo doesn’t blink. At all,” I said.
He nodded. “She’s like having a secret weapon. She should meet Trino too, just to be safe.”
I chuckled. “I had thought of that, yes. Not right now, but it’s a possibility in the future.”
“I’ll set something up and meet with them today,” he said.
“I’ll send a few of my people with you. They all know my guys, but I can send other security with you that they won’t recognize as mine, just to make sure you’re safe. We need to work on getting you your own security detail. Viktor can help you set that up and get guys trained,” I said.
“Thank you, Boss. I was going to ask you about that. I have admittedly been very relaxed about that over the last few years. It was just me to worry about, so I didn’t worry. Now I want to make sure Giana is safe,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow, remembering what Sephie had told me about Giana last night. He had a faraway look in his eye, like he was lost in thought. I remained silent, allowing his mind to drift wherever it wished. He slowly drifted back to reality, realizing that we were all looking at him. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen his cheeks so red. “You don’t need to explain the need to protect someone to me,” I said, a small smirk on my face.
He exhaled, still slightly embarrassed. He stood, mumbling something about calling Dario and Massimo. “I’ll let you know the plans to meet with them, so we can arrange security.” He extended his hand to me, saying, “I also want to thank you for letting us stay here, so Giana is safe and I don’t need to worry about her. I didn’t realize how worried I was about her since the explosion. And, please, give my thanks again to Sephie for yesterday. Giana was very happy last night. She had a great time. She loves Sephie and she even said Ivan is slightly less scary now,” he said, laughing. He walked out of the office to make the necessary arrangements.
I looked to Ivan, my eyebrow raised. “Giana is all right. She’s funny in her own right. She’s a very quiet girl, but she has potential. It’s pretty obvious Armando is practically in love with her, and I’d be willing to bet very good money that she feels the same way about him.”
“Interesting,” I said. Sephie would be happy to hear of Armando’s reaction to Giana’s safety.
I made a call to Trino, informing him about our plan to see if Dario and Massimo would also contact him. He agreed that it was a good plan. He was still making Anthony and Lorenzo wait for an answer for another few days. “I know it’s a dick move, but it’s really fun, man. They just wait like little puppy dogs for me to talk to them. I made them wait for weeks, Jefe!” He was laughing so hard on the other end of the phone that he couldn’t speak. I enjoyed Trino. He was a typical Spanish man. Very flamboyant with his wealth and just as likely to cuss you out as he was to help you out. He was passionate in everything he did, but he loved his family, and he took care of his city. Rules were different in South America. They played a little dirtier than we did, but he had brought order to the chaos once he took over the cartels in Colombia. They’d enjoyed many years of peace under him. The people loved him because of it.
“The longer you make them wait down there, the longer they’re out of my hair, so it’s much appreciated. I’m sending you a gift to show you just how much.”
“Jefe, you send the best gifts, but watching these pendejos squirm is a gift in itself,” Trino said. “And now you’re sending me two more? I should be sending you the gift, Jefe.”
I laughed. Trino was a good guy. He enjoyed his evil side as much as I did.
I had a few minor meetings the rest of the day. Armando had made plans to meet with Dario and Massimo that evening. Viktor organized a security detail to escort him. He would accompany them but stay out of sight, so neither Dario nor Massimo could spot him. It was admittedly difficult for my guys to blend into a crowd.
