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Lorenzo lets out a long breath. “Only time will tell, I suppose. I don’t know if you’re making the right choice, brother. But I can see that you’re not going to be dissuaded from it.”
The moment I’m back in my penthouse, I call Fontana. It’s morning there, but even if it weren’t, I wouldn’t have cared. I’m not going to leave Emma there a moment longer than I have to.
“You told me that you wanted me to take Altiere out,” I say sharply, without preamble, the moment he answers the phone. “So tell me what it is that you hope to gain from that, and what you want in order for it to be sanctioned.”
Fontana chuckles. “I see you’ve finally come around. Can I ask why?”
I grit my teeth. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
For a moment, I think Fontana is going to push back on that. But he lets out a long breath instead, the silence stretching out. “You stop pulling out of the drug deals,” he says finally. “If you don’t want to run the harder stuff coming from the cartels, that’s fine. But the party drugs—you keep a pipeline going for those. Your new casino in Vegas should prove to be an excellent conduit for that.”
“I wanted that to be separate from Family business—”
“Do you want your woman back, or do you want to separate your personal business from mine?” Fontana pauses, letting it sink in that he knows exactly what Altiere is up to. My gut clenches at that, anger spreading through me, but I don’t dare let it slip. Fontana might want to use me, and it might be harder to remove me than someone like Altiere, but he’s not above it if he decides it’s necessary.
“Fine.” The word cuts through the air. “The party drugs can go through Vegas. But I want allies going into this. If I’m going to be doing business in Vegas, then the don there will need to work with me. Tell him to send me some men to back me up with Altiere, as a show of good faith. I want them here by morning. And whatever men you still have in Los Angeles, I want them here as well. I go in with a show of force that will burn Altiere down. No mercy.”
My voice is cold and hard, and I know Fontana hears it. He’s silent for a long moment, as if he’s considering my demands.
“Alright,” he says finally. “But my terms stand. You will take Altiere’s territory, and the drug business will stay functional. We’ll discuss the possibility of expansions later on, and you will be open to that conversation. Understood?”
Everything in me rebels against it. It’s the opposite of what I’ve tried to do since taking over.
But I would do anything for Emma. In time, I might be able to find a way to revisit those goals, to draw away from the things that I don’t want to be involved in. But there’s no sacrifice that I won’t make for her—and for our child.
“Understood.”
The line goes dead. I squeeze my fist around the phone, gritting my teeth until I can feel them grind together. I want to go and get Emma tonight, to get her out before Altiere can lay another finger on her. But I know that will only result in us both dead—and maybe other consequences, as well.
I retreat upstairs to my bed, but it does little to soothe my restlessness. The bed is full of memories of Emma, and I lie there, sleepless, as I go over the plan that’s formed in my head. I know I’m better off tomorrow if I’m rested, but it’s impossible to relax enough to do so. She’s so close, but so far away. I can’t imagine she’s sleeping either, and I close my eyes, wishing that I could tell her what I have planned.
That tomorrow, I’ll do whatever is necessary to bring her home.
In the morning, I get a call from my head of security, letting me know that the men from Vegas and Fontana’s men are all here, waiting to head out. I hear a knock on my door a moment later, but when I go to open it, I’m startled by who I see standing there.
Lorenzo is at my door, dressed in black chinos and a black t-shirt, his expression grave. He looks over my shoulder into the penthouse, an eyebrow raised. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” I step back, running a hand through my hair. “Come to talk me out of going to get Emma?”
“No.” Lorenzo walks to one of the barstools, sinking down onto it. “I’ve come to help. I’m not going to let my brother walk into the lion’s den alone, regardless of what I think of the reasoning behind it. I have your back, Dante. Come what may.”
That small speech means more to me than anything I’ve ever heard him say before. “I’m grateful for that,” I tell him quietly. “It means a lot, to have you here with me.”
Lorenzo shrugs. “We’re family. I know if it came to it, you’d do the same.”
“I would.” I glance towards the door. “The men are here. We’re heading out soon.”
“I saw there was quite a number down there with the rest of your security. What did you and Fontana work out?”
Quickly, while we gather what we need for weapons and ammo, I fill him in on what Fontana and I discussed. I can tell from the expression on Lorenzo’s face that he’s pleased to hear I’ve made concessions about the drug trade, and that I’m working more closely with Fontana, but he doesn’t say a word about it. I appreciate that, at least—that he doesn’t hold it over my head in this moment when that’s the last thing I need.
I straighten as I tuck a gun into the back of my pants, and look at him squarely. “First, we get Emma. Then we can talk business. Later.”
Lorenzo nods. “Agreed.”
It’s the quickest he’s ever agreed with me on anything. And that means something to me, too.
It takes a number of cars to transport the force that we’re taking to Altiere’s territory. After debriefing them on the plan, we load up, and I sit silently in the passenger’s seat of one of the SUVs, my jaw clenched as I focus on the task ahead.
