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Chapter eight
Luca
Iwatched as she walked through the garden, admiring the flowers and laughing with the guardsmen.
"She's settled in nicely, hasn't she?" Atlas entered my office and came to stand beside me at the large window. "She's made friends with nearly everyone these past few weeks, and they seem to like her back. I’d be careful if I were you?"
I raised an eyebrow at him, "How so?"
"Well, if I was straight, I'd take orders from her any day." He grinned. "I see how they look at her."
I smirked. "Yeah well, you're not straight, and as long as all they do is look, then we won't have a problem." Ignoring the shit-eating grin he was casting my way, I poured two glasses of tequila and sat at my desk, sliding one over to the other side. "I didn't ask you here to talk about women."
"I figured." Atlas sat down in the chair opposite me and reached for his glass, taking a long sip.
"The situation out there is getting out of control. This rivalry between the mafia groups needs to stop, but there's no end in sight. We need to figure out a way to put a stop to it before more of our assets go up in flames."
Atlas turned the glass back and forth between his fingers. "What do you propose?"
The thought of what to do had kept me preoccupied for months. Now with the recent escalation in attacks costing us millions, it was time to take action.
"How do I propose to stop a war that has been fueled by years of grudges and betrayals?"
Atlas chuckled.
"We need to make a gesture."
"A gesture?"
"Yes. A gesture of trust. Give them some faith that a truce is possible between us."
Atlas narrowed his eyes. "How?"
"We need to find some common ground, and although I hate to say it, I think we should start with the Rivera’s."
"Why them?"
"Because I think it was the Phoenix who tried to kill Catalina. Wipe out the Rivera's in one swoop. I think if we deliver Catalina to her uncle, we can form a bond."
"I still don't understand why she was brought here. Why was she not taken back to her uncle in the first place?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe the plan all along was to use her as a bargaining chip."
"So, I take it you haven't discussed this plan with our brother then?
"No. Not yet. We'll wait until we get the chance and hopefully we all agree."
Atlas just nodded silently, deep in thought.
"She's a liability, Atlas. We still don't know who attacked her at her father's funeral or what they wanted with her, but it makes sense that it was the Phoenix." Rubbing a hand over my eyes, I closed them briefly as a wave of exhaustion hit me. "Just her being here poses too many risks to our operations. The last thing we need are rumors getting out that will affect our business deals. It's better she returns to where she belongs. Until that time, and until we all agree on how the exchange occurs, we need to keep her close."
"Yeah but you can't keep her locked up here forever. You know that. She's not a timid woman who is going to do as we say indefinitely."
If she were more timid, I could bend her to my will instead of being so frustrated all the time.
"I'll figure something out."
Atlas grinned, "Are you sure you want to send her back?"
