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I froze at the name. “Why didn’t he tell me? I’m his Don. He should have come to me before going rogue. Especially right now.”
“Giovanni was like a brother to him. He wants revenge as much as you or Dante. He’d always known what Giovanni wanted, so maybe he’s still thinking he can do what needs to be done even without orders?” Gemma’s voice wavered. “Plus, don’t take this the wrong way–he loves you like a daughter–but he’s still old-fashioned. You taking over as Don…he’s trying, but maybe he just thought he could finish this–”
“When he didn’t think I could?” I forced my voice to sound normal. To not shake even if my heart had plummeted to the depths of my stomach. “We don’t need a white knight right now, Gem. We need him to hold this family together. He needs to come back. Now.”
“I know. But I don’t think he can.” She sniffled. “There’s more. But I can’t tell you over the phone. Where are you?” I could tell she was desperate. Gemma never sounded like this.
Glancing around the room, I knew I couldn’t deal with this from here. “I’ll come to you. Just tell me where to meet you.”
Hanging up, I opened the door again, checking to see if Dante was heading upstairs or not. I could hear him and his brother in the living room and what sounded like the clinking of glass. He probably wouldn’t be up in a while, but even still, I knew he would be pissed when he found out I left.
But I couldn’t leave Gemma to deal with this on her own. As my underboss, Mateo was my responsibility, and she was my best friend. If I told the others what was happening, they might try to stop me from going. They might even think this was a trick from the Snake, just to kidnap me again. There was no way in hell Dante would let me go to Gemma on my own, and I didn’t want him there. Not when she needed me. No, it was probably better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
I closed the door before turning towards the window. Throwing it open, I slipped out onto the roof, making my way around to the back of the small house where vines had already started to swallow the exterior. It wasn’t easy getting down, and there were a few times when I thought I’d get caught. But I didn’t.
Landing in the soft grass, I took off through the backyard, heading around my neighbor’s house before stepping onto the main road. Gemma had texted me her location. It would take about an hour to get there if I took a cab, and I knew the others would discover I was gone by then. Maybe I should have left a note, but I was in a hurry.
I waited for the taxi at the end of the street, out of view from the house. Gemma’s messages kept pouring in. I’d never seen her like this before. Not even when her mother passed away from a drive-by. Even then, she’d understood the risk. She’d understood that anyone in this life had a fleeting chance to live for long. But something about her father going missing had set her off, and that’s what worried me.
Reaching the cafe she’d specified, I found her waiting in a booth by the door. As soon as she saw me, she’d run straight into my arms, burying her face in my shoulder. Her cheeks were streaked with black, her makeup running in rivulets from her eyes. I herded her back to the booth, slipping in beside her.
“Sienna, he’s in trouble,” she said, sniffling.
“You don’t know that,” I said as gently as possible. “If you haven’t heard from him, he’s probably still following the lead. Did he take any backup?” Mateo wouldn’t be stupid enough to go after the Snake alone.
“He couldn’t trust anyone after how many men deserted us. And I found this.” She took a small piece of paper out of her pocket. My blood ran cold at the sight of it. I didn’t even have to check the stamp at the top of the paper to know who it was from.
Just a few more left…
I crumpledthe note in my fist. Gemma’s eyes flicked between me and the note.
“It’s from the Snake, isn’t it? I saw the seal.”
“It seems like it.” My mind ran through all the possibilities. We’d assumed the Snake would come after Dante or me. Maybe even my mother, which is why I told her to head out West as soon as possible. But Mateo? My underboss?
Maybe the Snake had tried to recruit him as they had with Ivan, and he’d said no. That was the most plausible reason as to why he’d disappear. I’ve known Mateo my entire life. He was family, and in this world, family was everything. Our soldiers deserting us wasn’t that much of a surprise–they didn’t have the same ties Mateo did. My father always told us that the blood of the covenant was thicker than the water of the womb, and he believed that full-heartedly. Mateo was bound to us. He’d gone after the Snake not just for me, but for our family.
He was the last family I had left besides Gemma. I couldn’t lose him.
Gemma was shaking beside me, in tears. I wrapped one arm around her. “I’ll find him, Gem. I promise.”
“What if you can’t?” she sobbed. “I’ll be alone.”
“You’re not alone. You have me. And my mother.” That sparked an idea. I straightened, forcing her to look at me. “Listen. While I look for your dad, I need you to get out of town for a few days. I already booked my mother a ticket to head to California to visit her cousins. You can join her.”
“I can’t just leave. What if…”
“Gemma. I can’t risk you going missing as well. This way you’ll be safe. Out of the way. And I can look for your father without worrying about you.” I needed her to listen to me. If she got out of town, then I could focus all my attention on finding Mateo and the Snake rather than splitting my efforts between finding them and protecting her.
She sniffled. “Okay…”
I booked the ticket from my phone right there before giving her directions on how to reach my mother once she landed. She was still apprehensive about leaving, but at least I’d gotten her to listen to me. I ordered her a coffee to help calm her down, letting her settle and dry her tears. A part of me wanted to update her on everything I was doing—finding David, making plans to capture Ivan, and finding the Snake. I wanted to reassure her in some way, but I was worried that if I told her, the Snake would somehow find out, and everything would be ruined. For now, I had to keep it to myself and hoped she believed in me.
When she was finished, I personally got her a taxi, settling her in before sending it off to the airport. She had her purse and identification. My mother would take care of her once she got there. I couldn’t risk Gemma going back to the apartments just for some clothes. Gemma turned to watch me as her taxi turned the corner. I prayed that it wouldn’t be the last time I saw my friend.
The Snake wasn’t just targeting the head of the families anymore. They were targeting our loved ones as well. We should have realized it the moment they went after Dante’s mother, but we’d been distracted. A mess. Now that my mother and Gemma were safe across the country, they couldn’t be used as leverage against us anymore. Or rather, me.
I got into my own taxi, heading back to the safe house outside of the city. I didn’t even bother stopping at the end of the street, instead pulling up to the front of the house. The car door slammed shut, echoing across the empty neighborhood.
