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“The men who tried to abduct her told her if she didn’t go with them, they’d have me killed. But they were lying. I was meeting with one of my capos during the time of the abduction. She’s just upset she got played.” At that, thoughts of Ariana return to me. Sophia was lied to more than once that night. She just doesn’t know it.
Cassio nods. “Any idea who ordered the attack?”
“Yes, actually,” Gio says. He skips past the photo of Sophia and her ex, Caleb, since he ended up checking out and is no longer a suspect, and pulls up different angles of our two suspects from the party on his phone, which happen to capture an identifying mark on one of the men. “You see the tattoo on his neck? It’s the mark of the Irish mob. We’re thinking the men who came after Sophia are midlevel soldiers, like the mole they planted in your organization.”
“Yeah, thanks for the heads-up on that. Even though we’ve legitimized, I guess certain bosses like to keep an eye on me to make sure they get first dibs if I ever get back in. Though, considering where I’m standing, I’m not sure you ever really get out.”
“By blood, I will meet my end,” I mumble. Cassio nods. It’s the same no matter which family or organization you belong to. The only way out is death. I suspect once I legitimize, if I survive to see the day, I’ll face similar threats as Cassio. Perhaps more, seeing as I can’t in good conscience allow another crime family to move into my city. That would put Sophia at risk just as much as she is now, if not more.
“We’ve tracked them to a pub on Bourbon Street,” I say, doing my best to focus on the task at hand.
“Wait? In New Orleans?” Cassio asks. He shakes his head, knowing it’s against the rules for members of other criminal organizations to come into my city without my permission. “They’re either stupid or they’re looking for a fight.”
“And now that you’re here, we’re prepared to give them one,” I say, taking one of the guns from the table. “The fact that they’re still in New Orleans means they’re planning another abduction attempt against Sophia. If they’d given up, they’d already be back in Boston or wherever their boss is based. Now that we’ve got our new toys, Gio and I and the rest of my capos are going hunting. We’ll see which pig squeals first.” At that, we all laugh and Gio flashes me a sinister grin.
“I pity the man who finds himself up against you,” Cassio says. “But, before you go, I would like to make one request, if I may?”
“Of course.”
I place my weapon back on the table as Cassio runs his fingers through his brown hair. Shaking off his nerves, he stands tall, meeting me eye to eye. His jaw clenches. And as a wave of seriousness clouds his amber eyes, I know. This is the moment he finally admits his feelings for Sophia. My fists instinctively ball until I remind myself it’s Cassio, the man who’s been in love with my sister since they were kids playing hide and seek through these very halls. I can trust him as much as I can trust anyone. And if he proves me wrong, I’ll kill him, even if he is the Godfather of Guns.
“Alister, I know that you and Gio are more than capable of protecting Sophia. But, when I left those months ago, there was something in me that told me I should stay. For you. For her. Given everything that’s happened, this time I can’t walk away. So, I’m asking for your permission to stay and assist in your investigation in any way I can.”
As Cassio speaks, I lower my head. His request is honorable, respectful, and not one I need to consider. It’s just…the thought of my needing his help to protect my sister makes me feel weaker than I already do. But I’m not too proud to accept his offer. I’ve already fallen short when it comes to protecting Cara. And, if it weren’t for Ariana—
“Of course you can stay. But not for me. I don’t want you getting caught up in what’s about to go down. Since you’ve already legitimized, and because I know you’re in love with my sister…” I lift my eyes to meet Cassio’s. He’s taken aback by my bluntness, but he doesn’t deny my observation. Good. I’ve got enough liars in my life to add him to the list. “I want you to stay for her. Protect her. Care for her. Be there for her in the ways I can’t. And maybe, when this is all over, I’ll feel comfortable with the inevitable.”
“Inevitable?”
I smile and squeeze his shoulder. Cassio’s is only seven years younger than me, two younger than Sophia, and yet, when I look at him, I see a child. Perhaps because that’s what I see when I look at Sophia—a child who needs my protection, just like when we were younger, and I kept her from finding our mother’s lifeless body sprawled out on the floor of our parents’ bedroom.
I’m okay with Sophia being all I have. To be honest, my heart can’t bear to love another, because as great as it is to love, it’s also terrifying. It’s terrifying to know that I may lose Sophia if these men have their way with her. But, even more so, it’s terrifying to think that I’m all she has and that if something happens to me, she’ll be left alone, defenseless, and heartbroken. As much as I don’t want to let her go, I need her to find it in her heart to love someone else. If not Cassio, then hopefully someone just as decent and capable of providing for her. Because tonight is only the start of the war to come. With all wars, there are casualties. And there’s a very good chance I will be one of them.
“She’s upstairs,” I tell him. “Go tell her the good news.” Cassio nods and leaves Gio and me with a giddy smile spread across his face. I exhale and rest both my hands against the dining room table covered with instruments of death.
“How hard was that?” Gio asks, pouring me a glass of bourbon.
“Harder than you’ll ever know.” I down my drink and grab my weapon once more. “Call the capos. Tell them where to meet. We’ve got trespassers who need vacating.”
* * *
It’sclose to midnight by the time we make it across the causeway to the pub, which means it’s already packed with drunken civilians.Great.The crowd may help me and my men blend in, but it’ll make it harder to find our targets. Even more so, it increases the likelihood that this ends bloody. With the entrance to the pub just up ahead, I stop my men for a weapons check. They reach inside their suit jackets, making sure they’ve got easy access to their guns.
“All good,” they report.
“Good.”
“Son, are you sure you want to do this? The boys and I can handle these lowlifes. No need for you to put yourself at risk,” Vitale says.
“Vitale, don’t pretend to give a damn about me. Besides, the only ones at risk tonight are them.” At that, Vitale backs off, though he makes a good point. Since taking over from my father, I don’t usually participate in small missions like this. It only increases my chances of being caught. And, if I go down, so does the entire organization. But, after what happened to Sophia, I can’t sit this one out. I’m here to make sure Gio doesn’t have any problems collecting our suspects for questioning. But Vitale and the rest of the crew can’t know any of this. So, I offer them this explanation instead.
“Look, I told you gentlemen that war is coming. This may seem like a small mission, but it’s not. The fact that those Irish scum think it’s okay to invade our turf just goes to show that our enemies think we’re weak. This is only the beginning. And, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather cut the cancer out than let it spread until the point where there is no chance of survival for any of us.”
They all nod, remembering that’s exactly what happened to my dad. Cancer ate him alive, and though this is a metaphorical cancer, every word I say is true. If we don’t get rid of them now, they’ll come for Sophia. And once they have her, I’ll have no choice but to turn myself over to them, essentially signing my own death warrant and relinquishing my crown to their king. And Sophia… Once I’m dead, so is she. At least, one can hope. Because if they don’t kill her, they’ll—
“Moving.” I turn and do my best to flush the vile thoughts from my mind as I approach the courtyard entrance to the pub. I unbutton my suit coat and move my hand to the gun holstered at my hip. As my fingers graze the rubber grip, my skin turns hot to the touch and the chatter and laughter of the pub’s patrons lowers to nothing more than a hum. I take a deep breath as my body language shifts. My lips press into a flat line. My eyes narrow. Every muscle in my body is on high alert, stretching against the seams of my suit. I’m becoming him, the one they fear. And if they don’t, they will.
“Parisi, you take the boss’s left. I’ll breach from the back,” Gio says. As Gio leaves us, I offer him a nod of reassurance. He’ll enter from the back and subdue our suspects before the rest of us make it inside. He’ll let me know once he’s got them unconscious and then I’ll help him load them into the van we have Malik stationed in around back. With any luck, Vitale and the rest of the capos will be too distracted with rounding up the rest of the Irish soldiers to notice.
