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"Your reputation holds up," Masi mutters. There's a special kind of anger in his gleaming eyes as he tucks his gun away. It's not directed at me, and he turns the SD card in his hands.
Another businessman squints at me. "You don't waste time fucking around. We get the message, but the Attolinis are a horde of cutthroatsegaiolilike you. Why do you think we'd believe you're not just looking for more blood?"
"All I'm looking for is Lorenze and his sons. They owe me their blood, no one else's. The Attolinis know the source of the feud is at the top. Why keep dying for someone who pays himself with whatever you leave behind?"
There's been a slow shift in the room. Danny is openly smirking, and the other Attolinis behind me have lowered their guns and relaxed, making it clear that they see the same growing dissent that I do. Franko Masi meets the eyes of the other Gattos before taking a step closer to me. He's a hardened man, but not a blind one.
"You keep your promises, Undertaker. I know that much. So, promise mercy. Even for the ones who don't jump ship for your rabble. Promise mercy, and my men here and I won't stop a single Attolini if they happen to cross paths with a certainfiglio di puttanadownstairs."
I examine him steadily. He's earnest. The other men here are, too—all but one of the enforcers. He won't meet my gaze, and I anticipate he'll turn on us the moment we step downstairs, along with whatever other Gattos might be down there. But there's a significant probability this fight won't be as violent as it might have been.
Hell, the Gattos in this room almost appear ready to help us.
"I promise an end to this feud," I say evenly, meeting their looks one by one—even my own men. "No more losses. No more blood, for blood's sake. We will live and let live. The Attolini family will show mercy to any Gatto interested as long as Lorenze Gatto and his sons rot in fucking hell for everything they've done."
I didn't anticipate the hearty agreement from a handful of the mafiosos surrounding me, but it comes from both families. Franko Masi shakes my hand and nods at the door behind me. "I know you brought reinforcements. Bring them in. We'll flush out the motherfucker."
Bruno is already sending the text, nodding to me as several of my men advance through the old diner. The Gattos in the secret bar below are still chatting and laughing. From the sound of the music, I wouldn't be surprised if strippers and drinking were going on down there. But so long as any innocents made it out unscathed and Lorenze Gatto died in a puddle of blood, I didn't care.
As my men move in and the Gattos lead them to the back steps, Franko Masi faces me again, just us. He's still wary, but something like respect makes him nod his chin.
"Hearing that Pascal Gatto bit the bullet made me happy. Your doing, I understand. I only regret that Mad Blood isn't here. He's just as sick as thatsegaiolowas."
Before I can respond, Danny bolts back to my side, holding his phone up to me. He looks pale. "Boss. You need to take this."
Masi salutes me as he steps back towards the speakeasy entrance, already looking ready to end Lorenze himself. Still, he nods once more at me. "His death is yours, but I might spill some drops of his blood if you don't get there fast enough."
Damn. The Gattos are swapping sides with purpose now. They might be as thirsty for vengeance as my family. I take Danny's phone while I watch more of them slip down the stairs. I'm ready to follow, grab Lorenze by his old shoulders, and end the monster's life for my father to hear all about. Shouting echoes from the hidden room, and the unmistakable sounds of a fight start calling to me.
"Boss?"
Andrew's voice is frantic and weak. I pull my attention back to the phone as worry shoots through my veins.
"Ace? What's—"
"I don't know how long I've been out," he interrupts, sounding more worked up by the second. He's practically choking out the words. "It—fuck, it could have been a while, Boss. All I know right now is that Giovanni is dead, and…Mad Blood took her."
Sybil.
Blind panic and rage threaten to send me to my knees. I clutch the phone tight, not hearing whatever else Ace is saying.
I'm here for revenge. For blood. Knowing they have Sybil makes my hunger for violence more ravenous than ever before. I will burn the fucking world down if they hurt her. Fuck mercy. Whoever harms her won't get the sweet mercy of a swift death from me.
Killing Lorenze is what my father requires for me to win the future that I just promised the Gattos. The future I want with Sybil. But if I join the fray of violence I can hear right now, I'll be too late. I might never see Sybil again.
A gunshot rings out somewhere below.
Fuck revenge. Enough people want Lorenze's blood already. I just want mycrudele tesorina.
As more violence unleashes and my men charge into the speakeasy, I drop the phone and run.
Chapter 27
Sybil
I have decided three things.
Firstly, I'm not helpless. Yes, I'm alone in a car with two hulking men who have probably done things I don't ever want to imagine, and both of them are capable and likely to smash my head within the next fifteen minutes. And no, I don't have a real weapon—but I have a clunky ankle brace and my intelligence, so… there's that.
