A Madness of Crows: Mafia University #3

36. Day 91 – Gio

Lorena taps my arm. She’s strolling up and down between the empty chairs around me, her cane tapping as she reels off legal jargon like she’s reading from the dictionary.

It’s actually become soothing.

My eyes open, and she points silently at the phone on the table.

Luciano Morelli.

Inhaling, I glance toward the door, but Lorena is already there. Her cane smacks against the floor in a flash of temper as she starts ripping into Matteo’s man about getting her a fresh coffee.

My voice is almost silent. “Luc.”

Rapid words echo into my ear before I abruptly end the call.

My phone is back on the desk when the man glances in. Lorena looks pissed as she stamps back to the desk. “Get the hell out of here, Fusco. And bring me a damn coffee.”

Her eyes gleam as I pass her with a nod.

I stride across the campus to the apartment. Not too fast.

One minute.

Two.

Three.

When the door is closed behind me, I rip out the burner phone from my pocket and type in a message.

Use this number.

I sink into a chair, barely breathing as I stare at the screen. Waiting for something.

Anything.

They come through one after the other, those irritating as fuck little half circles loading too fucking slowly.

My muscles lock as I open the first photo.

The second.

The third.

And a text. Brief, abbreviated, but… all of it.

When I’m finished, I tip my head back to the ceiling.

I owe Stefano Asante a fucking favor. More than one.

I sit impatiently for an hour before leaving for the gym. The others trail in slowly. We’re missing Frankie, but everyone else arrives with tired expressions, worn down.

Vincent walks in with his face swollen and bruised. He throws himself down with a pained grunt. “Those fuckers need to get the hell off campus.”

Beside him, Tony’s face is tight. Johnno nods in agreement. Rocco, fresh off the plane from Vegas, grimaces. “Easier said than done.”

“Maybe not.”

Marco straightens from where he’s leaning against the far wall, his eyes on me. I nod to Rocco. “Call him.”

They’re all watching me when he answers. “Sì.”

I close my eyes. “I have it, Dante. All of it.”

Blueprints of the house, the wider wall, entrance points, guard rotations, security measures, weapon storage – Stefano Asante put anything and everything he could fucking think of into those few short messages. Including details of the dungeons below, and a request.

Get her out.

Dante inhales. “How?”

“An ally.”

I’ll tell him. But I don’t know where Stefano Asante’s loyalty truly sits, and I’m not about to fuck him over by announcing his involvement. “It’s solid. We’ll be ready, Dante. As soon as Alessia is out, we can go in and get her.”

Dante doesn’t say anything.

We pick over the information for more than an hour, discussing and planning and mapping logistics. Marco stays on the phone, throwing in suggestions as he works his way through the Corvo ranks, briefing those loyal to Cat to be ready to move. I’ll do the same for mine, as will Dante.

Pulling in the resources we need for the fight to come.

My heart thumps.

I’m coming back for you, Corvo. And I’m not leaving without you this time.