Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Joshua
“ W hat’s the update on the enemy situation?” Luca asks at the end of our regular weekly meeting.
“That’s classified,” Caleb says, tossing his key fob in his palm.
Benedito arches a brow. “Even from us?”
“Don’t take it personally. No underboss or consigliere is privy to that information,” I explain. We know we have leaks at the senior level, so we felt it was prudent to keep our plan under wraps for now.
“In other words,” Caleb drawls, pinning our underboss Marino with a sharp look. “Stop looking so butthurt.”
“It’s highly irregular,” Luca says. “I can’t recall any time when I was acting don that such a decision was taken.”
“These are highly irregular circumstances,” Caleb says.
“Count yourself lucky you didn’t have to deal with something of this magnitude,” I tell our cousin.
“I’m getting too old for this anyway.” Luca leans back in the chair, patting his rounded stomach. “I want to talk to you about formalizing a plan for Giulio to take over as consigliere so I can retire.”
“Giulio?” My tone conveys my surprise. “He’s a successful Wall Street trader, and he’s barely got one foot in our world. Why on earth would you propose Giulio over your other sons?”
“He’s the smartest, and he’s one of your closest friends. There is an established relationship there.”
“He won’t want it,” Caleb says.
“It’s not a choice,” Luca replies. “And he will do it if I ask it of him. He has always known he might be called upon.”
This is where The Commission’s reluctance to impose stricter rules falls short for some men. Our new laws state no one should be forced into initiation and servitude, but we can’t legislate for their fathers. The board is loath to step in and overrule any father, so all we can do is tell them we don’t expect succession even if we value it.
Caleb and I exchange a look. Giulio has never expressed such desires to either of us.
“We have to park that for now, Luca. The priority is dealing with this threat. Then we can discuss succession.”
“I just wanted to put it on your radar.”
“We’re aware and not opposed to it.” I speak on behalf of my brother as I know he won’t object. Giulio is a good guy. Whip-smart and focused. It won’t take him long to get up to speed, should he decide he wants to do this. Though I don’t care what Luca thinks. I won’t force any man into a position they don’t want. We need someone who is all in. There can be no half measure.
“We’ve got to go.” Caleb rises to his feet.
“Was there anything else?” I ask, pocketing my cell and standing.
Both men shake their heads, and the four of us exit the conference room together.
It’s eerily quiet walking the hallways of the Accardi Company as we make our way toward the underground parking lot. We’re only operating a skeleton staff today with most employees still on vacation leave for the holidays. It’s one of the changes Caleb and I made when we took over the business. Mom said family time is sacred and facilitating vacation time would endear loyalty within the employee base. So we increased the number of vacation days, staggering it in accordance with length of service, and made it so the business can operate at a basic level, at key times during the year, so we don’t need all hands on deck during busy holiday periods.
We make small talk in the elevator as we descend to the underground parking lot.
Our shoes slap off the asphalt, and our voices bounce off the concrete pillars as we walk toward our cars. There are barely any vehicles in the lot today, and it’s also eerily quiet down here. All the fine hairs lift on the back of my neck for some inexplicable reason I know not to ignore. I reach for my gun the same time Caleb does.
“Get down,” Marino shouts, shoving me to the ground and covering my body as a bullet whizzes over us.
“No, Caleb!” Luca roars as I push our underboss off me and spin around with my gun raised, scanning the area for the threat. I turn around in time to watch Luca take three bullets to the chest that were meant for Caleb.
Caleb emits an ear-shattering roar as he holds our cousin upright when he loses control of his body. I fire at the two assailants hovering by a pillar in the corner while I pull out my cell and send an SOS message. Benedito is moaning on the ground at my feet. Shots are fired back as I drag Marino behind a car, and Caleb places our seriously injured cousin on the ground beside him.
“Watch him,” Caleb barks at Marino before dashing to his car. Our underboss is clutching his shoulder with blood trickling through his fingers, but I doubt it’s serious.
“I called it in. Help is on the way,” I say, straightening up and firing in the direction of the two men, but they’re no longer there. “They’re getting away!” I yell.
“Not on our fucking watch.” Caleb hands me a rifle and nods.
“Keep him alive,” I tell Marino, hating to leave Luca bleeding out on the ground, but we can’t let the men who did this get away.
I ditch my jacket and take off running with my twin after the men. We jump down to the lower level when we hear a car starting up. “Take the left. I’ll take the right,” Caleb yells, and I duck behind a pillar on the right as he does the same on the left. The car is approaching at speed, and the guy in the passenger seat is firing out the side window at us.
I take aim at the windshield as Caleb shoots out the front left tire and then the right. The car spins out of control, crashing into a side wall with a deafening screech. The scrunched hood pops open, obstructing our view as we approach. Steam billows from the open hood, and glass crunches underfoot as we approach cautiously with our guns raised.
“Don’t move!” Caleb calls out when the driver’s side door pops open, training his weapon on the guy behind the wheel. “Fuck!” my brother yells racing to the man slumped half in and half out of the car. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Caleb slams the butt of his rifle down repeatedly on the top of the car as I round my side, still keeping my gun poised and ready even though I suspect it’s too late.
I lower my weapon when I see the two dead men in the car, froth bubbling in their mouth and a cherry-red color on their skin.
“Cyanide pills,” Caleb surmises, and I nod, pulling out my cell and placing another text for a cleanup. We search the men’s pockets, grabbing their wallets and cell phones. Then we search the car, but there’s nothing of use.
“Come on. We need to check on Luca.”
We run back upstairs, but we’re too late.
“He’s gone,” Marino says, cradling Luca’s head in his lap. “I tried CPR, but it didn’t work. He died in my arms.”
Caleb drops to his knees, a muscle popping in his jaw. “He died protecting me.”
“He died with honor,” I say. “He’d be happy about that.” I clamp a hand on my twin’s shoulder as we stare at the dead body of our consigliere , our cousin, our family. He didn’t deserve to go out like this.
Caleb’s cell rings, and he snaps out of it, standing and answering in a clipped voice. His jaw pulls tight with anger at whatever he’s hearing. “Is he okay?” Caleb looks at me. “We were targeted too. No, no, fuck, don’t tell Mom. We’re both fine.” He looks to the ceiling, rolling his neck from side to side. “We’ll take the necessary precautions, I promise.” He clears his throat. “Luca didn’t make it. He took the bullets meant for me. The stubborn fucker wasn’t wearing a vest, and I am.” He barks out a bitter laugh. “He died for nothing.”
“How’s the shoulder?” I ask Marino as he places Luca down on the ground. I grab my jacket off the hood of the car and drape it over my cousin’s face and upper body.
“It’s not deep, and I don’t think the bullet embedded.”
“Get it checked out,” I say as a medical team van appears in my peripheral vision, heading toward us. Thank fuck Mom wasn’t on duty today. She shouldn’t have to see this. She will be upset. She was fond of Luca.
“What happened?” I ask when Caleb hangs up his phone.
“Rowan was targeted too.” My eyes pop wide in shock, and I’m opening my mouth to ask a question when he answers it. “He’s fine. Not even a scratch. His bodyguards shielded him. One of them died at the scene, and the other is in emergency surgery but expected to pull through. It happened at the high school, and it’s a major shit show with cops and the media involved.”
Marino scowls. “This reeks of amateur hour. Who the fuck did this and why?”
The next couple of hours are spent holed up in HQ making plans. Ben is livid, threatening to annihilate every fucking made man until he finds out who tried to murder his son and his nephews. It’s been decided all the kids under eighteen will be homeschooled for now, and unless it’s essential, the women are being asked to stay at home with beefed-up security details. None of us can do what we need to do if we’re worrying about our loved ones.
“Rowan is initiating,” Ben says just as I pull out my cell to call Gia and check in with her.
“I thought he was undecided,” Cristian says.
“He was, but today proved he is safer in than out.”
In the olden days, no kid of a mafioso had a choice. Especially not a kid of a don. But Ben gave his children choices and made it clear that any kids growing up within the Mazzone famiglia should be given a choice. He left it up to the individual families to decide. Eighty percent of all kids born into our communities join the fold, and they are there by choice, not through fear or force. It means less numbers joining the ranks, but they are more committed.
Rowan is Ben’s legitimate heir, but he didn’t want to initiate at thirteen, and he’s been very much on the fence ever since. He has spoken to Caleb and me at length about it, but neither of us wanted to influence him. We grew up expecting this to be our destiny because it’s what our father wanted, but we wanted it too. I like being a made man, and my conscience is clear.
“It’s sad he’s being forced to make the decision before he was fully ready, but it’s a smart move. I often think it’s more dangerous to have one foot in and one foot out,” I say, and it reminds me of what Luca said at the end of our meeting today. “We need to talk to Giulio, and we need to go see the family.”
Caleb nods.
I look up the table at Massimo. “Can we take a break? I want to call Gia too.”
“Let’s recess for twenty minutes,” he agrees.
“I’ll call Giulio. You call Gia,” my twin says, and we walk out of the room and into one of the side rooms to make our calls.
I frown when I call Gia on her personal cell and her burner cell and both go to voicemail. I try again, attempting to convince myself she’s in the shower or listening to music while she’s packing, and she hasn’t checked her phones. I call again, over and over, but they keep going straight to voicemail. Apprehension lingering in the wings swamps my system, and I’m in instant panic mode.
Something is wrong.
I feel it in my gut.
I hit the button for the surveillance team and try to summon patience while I wait for someone to answer. “Pick up the fucking phone!” I snap, and Caleb lifts his head, his brow puckering as he stares at me. I’m pacing the floor and trying to get a grip on my emotions, but I’m struggling.
“Boss. Hey,” someone says, finally picking up my call.
“Where is she?” I bark. “Where is Gia?”
“Uh, she’s at home, boss. In her apartment.”
“Then why isn’t she answering her cell phones? Check again.”
I hear the tap-tapping of keys as he calls up the system. Caleb is talking in hushed tones over the phone with Giulio while keeping a concerned eye on me.
“She’s at the Brooklyn apartment, sir. I sent the screenshot to your cell.”
“Check her cell phones. Where do they place her?”
He taps away again. “Same, sir. They put her at the same location.”
“Okay.” Maybe I am overreacting and she’s showering. “Keep me posted if she records or if anything changes with her location.” I hang up and call one of the men I have stationed outside her apartment. He answers immediately. At least someone is on the ball.
“Don Accardi.”
“Knock on the door and ask Ms. Bianchi to answer her phone.”
Stunned silence greets me for a couple seconds. “Um, she’s not at home, sir.”
“What do you mean she’s not at home? I dropped her off around the block hours ago.”
“She hasn’t been here. No one has in the six hours we’ve been outside her door.”
What the actual fuck is going on? “Bust the door open and check.”
I grab fistfuls of my hair as I pace the floor, trying and failing not to panic. A loud crash filters through the line, followed by stomping feet.
“She’s not here, sir. We’ve checked every room.”
“Call me if she shows up,” I say and hang up.
“Fuck.” I swipe all the bottles of sparkling water on the desk to the floor in a fit of rage.
Caleb ends his call and comes to me. He grips my shoulder. “What is it?”
“Gia is missing, but her cellphones and her tracker shows she’s at home. What the fuck are we missing, Caleb? What the fuck is going on, and how am I going to find her?”
“Calm down.” He squeezes my shoulder. “You’re no use to Gia like this. Lock down your emotions. Shut them off, and go into professional mode. We’ll find her. It’s got to be Liam. We’ll start there.”
The door opens, and Massimo and Ben burst into the room. They glance at the shattered glass and wet carpet before turning to look at us.
“Gia is missing,” Caleb tells them.
“I dropped her off hours ago, but she never made it to the apartment. She hasn’t activated the recording device, and her tracker and cell phones show her location as the apartment,” I explain, working hard to do as Caleb suggests because it’s good advice.
“Fuck.” Massimo covers his mouth.
“They found a way to mess with the trackers,” Ben says, reaching the same conclusion as me.
“That’s why they removed them from the dead bodies. They reverse engineered our chips,” I say. “That’s how their men are hiding in plain sight. They are fixing their locations as they move freely around, doing who the hell knows what, and we’re none the wiser.”
“This has Liam’s fingerprints all over it. He must have gotten intel she’s one of us,” Cristian says, listening out in the hallway with Fiero.
“Or he’s discovered she’s your woman,” Massimo says.
“We need to find her, but how?”
“Let’s go back inside and brainstorm. There has to be another way we can trace her location.”
The mood is heavy as we head back into the conference room. We’ve all just claimed our seats when my cell rings with a call from the surveillance team. I put it on speaker phone. “Do you have news?”
“The recording device has been activated,” the man says, his voice spiking with clear terror. “She used the codeword, boss. She’s in serious trouble, and she needs our help.”