Chapter 38
Dante
“Ineed ten million dollars.”
The lemon orchard looks different in the daylight. The sun beams on the fruit, turning the citrus clusters golden, and workers shift crates in the distance.
Here, in the grove’s heart, my brothers and I conduct a meeting we don’t want anyone to overhear. The tension is heavier than the unexpected heat of a peculiarly warm autumn day. You’d swear hell opened its gates early to welcome the man I’ll drive there myself the instant Lucia’s son is safe.
“And I need it within the next twelve hours.”
Four sets of eyes snap to me as Matteo straightens up. “Ten million? What the hell for?”
“I’ll explain later,” I say. “Right now, I just need the money and a plan to make sure she gets out of this in one piece.” I nudge my head to Lucia standing at the side of the packing shed. Her eyes are still wet, but my take-no-prisoners approach to her son’s well-being has hardened her spine.
Giovanni withdraws a black notebook from inside his jacket, quickly flips through its pages, and glances up with purpose. “I can get you two million in cash within the hour.”
Nico raises a hand. “I’ve got a little over a million in the safe in my room.”
“Same. About a million.” Elio shrugs. “Maybe a bit more if I empty my emergency stash.”
“Including the million I have at my apartment, that leaves five million unaccounted for.”
All eyes snap to Matteo when his grin announces he is entirely too pleased with himself. “You’re lucky I don’t trust banks.” He pushes off the tree he braced his backside on when I called an emergency meeting in the orchard. “And that I like to fuck on my money.”
Giovanni groans. “Matteo—”
Matteo waggles his brows. “Can you really say you’re rolling in it if you’ve never actually fucking rolled in it? I’ll keep to myself how much fun it is to clean up with freshly printed greens.”
“You’re insane.”
He winks, loving Nico’s stern eye roll.
“Insane and useful,” he shoots back. “I’ve got the rest. All of it if these soft cocks are worried about being left short before the banks open.”
The tension in my shoulders loosens for the first time since Lucia spelled out Edoardo’s terms.
Matteo’s playful expression turns serious. “But you’re gonna need to tell us why you need ten million dollars in cash before I hand it over.”
“He doesn’t have to tell us shit.” Giovanni drifts his eyes from Lucia to me. “But I think it would be a good idea. We can’t support you if we don’t know what you’re walking into, D.”
With Lucia’s permission, and in the safety of the lemon groves, I tell them everything. Edoardo’s false claim of marriage, the child he shares with Lucia, and how Lucia wholeheartedly believes he will kill Gabriele if he even detects a hint that we know of his existence.
“That’s why you’re not going in hard,” Elio murmurs, forever the analyst of our stings. He knows every entry and exit of any establishment we raid because it keeps his brothers safe without needing to remove the gun his hip is never without.
Even though he didn’t ask a question, I nod.
“There’s more.” My confession stills the ruckus slowly building. “Lucia believes there’s a mole in the main house. Either in our network or planted inside the building.”
“What the fuck?” Nico rips the laptop Elio is in the process of opening out of his hand.
Forever protective of our tech and privacy, he built the security system that keeps our private lives private from scratch.
Even after Giovanni insisted on installing extra surveillance six months ago, it should be unhackable.
I lower the screen of his laptop, pinching his fingers. “We’re not removing anyone. Not yet.”
“Why the fuck not?” Matteo asks, his voice ricocheting through the groves.
Giovanni is too clever to be swamped by the theatrics cowards like Edoardo use. “You want him to think she robbed us?”
“Yep!” I pop the P. “If she suddenly shows up with ten million, he’ll think she came to me.”
Matteo nods slowly. “Men with small dicks will never believe you gave it to her without knowing what it was for. He’ll kill her son solely on the belief that he’s been played.”
Nico joins in. “Stealing from us will make her look desperate. It’ll also make it seem like she acted on her own.”
“Exactly.”
Elio is the first to voice caution. He’s always the first to voice caution. “It’s a dangerous play.”
“I know,” I say. “But it’s the only way we can get Gabriele out safely. Once that’s done…”
Matteo makes an explosive noise with his mouth, spit flying, and every Caruso within five miles hums in agreement.