Chapter 45 - Maximo
Maximo
“He’s dead.” Lazaro’s words hit me like a stake through the gut. “His body was fished out of the river early this morning. Just to be sure, I sent someone down to the morgue to ID him. It’s Julius. Confirmed.”
Cazzo. I squeeze the phone against my ear. “Call everyone together for a sit down. Tell them it’s urgent. Five o’clock at the warehouse.”
“You got it, boss.” Lazaro hangs up.
I curse. Niall Bane needs to get back to me soon with any leads.
I suppose I should call him and strike Julius from my suspect list. At this rate, Lazaro’s the only person left on it and I’m beginning to doubt my suspicions.
Is he an arrogant ass? Yes. But as far as I can tell, he has no motive for destroying all four families.
It took Niall only a couple of days to clear Portia Rizzo, but I already knew she’s not who we’re looking for. That was just a precaution. Confirming her innocence put my mind at ease. Though I’ll never admit to her or my mother that I had Portia looked into. I’d never hear the end of it from them.
Family. Loyalty. Trust.
Lazaro’s a Pontrelli on his mother’s side. He’s practically family. Two dons have trusted him before me, so what gives me the right to question his loyalty? I don’t have a shred of evidence on the man.
Even if I did decide to forcefully question Lazaro, I’d need the other dons’ permission.
There are rules, procedures for these types of situations.
A boss turning against his underboss can create ripple effects through the entire organization.
I can’t allow any suspicion of discord between us until I have more information—from a third party.
I have enough to deal with right now anyway. Julius’s death could destabilize my position if it’s not carefully handled. We need to find his killer. I also must choose a new consigliere.
By the time I get home late at night, I’m exhausted and worried. This is the first attack that’s resulted in death. Even though the other dons and I are not all in agreement that Julius’s death and our other recent issues are the work of the same enemy. I guarantee it is. I’d stake my life on it.
And if it is the same masked enemy, then they’re escalating and it’s only a matter of time before they take out other members of the leading council. Our families are being picked off from the top down.
All of this has to wait until morning. What I need right now is sleep.
It’s well after midnight, so I’m surprised to find Elena awake. She sits on the edge of the bed, wearing a satin night gown, her hair in a long braid. I drop a kiss on the top of her head.
“We need to talk,” she says.
Something about the way she stiffly holds herself has me taking notice. “Can it wait until the morning?”
“No. It can’t.” Her fierce gaze clashes with mine, taking me off guard. “Who is she?”
I freeze, halfway done removing my tie. “What are you talking about? She who?” I’m at a complete loss as to who or what she’s talking about.
Not to mention the reason she’s so obviously upset.
I spent all evening and half the night going around in circles with a group of men who think the old rules still apply today.
Fucking exhausting.
“A woman called up from the lobby earlier today. She was looking for you.” Elena twists her hands in her lap.
“Okay.” I’m not sure what that means, so I wave her off. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Don’t think you’re getting out of this that easily. Is it the same woman who was blowing up your phone the other day? Who is she, Maximo?” She folds her arms and tilts her chin at that stubborn angle, telling me she’s not going to let this go.
Oh crap. Fuck my life right now. I rake my fingers through my already disheveled hair. “Elena, it’s been a really long day and I’m tired. We can talk about this in the morning. I assure you it’s nothing to worry about.”
“Are you cheating on me?” Her voice catches on the last word.
“What? No, of course not.” How could she even think such a thing? Cheating on her is the last thing I’d ever do.
“I don’t believe you.” She smoothes her palms down her thighs. “Where were you tonight?”
I step in front of her, my hands rest on her shoulders, but she won’t meet my eyes. “Working. Now listen, cara mia, I would never cheat on you. So you toss that thought right out of your head.” I only hesitate for a beat before I say, “I love you. Only you.”
She doesn’t say it back. I knew she wouldn’t. Even so, the rejection stings.
Will she ever love me? Since our honeymoon she’s been different. Sometimes I think I see affection in her eyes, in the way she touches me, like it’s right beneath the surface. But she has yet to speak the three words I most want to hear from her.
“If she’s not your mistress, then why won’t you tell me who she is?” Her gaze fills with hurt.
I don’t have the patience for this, not tonight. I haven’t figured out how to tell her who the woman is and I’m not going to come up with a solution right here, right now. It’s a delicate situation that needs to be handled correctly.
Stepping back, I heave a sigh. “That’s enough. You’re being irrational. I said we’d talk about this in the morning. Now go to sleep.”
She blinks up at me, clearly startled at my harsh tone.
Fuck. I didn’t mean to sound like a dick, but I’m too exhausted for this shit right now. I’m not cheating on my wife. She should believe me instead of continuing to question me. Does she have no trust in me whatsoever? What the fuck do I have to do to prove myself to her?
Abruptly, she stands up. “Fine. I’m sleeping in my room tonight.”
“Do whatever you want.”
She turns at the door. “Oh, I will.” Then she slips from the room, leaving me upset with myself for pushing her away. For not continuing to try to console her.
I’ve been so focused on finding our enemy, dealing with Julius’s death, and my ever growing suspicions regarding Lazaro, that I’ve put my other little problem on the back burner.
Apparently, for all our sakes, I need to deal with it—and soon.