Chapter 13
13
LAZARO
Alonzo and Dante arrive within minutes of the girls leaving, and I pin Dante with a hard glare, which he of course ignores. His face gives nothing away, but the look in his blue eyes is enough. I’m going to enjoy killing him. Being Nico’s Underboss might cause a problem along the way, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.
I suppose I can see what Sofia sees in him. He’s a handsome Black man, standing over six feet tall with sharp blue eyes, and in very good shape, not an ounce of fat on him. Looking at him, you’d never know he’s an illegitimate cousin of Nico’s, through Nico’s uncle. He’s well known in our circles for being ruthless. At least my sister didn’t pick a loser. Doesn’t mean I fucking like it.
Considering the glares the rest of the men in the room are sending his way, they feel the same. Our father and Pietro excluded, of course.
I glance at Alonzo and see his face set in a hard expression, his eyes burning with irritation. “Problem?” I ask when he comes to a stop beside me.
“That fucking woman is going to make me lose my fucking mind,” he grits out. “Do you know what the fuck she did?” I arch a brow at him expectantly. “She took my fucking guns and put the pieces of them all over the fucking room. I mean, she took the fucking things apart. Then she dumped out all my bullets. I don’t know when the hell she had time to do that, but I’m going to tan her ass.”
I can’t help it. I laugh, drawing everyone’s attention. Alonzo glares at me furiously. “I like her,” I announce, flashing a wicked grin his way. “What did you do to piss her off?”
“Why the fuck do you think I did anything?” he bites out. “She’s fucking crazy, and now that she’s here, she’s made it her mission in life to piss me the fuck off.” He looks at Alessio and snaps, “You need to assign her to someone else, because I’m going to lose my fucking marbles.”
“Did you really expect anything less, after your introduction?” Alessio tosses back easily. “You’re not on guard duty for her, anyway. We’ve cleared her. So if she’s still staying with you, kick her ass out to another room.”
Alonzo’s face darkens at that, giving away his thoughts. Yeah, I have a feeling that won’t be happening. Instead of agreeing, Alonzo barks, “Where are we on the search for the twin and the information on Giovanni?”
The tone of the room instantly changes and we’re all business.
“I caught Lazaro up on what’s happened while he’s been gone,” Papa explains.
“I received more information from my informant inside the Morozov’s. They said that the meeting with Giovanni was only between him, Orlando, Ivan, and his son Alexei. No guards were allowed in,” Dante finishes with a grim look.
“Not a single one?” I ask, surprised. That’s not done. Ever. There’s normally at least one guard from each side allowed in those meetings to ensure that no one tries to assassinate their leader.
Dante nods. “Ivan ordered them all out. They stationed themselves outside the door, but the room is soundproofed, even the doors, to make sure no one can hear anything inside.”
“Ivan is either fucking stupid, or he’s got something on Giovanni big enough that he doesn’t kill him or his heir,” Nico muses darkly.
“Or Giovanni has something on him,” Zeno says absently, and I watch a narrow-eyed look take over his face. It’s the look he gets when his brain is working overtime to try and connect some elusive dots in that weird head of his. “Who called the meet, do you know?”
Dante shakes his head. “My informant didn’t have that info. He was told that Giovanni was arriving with one of his sons and ordered to let him through. Neither of them had weapons when they were searched. They met for two hours, then Giovanni and Orlando left, not a single word said between them.”
“And anything out of Ivan or Alexei?” Pietro asks.
“Nothing was said other than an order to have the men ready. Alexei left, but my informant isn’t on his security team, so they don’t know if he met with anyone. And Alexei’s men are apparently fucking loyal to him and don’t say a word about him or his activities to anyone.”
“Fuck,” Nico hisses.
“My men have been searching, and from what it looks like, there is no communication between Giovanni and Ivan on anything electronic,” Papa adds grimly.
“So, what, they’re using carrier pigeons and sending letters?” Massimo asks, a scowl on his face.
“More likely, they have someone who knows how to erase a digital footprint and make sure that nothing they say slips through for us to find,” Papa corrects. “But I have a couple of guys that can find anything, and they’re close to getting through their firewalls. Whoever Giovanni has on his side now doing that shit is fucking good.”
“That could explain how they’re finding the girls so quickly too,” I point out. “A hacker who can build firewalls strong enough to keep even our guys out for this long, is a fucking good hacker. They’d be able to dig up information on the girls.”
“Orlando is a crazy fucker,” Dante remarks. “I was always surprised that he took orders from Lorenzo, or hell, even Leonardo before all this shit went down. He’s a wild card, and he was Giovanni’s favorite person to send to handle the dirty work, like interrogations or straight up murder. And he likes to take his time when torturing people.”
“So he’s a hacker and an enforcer?” I ask. It’s not common for someone to do both, but these American families like to do things fucking different.
“As of late he’s mostly been in the enforcer role, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been doing the hacker shit in the background too,” Dante answers. “Out of all the brothers and cousins, you see him the least.”
“Leonardo wouldn’t let him put his fingers in everything,” Nico argues, frowning thoughtfully. “He’s too much of a control freak for that.”
“Giovanni might be using him to keep an eye on Leonardo and Marco’s movements,” Alonzo suggests. “And probably trying to do the same with us.”
“My men are always dealing with people trying to get into our shit, so if he’s trying, he hasn’t succeeded yet,” Papa points out. “And we’ll make sure he stays out.” He looks at Zeno and Urso pointedly.
“What do we do about Giovanni working with the Russians?” Pietro asks pointedly. “At the moment, there isn’t a single member of a major crime family that’s not involved in this fucking mess.”
“Leonardo is probably working with my uncle, who runs his own territory on the state border with Massachusetts,” Nico adds. “But you’re right, this whole fucking city is now involved, and if it becomes an all-out war, we’re going to have a fucking bloodbath on our hands.”
“At this point that’s exactly where we’re heading,” Pietro agrees grimly. “But until we know what Giovanni was meeting with Ivan about, we’re in the dark.”
“We need more intel on what Marco is up to with Gallo,” Dante reminds us. “Other than sending men after you to get to Amara, there hasn’t been much movement from his end, or from Seamus, for that matter.”
“You think they’re plotting and planning?” Pietro asks him.
“Seamus Gallo is never idle, so if he’s gone quiet, it’s a cause for concern. And like us, he can probably tell that Ivan and Giovanni look to be in league together, so he’s not going to want to sit too long with no movement.”
“Tell Eion we want another meet up, immediately,” Nico orders him. “We want all the information he has.” Dante nods and pulls out his phone.
“What’s the deal with Ivan and his son?” Alessio asks Nico. “How likely is it that they’re going to keep working with Giovanni?”
“I would have said not at all,” Nico answers after a moment, a deep frown pulling at his mouth. “Ivan’s a nasty fucker. The only Italian he’s ever had any kind of civility with was Leonardo, many years ago, but then that relationship went sour. Since then, they’ve stayed on their own sides of the territory, other than some minor skirmishes here and there.”
“Maybe that’s why Giovanni went to him. Could be that he knows Ivan isn’t a fan of Leonardo, and he’s going to use that to draw Ivan to his side of the fight,” I suggest.
Nico shrugs. “It’s possible. But what could Giovanni have to give him? Surely by now Ivan knows all about what’s happened here and with the Parisi’s. Out of everyone, he’d have been smarter to put aside his differences with Leonardo and side with him if he wants more power or control.”
“Why isn’t he coming to you?” Pietro asks curiously.
“He probably knows that Nico is the one that got the Irish started duking shit out before we got here,” Alessio smirks, earning a death glare from Nico. I’m not surprised at this information, but I see quickly the rest of the room, minus Papa, is.
“What?” Pietro demands.
“Nico here was planning to make some big moves and take over territory by having the two smaller families fight amongst themselves. They’d do all the messy work for him and weaken each other before he’d sweep in and take it all over. They’ve probably figured that all out by now,” Alessio continues. “Clever, I’ll give you that, my friend. And it all might just work out okay. By the time this is all done, you might have the entire city to yourself.”
Pietro looks at Nico. “Is this true?”
Nico shifts his gaze to Pietro. “Anything done before this situation doesn’t matter,” he replies simply.
Pietro’s face darkens, and his eyes narrow. I barely manage to bite back my grin. We’ve all been on the receiving end of that look, and now it’s Nico’s turn. “Every fucking thing that might have a bearing on how we approach this fight matters, ragazzo . Especially if it means there is another reason for them to align with others.” He curses him harshly in Italian before switching back to English to bite out, “This is why I have no time for Americans and their stupid games. You think that keeping secrets will be of some kind of benefit to you, when all you do is show your own weaknesses and egos.”
Nico holds Pietro’s gaze, seemingly unfazed. “Perhaps you would like me to give you a history lesson on everything that has happened in this city in the past hundred years?” he returns calmly. “This is nothing different than any and all of us have done at one time or another. Leonardo’s father nearly destroyed the Irish and Russians when he took over, before they finally called a truce. And when Leonardo took his place, he attempted much the same. Seamus stupidly went after Ivan as well when he took over. I have done nothing that any of them haven’t done in the past. Only, I’ve gone about it differently. If they can link anything back to me, so be it. It’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. This is far bigger than minor skirmishes, and you know it.”
“That may be, but any and all information is important in this fight,” Pietro says icily. Then he turns his eye to his son and adds, “And you never mentioned anything to me.”
“Wasn’t time, with everything going on,” Alessio answers with a shrug. “You know now, so we can take that and move on. We need to figure out our next move before we have Russians, Irish, and more Italian families at the gates trying to blow us all to hell. And with Amara here, that would mean three women they’ll try to take from us. Five, if we can find the other two before them.”
“Speaking of that, maybe that’s why Giovanni is meeting with Ivan,” Massimo suggests suddenly. I look at him sharply, already not liking the direction this conversation is heading. “I mean, Giovanni has to know by now that at least one of the girls is his daughter. Maybe he’s pre-emptively planning to marry them off if he can get a hold of them. Another marriage alliance.” Massimo looks over at me briefly before adding, “If he knows Amara is his daughter, then it’s probably for her, considering the timing.”
I hold back my fury—barely—because no fucking way is that going to happen. The only man Amara will be marrying is me. And with how I’m feeling, I’ll drag her ass down the aisle kicking and screaming before I’ll allow her father to get his claws into her. It’s unhinged, even I know that, but I don’t give a flying fuck. Pure determination is all that keeps me from stalking out to find her and gluing her to my side.
“I don’t think so,” Alessio says after a moment of tense silence. “Think about it. He knew that Leonardo and Marco were sending men after Amara, and I’m sure he knew Lazaro was heading there too. But he didn’t send his own men after her, and there was no ambush or anything on the way to get her here. If he was planning to sell her off to the highest bidder, namely Morozov if appearances are to be believed, then wouldn’t he already be trying to grab her? I mean, he’s not going to want to leave this deal hanging too long, since he’s vulnerable without Parisi or his men.”
“You think he’s planning for Amara’s sister, when they figure out who she is?” I ask, following his train of thought.
Alessio nods. “That’s what makes the most sense right now.”
“Is there a chance that they’ve already figured out who his other daughter is?” Pietro asks with a frown.
“It’s possible,” Zeno replies grimly. “Especially if one of the sons is as tech-savvy as you’ve said. But our guys are better, and we’re not seeing anything that indicates they know who or where she is. So we have some time, but we need to amp up our efforts if we want to make sure they don’t get there first.”
“Do it,” Pietro orders. “I want both her and Gia, as well as Sienna’s other sister, found as soon as possible. We get to them, and we stop any plans of them aligning with other families through marriage and causing permanent problems once this whole situation is resolved.”
“I want to know what the hell Marco and Leonardo are up to,” I interject. “They sent men after Amara, but have they not made any other moves here?”
“Nothing obvious,” Dante answers. “Mostly, they’ve gone quiet, which is cause for concern. I would expect as much from Leonardo, but Marco has been running his mouth and trying to make big moves by joining with Seamus Gallo, and Seamus has gone quiet as well. None of them seem to be moving, and by now word has gotten back to them that Parisi is dead and his men have gone home, and Giovanni is vulnerable.”
“Leonardo is probably seething that Giovanni has gone to Ivan,” Nico agrees. “Or rather, pissed that Ivan has granted Giovanni access to him and had their meeting. Leonardo and Ivan always had an understanding that they stayed out of each other’s way and assisted each other on a rare occasion. Him agreeing to work with, or even see Giovanni, considering everything, just sent that truce up in flames.”
“You think Leonardo will go after Ivan for it?” Alonzo asks.
Nico shrugs. “Even if he does, Leonardo is larger and stronger than Ivan, unless Ivan calls in other Bratva families from outside the state, but I can’t see that happening. This isn’t big enough for them to involve themselves in. And it would also weaken Ivan’s image as the Pakhan, that he would call them in over something so small to them. Ivan will fight back, but I think it’s more likely that Leonardo will either wait until this is over to deal a blow, or he’ll make sure Ivan needs him for something and then reject him, and try to take over his territory with force.”
“It’s one more reason for him to kill Giovanni for going to his enemy, even with everything else,” Dante agrees. “He’s probably planning to do it anyway, but this will piss him off more and he’ll make sure Giovanni suffers before he kills him. Him and his sons.”
“What about Marco aligning with the Gallos?” I ask.
Nico and Dante share a look. “Leonardo and Seamus were much like Leonardo and Ivan, where they had a truce, but they mostly stayed out of each other’s way. Gallo is bigger than Ivan though, so he knows it will be harder to go against him. It’s more likely that Leonardo is pissed that Marco is probably spilling family secrets to Seamus,” Nico explains. “Though it also could be why everyone has gone quiet. Marco has the knowledge to make trouble for Leonardo, and his father knows it. It would make sense that Leonardo is trying to make sure that all those ways his son knows of aren’t available to him, in case he gets any ideas to try and sneak in and assassinate him.”
“I thought he was marrying Seamus’s daughter so they had an alliance. Wouldn’t it make sense that he’s trying to take over Gallo’s territory?” Papa questions.
“That’s what we originally thought,” Nico agrees. “But I’ve been thinking that that is far too big of a job for a man like Marco and the meager force he has following him to accomplish. Gallo has six children, along with a brother and brother-in-law that are heavily involved in their business. If he takes out Gallo, he’s as good as dead. And while he might marry Gallo’s daughter, there is no way they’re going to trust him enough to be privy to anything in the family business for a long damn time. I’m thinking that Marco is with the daughter to get access to Gallo’s men, with the promise that when Gallo helps him overthrow his father, Marco will then clear the way for Gallo to run their business through the De Luca territory, essentially doubling their ability to do business, and doubling, or even tripling, their profits.”
“And once that happens, they go after Ivan or Nico, and before long they’re running the entire city themselves,” Alessio finishes with a hard smile. “The key to all of this is marriage being part of the deal to make it happen. Gallo wouldn’t just help Marco out of the goodness of his withered heart. He’ll want assurances, and he’ll want to make sure he can control him somehow. If that’s through his daughter, even better.”
“I doubt that girl can be controlled.” Dante scoffs. “Sinead is one of the colder of the girls. She’s well known for being cruel, and while her father lets her have some rope, he has her in a very tight grip to make sure she doesn’t go so wild that he can’t fix any damage she causes.”
“And he thinks marriage to Marco would fix that?” Urso asks doubtfully. “You can’t fix that type of madness by force.”
“Could be he’s hoping that if she’s married and pregnant soon after, she’ll have no choice but to slow down and settle,” Alonzo argues. “The Irish are big on marriage and family. Divorce is not an option. If Sinead is married to Marco, Marco will never have a way out. He can’t go back to his family; there will be no leaving her, and Seamus will have Marco under his thumb until he dies.”
“I’m surprised he is willing to let his daughter marry an Italian,” Pietro muses. “These kinds of alliances and marriages are rare for the Irish back home. They normally marry other Irish families and keep things close. Some will marry their children to other crime families outside, but not often. They want strength in numbers if shit hits the fan. More marriages means more children, and more soldiers. It also usually means far more loyalty from those under them. If you marry someone from another crime family, that loyalty will always be in doubt, and it’s expected that they’re going to try and get information out to their family.”
“America seems to be laxer on that, probably because there aren’t as many options here as there,” I suggest. Nico and Dante nod their agreement. “But all of this just proves we need to be ready for anything. One of them is going to make a move soon, and with how much time they’re taking, it’s going to be a big one.”
“We need to prepare our soldiers,” Pietro agrees. “Nico, get your men together, and we’ll have our men join. We’re going to ensure that nothing will catch us by surprise.”
Nico agrees. “I’ll have Dante oversee it. I have a few businesses I need to check up on this afternoon.”
“I’ll go with you,” Alessio offers with a grin.
Nico ignores him. Aurelio offers instead, “Take Alonzo or Massimo with you. Both will be back-up if there are any issues.”
“You mean a larger target.” Zeno snickers. “At least with Alonzo, anyway. Massimo’s willowy in comparison.” Massimo flips him off, which just makes Zeno grin even more.
Nico doesn’t look pleased at the suggestion, but he must see the wisdom in it, because he gives a stiff nod. “We leave in fifteen minutes. Figure it out amongst yourselves who comes. But if any of you act like this fucker,” he jibes, pointing at Alessio, “then you’ll be coming back in a body bag.”
Alonzo and Massimo exchange smirking smiles, while Alessio pouts and moans. “That’s so hurtful, Boo Bear. So hurtful. You might be hurting, but there’s no need for insults.”
Before Nico can make good on the dark promise in his eyes, I jump in quickly. “I’ll handle the soldiers with Dante. Our men are in top shape, but it never hurts to keep them sharp.” I’ll also get to spend some time with the man messing with my sister, and if he just so happens to end up bloodied and bruised from training, well, it can’t be helped now, can it?
From the look in Dante’s eyes, he knows exactly what I’m thinking, but he wisely says nothing.
“Good,” Pietro agrees. “Zeno, Urso, I want you both working on finding out where the other women are. The faster we find them, the better. Alessio, you and whoever doesn’t go with Nico, figure out what supplies we need to get prepared and have them sent here as quickly as possible. I don’t want us caught by surprise for any reason.”
With everyone in agreement, the discussion ends, and we leave the room. “Hold up, son,” I hear my father say behind me. We step out of the way as everyone heads down the hall to their new assignments. “How is Amara handling everything?”
“I’d like to know this too,” Pietro says, coming to stand with us. “I plan to speak with her alone soon, but I’d like to know what to expect before I do.”
The idea of Amara being alone with Pietro sets me on edge, but I manage to keep it to myself. I know, rationally, that I don’t have anything to fear if she meets with him, but I don’t want him to upset her, or convince her in some way that she doesn’t need me. Amara is mine, and she’s not going anywhere. “She’s managing,” I finally say tightly. “She’s been through a lot in her past, and she doesn’t trust easily. She’s overwhelmed, but Rori seems to have helped her relax a little. Enough that she’s not running away screaming yet, at least.”
“And she trusts you,” Papa states, watching me knowingly.
“She does.” Not fully yet, but she will. I won’t allow anything else.
“From the little display you gave earlier, I take it that you plan to keep her around,” Pietro suggests, holding my gaze, brow arching as if daring me to deny it.
“I am.”
Pietro and Papa share a quick look. “At least you don’t have to guess with your sons,” Pietro laments with a chuckle. Then he looks back at me. “How does Amara feel about this?”
“She’ll come around. She’s wary of me, of all of us, but I’m one of the few people she trusts and feels safe around. I’ll take things at her pace for now, but eventually, we’ll marry.”
“You’re so sure that she’ll agree to this?” Pietro asks skeptically.
“Yes.” I say that a lot more firmly than I feel, but we’ll get there. We have an attraction that can’t be denied, and we can build from there. I saw it with my parents, so I know it’s possible.
Pietro regards me for a moment. “Alright. I look forward to getting to know her. Now, I’m going to make a few calls.” Then he walks away, not even glancing back.
I look at my father, who’s watching me closely. “You have a problem with my choice?” I ask. It’s a question, not an accusation, but my defensiveness leaks out just enough to have him arching a brow at me. Damn it.
Papa’s expression doesn’t change as he says, “Nope. But if there is anything I learned with your mother, it’s that women have their own minds on who the men in their lives will be. Push her too hard, be too protective, and you may find she slips through your fingers.” Then he claps me on the shoulder and quietly adds, “If she is the one you want, then I’m happy for you, my son. I’ll look forward to getting to know her better, and talk her down when you eventually fuck up and piss her off.” He gives me a wicked grin, then heads off, leaving me to glare after him.