19. Teo
19
TEO
T he cold iron door of Isabella’s room is a steadying presence as I lean my forehead against it.
I can hear her on the other side, groaning in her frustration and anger. Every part of me wants to yell along with her.
When did this become such a mess?
Perhaps when she was dying in my arms, and my biggest fear wasn’t losing the closest lead I had to Ida Natali. The thought didn’t even cross my mind until the doctor had her breathing again.
Or the second time, once we’d arrived at the bunker and, Doctor Malloy made me wait outside while her heart monitor was screaming for me to do something, anything to save her. But all I could do was sit there and try not to tear myself apart.
Even now, knowing that she’s safely behind that door, already halfway to a full recovery, that feeling lingers.
“Is there anything else, sir?”
I look up to find Doctor Malloy watching me carefully over the rim of his glasses.
I’ve known the man since I was a teenager. He used to patch up Rocco and me after ill-advised scraps and the time he dared me to jump off the compound roof—resulting in a fractured arm and a very bruised ego.
These days, his age shows in the silver of his hair. It’s likely he’s anticipating some kind of retirement in the next few years. One that I would happily grant him without hesitation.
“Your discretion,” I answer as I pull away from the door.
“Always, sir,” he replies simply.
I sigh. “You can drop the formalities, doctor.”
“Then you should call me Henry.”
“Henry,” I smile dully. “You’re sure she’ll be all right?”
“The last of the drugs should be out of her system within the next few hours. With a bit of rest, she’ll be back to normal tomorrow.”
“Right.”
Doctor Malloy nods and picks up his bag and jacket, as if making to leave. However, he stops before heading toward the door.
“You saved her life, Teo.”
“I spared her life.”
He gives me an odd look. “She’s alive because of you. In my line of work, there isn’t much difference.”
“Don’t say that like it’s a good thing. She’s an enemy of the Guild.”
“Enemy or not, that was no way to die.”
I let the words hang in the air for a moment. “You saved her. I won’t take credit for being in the right place at the right time.”
Henry looks like he might protest, but I cut him off. “Again, I must emphasize your discretion, especially with other members of the Guild. If people find out that I’ve kidnapped her….”
“Rescued her.”
I shoot him a glare. “If they discover she’s missing, you will want to be well out of the destruction zone. I suggest a holiday.”
Henry smiles a little sadly and goes to leave. “As you wish, sir.”
Finally alone in the bunker with nothing but my thoughts to torment me, I glance once more at the monitor that displays Isabella’s room.
She’s lying back down now, curled in on herself, sheets gripped between her palms with her eyes closed. Is she still crying? I get the sudden itch to go in and check.
But what else is there to say to each other?
Before I can do anything astronomically stupid—at least, more stupid than what I’ve already done—I grab my car keys and head out after the doctor.
I’ve always found walking through the Guild’s compound to be testing.
As a teenager, making it across the main hall or even some of the more popular corridors was a game of agility and vigilance. Men twice my size and age found it amusing to test my reflexes or try to rattle me in some way.
Now that these men look at me with respect and wariness, the walk to my office is another kind of test, but one that is no less unforgiving.
“Do you have an update on the next South African shipment?”
“Some of the kids down by the bay were saying the cartel were scouting out territory.”
“Mitchell is still on house arrest. Have you spoken to the chief of police?”
“Teo!” Dante’s voice booms out over the gathered crowd.
I look up to find him leaning over the railing of the fighting ring, boxing gloves tucked under his arm.
“Care for a spar?”
Grateful for an excuse to leave the rabble behind, I head over to the gym and ditch my jacket and shirt in a locker.
Dante is waiting patiently when I arrive on the mat and he hands me a pair of matching gloves.
“You’ve been busy,” he comments mildly as we both prepare ourselves.
It’s been a while since I was last in the ring, but as I stretch out and begin to bounce on my toes, the familiarity of the movements begins to sink in. I feel my shoulders relax, my gaze zoned in on my target.
“This is the Guild,” I reply. “If I’m not busy, what kind of don would I be?”
We begin to circle each other, testing the waters with a few lunges that result in hasty retreats.
“Little birdy said you were at the Candelabra last night.”
I bite back a groan and channel my frustration into a double shot to Dante’s head. He blocks it easily.
“Did this birdy also happen to tell you about the appearance of our favorite wedding crasher?”
“Only that you escorted her out.”
This time, I fake a left and throw out with my right, clipping Dante on the back of his neck. He retaliates instantly, and I have to take a step back in order to block him.
“What are they saying?”
“The smarter ones are saying you’re negotiating.”
I hit him four times, concise and short, alternating each hand. Each is absorbed by Dante’s gloves. “And the less smart?”
Dante retreats a few steps and begins to circle me again. “You don’t want to know.”
“And if I do?”
Dante shoots me a displeased look. “She’s a beautiful woman, Teo.”
When he lunges for me, I’m ready. On the second block, I counter with my own blow to his stomach, bypassing his defenses. It’s my window to get in and hit him hard.
A part of me rejoices as the reverberations shake through my body. Finally, a release to the frustrations of the last few weeks. So, I keep lashing out and meeting my mark with more and more force.
Dante can take it. Or at least, he can try to. His retaliations bounce off the side of my head, off my forearms, but nothing can stop me, not really.
When I finally relent, Dante looks more than a little winded. But before I can wince out an apology, there’s a slow clap from the sidelines.
“I think these days you might actually stand a chance against Mia,” a familiar voice heckles.
“Rocco?”
There, in the flesh, stands the Guild’s ex-don. Judging by his slight tan and lazy stance, he must have just returned from his honeymoon.
He grins at me easily. “You really got time to work up a sweat?”
“Who says I’m sweating,” I reply as I duck under the ropes to clasp his arm.
He pulls me into a hug with a laugh. “Damn, you weren’t joking.”
“What are you doing here?” I say as I pull away.
“Thought I’d come to see if you’d burned the place down yet.”
“Your vote of confidence is always so appreciated.”
Rocco waves at Dante as he approaches to lean over the rail. “Come to save us from his idiocy, boss?”
“ I’m your boss, asshole,” I snap back, throwing my gloves at his face.
“Still an idiot, though.”
I turn back to Rocco. “You see what I’m dealing with here? Come on, let's head to the office.”
It still feels odd to call it my office, but it is slowly becoming more familiar. There are little traces of me all over now, and I can safely spend an entire day without thinking of the man who had sat behind this desk for most of my life.
It helped when I had Giuliano Moretti’s portrait removed from the back wall.
Rocco follows behind me, only stopping to briefly greet a few people on our way in, earning us more than a few speculative glances.
Though I suppose the Guild has never had a past and present don who were on speaking terms before.
“Do you think we should stage a fight?” I joke once the office door has closed behind us. “I think they’re half expecting it.”
“This is a good thing, Teo. We’re setting a precedent for the future. Guild leadership doesn’t need to be dictated by violence.”
I wave him off. Same old Rocco, singing his old tune. The only difference now, is that as we take a seat, I’m the one sitting in the padded chair behind the desk.
“How was the honeymoon?” I ask.
“Good. Great, actually.” He gets a faraway look in his eye. “You know, for the longest time, I never thought I’d ever be this happy. I didn’t think we deserved it.”
“We?” I snort.
He gives me a look. “This life has taken a lot from us all.”
“And given us more in return,” I counter. “The Guild is my family. Always has been.”
“Not always.”
We stare at each other for a moment.
I sigh. “What have you heard?”
“That you’ve become close with the Natali girl.”
If only you knew. “Yes, well, she’s our closest lead to Ida.”
“Teo.”
“She’s…complicated, okay?” I concede. “Stubborn to a fault. Reckless as anything, hell-bent on antagonizing me at every available opportunity. Everything that comes out of her mouth is manipulation wrapped in malicious intent.”
“Sounds like a dead end.”
I look away from him. “I can get her to crack.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Rocco sags back into his chair. “Are you prepared to kill her?”
“It won’t come to that.”
“It will if you have any intention of finding Ida. You’ll need to use Isabella to bait Leon into telling you instead, which means you must be prepared to go through with the threat.”
“And I’m telling you, it won’t come to that.”
“You can’t afford to be stubborn, Teo. You know Leon won’t tolerate you harassing her for much longer.”
I finally look back at him. “It’s too late for that.”
“What do you mean?” Rocco goes quite still. “Has the Prince’s Hand declared war?”
“Not yet, but I imagine we only have a few days before he realizes she’s missing. Maybe less.”
Rocco blinks at me. “ Missing? ”
“He won’t attack if he thinks Isabella will be caught in the crossfire. I intend to use this to my advantage to buy us some more time.”
“Where is she?”
I swallow hard. “Somewhere safe.”
“You kidnapped her?”
“I…” Doctor Malloy’s words suddenly ring in my ears. You saved her life. “...did what needed to be done.”
Rocco shakes his head in disapproval. “Is this really what the Guild needs or about what you need?”
Rage begins to rise within me. “What do you want me to say to that, Rocco? If you think I’m jeopardizing the Guild, that’s on you for naming me don.”
“I just don’t see how any of this is rational!”
“That’s because it’s not!” I cry. “I never wanted this! She was never supposed to be important. She was never supposed to get hurt. And I was never supposed to?—”
I cut myself off, but it’s already too late.
“You were never supposed to what?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“She’s important, to who? To you?”
“Rocco.”
But Rocco is staring with wide eyes. “Fuck. You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
The world around me seems to grind to a halt. “It’s not like that.”
“Then explain what you’re doing with Isabella Natali in a way that makes sense.”
I let out a long breath and let myself settle back into my seat. “Ida tried to kill me, and Isabella got caught up in it. She got hurt badly. I had to move her somewhere safe.”
“To protect her.”
“To…I won’t hurt her to get what I want.”
He gives me a hard look. “You know that getting what you want will hurt her.”
“I know.”
“I know you want revenge on Ida, but…” Rocco seems to struggle to find the right words. “If Isabella is…important to you. Maybe?—”
“No.”
“Teo.”
“It’s not my revenge. It’s my sister’s. And I will not rest until Ida is six feet under.”
Rocco gives me a sad look. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”