21. Teo
21
TEO
I ’m so fucking ruined.
Isabella sleeps soundly at my side, blissfully unaware of the turmoil within me. Her soft features are practically glowing in the warmth of the low-level lighting of the room.
A deal was a deal. She gave me vital information about her brother— information that, whether she was aware of it or not, would help me cripple the Prince’s Hand financially.
Even if the Californians have already financed Leon’s plans to attack the Guild, he won’t receive another cent. And war is a very expensive business.
It’s a win. It’s a huge win. But having to leave her here feels like I’m losing, like I’m cleaving an even bigger wedge between us with no hope of ever fixing it.
All I can do is work with what I have, which is a way to cut off her brother and to uphold my end of the bargain.
As I slip out of bed and pull on my clothes, I do a check over the bunker.
It’s been a while since I’ve had to use this space. Most of the rooms are simply stocked with living supplies, but there's an office filled with books and a TV that shows static unless you put in a DVD.
Contact with the outside world is blocked by three separate layers of encryption on my various computers and monitors scattered throughout the space. The front door itself has four and a biometric scanner.
There’s no way she can get out, not without passing a cryptography course that I basically wrote for Stanford University.
Still, I double-check the cameras before I leave. My eyes linger a moment too long on her soundly sleeping figure.
I could go back to bed, hold her close, and just wait down here until everything blows over. There are enough supplies to last us years if we needed them to.
But there’s too much work to do. With one last forlorn look, I make my retreat.
It takes an hour to get to the compound, and though I’ve spent most of this week actively covering up the fact I have Isabella in my…well, bed, I suppose…it’s still a relief to find my men none the wiser.
Marco is waiting for me in my office when I arrive, his usual scowl heavy on his forehead.
“You asked to see me?” he says sharply as I take a seat at my desk.
“I have new information on the Prince’s Hand that I’d like you to act on,” I reply without missing a beat. “They’ve tapped into a financial arrangement with the Californians and I need you to cut them off.”
Marco takes his own seat. “There are three Italian mafiosos in California, five if you count the Sicilians.”
“But only one who can afford to finance a war on the other side of the country,” I counter.
He nods. “I knew Rocco should have sat them at a higher table at the wedding.”
“By all means, remind them that we do not take their fickleness lightly.”
“Very good.”
I turn to my computer screen, intent on spending an afternoon reviewing the backlog of documents I’ve been procrastinating about tackling. Considering how often we operate above the law, the legalities of building a casino are mind-numbingly dull.
But Marco doesn’t get to his feet.
I glance over. “Something on your mind?”
“You approached my daughter about the casino.”
“I did.” I don’t bother trying to deny it.
“Why?”
I give the older man a long look. “I told you, the Guild doesn’t like any loose ends.”
“Then let her leave.”
“Would she go?” I ask. “Tell me honestly, if I made Mia that offer, would she actually take it?”
Marco scowls at me, although we both know I’m right.
“The casino is a good fit for her, Marco. It’s essentially just a promotion from what she’s already been doing, just on our payroll.”
“She’ll be on the front lines!”
“She will be surrounded by the Guild at all times. If she does not accept this position, what happens next will be out of my hands,” I snap back. “I’m trying to help her.”
“Then try harder!”
“I—”
But at that moment, my office doors burst open, and Dante frantically appears before us. Dante doesn’t burst into my office without reason. Whatever’s got him wound up is serious. And I’m not in the mood for bad news today.
He slams the door open, eyes sharp and panicked, which is enough to set my jaw tight.
“Teo, we’ve got a problem,” he says, breathless. “The casino?—”
“What?” I’m on my feet in an instant, trying to ignore the strange pit in my stomach.
“It’s on fire. A few guys ran out here to tell me before they called the department. I thought you’d want to know immediately.”
My mind goes razor-sharp in an instant. “How bad?”
“From the looks of it? Bad. It’s spread to the top floors already,” Dante replies, voice low, as if he can’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.
I grab my keys and push past Marco, who himself seems to be in a state of shock.
Dante follows closely at my side, and we’re in the car in seconds, speeding down the main boulevard toward the casino construction site. The telltale pillar of black smoke is already floating up on the horizon.
There’s only one explanation for this. This fire isn’t some random accident. Not when Isabella is missing.
“It’s Leon, isn’t it?” I say finally, the words a low, bitter growl. “That coward thinks this will stop me.”
Dante clenches his fists. “Wouldn’t put it past him. But why now? Why not wait until construction was complete?”
“He’s trying to burn me out,” I say, a little too defensively. “Catch me off guard. But he doesn’t know how far I’ll go if he wants to make this personal.”
The car screeches to a halt, and we step out into the street. The air is thick with smoke, and I can already see flames licking up the sides of the structure.
It’s worse than I expected. A crowd’s gathering, but I barely notice them. All I can see is the ruin of what was supposed to be mine.
Dante stands next to me, fists still clenched. “What’s the plan, Teo?”
I don’t answer right away. I let myself watch the flames, feel their heat, and let it feed the anger building inside me. This isn’t just a building on fire. It’s a declaration of war.
“We rebuild,” I say, my voice low but steady, “and we take everything from him. If he wants to start this, he’ll see exactly what he’s up against. Call the others. I want this entire place scoped out before the cops start sniffing around.”
Dante nods, a dark gleam in his eye. “Good. They’re already on their way.”
There’s a sudden crash, and we both watch as a huge support beam falls through the wreck, causing the entire third floor to cave in on itself. I take a cautious step back, but as I do, I notice something flicker in the corner of my eye.
Two streets over, someone slips down an alleyway and out of sight. My jaw clenches, blood roaring in my ear.
“He’s still here,” I hiss as I take off.
My feet carry me after him. Each step feeds the anger until it’s an inferno inside of me. It’s no accident he’s here. He wanted to watch it burn, wanted to see my reaction, but he’s about to get more than he bargained for.
Dante is close on my heels, so I shout back at him, “Get everyone into position now.”
“You can’t go after him alone.”
“Then be fucking quick about it!” I snap as I sprint across the road, narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic.
As I round the corner into the alley, Leon must hear my footsteps because he throws a glance over his shoulder, and the flash of recognition in his eyes says it all. He stops, hands up defensively, almost like he’s about to talk his way out of it.
But I don’t give him a chance.
I lunge at him, fists clenched, and he barely has time to react before I slam him against the alley wall. His back hits the bricks with a satisfying thud, and he grunts in pain, but his hands are quick.
He grabs me by the collar, twisting me around until I’m the one shoved back against the wall.
“I warned you. You should have never tried to build that casino,” he sneers, his voice dripping with venomous arrogance.
I shove him off me, throwing a quick right hook that catches him on the jaw. He stumbles back, spitting blood onto the asphalt, and grins like he’s enjoying this.
The alley is narrow and cluttered with old crates, a busted trash can, and a stray pipe lying abandoned near the wall. Leon grabs the pipe before I can, swinging it at my head, but I duck, feeling the rush of air as it whizzes just past my ear.
I surge forward, catching him off balance, and slam his hand hard against the wall. The pipe clatters to the ground.
“You think burning down my casino’s going to stop me?” I growl as I shove him brutally into the stack of crates. “You think any of this will matter once Ida pays for what she’s done?”
But he recovers faster than I thought possible. He shoves me back, nearly knocking me off my feet, and we both stumble to right ourselves. Our breath comes out heavy, eyes locked like two animals sizing each other up.
“You don’t get it yet, do you, Teo?” he says. “You’re never going to find her.”
The words light a fire in me that is hotter than the one devouring the casino. I lunge at him again, and suddenly, we’re locked in a brutal struggle of blows, giving like for like.
He’s quick, landing a punch square on my ribs, pain searing through my side, but I don’t let it slow me down. I bring my elbow down hard on his shoulder, feeling the impact reverberate all the way up my arm.
He staggers back, but his foot catches on a loose brick, and he uses it to swing himself right back at me. His fist connects with my temple, and stars flash in my vision, but I refuse to go down.
We’re moving in a fast and dangerous rhythm, each looking for an opening that never comes. His eyes are burning with the same stubborn fire I feel.
Neither of us is willing to give an inch.
“Where’s that fiery little redhead of yours?” he sneers as we circle each other once more. “She could have taken me down quicker than you.”
I grunt as I lash out, grabbing him by the collar, forcing him down onto his knees against the cracked pavement. He glares up at me, breathing hard, and for a second, I think he’s finished.
But then his hand slips down to his boot, and I just make out a flash of silver before I leap back out of range.
He had a knife the whole time…why didn’t he use it before?
“You want a war, Leon? You’ve got one.”
He gives me a bloody grin, hand expertly spinning his knife. “I think we both know who started this.”
A familiar sense of dread begins to writhe in my stomach. He knows. He has to know.
You must be prepared to go through with the threat.
“I could kill her for this,” I say. My voice is cold and steady, just loud enough for him to hear over the noise of the sirens and the flames roaring in the distance.
He laughs then, and it’s icy and cruel, just like his sisters. “You couldn’t even if you wanted to.”
No. No, no, no. That’s impossible.
Leon opens his arms out wide. “So, which one of us are you going to go after? Because the longer you spend fighting me, the more time she has to get away.”