21. Massimo
21
MASSIMO
The flight to New York was uneventful.
I looked over to Elio as the plane landed. “You can relax.”
He glanced over at me. “Relax while we’re in Bratva territory?”
The look he gave me suggested he thought I was crazy for even telling him that.
I grinned. If Matteo took life as a joke, and Romeo took it too seriously, then Elio was cautious. Sometimes overly so. It had done us well over the years, helping us weed out all the dangers that came with the territory, but sometimes, I wished my brothers didn’t have too much of one thing.
I wished Matteo would get serious about something or someone, wished Romeo would smile more, and wished Elio would take more risks.
It wasn’t like I was one to talk. My brothers would probably say I took on too many responsibilities, even for my grown-ass siblings.
“Come on,” Elio said, standing up and stretching. “We need to get to the hotel. It won’t do us any good being out in the open like this.”
I got up, and we walked out of the plane. I could smell that familiar scent of New York City teasing my nostrils. The last time I was here, I was sixteen, helpless, and a Bratva’s captive.
Everything had felt hopeless then, knowing my father wouldn’t come for me. He always said if I was dumb enough to get captured by the enemy, then I probably deserved whatever death was coming for me.
It was because Elio didn’t give up his search that I was able to get out of there.
I hadn’t been back since. New York belonged to the Bratva, but before they were able to take this territory, it belonged to the De Luca. My granddad lost our territory over his own arrogance. The kind that only came with old age. The old bastard had lived well into his eighties before kidney failure finally did him in. Years of drinking finally caught up to him.
But we lost New York to the Bratva, an important port of entry. It was a point of contention for my men. And it was something I vowed I would get back, no matter what.
Something that just got a lot harder with this new connection between the Bratva and Andre Lombardi.
I still couldn’t figure out if Emilio knew of the plan. But if he didn’t know, then it meant Andre was acting on his own. And Andre wasn’t stupid. He wouldn’t have acted out against his capo dei capi without having men following him. Best-case scenario, Emilio was going to have to deal with an insurrection soon. Worst case, the fucker was going to lose his life for trusting his cousin.
But now wasn’t the time for me to get into that.
I grabbed Elio’s shoulder, stopping him when he moved to get into the car with our bags. “Nico will take our bags and check them in at the hotel,” I said, nodding to the driver. The man nodded and drove off while I pulled Elio to the other car parked nearby.
A man handed the car keys over to me and walked away. “I want to go to the wedding venue first. We’re going to scout it out while Romeo works to get us a blueprint of the place.”
Elio nodded and got in the passenger’s side door.
We arrived at the venue quickly. The event was being held in the ballroom of a hotel owned by Bratva.
The ballroom was on the first floor, just across from the lobby. Getting in wouldn’t be the problem. Getting out was. Most of the workers were loyal to the Bratva. They knew what to look for, especially since this was the Bratva heir’s wedding. Security would be tight.
“How are we going to sneak in?” Elio asked, keeping his eyes on the front door.
“I was thinking we’re just going to walk right in,” I replied with a smile.
I could feel my brother’s eyes on me. I wasn’t going to have Elio follow me into enemy territory without a plan to ensure we would be able to get out.
Elio leaned back against his seat. “Why do I get the feeling you have something crazy planned?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not Matteo. Whatever my crazy is, it would never match up to his.”
Elio cracked a small smile at that.
“Okay. Just remember. You’re a married man now. You should think about that whenever you feel like taking unnecessary risks.”
I frowned. “What does being married have anything to do with taking risks?”
Elio shot me an incredulous look. “Are you serious? I don’t know how much Luna is in love with you now, but I’m sure she would want you back in one piece. Don’t you think so?”
I didn’t say anything to that. My mind was stuck on the possibility that my wife could be in love with me. Was she? And did I want that?
I never really considered it, but if she loved me, it would make our marriage easier—and it wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen. The image of her smiling up at me ran through my mind.
No, I decided. Her loving me wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
Elio tapped my shoulder, bringing my attention back to reality. “Look at this. Isn’t this a surprise?”
It took me a moment to realize what he was talking about. When I did, I couldn’t help the smirk from coming out. “We came for the Bratva’s wedding, and we would leave with evidence of a traitor,” I commented, focusing on Marco.
Now why the fuck would he be here in New York, talking to a man donning the Bratva tattoo on his neck? It looked like he had something in his hand—a file.
“Come on,” I said, getting out of the car. Elio followed suit, and we moved across the street and to the corner of the building, keeping out of sight. But we were close enough to hear them.
“Here’s a little wedding gift for Boris,” Marco said. “Make sure he knows who this came from, yeah?”
“Sure, man, I’ll let him know,” the Bratva fucker talking to Marco replied.
“Great,” Marco said. I could almost imagine the way he was shifting on his feet. He never did learn how to stay still. “Wish I could stay for the wedding, but I can’t stay in New York for long. You know how it is. But once the Bratva helps me take the reins of Las Vegas, then we’ll really party, huh?”
The Bratva fucker laughed. I looked at Elio, smiling.
Elio shot me a look that said I should be angry. I was far from it.
I always knew Enzo and Marco would betray me. How they went about it had been a mystery up to this point, but I should have known the Novikov Bratva would have been involved. What surprised me was Andre’s involvement. It was almost genius. Getting me to marry Andre’s daughter, as if he thought marriage would soften me and would have made me less likely to guess what game he was playing at.
Marco and the Russian exchanged a few pleasantries before Marco left. Probably on his way back to the airport to get back to Las Vegas.
Good.
I needed him in my territory before he realized we were onto him. It would make him easier to catch.
Elio signaled to me when it looked like Marco was gone. We silently moved over to where the fucker was still standing, smoking a cigarette, the file still tucked under his arm.
I wrapped my arms around the fucker from behind, squeezing one hand around his neck as Elio grabbed the file.
“What is this?” Elio asked. “A wedding present for the Novikov’s heir? Why don’t we take this off your hands?”
“You scream,” I said to the struggling man, “and I’ll break your neck. Got me?”
The fucker nodded.
“Good boy.”
“Please. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
I laughed. “I only want your phone.”
Elio patted the man down until he found it in the front pocket.
“What’s the code?”
The man hesitated.
I twisted him around until he faced me, moving my hand back on his neck. The fucker was about several inches shorter than me and about fifty pounds lighter. Killing him would be easy.
“Do you know who I am?”
“ Lo Spietato ,” came the man’s whispered reply. Good to know my reputation had made its way to New York. I indicated the phone in Elio’s hand. “Five-three-three-seven.”
I waited for Elio to test it out. He nodded, telling me it was the right code.
I grabbed the knife tucked inside my shirt. The fucker’s throat was cut before he could blink, blood pooling out from the skin. He was dead before he knew it. That was my mercy.
“Let’s get rid of the body,” I said, just as Elio looked through the files.
He looked up at me. “The location of our warehouses, shipping ports, and the middlemen we use for transport. A lot of the information here Marco shouldn’t have known about.”
I nodded. “There are more traitors in my ranks.”
“Looks like it.”
“We’ll weed them out. For now, we got a dead Russian to bury and a wedding to crash.”
I took Elio in, wearing the same suit I was?. Black on black. Perfect for the occasion.
Andre and his family had already been in New York for the past three days, preparing for the wedding. Valentino was in Chicago, and by the time this trip ended, I was going to know if Emilio was someone I could trust or not. As much as I could trust someone who wasn’t my family, that was.
“You’re a crazy fucker, you know that?” Elio grumbled, fastening the bomb to his waist. It was small enough that his suit jacket would hide it as we made our way through the hotel entrance.
I grinned at him. “Crazy or bold?”
He rolled his eyes, patting himself to make sure the blades were tucked into place.
“Ready?” I asked.
He nodded. “Let’s hope we’ll make it out of this fully intact.”
I patted his chest as I walked past him. “You worry too much, little brother.”
We were silent as we made our way out of the hotel, moving to the rental car parked in the lot. My men were already set in place. They didn’t fly here with us but instead came out in small groups at different times. New York was heavily populated, but if we traveled in large groups, I was sure that would alert the Bratva we were here before we wanted them to know.
The drive to the hotel was short and quick. Already, security was tight around the property.
I spotted some of Lombardi’s men and several Russians. Getting past them wasn’t impossible, but it wouldn’t be easy.
Elio handed me a black fedora, putting a hat on himself. “Ready, Dino?”
He tapped me on the shoulder. “Put yours on and tell me if you look any better?”
I laughed as I did just that, getting out of the car. I caught my reflection in the car window. “I’d say I do.”
He flipped me the bird before reaching into the back seat for our briefcase. It held nothing, but it completed the outfit.
We made our way to the hotel, avoiding as many guards as possible, but I was sure the doorman was a part of the Bratva. I pulled out my phone and held it to my ear, taking the lead. Elio followed behind as I spoke in loud, angry tones, avoiding looking up at the doorman.
I could sense his hesitation as he considered whether to stop me and risk making a scene or let us pass.
He let us pass.
Stupid fucker.
I never thought the Russians were smart. This just proved it.
We hurried to the back of the hotel, where we found a small closet to hide in. Elio turned on the flashlight on his phone.
“What time is the wedding?” I asked.
“One o’clock on the dot.”
I looked down at my watch. Ten minutes to go.
I tried to keep my mind focused on the task at hand and not back in Las Vegas, wondering what Luna was up to now. Matteo said he would keep her entertained, but my brother tended to find trouble without even trying.
“I’m texting the men to make sure they’re in place,” Elio commented.
I nodded, keeping my eyes on my watch as the minutes ticked by. The tension in the small closet was palpable. This was a risky move, crashing the Bratva heir’s wedding, but it was necessary. We needed to send a message.
At 12:55, I heard footsteps and voices passing by our hiding spot. The wedding guests were making their way to the ballroom.
“It’s time,” I whispered to Elio.
We slipped out of the closet, blending in with the crowd of well-dressed guests. As we entered the ballroom, I scanned the room, taking in the opulent decorations and the faces of the attendees. Someone had set up the place to mimic a church, with several rows of long benches to look like pews, facing a makeshift altar and a man of God standing there, a Bible in his hand.
I spotted Boris Novikov near the altar with the priest. He looked arrogant and every bit the way I thought the heir of the Novikov Bratva would look.
Elio and I found a seat in the back pew, keeping our faces down.
The wedding march began to play, and all eyes turned to the back of the ballroom as the bride entered with her father. The sight of him made my blood boil, but I forced myself to remain calm, keeping my gaze forward, not wanting to draw attention. Beside me, Elio tensed slightly.
“Relax,” I murmured under my breath. “We’re just here to observe for now.”
The ceremony proceeded, with the bride and groom exchanging vows. I tuned out most of it, but enough to catch the gist—promises of loyalty, protection, and unity between their families. How ironic, given what we knew of their true intentions.
As the priest pronounced them husband and wife, I caught Elio’s eye and gave a slight nod. It was time to move.
We slipped out of our seats and made our way to opposite sides of the ballroom as the newlyweds faced forward. I focused my eyes on Lina. Gone was the cocky girl from my wedding, but someone who actually looked her age. Young and na?ve, and perhaps hurt by the fact that Andre had sold her off just as quickly as he had done with Luna.
We came up to them.
Anatoly Novikov caught our eyes first.
“De Luca!” he yelled out, pulling out his gun and aiming it right at me.
I held my hand up with a smile. “Now, is this any way to treat your guests?”
“Guests,” he spat out. “You came here and crashed my son’s wedding. What makes you think I’m going to let either of you walk out of here?”
“I must say, I am heartbroken over the animosity, Anatoly. I came here in good faith.”
“I should have killed you years ago when I had the chance,” he sneered.
I grinned at the mention of my brief captivity in the hands of the Bratva. “Maybe.” That had been a mark of failure for the Bratva, considering how easy it had been for Elio to infiltrate the cage they were keeping me in to get me out.
“I’m going to kill you now.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” I nodded at Elio, who took off his suit jacket and revealed the bomb in place. Screams erupted as the women and some men ran out of the ballroom.
Elio shook his head in disgust.
“One shot,” I said. “And we’ll all blow up in this place.”
His lips tightened as Boris stepped up close to his father, something deranged moving in his blue eyes. He was enjoying this. They didn’t all just say Boris was a fucking psycho because of who his father was.
He looked as if he didn’t care whether he lived or died. He just wanted the thrill of things, and we gave him what he wanted by showing up.
If I let him take the helm over the Bratva after his father, I would have nothing but trouble on my hands.
“You’re fucking crazy,” Anatoly said. Did he think that was an insult? “You blow this place up; you and your brother would die too.”
“Death is something I’ve accepted long ago. I’m not scared. Are you?” I challenged, letting him see the truth in my eyes. I had made my peace with death a long time ago.
He didn’t answer me.
“Now why don’t you put the gun away so we can give our congratulations to the bride and groom and leave?”
I never planned on doing anything more than showing my face at this wedding.
I needed to rattle Andre enough that he would make a mistake.
Anatoly’s eyes darted between me and Elio, his gun still trained on my chest. The tension in the room was thick as everyone waited to see what he would do.
After a long moment, he slowly lowered his weapon. “Fine. Say your piece and get the fuck out.”
I smiled, turning to the newlyweds. Boris was grinning maniacally, whereas his wife looked terrified. A small part of me felt bad for the girl, but there was nothing I could do—nothing I wanted to do.
“Congratulations on your union,” I said smoothly. “I’m sure it will be a fruitful partnership for both your families.”
I locked eyes with Andre, who was standing protectively near his wife. The missus looked nothing like how she did at my wedding. It seemed she had lost weight, her stress over this union clearly outlined on her face.
Andre’s face reddened from my words, but he met my gaze steadily.
“Andre.” I nodded. “Always a pleasure. I sure hope this was worth it. Because now you showed me your cards. I won’t forget this anytime soon. I will come and repay you for it tenfold just as soon as I weed out all the rats in my house.”
I let my gaze sweep across the room, lingering on a few faces that I recognized as Lombardi associates. “You’ve made some interesting new friends. I hope they prove more loyal to you than they are to Emilio. We all know how easily the tides can turn.”
Andre’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent.
With a final nod to Anatoly, I gestured to Elio. “We’ll be taking our leave now. I trust no one will try to stop us?”
Anatoly’s glare could have melted steel, but he gave a curt nod. “Get out.”
Elio and I backed slowly toward the exit.
“Well, that went better than expected,” Elio muttered. He pointed at my chest, right where I had a camera in place. “Good?”
I nodded. The footage would be sent to Emilio. The head of the Lombardi Famiglia hadn’t attended the wedding, which told me this union was held in secret.
The only question was, what were Andre and Enzo planning?
What was their next play?