Chapter 39
Alessandro
Lennon and Killian disappear up the stairs.
I wanted to tell her that I might have a way to get out of my marriage to Giada, but it’s probably for the best I didn’t have a chance to.
I need to wait until I know for sure. It would be cruel to get her hopes up.
Besides, I’d still be bringing her into the mob life, which I’ve fought myself for a decade to keep from doing.
But… now that we know her biological family is Irish mafia, she’s in it anyway, right?
No, that doesn’t mean she wants this life.
With a muttered curse, I slam the SUV into drive and punch the gas. It’s time to talk to New York.
***
Caelian and I sit at the long table in our waterfront office building.
We’re in the conference room and a crescent moon is reflecting off the dark waters behind the open blinds.
We don’t usually come here for meetings when it’s just two of us, but tonight I need the space to breathe.
The importance of this call is weighing like a brick on my chest.
If I can’t convince The Commission to go along with my plan, I have zero chance of having Lennon in my life. And now that I’ve had a taste of her again, and of true happiness, I don’t want to live without her.
I stare out the window as we wait for New York to join the conference call. Caelian is busy with something on his phone, and the silence is giving my brain too much room to think. A shiver rolls through me as an image flashes in my mind.
I’m standing at the altar in front of thousands of people with Giada walking down the aisle toward me in a gaudy, over-the-top white dress. My throat closes and my lungs seize as the feeling of being trapped engulfs me. I’m at a crossroads. One path leads to heaven and one leads to hell.
“Sandro?”
I’m yanked back into the present by Caelian’s voice. Scrubbing a hand over my face, I grab the glass of water off the table. After a large swallow, I finally meet his questioning gaze. “I’m fine. It’s just… I don’t have to tell you how important it is that we get them on board with our plan.”
He tosses his phone on the table, leans back and sighs. “No, you don’t.”
The screen changes and suddenly we’re staring at the five members of The Commission. Their expressions are somber.
My father greets us first. “Sandro… Caelian. Nice to see your faces.”
We exchange greetings with the other bosses.
Then my father says, “Of course, it could be under better circumstances.”
I hold a small smile. Keep my expression neutral. It’s all under control. I have a plan. “Circumstances might not be as bad as you think.”
He glances at the men around him.
Carlo Moretti leans forward, placing his forearms on the table, his meaty shoulders straining against the confines of his pinstripe suit jacket. His bulldog jaws sag as he stares at me through the camera. “You got good news for us, Alessandro? Then let’s start with that.”
I glance at Caelian. He nods in encouragement.
Okay. Here we go.
“The good news is we have some answers. We've discovered that Santino isn't the one who made a deal with the Russians to ignore their skin trade in exchange for a cut of the profit. He didn’t betray us. Emilio did.”
There’s a stunned silence and then questions are hurled at me from five angry Italians.
I hold up a hand. “Yes. I’m sure. I had a meeting with Oleg Romanov and his son. I’ll confirm it with Santino before we take action, of course. But Santino also told me he wasn’t planning on handing over the reins to Emilio. So, that’s Emilio's motive to go behind his father’s back.”
Carlo Moretti slams his fist on the table. “That little fucking punk.”
“Tell us about this meeting with Oleg,” my father says. “How did that come about?”
Rocco had already called him while I was in the hospital and told him about the ambush, leaving out them kidnapping Lennon to get to me. I owed him one for that. They can’t know how important Lennon is to me. Not yet.
This is the tricky part. I have to get them to want Toly to stay in Tampa. If he doesn’t get Zerilli’s territory through marrying Giada, I’m fucked.
I take another drink of water and steel my spine. “Oleg contacted me to give me the information about Emilio and to propose a deal.”
Eyebrows raise but they stay silent.
“The deal Oleg proposed is that we convince Zerilli to let his son Toly marry Giada. In exchange, they would cease trafficking in Tampa.”
Caelian chimes in here. “This is a good solution for him, since Zerilli doesn’t want to hand his empire to his son. It would still stay in the family through his daughter and her children.”
Joey Amato grunts. “You think Zerilli is going to hand his daughter over to Russians? Especially when she’s already engaged to a respected Italian?”
I nod. “I don’t think I’ll have a problem convincing him it’s in his best interest.”
His gaze locks on mine through the screen, thick brows pressing down in concern. “You’re willing to hand over your fiancé to Anatoly Romanov?”
I force myself to stay solemn. “Qualunque cosa la famiglia abbia bisogno io la faro.”
Whatever the family needs.
My father is smirking at me. I ignore him and keep pleading my case.
“Look, we know Santino isn’t going to be on this earth much longer.
” Some of the men make the sign of the cross.
“The advantage for us here is that we’ll have someone taking over his territory who we can control.
Toly isn’t smart. He isn’t ambitious. He will keep Zerilli’s empire running, and we still get our cut of the profits.
We keep our enemy close and working for us.
We all know the Bratva can bring in legions of soldiers from Russia and overwhelm us if they choose to.
This partnership will prevent them from even considering that. ”
I watch their expressions carefully. They seem to be listening, so I keep going.
“Times have changed. We must keep peace and fly under the radar as much as possible. These days there’s too many federal agencies hell bent on putting us all behind bars.
Turning a powerful enemy into an ally goes a long way toward keeping peace and keeping us off the fed’s radar. ”
Sonny D’Angelo turns to my father beside him. “Your son makes a good point.” Then his gaze returns to me, dark brown eyes sparkling in a wrinkled face. Still sharp. “If you’re saying Anatoly Romanov should run Tampa for the Bratva, what do you propose we do about his father?”
After I had time to think about it, I decided against suggesting we take Oleg out. New York wouldn’t understand why I’m proposing to concede territory to avoid a war with the Bratva while simultaneously suggesting we take out a Captain—an act that would undoubtedly start one.
They would be suspicious of my motives. I’m not going to forget Oleg’s actions, but that’s a debt that will be paid another day. “I do suggest part of the agreement is that Oleg has to leave Tampa permanently.”
There’s some shuffling in the room as The Commission members consult with each other.
Then Carlo Moretti clears his throat and holds up his hand. “Okay. The first issue we need to address is Emilio Zerilli’s treason. As we all know, his actions are unforgivable. The punishment for his disloyalty is clear.” Carlo’s nostrils flare. He glances around at the other men.
They all nod solemnly.
Then his eyes meet mine again, the corners of his mouth curling down into his bulldog cheeks. “Alessandro, carrying out his sentence falls on you. Make it a message to future traitors. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“All right. We will get back to you soon about Oleg Romanov’s proposal. Whether we agree to let his son Anatoly stay or not, I think we can agree Oleg himself needs to leave Tampa.” He glances around the table and the others nod.
A bit of the pressure eases in my chest. “I’ll talk to Zerilli and confirm Romanov’s accusation about Emilio’s treason. And I’ll await your decision about Anatoly.”
When they end the call, I turn to Caelian. “We need to start getting our ducks in a row now. So, as soon as we get the green light from New York, we can execute the plan.”
“Agree. So, what’s the plan for Milo?”
A slow, malicious smile tugs at my lips.