Chapter 19 #2
I slid the knife into my pocket.
“No, not even a little, but thanks for waiting until that ran its course.”
“Not a problem,” he said with a dismissive flick of his wrist.
I wished it were that easy.
“The blueprints of the Moscatelli house are in your office.”
“Good. I’ll shower, then we’ll get to work.”
I headed for the stairs.
“But there’s something else,” he said.
Jesus fucking Christ.
I stopped and turned. “What?”
“This was just dropped off.”
He handed me a red envelope that meant only one thing—the Commission had summoned me at the worst time possible.
Fuck my life.
The envelope looked legit, the wax seal still intact.
Only the Commission would send its correspondence in something so fucking gaudy. For Christ’s sake, I wished they would join this century and send a fucking text. No, but that would have been less dramatic and less of a waste of time.
I popped the seal and removed the heavy cardstock inside. At least the script wasn’t in gold this time. It was blood red.
Stefano Vignali,
The Commission demands your presence today at 5:00 p.m. to answer for your crimes against the council. Failure to appear and plead your case will result in an immediate bounty placed on your head and the head of your immediate heir.
Don Edgardo Lordi, Council CEO
I shoved the note back at Tony and paced at the base of the stairs, waiting for him to read it.
“Fucking assholes.”
“What should we do, boss?”
Damn good question. I had to think about this.
I couldn’t leave for Chicago until after I dealt with the Commission, but maybe they’d help. They wanted me on the board. Edgardo had made that perfectly clear when he’d threatened to kill me for marrying Benedetta if I didn’t join.
And now, I had control of Benedetta’s men, and he would want my allegiance to the Commission.
They had it, as far as I was concerned. I could never allow Val to be taken from me again.
It wouldn’t change my plans to eventually kill Edgardo in my family’s name, but he didn’t need to know that.
My living family took precedence over the dead.
Every single time.
In this case, maybe I could get the Commission on my side. Get them to sanction my trip to Chicago. It would be a hell of a power grab and more reckless than I was usually willing to be. If it went sideways, I would never have their support again.
But if I could get additional men, if I could get into Moscatelli’s house and outnumber his men, that would get Val out safely. I could marry her in a church the second we hit the ground in New York. She would then be untouchable.
It would cost me my soul, but I could live with that.
“Nothing changes Tony,” I said. “Get all Vignali and Capaldo lieutenants here for the noon meeting. I want food brought in for everyone. Make sure my son eats something. If he wants to, he can join us.”
“But the Commission?—”
“The Commission requested my attendance at five. As far as I’m concerned, what they need has no bearing on our ability to plan this mission.
We’ll have every detail locked down before I leave to speak with them.
We’ll reconvene afterward and deal with whatever bullshit they send our way after we get Val back. ”
“And if I can’t get all the lieutenants here?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to ward off the pain settling between my temples.
“Why wouldn’t you be able to?”
“Some from the Malta side are saying they should go to their cousin instead of locking themselves in with the Capaldo side.”
“Fuck that. Tell them if they decide not to throw in, I’ll consider it a forfeiture of their position. They get branded as rats, and I hunt them down as rats.”
Had I not been in such a precarious situation, I might’ve handled it differently. But the situation called for action, and I couldn’t let anybody sit this one out.
“Yeah, boss. I’ll get it done.”
Tony headed for the ops room, and I made my way to my bedroom. I paused in the doorway.
Val’s perfume still lingered in the air. Her robe lay in a heap on the bed, her personal things still scattered beside the bathroom sink. Her entire essence filled the room.
My body ached, and my eyes burned, yet I wouldn’t sleep. Not until she lay beside me where she belonged.
I couldn’t go on a mission exhausted. Nor could I deal with the Commission when exhaustion weighed down my limbs.
Sighing, I entered the bathroom for a shower. Maybe the water would refresh my brain, so I could get to work.
It didn’t.
I’d barely wrapped the towel around my waist before I collapsed on Val’s side of the bed. Holding her pillow to my chest, I buried my nose in the silk case and breathed in, smelling her—wishing she was back in my arms.
4:15 P.M.
Knocking on my bedroom door startled me awake. I glanced at my bedside clock. Goddamn it. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep.
How had I slept so long?
I scrambled to get dressed for my meeting with the Commission and opened the door. Tony waited for me, offering a giant sandwich on a plate.
“Why didn’t you wake me hours ago?”
He sucked in a heavy breath, and I already knew I wouldn’t like what he said next.
“I couldn’t get the other lieutenants here, boss. Most of them aren’t willing to work with a man they haven’t met. They made it clear they’re not withdrawing their positions or their allegiance, but you’re not their boss until the contracts have been properly executed.”
“Benedetta was supposed to send them to the lawyer.”
“She did. Yesterday. The lawyer wasn’t in the office yesterday. I called his personal line, and he said it would take at least a week for the transfer of businesses to go through. I think we’re on our own for this one, boss.”
I leveled him with a glare.
“You shouldn’t have let me sleep that long. We need a plan to go in with a smaller team.”
“That’s why I let you sleep. I laid everything out.
You just need to go over the details and approve.
We can deal with the Commission’s shit, then leave first thing in the morning.
Daylight invasion. A quick in-and-out for the girl.
They’ll never see it coming. But if you aren’t rested, it might not go as well. ”
Good call.
Still, I didn’t like him making the decisions on his own.
I bit into the sandwich, my stomach grumbling in appreciation as I chewed and swallowed.
“All right, Tony. Commission meeting first. And when this is all over, if I’m still alive, you and I will chat about you going rogue.”
He nodded. “Yes, boss.”
“Listen. If I don’t make it out of the meeting, see that Benedetta marries someone worthy enough to lead my empire until my son is ready. Benedetta should raise Enzo as my heir. You be there for him, Tony. Understand?”
My second seemed to stop breathing as he contemplated my wishes and their massive weight.
“And make sure Marco fucking Moscatelli stays away from them both,” I added. “Kill him if necessary.”