Page 54 of Stalking Ginevra

Aria stands by the control panel, dressed in a set of overalls and elbow-length gloves beneath a fire-resistant apron. Hearing our footsteps, she turns, takes off her safety goggles and grins.

Her smile widens the moment she spots Roman. “Well, look who it is,” she says, her voice bright .“The prodigal brother returns!”

Roman’s lips twitch, and the tension in his shoulders eases. “Good to see you, Aria.”

“Damn right it is,” she says, striding over to pull him into a fierce hug. “You had us all worried. But look at you, back from death row and ready to kick ass.”

“Something like that,” Roman mutters.

She pulls back, clapping him on the shoulder before turning to me, her grin still in place. “Now, let’s get down to business. We’re running these babies hotter than usual. Flames will burn longer too—no bone left when we’re done. Nothing for the cops to find, even with a microscope.”

My brows rise. Elania made it sound like they’d have to sift through the ashes with forensic tools, but she’s the more dramatic of the pair.

While Aria details the process, Roman continues into the room to address a quartet of casino managers. I tune outhis speech. De Luca, Dellucci, Esposito, and Napolitano know what’s happening next. They already pissed their pants watching their underlings getting burned alive.

A knock sounds on the door. One of the Mortis House boys steps forward, his head down. “Reaper says the clothes are ready at the penthouse.”

Thanking him, I take my place beside Roman to share a few parting words. A variation on the speech I plan on giving later, when I stroll through the casino as its new boss.

After our men load the quartet into cardboard coffins and introduce them to the flames, Roman calls forward Leo Salvatore. He’s a bulky man whose hairline has receded to the midpoint of his scalp. Salvatore glances toward the cremator, his face breaking out in a sweat.

“I know what this is about, Roman,” he says, his voice wavering. “I swore my cousin to secrecy. He should never have told his buddies at the casino of your plans.”

Roman’s plans?

My lips tighten.

It’s petty to bristle that Roman’s getting all the credit when his role in clawing back Dad’s assets is the most pleasant. Seduce an attractive woman and trick her to sign on the dotted line. Cesare has to drag bodies to the basement and interrogate threats to the family, which I admit, he enjoys, but he’s still getting his hands dirty.

Roman’s just getting down and dirty and loving every moment of it.

I’m the one who hired the detectives to find the woman. I’m the one who set up Mortis House and recruited Reaper to help me nurture the boys. I’m the one who helped Leroi plan the Capello family massacre. I’m also the one who sifted through Capello’s hard drives to find the blackmail material that secured Roman’s release.

And I led the battle to take back the meth lab.

Fuck, am I really whining about not getting credit from a backstabber?

I’m snippy because I skipped a night with Ginevra.

Shit. I’m screwed.

A gunshot pulls me out of my self pity. Salvatore drops to the tiled floor, having avoided a fiery fate.

We dismiss the men, who continue toward the casino to prepare for our entrance. I text Cesare, hoping he can tear himself away from interrogating the assassins, but I’m not optimistic. My little brother is more concerned about eliminating threats to the family than reclaiming our stolen legacy.

I’m still wearing last night’s armor and Roman could use a second chance to wake up, so we head for the penthouse.

Roman gets ready in a guest room, while I stand in front of the mirror, fastening the last button on my shirt. Reaper, who caught a few hours sleep in the master suite, now leans against the wardrobe, watching me straighten my tie.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

I blow out a long breath. “We’ve been working toward this for years.”

He nods. “This will be a place where the boys can practice their skills before we unleash them to the outside world.”

The corner of my lips lift. “All I need to do now is convince those hardened casino employees to follow the lead of a man who dropped out of law school.”

Reaper pushes away from the wardrobe, closing the distance until he’s standing at my back. “Having doubts?”

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