Page 15 of Inferno

“You trust Enzo?”

“I would not send my eldest son to meet him if I didn’t. He’s a businessman. But he’s far more than that. Do not underestimatehis power nor skill. If you win him over, the world is at your feet. If you piss him off, he will destroy everything we’ve built. For the love of God, do not cross him. Ever, Declan. There isn’t a place on this earth he couldn’t hunt you down. The man sees and knows everything.”

“Perfect. He’s omnipotent. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Nothing if you keep him on your side. Mr. Testa is the God of the mafia underworld. If he allows us in, that power is shared.”

I slide the phone into my jacket pocket.

“I have faith that once he meets you, he will see what I see in you. Powerful. Ruthless. A born leader. It’s natural to you, son. You will make the Quinn family great again.”

“No pressure,” I chuckle.

There is. A lot of it. The weight of our empire is on my shoulders.

“Diamonds form under pressure, boy. That’s how we got here, and that’s how we move forward.”

I nod.

“How come we never heard of him before this point if he’s that big of a deal?”

He lets out a deep chuckle and shakes his head.

“Only he decides who knows of his existence. The mere fact we know his name, means he sees value in us. If he asks you to get on your knees and kiss his fucking boot, you do it.”

I scoff.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t have a thing for boot kissing,” I joke.

Pushing myself up out of the chair, I stand.

“Conquer the world, son. You’ll do me proud. I know you will.” He taps his fist over his heart.

“I’ll do everything I can, Dad.” I nod to him and head towards the door.

I’ve had twenty-nine years to prepare for this.

“I don’t say this enough, but I love you, Dec. You and your brothers mean everything to me.”

The sincerity in his voice makes me stop.

I turn to face him one last time and smile.

“We all love you too.”

Chapter 4

CHARLOTTE

Song- Hospital for Souls, Bring me the Horizon.

Ishove the last black swimsuit in my duffle bag. Drago told me I’d have a few days to relax while we wait for intel.

I’ll take it. My body is exhausted. I know I’m damn good at my job, but he has plenty of men trained to kill. Yet, I seem to be the one constantly hunting.

No, they probably aren’t as skilled as me. But if they worked harder, they could be.

I dedicated my life to martial arts. And now he’s molded me into a killing machine.

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