Page 32 of Savage Claim

My interest was officially piqued. “What’s the cache?”

“A little present for the US military.”

It could be anything from weapons to vehicles to first aid supplies. We wouldn’t know until we cracked open the shipping containers. But I wanted it. If only for the intricacies it was going to take to get our hands on it; it was the kind of exercise that kept my men sharp, and we usually ended up with a tidy profit besides. The military didn’t like parting with their things, after all. “Make sure our men are there to meet that particular shipment.” Damian nodded, but it was all too easy to see that he wasn’t telling me something. “Just spit it out,vicecapo, I don’t have the patience for this shit today.”

“The Russian Syndicate has plans to take the cache for themselves.”

“Fuck,” I swore, slapping my hand against my desk. “I am sick of the fucking Russians.”

“No Volkovs are involved, as far as we can tell,” Damian said. “But with him gone, the other families in the Syndicate are moving together to get this shipment.”

That didn’t make me feel even the slightest bit better…and now I had even more reason to want whatever was coming in. Even if it ended up being something useless. Not that it would be, I was sure. I still didn’t want the Russians to have a chance at it. “Pick the best men we have,” I said. “I don’t care if they have to camp at the dock every night this week, Ibetterhave that cache in hand. Do you understand?”

Damian nodded, and then he was sifting through his files and assembling the men he trusted to give me what I want. “On it, Boss,” he said.

“Grazie.”

CHAPTER 20

Lorenzo

Organizing the Harbor job consumed me. For two days, Damian and I worked through as many details as possible, making sure that we had men to cover each step of the way.

We were deep into a phone call with Samuel, who helped with Isabella’s rescue, when someone knocked on my office door. I gestured for Damian to open it, and Isabella stepped inside. There was a complicated expression on her face. “What do you need,dolcezza?” Besides falling asleep beside her, we hadn’t really talked since we came home from the doctor.

“Cristian is here to see you.”

He'd come for my confession. “Tell him I don't have time today.”

“I did,” she said with a shrug. “You’ve barely left the office, so I couldn't imagine that you'd want to stop whatever this is for anything.”

She wasn't wrong, but the way she said it put my teeth on edge. “Tell him to wait for me,” I told her.

Isabella blinked. “You're sure you aren't too busy?”

“I can take a break in a little while. If he doesn't mind waiting for me.” She nodded, but when she turned, I called her back. “Keep my brother entertained, yeah? That's what you should do in this kind of situation.”

Isabella nodded again, but I didn't miss the tightness around her mouth. Something dark and mean in my chest took joy in that look.

Isabella

I placed a cup of tea in front of Cristian. “Sorry it's not something harder.”

He waved me off. “Tea is fine.”

Silence lapsed between us, and I tried not to fidget. I had always been comfortable with Cristian, but that wasbeforeI clocked him with a lamp. He didn't seem upset at all…but I didn't think I could be as magnanimous if I was in his position. “I’m so—” Cristian looked at me, and I sank my teeth into my own tongue.

“You don't have to apologize, Isabella,” he said. “I understand why you did what you did.”

My heart skipped against my ribs. “You do?”

“Of course,” he said. “You must have felt so betrayed to learn about Sienna.”

That was one way to put it. “I am…trying to understand it,” I settled on finally. “I know that Lorenzo wouldn’t allow you totalk about her.” Not that the gag order made me feel any better about anything, but I could, in the very least, try to give them all a little grace.

Lorenzo was a different story, but we would work that out between us eventually.

“I shouldn’t have hurt you, though,” I added when the silence had fallen between us again. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”

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