Page 40 of Reign of Hope

“It will be. Later,” he says, ending the call.

Looking on the bright side, I’ll finally get to give Spike his due, and Drake will never be able to hurt Allegra again.

* * *

The next evening…

Leaving Allegra is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I didn’t lie to her and prepared her for what was happening tonight. Twice, she stopped the tears from falling, but as Sebastian and I drove away, tears were streaming down Allegra’s cheeks. I look in the rearview mirror and see Elena with her arms around Ally, consoling her. Elena’s not much better, but she’s been through this before and knows that this is part of our life.

Of course, this must also bring back terrible memories for Elena. The last time we had a fight of this magnitude, Dante nearly died. For months, Elena wouldn’t let her husband out of her sight and doted on him through his recovery. I hate that for my sister, and for all the women who wait and wonder if their husbands, fathers, or brothers will come home when this is over.

Upon our arrival at the warehouse, the soldiers under the command of many of our senior underbosses are waiting and preparing for orders. It’s not until we walk inside that I see Guard and his men from Satan’s Pride.

Sebastian is the first to notice Risk. Risk is the reason that Reno found his brothers. To this day, I don’t know the details of what Sebastian’s and Dante’s lives were like before coming home toNostra Casa.I do know that all three men, Dante, Sebastian, and Reno, have the utmost respect for Risk. Risk has sacrificed years of his life raising the twin brothers and, in the end, returned them to their family when he knew it was safe for them.

It’s well known that MCs and Mafia families don’t often mix. There’s a power struggle between them that dates back as far as I remember. ButNostra Casaand the Pride have an understanding, and, on many occasions, we helped one another out.

Dante and Sebastian embrace Risk in a manly hug, smacking each other on the back. Reno gives them a moment, then does the same.

“We have a lot to discuss,” Reno says to Guard, shaking his hand.

“Let’s get on with it. I promised Ava I’d be home for dinner tomorrow night,” Guard jokes.

Reno chuckles and leads us into the back of the warehouse, where we all congregate. It’s cool to see the Pride men interacting with our soldiers. Through the years, I’ve gotten to meet and spend time with several of these guys.

The Viale brothers are selective in who they trust, yet I see the relationship they have with Risk and know there is a bond that none of us can break. From what I hear, the Pride men would follow their president, Guard, anywhere. Orion has assisted us on many occasions, and he and Dante have gotten close over the years of working together on cyber projects. Ghost is an enigma. He’s gruff and gives off the “I don’t give a shit” vibe, but that’s not true. He cares about the innocent and about justice. Demon, I don’t know as well as I want to; however, there are two distinct sides to this man: rock star giant and devil with a “don’t fuck with me” attitude.

The others, like Saint, Thunder, Steady, War, Hammer, and Priest, are all men who tell it like it is, and when it’s time to play, they play hard, but when it’s time to get down to business, watch the fuck out, because they are in it for keeps.

Guard is a cautious man, and just as Reno has our women protected, Guard’s left men behind to make sure the Pride women are covered. I see that Roscoe and Wildcard are missing today, along with their newest prospects.

Dante has set up a huge computer screen, and projected on the screen are the other capos. “Everyone’s ready,” Dante announces.

“Hello, gentlemen. Tonight’s the night we teach the enemy a lesson. We’ve all worked hard to create a strong and respectful alliance, and this is the first step in breaching the Triad. The goal is to capture the leaders alive and to extract as much information as possible about Wan Kwok and his men. Are we all on board?” Reno asks.

A solid “Yes” resonates around the room.

Raffaele jumps in. “We all strike at midnight. Thanks to the new partners in this venture,” he acknowledges the MCs that have stepped up to assist us in their respective territories, “we have their locations. They think they’re meeting to do business with our new friends, but they’re going to have one hell of a surprise.”

“Damn straight!” Alessio jumps in.

“We strike fast, and we strike hard,” Nero interjects. “We have our police ignoring the area for several hours, but it won’t be long before news gets back to Wan Kwok. We have a short window of time to get the information we need.”

Nero’s right. The Triad mafia are as intricately formed as our own. There are different branches of their mafia, and each branch has its own leader. They also fight between themselves for territory, products, and good old-fashioned money. We know next to nothing about Wan, and we need more to go on.

Guard speaks up. “It’s understood that the Pride and our sister clubs are there to support. You tell us where to be, and we’ll be there. We have a lot of snipers, and I suggest using them on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. First sign of trouble, they’re going to scatter like flies out the doors. We’ll shoot to maim, not kill. Then it’ll be your job to gather them up and make the decision on who lives or dies.”

Reno nods, and when they glance at the screen, it seems that each capo has reached an agreement with the clubs that have come to assist them.

“Earlier today, Tony made a call to Spike. He told him he wants to come home and asked if he could. Spike is ready to welcome Tony home with open arms, and it’s no surprise it’s to kill the kid. Tony is now a liability,” Reno states. “I’m assigning Elio, Zano, and a team of soldiers to take that meeting and bring Spike to me. If Drake won’t talk, we’ll need Spike alive.”

I was hoping to put a bullet between his eyes. Reno notices my dissatisfaction and adds, “For now, Zano. His time will come, and you will have your revenge.”

“Yes, sir,” I reply, tempering my frustration.

“We’ll reconvene before we head out. For now, we prepare,” Reno states.

Time ticks by slowly when you’re preparing for a fight. The mind is a powerful tool. It can build you up or beat you down. My mind races to the injustice the Skulls have dished out. Using Tony’s sisters to keep him in line, for one, then leaving him to die for another. They did the same with Vic, according to Tony. This is Drake’s method of keeping his men on a leash. He rules through fear. But what angers me the most is the declaration that Allegra is his property and he wants her back. A man like Drake would degrade my Ally and make her pay for running away. To a man like Drake, a woman is like a shiny, new toy, and eventually, when the novelty fades, Ally would become worthless. Worthless items are tossed away.

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