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I leveled my finger at him and he threw up his arms playfully. “Needless to say. You touch her, you die.”

“Got it, boss.”

One small crisis averted.

For now.

“Where the hell is Bronco?” I threw in. I needed to account for every soldier.

“Sorry, boss. I let him sleep in. Those drugs really got to him.”

Chuckling, I had a feeling Carmella would never live that down. “Let him sleep. Give him a call in a little while. When the news hits, I’ll need every man on deck.”

“You got it, boss.”

“One last thing. Have our hackers pay close attention to the chatter on the web. Some of our opponents strictly use the dark web and certain social media applications to discover information, provide news and relay commands.”

He nodded. “Good thought.”

“And… make certain we craft the perfect announcement regarding the alliance.”

A knock on the door brought another wave of frustration. Constant interruptions.

“An announcement?” he pressed. “No disrespect, but isn’t that premature?”

“It’s preemptive and could lure the cockroaches into the open faster than the traditional methods we’ve been using.”

The man allowed another grin. “I like your way of thinking, boss. I’ll find our best wordsmith and have him come up with a draft. I suck at words.”

“Yes, you do.” I turned to the door. “Come in.”

Gio passed the attorney on the way in, taking a few seconds to study the well-dressed older man as he walked toward me.

When the door was closed, the attorney held out his hand. “Alejandro. We’ve never met, but I’ve heard quite a lot about you from Luis. I’m so sorry to hear what happened.”

“Yes, we all are. I’m curious how you learned.”

“Enzo called me.”

Enzo. Shit. I’d yet to see the young man. From what I’d heard, the moment his father had been pronounced dead, he’d stormed out. Another problem I’d be forced to deal with. “I see.” As soon as we shook hands, he headed to the desk, placing his briefcase on top. “As you might imagine, Don Santorelli’s death was very unexpected.”

“I was always telling him to cut back on his beloved nightly cognac and cigars given his heart condition.”

“Heart condition?”

“Yes, he had a mild heart attack a few years ago. No permanent damage done, but the doctors warned him to take better care of himself. I guess he just didn’t listen.”

“I guess not.”

“I was made aware you were told about what would happen in the event of Luis’ death.”

“We had a brief discussion days ago. Now isn’t the time, Mr. Whitfield. The man just died.”

“I was given very explicit instructions, Don Banderas. You know yourself that sharks will be in the waters lapping up blood within hours. Luis wanted to ensure there were no interruptions whatsoever. I have the paperwork that you were shown and signed. I also have some deeds of trust that were turned over to you. While the courts could challenge his will, I have a way of getting through the system quickly. I will say you were left the entire estate and the majority of his funds. Of course with provisions for Enzo, which I was told you were also made aware of.”

“Hold on. As I said, I believe this is premature. There is such a thing as a time of mourning, even for the Don of a crime syndicate.”

“Yes, I do understand and I’m not trying to be insensitive. I’m trying to abide by Luis’ wishes. Nothing more.”

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