Page 80 of Arranged

Well, fuck. I hadn’t been told I was directly in charge of all operations, only when we were working together as an alliance. I was standing in sweatpants in the middle of the night holding a weapon. I’d been placed in charge of two very different sets of soldiers and both families were still being targeted. A question remained in the back of my mind as to whether the attacks were directed toward Lupini alone.

“Double up on security for our warehouse. No deliveries until they are triple checked. Change routes when they go. Make certain every shipment going out has at least one backup, two when available. And I want twelve-hour reports on all avenues of business and security on both the Lupini and Santorelli estates.”

“Yes, sir. Are you heading to the scene?”

“Did they take what was left of the truck to one of their facilities?”

Gio nodded. “Yes.”

At least Lupini’s men had been well trained. “I’ll head there in a couple hours. Let Drago know. I want to personally check what’s left of the truck. Don Lupini?”

“He hasn’t made a statement. My guess is he’s waiting on hearing from you.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I felt a presence in the shadows and stiffened. “You’ll take Carmella and her son back to the condo first thing. I’ll head to their warehouse.”

“You need backup.”

I laughed. “I can handle myself, Gio. It’s your job to keep my wife and stepson safe. Understood?”

“Of course, sir. I’ll watch out for them with my life.”

“Keep a close eye on the house. No one else knows about this address. Correct?”

“Correct, boss. I was very careful.”

“Make certain it stays that way.” Gio shifted back and forth. Even in the darkness, I could feel his discomfort. Whoever was targeting the two families was placing us on edge on purpose. They were hoping weaknesses could be discovered and used.

“Yes, sir.”

I moved to the door with him, closing it with a soft click. After locking and switching the security back on, I took a deep breath. “You can come out now, Carmella.”

She padded closer, turning on the foyer light. When I turned, the look of fear in her eyes pulled at the anger inside of me.

“What happened?” she asked, inching closer. She was in a robe I’d tossed into her duffle bag, the material following softly around her naked body hiding underneath.

“One of your father’s trucks was hit. Three men killed.”

“Oh, my God. Is my father okay? My sister and brother? Sasha?”

“They’re fine.” I moved closer, gently reaching out and touching her arm. It wasn’t the first time she pulled away from me, but it was the first time I felt a reaction deep inside.

“What does this mean?”

“It means I’m heading to where what’s left of the truck in the morning.”

“You’re sending me back with your men. Right?” Her face had tightened, her lips pursed.

I nodded. “I need to ensure your father’s soldiers understand what’s at stake.”

“And what is?”

“Lives. You should go back to bed.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“Make a few phone calls.”

Carmella sighed. “You need to realize that I’m not helpless nor will I stand by while my family is targeted. I deserve to know everything that’s going on. If this is going to work between us, we need to talk to each other. That’s how you build trust.”

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