Page 61 of Shield

“Easy fix: we hit Luminous today.” Siena says, turning to Tommy.

“Oh, so now it’s ‘we’?” Valentina is livid, the smile immediately dropping off her face.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking, princess,” says Vin, his eyes sparkling.

Tommy, on the other hand, is more reserved, spinning his ring thoughtfully. “Except we don’t have the codes,” Tommy reminds Vin. “And we can’t blowtorch or bomb a safe in a high-profile building in the middle of the day.”

“We couldn’t blowtorch it, anyway, not without triggering every alarm. And, even if we did, there’s a delay on the innermost door, which means we’d have to deal with whoever shows up when the alarm goes off,” says Vin.

Tommy nods in agreement. “It’s huge, walk-in, built into the back wall of a small room behind a code-locked door, the only entrance to which is from the interior of an office inside Luminous.”

“So, how are we opening it?” I ask.

Vin glances at Tommy, whose jaw tightens. “We’re going to incentivize Lorenzo Marino to give up the codes.”

Definitely not ideal. Tommy looks like he’d rather rip his own heart out than mess with Giovanna’s father, but he says nothing.

“So it’s finally happening,” I say slowly, splitting a lookbetween Vin and Tommy.

I knew this day would come at some point, the day we stage our takeover. Once we do this, there’s no going back. Aurelio will go to war, and our only recourse will be to put him down. Vin will step into the big seat, I’ll be the underboss, and Tommy will beconsigliere.

“Tommy and I talked, and we’re not going to lose you, Matti,” Vin says. “If you’re out of the Demonio family as it stands right now, then now is the time to make our move.”

“About fucking time,” grumbles Valentina.

Siena turns in my arms, her brown eyes shining down at me. I told her I’d left the family for her, but now she has confirmation. I meet her gaze, and she cups my cheek in one soft hand, smiling softly. Dropping a quick kiss on my lips, she slides off my lap onto the couch and snuggles into my side.

“Today at closing is the best time for us, then,” I say.

“Exactly. Easier access without having to deal with night time security to get into the building, plus crowds are thinning out,” says Vin.

“Fewer employees in Luminous, but hours before Aurelio is supposed to show,” adds Tommy.

“How are we supposed to put this together by tonight?” Valentina asks.

“You’re not doing anything,” Vin barks at Valentina.

“Then why am I fucking here, asshole?” she yells back.

“She could be useful,” Tommy tells Vin. “We need the codes, and she’s a hacker. If Lorenzo won’t give them up, then she’s a backup. And a… distraction.”

It’s true. Valentina is very distracting to men who don’t know that she’s a fucking psycho shit show. Especially menwho are psycho shit shows themselves, like Franco.

Vin groans, and Valentina grins.

“What are you smiling at? He just said you’re annoying as fuck,” snaps Vin.

“Fuck you,Vinny,” Valentina says mockingly.

“I can help,” Siena says, softly.

Valentina sucks air through her teeth loudly, and I nuzzle her hair.

“How, kitten?”

She draws in a deep breath, her shoulders tense. “I have the codes.”

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