Page 115 of Savage Enemy

Suddenly, even through the haze of pain and panic, his plan became crystal clear. Lordi never intended to send men to Chicago. Oh, he wanted Chicago, but he wasn’t man enough to take it himself. He wanted me to run a little errand first, to see how well I fared before making a move.

If my mission failed, he would have plausible deniability. More than that, by giving him my finger, I’d made it easy for him to claim he hadn’t sanctioned my barbaric act while pointing out he’d punished me for going in the first time.

Then, as a member of the Commission, all my business interests, my assets, my allegiances, everything I had, became property of the Commission, including Benedetta and the empire that came with her.

There wouldn’t be a damn thing anyone could do to save my legacy and my son’s inheritance.

Ah, but if I succeeded, the son of a bitch would probably march right into Chicago the next day.

Every scenario provided Edgardo Lordi with a win. The whole scheme would cost him nothing. Depending on the choice I made and how well it went, it could cost me everything.

He grinned. “Let me know what you decide to do.”

“You know what I’ll do,” I growled.

He nodded, taking his shit-eating grin with him into the restaurant, and the remaining council members filed out of the room behind him. All but one.

Angelo Medico stared at me.

I needed to leave, but I didn’t know if I could walk without stumbling. This guy needed to get out, so I could give it a shot.

“Something on your mind, Medico?”

Instead of heading for the fucking door, he took a seat.

“What are you going to do?”

“What’s it to you?” I asked.

“Nothing, really. None of it affects me personally. Not yet.”

“Not yet?”

Angelo leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. His youthful, curious expression indicated he might be deciding whether he should trust me.

He shouldn’t.

If I could get the fuck out the door without falling on my face, I would walk away from this guy. But I needed a few minutes for the come down from the adrenaline and for the pain to ease enough for me to function.

“How much do you know about my father?” he asked.

“Not much.”

He nodded, looking around the room as if to make sure no one was lurking in the shadowed corners to listen in.

“You know this room is bugged,” I said.

He waved that fact away.

“When are you going to Chicago?”

“First thing tomorrow morning,” I said.

“Flying commercial?”

“Might have to if my second can’t get a charter large enough for my men on such short notice.”

I’d never bothered with my own since I rarely left the city.

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