Page 129 of Savage Enemy

I refocused on the blueprints detailing the Moscatelli estate, located in the middle of the Gold Coast neighborhood.

“It is. Keep in mind, while the mansion is large, the lot it sits on is quite small. Neighbors live close on either side.”

“Tony said he checked, and Moscatelli has police in that district on his payroll.”

I nodded. “That’s to be expected, and it’s an advantage for us. Calls made by the neighbors will likely go unanswered, giving us more time to get out.”

I pointed to a small building at the back of the property.

“I want this area handled first. You run point, Bruce. This is where the guards sit when they aren’t making their rounds. Tony’s sure they change shifts at midnight, so we’re going in at exactly 12:20. By that time, men from the earlier shift should be on their way home, and the current shift will still be setting up.”

“Are we to kill or maim and disarm?” another man asked.

“Usually, for an ordinary mission, we’d incapacitate and disarm. I don’t enjoy killing men for doing their jobs.”

But fuck—there was nothing ordinary about this one. I pulled in a deep breath through my nose and made a deliberate choice.

“In this case, the Moscatellis broke into my home, killed Vignali men, and the motherfuckers took my wife. They shot at me… and my child. Now we need to send a message. This time, I’m commanding you to kill everyone on sight, until Saul and Aris Moscatelli are dead.”

Each man looked me in the eye and nodded.

“Thank you,” I said. “We’re in and out within ten minutes. The goal is to kill Saul and Aris Moscatelli, yes, but don’t forget the most important thing… I don’t want Val harmed. I swear to Christ, if I bring her back with another bullet wound, Enzo will never let me hear the end of it.

“So once the old man is dead, his second son is dead, and the girl is safe—we get the fuck out and back to this plane.”

Bruce cleared his throat, bounced his leg up and down.

“What about Marco and the youngest Moscatelli?”

I understood his frustration. Both men had taken part in the home invasion and kidnapping. I gripped Bruce’s shoulder.

“Unless it’s kill or be killed, leave them alone. I believe they’ll either stay neutral or come to our side at some point. I can’t predict which, so use caution in any event.”

Taking a minute to pause, I stared at the men filling Medico’s plane and thanked Christ for them. All good men. I hoped like hell no more Vignali families would have to grieve the loss of their husbands, sons, and fathers.

“And finally,” I said, “I want everyone back on board immediately, and wheels up before the Chicago PD figures shit out. Do not delay. Do not fall behind.”

As promised, SUVs waited for us when we arrived at the airstrip, keys in the ignition with a note to leave them where we found them when finished.

I had the men disable the GPS in the cars and enter Moscatelli’s address into the navigation apps on their phones.

We drove through the city toward Moscatelli’s residential neighborhood. The snow piled along the sides of the boulevards reflected the moonlight, making it easier to see. The frigid lakeside air had probably driven the neighbors to their warm beds hours earlier.

We parked one block away from our target location, arriving just after midnight. Perfect timing.

Things were going according to plan.

Once I gave the signal, we vacated the SUVs and made our way down the street, lurking to the back of the property, and observing any activity inside the small cabin-like structure behind the main house.

I made a mental note. My child lived in my house now, and with any luck, sooner than later, so would more children. Iconsidered how separating my work from our home might be a wise move. The house would be more secure with fewer people coming and going, making my family safer.

Not for a minute did I believe that same reason explained why Moscatelli kept his men out of the house, but for all intents and purposes, it was an advantage for me.

I would never leave my family in a mansion unguarded.

After the night they’d taken Val, Tony increased security even further on my estate, buttoning it all down, locking it up, and having it patrolled like a fucking military fortress.

It was go time.

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