Page 60 of Savage Enemy

She got up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“Sure. I’ll send a copy of the contract to my lawyer and get started on our travel arrangements.”

“Good. I want to leave right away. Let me know how many men I can put on the plane.”

Benedetta stared at me for a minute.

“You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?”

“Do you know of another option I’m not aware of?”

“You’ve considered all the consequences, right?”

“Listen, if shit hits the fan, I’ll keep you safe. The only real consequence of concern is my son not getting his mother back.”

She blinked. “No—I mean, you’re breaking the treaty, and you can only argue for an exception if the Commission decides to listen. If they find out before you can plead your case, they’ll likely punish you. Severely.”

“The Commission will be a problem only if I fail, and if I fail, they’ll be the least of my problems. I won’t fail.”

I couldn’t look my son in the eye if I did.

Benedetta nodded and turned to leave.

“Okay. I’ll text you the details when it’s all settled, Stefano.”

“Thank you.”

Then, before she made it past the doorway, I put out my arm to stop her. Anger and violence vibrated in my blood.

“One more thing,” I snarled. “If you interrupt me again, or raise your voice to me, even roll your eyes—I’ll kill you. You want to negotiate like a man? Fine. That’s how I’ll treat you.”

Her face paled, and she gave a small nod.

I dropped my arm and let her scurry out of my office.

Benedetta Capaldo just made a deal with the devil.

CHAPTER 12

VAL

All the evil, vile, and most self-serving people in the city filled the State Ballroom at the Palmer House hotel. Mobsters and their sanctimonious, publicly-elected counterparts.

Every man had a beautiful young woman on his arm, and every beautiful young woman drank as much alcohol as she could knock back, pretending not to listen to the men as they whispered about their schemes.

Women either made themselves appear insufferably bored or busied themselves with useless gossip while the men plotted for world domination, wheeling and dealing in lives like human beings were nothing more than Monopoly money.

So fucking disgusting.

Also a good distraction.

How far can I get?

I scanned the massive ivory-and-red ballroom, memorizing the location of each exit. The place dripped with luxurious gold details and had dimmed but sparkling crystal chandeliers.

The perfect darkly elegant setting for a masquerade ball.

It might have been more than a decade since I’d last been inside the room, but it didn’t take long for the memories to slap me in the face. The galas, balls, and charity events Saul haddemanded we attend to improve the family image within the community.

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