Page 104 of Mafia King of Lies

Immediately, I am on high alert again. “What?”

Dario watches me for a long moment before shaking his head. “Not here. Come.”

I look back to try and find my wife.

“Maria will be fine. She has Ginny, and I have guards posted all over here,” Dario reassured me. “This can’t wait.”

I take his word for it and follow him out of the ballroom. We make our way to a terrace, the chill of the New York air whipping against my skin. But the cold does give me some relief from the tension riddling my body.

Dario rubs a hand down his face. “Emily’s been spotted.”

“Where?”

“New Jersey,” he says. “She was moving with someone called Blade, a glorified henchman. He has ties to the Russian Bratva and Giacomo.”

“Fuck. Do we have an exact location of where she is? An address? She could be on the next plane out of the country for all we know.”

“I’ve kept my eyes on her. If she so much as breathes, I will know about it,” he tries to assure me. “We need to keep her alive for now; her time will come. The first one we need to go after is Giacomo.”

We exchange a look, one that says more than words ever could. We both want to put the bastard down once and for all. He came for our women and threatened their lives. No one does that and lives to tell the tale.

“We’re going after his trafficking ring,” Dario says. “We burn it down. Every contact, every operation. We make it impossible for him to do business and cripple him. Like we discussed earlier with Valerio. We now have an exact docking date.”

I nod once.

“The only concern we will have is your son.” Dario holds my gaze. “When it comes to it, Matteo, you will likely be on opposite sides with him. Meaning his gun will be pointed right at your head.”

That is something I am unwilling to accept. I will bring sense back into my son, even if it is the last thing I do.

“I will handle my son, Dario.”

His eyes tell me that he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t voice his opinions, thankfully. I am in no mood to get into it with anyone else tonight. War is on the horizon, and we need to all be ready.

We’ll strike first. And this time, we finish it.

31

MARIA

“They are fine,” Ginny gives my arm a reassuring squeeze. “You don’t need to worry.”

“What if something is wrong?” I hold onto my flute tightly. “Maybe I should check on him.”

I start to take a step, but Ginny pulls me back. “Maria, I love you, but there’s nothing you can do to stop them if they’re in some kind of standoff.”

She’s right.

Matteo and Dario walked out of the ballroom almost twenty minutes ago, and they have not returned. Daniele had also done his own disappearing act, blending into the sea of people without a trace. I wanted to speak with him, hoping to reason some sanity back into him.

“Here,” she takes my flute from my hand, “let me get you another one.”

I don’t need one, but I let her go to the bar. I stand at the edge of the ballroom, watching the people milling around and mingling. It’s so strange to see criminals, politicians, and mafia bosses all moving within the same space. But I guess they all have one thing in common—the greed for power.

It’s all a game to them. Seeing who can overpower who to get to the very top. They all want to sit at the high table, but very few manage to make it there.

I bite down on my lip and look at the door where Matteo walked out. Where is he?

I’m so lost in thoughts of my husband that I don’t noticehimuntil he’s right beside me—and a chill runs down my spine.

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