Page 76 of Taken By the Mafia King
“He confirmed what Giuseppe was doing with those women. Their accounts of the situation matched with the intel Alonzo gathered. Giuseppe has also been talking to the Marinos and some other Jersey families about deals and alliances. He knows he’s being pushed out of Philly.”
“Why not go bother the bosses in Boston? They’re closer.”
“From what Alonzo said, Giuseppe had a deal go bad with Angelo Lima in Boston and they ran him out of town. He no longer does business with the Limas, which is huge because he was using them to ship his goods overseas. Angelo didn’t consider Gabriele De Luca a friend by any means, so this was coming anyway, but Giuseppe is desperate now.”
“Riccardo Marino might be the king of Jersey but he’s not running a charity. He doesn’t take in strays.” Riccardo had been pivotal in returning Sera’s necklace, but that was as far as it went when it came to doing business with the man. In his youth, my own title as the Hand of Death could have easily been his. Being Riccardo’s enemy was a death sentence.
Tommaso licked his lips and looked up at me through narrowed eyes. “Giuseppe hasn’t been talking to Riccardo.”
“Oh?” I replied dryly. “He’s been talking to Niccolo, hasn’t he?” Well, this was news. “Riccardo is in the dark about his son’sscheming with the De Lucas, isn’t he?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.
“Nothing’s been confirmed.”
I needed to ensure my allies remained as such, and that included the Marinos, especially if I was going to go after Andre Bianchi after my business with Giuseppe was finished. Giuseppe was just a kid, inexperienced, and goddamned lucky to be in his position. I had handed his title to him, and I would take it away.
I did like the chase, though.
“I’m done playing games with the young De Luca,” I said heavily, rising to pour myself a drink. “Will you be ready when I plan to strike?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m about there. Getting antsy.”
“Good,” I said to myself more than to him. Tommaso was the best kind of caporegime to have. Like a hunting dog. Calm and cool under pressure, but a ticking time bomb if he hadn’t been run in a while.
I had let that intensity build, and Sera swiping his phone and calling Emma had helped further that secret little plan of mine. Tommaso was pissed, and rightfully so. He’d finally broken down and told me the truth, like he always did about everything.
“I won’t let my guard down again,” he said, as if his thoughts had matched mine.
“Sera won’t do that to you again. You have my word.”
He swallowed hard, breaking from my gaze as I leaned my weight against my desk. “I think she’s becoming a major liability, Killian. Especially now that she knows the truth.”
“I know, and I’ll deal with that. The two of you are alike, you realize.”
“How so?”
“Your loyalty, for one.” I kicked off my desk and walked toward him. “Your grit.” I sank down into the armchair oppositehim. “Your inability to be caged and to then seek redemption at every turn.”
He smirked, sipping from his whiskey. “Thanks, I guess.”
“Diamonds under pressure,” I mused, smiling to myself as I met my friend’s eyes. “Sera could be an asset if we let her.”
“Is that your plan for her?”
“I have no plan for her.” That wasn’t exactly true. My mind ran wild with plans for her every night. “It was just an observation. Finding out the truth about her father broke her, but not in the way I thought it would. The outcome of that is yet to be determined. For now, we focus on Giuseppe, and Alonzo’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect.”
“Why?”
“We have guests tomorrow.” I drained my glass. “And then we strike and wipe the De Lucas off the map. Forever.”
CHAPTER 55
SERA
“Close the fucking curtains, Olivia.” My tongue stuck to the top of my mouth, dry as sandpaper. Light poured into the room and set my head throbbing like someone was beating me to death with a hammer.
Olivia snorted with mirth as she ripped open another set of curtains, this time directing the unforgiving light of day right over my eyes. I winced, shielding myself from the sun.
“Don’t worry,” she sang as she moved about the room. “I brought youthe cure. My nonna loved her brandy, you see. But she had to be well for Mass every morning.”
