Page 152 of Broken Mafia Prince
“Get the tech guys to fix the channel right now!” he snaps. “The Montanaris must be using a signal blocker or something.”
“It’s not a signal blocker,” the soldier says nervously. “Their communications are working just fine.”
“Is it possible that?—”
“What’s going on?” I feign confusion as I step up to them.
“We’re having a bit of a communication issue,” Emilio says with irritation. “Our radio is down, but somehow the Montanaris’ isn’t. There’s no way they managed to hack into ours in such a short amount of time. And anyway, we had more than five signal walls blocking against hackers. It’s impossible.” Frustration bleeds through his voice.
I make a show of thinking. “I saw network masts at the south side of the docks. That’s where they’re getting their signal from. If we can launch a full attack from there, we can cut them off or take charge of their communication once and for all.”
The soldier blinks at me. “The implications of that are staggering. We could fuck up their instructions.”
“Are you sure about this?” my father’s lieutenant asks, gaze hard on mine.
I hold his eye contact and nod. I don’t know what he sees, but eventually he nods to the soldier, giving him instructions to move all the men to the south side. I know for a fact that many of the Montanari soldiers are situated on that side, and my father’s men will be no match for their numbers.
I spot Tommaso through the haze of smoke and hurry to his side. “We have to get rid of the men’s supply of oxygen masks.”
“I did one better. I punctured holes in them,” he replies.
“Good thinking. I’ve already managed to redirect their attacks and?—”
“Are you sure about this, boss?” he cuts me off. There’s no doubt or hesitation on his face; instead, what I read in his expression is concern. “I’m ready to face whatever consequences if Edoardo discovers this betrayal, but I can’t imagine that you’d want to be branded as a traitor. You’ll lose your legacy, your family, everything. Is she worth it?”
“You have no right to question me,” I snarl.
He doesn’t back down. “I’m not questioning you. You know I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. I’m choosing to believe that you’ve thought this through.”
“I love her,” I say simply after a while.
“You’re risking your life and everything to betray your father and your family, and she’s here, putting her life at risk to protect her father and family,” he says the words without any judgment, but they still manage to knock me off-kilter.
I know what’s at risk. I’ve known it from the first moment I went in search of the girl from the retreat and discovered that she’s the rival family princess; with every kiss, touch, and banter, I’ve known what I’m risking. While I might not be Edoardo’s biggest fan, loyalty and family have been carved into the walls of my soul from the moment I gained consciousness.
I still remember the day I asked my mother why she didn’t just leave. Her response had been a small smile.
“This is my family,tesoro. Family stays together,” she had said, applying a salve to my cheek where Father’s blow still stung.
The Gagliardis are the family I’ve been given, but Giulia is the family I chose. Still, it doesn’t make it easy, choosing one forthe other. It feels like the very essence of me is being split in two, creating conflicting sides stuck in one body. I’m doing battle with myself, and it’s destroying me from the inside.
“Make sure the men stay concentrated on the south side,” I say instead of trying to explain everything to him.
“You know this isn’t over,” he tells me. “Your father won’t stop here.”
“It’ll buy Giulia’s family some time to regroup and gather more men.”
I’ve never once assumed that my effort here at the docks today will succeed in ending this war. Today is merely the beginning. With the Montanaris losing some parts of their shipment to the attack and my father’s side losing a good amount of men, I know that today will only fuel the rage on each side.
I suddenly feel old and tired, so weary of the plotting, the hatred, the battles. More than ever, I know I have to end this.
But how?
Even after all this time, I’m no closer to answering that question.
50
GIULIA
