Page 33 of The Mafia's Captive

“He’s down,” Nico says.

“Gio?”

They both nod. “We were as surprised as you,” Nico says, “but I think Gio and the daughter might have some history.”

If that’s the case, we’ll get more than enough ammo, according to Nico, which is good. I need to retaliate for what they did to Colin. I can’t just let that go. Silva had territory in this city that have been under our protection for a while. Drugs and gambling go well together and our relationship was going well so far. We protected his racket; he provided ammunition at a discount via his contacts. His move to Saccone is going to be one of the worst decisions he’s ever made.

“Do we still have our men in Rio?” I ask.

Rico is the one who replies. “There’s the hitman you once hired. He’s reliable, and he’s still there.”

“Let’s go with him.”

“Who are we going to hit?”

“Silva.”

Nico whistles. “That would be an outright declaration of war.”

“That’s the point. He came after me. He has to pay the price.”

“It might be difficult. He could be protected, since he knows we’re coming.”

“Not according to our guy,” Rico jumps in. “I asked him to keep tabs just in case we choose to do something and it seems like Silva is not hiding.”

“He’s underestimating us. He thinks since father died and you’re now the head of the family, you’re weak. He probably thinks Saccone is about to take over our business.”

“Being underestimated is good. That way, your enemies will never see you coming. Tell your man to get on with it. And tell him we’ll pay him double his normal rate.”

“All right,” Rico says.

“It’s about time we show those people not to mess with us,” Nico says.

He’s right. Showing weakness ends with us being dead. I know this is how father would do it. Silva was his long-time friend, but he threatened his son. Dad would never let something like that go. It’s sad, because I liked the guy. But in this world, friends turn into enemies like a switch and that’s just how business goes. Still, we will be exposed without him. This new guy better put up if we’re going to counter Saccone.

“So, did you speak to the old man?”

“Yeah. He agreed to the deal. He’s more than eager to load off his problematic daughter and let her be someone else’s headache. The wedding is on.”

“And you’re sure Gio is fine with this?”

They both shrug.

“I wonder why he’s willing to marry her?”

“I mean, she’s hot, but I hear she’s more than a handful. I would rather die than be shackled to her, from what I’ve learned about her.”

“Either way,” I say, “marriage means we have a powerful alliance. That’s something.”

“It’s still not enough,” Rico says. “Their numbers are dwindling and their business, while resuscitated, is still small.”

Nico sighs. “Thank you for the resounding positivity, Rico.”

“Just stating the facts.”

I hope the facts change in our favor in time, or all of this will be over. The business. The empire. The family. Thinking about what’s at stake was making me stressed. I whip out my phone and instinctually go to the tracking app. She’s still in the casino at her table. Good. I tell myself that it’s just a general check in and not a need for another round with her. Fuck it. Who cares? It’s what she suggested, after all.

I send her a text.

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