“You should be my Consigliere, not Rocco.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I mean it. You’d be the better choice. You are clever and your heart is in the right place.”
Val pressed a kiss to my chin. “My heart could be a problem when it comes to the bloody side of the business.”
I trailed my fingers down her spine. “But mine won’t. I’m capable of doing whatever’s necessary. But you are right. Maybe it’s a good thing that you aren’t part of the business.”
“I already help with the business. And the majority of your soldiers would go on a warpath if you made a woman, your wife, Consigliere. That’s not going to work.”
“They’d have to accept my judgment.”
Val shook her head. “We don’t need another battlefield within the Outfit, no less. Not to mention that there’s still Rocco. Or have you made plans to get rid of him?”
“You’d like that.”
“I do.”
I chuckled. “Not as innocent.”
“He deserves death for everything he’s done.”
“But so do I, Val.”
She huffed.
“Right now, I don’t intend to remove Rocco. I’ll wait until Fabiano tells us exactly why he’s joined the Camorra before I decide what to do with Rocco.”
Val nodded, then yawned. It was past two and we both had to get up early.
I extinguished the lights and kissed Val goodnight.
For several moments, Val didn’t say anything before her softly whispered words penetrated the silence, “You really think I’d be a good Consigliere?”
I smiled against her hair. “Yes, I have no doubt.”
* * *
Sleep evaded me that night and so I got up at five A.M. and crept out of the bedroom with gym clothes. Val was still fast asleep. I changed into my running shorts and a T-shirt and went into the small gym room beside my office. I tried to run at least six miles every morning. This morning I decided on eight miles in the hopes of quieting my restless mind and banishing the lingering tension in my body.
After a quick shower in the guest bathroom and a change into a business suit, I headed into my office. It wasn’t even seven yet, but I had a busy day ahead of me. I needed to visit one of our weapons dealers and then head to the Trentino, one of our newest Underground casinos.
The photos of Fabiano still mocked me on my desk. I picked them up and shoved them into one of the drawers before I bent over the papers with our weapon orders.
A soft click made my head shoot up with narrowed eyes.
Anna hovered in the doorway, half hidden behind the door. Her hair was tousled and she was still in her white pajamas with a pink floral pattern. “Can I come in, Daddy?”
I put down the papers and pushed my chair back. “Of course, Anna. What is it?”
Something about her demeanor was off. She usually wasn’t this demure around us, even if she was reserved when strangers were around. She closed the door and tiptoed closer, avoiding my eyes. I pulled her on my lap and she nestled her head against my throat, her fingers fumbling with my jacket.
“You can tell me anything, you know that, right?” I said quietly.
She gave a sharp nod. “If I do something bad, Daddy, something you don’t like, will you kill me like Orazio?”
For a moment, my heart stopped beating. Grabbing her shoulders, I moved her so I could see her face. Her eyes held honest trepidation and it was the worst sight I could imagine. The shit with Orazio and Fabiano meant nothing in comparison to the fucking anguish I felt because my own daughter thought I might kill her if she displeased me. The mere idea…
I nudged up her chin. “Anna, no matter what you do, I’ll never hurt you. I’ll protect you with my life from any harm. You hear me?”
“Even if I become a traitor?”
“I won’t ever hurt you. Ever.”
She bit her lip. “Okay.”
“Who said something like that?” I asked, trying to keep my voice gentle.
“Leonas said you’d have to kill Orazio because he’s a traitor, and that you’d do the same with anyone else who betrayed you.”
I gritted my teeth. I kissed Anna’s forehead. “I love you more than anything, Anna.”
“I love you too, Daddy,” Anna said and snuggled against me once more. Despite my workload, I decided to spend some time with her. “How about we play a song together?”
“Really?” She sat up with wide eyes.
I rarely played the piano anymore. For one, I didn’t have time, and it had never been my passion, but playing with Anna held a special place in my heart.
She hopped off my lap and took my hand, practically dragging me toward the library. This was my daughter, not the scared girl from a few minutes ago.
Anna settled on the piano bench.
“Won’t you play the harp?”
She shook her head sharply. “I wanna play the piano with you.”
“All right.” I sat down beside her. “Let’s see. What song do you want to play?”
“Let it be!”
I chuckled. I searched her booklet for the song then opened it. Anna loved to listen to the Beatles and play their songs. She was an old soul in a young body. “Ready?”
She grinned up at me, her worry and fear forgotten. I’d do anything to keep it that way.
PART TWO
Dante
I should have known Rocco would act. The moment I’d told him I wanted to capture Fabiano for questioning, he’d been tense.
Valentina had only just celebrated our eleventh anniversary when Giovanni showed up on my doorstep, looking completely flustered.
“What is it, Giovanni?” I asked as I crossed the lobby toward him. Gabby quickly moved back into the kitchen to give us privacy.
“One of Rocco’s men showed up in our outpost close to Kansas. He’s more dead than alive.”
Leonas hovered in the doorway to the living room, eyes wide and curious. I motioned for Giovanni to follow me into my office. I had a feeling this would be something I didn’t want to discuss in front of my son.
“One of the men Rocco sent to Vegas to capture Fabiano?”
Giovanni huffed. “Apparently, Rocco sent them over there with the clear orders to kill Fabiano and all the fucking Falcone brothers who were with him during one of those disgusting death fights.”
I stiffened. “That’s what he said?”
Giovanni grimaced. “He wrote it down. The Falcones let him live so he could deliver their message to us, to you that is. But they mauled his body pretty badly. Cut his tongue off and his goddamn ears. Broke pretty much every bone in his body he didn’t absolutely need and then delivered him on the doorstep of the outpost. The doctors aren’t sure he’s going to survive the inner bleeding.”
I turned my back on Giovanni, needing time to get control of myself. Rocco had gone against my direct orders. We’d discussed our plan several times. Capture not kill, and only when Fabiano was alone. The Falcone brothers weren’t supposed to be targeted to prevent a war with the Camorra. “What did he write down?”
Giovanni’s steps rang out then he showed me a photo of a bloody piece of paper on his phone. “That’s what I got.”