“Didn’t know it myself until Michele called me.” The two of them shared a knowing look.
“What’s going on?” I said, blood roaring in my ears.
“We need to make some hard decisions, son.”
“But Uncle Toni isn’t—”
“He’s not going to get better enough to return.”
“W-what?” I blurted out, feeling like the rug had been pulled from under my feet. “Nic?”
“The doctor said that even if he wakes up, the road to recovery will be extensive.” He dragged a hand down his face, his eyes vacant and expression haunted. “Given the new intel on DiMarco and Lombardi, Uncle Michele, Stefan, and Uncle Al decided we need to make the change now.”
“Fuck,” Enzo breathed.
“Effective immediately, Niccolò is now acting boss,” Uncle Al said.
Nicco didn’t look happy about it. In fact, he looked downright miserable. But I didn’t blame him. It was a huge burden to carry.
“Stefan is going to stick around, try to help you figure out this Lombardi thing. It could be something, it could be nothing.”
“And DiMarco?” I asked, immediately regretting it.
My father’s heavy gaze found me across the table. He leaned back slightly, steepling his fingers, and let out a long, steady breath.
“Tell them.”
Shit.
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. I should have kept my mouth shut. But it was too late now—everyone was watching me and if I didn’t tell them, he would.
“We have a problem,” I said.
Enzo slouched in his seat, burying his face in his hands.
“Out with it,” Uncle Al demanded.
“It was my call,” Enzo jumped in.
“No, it was my call. I take full responsibility for this. It ends with me.” Nicco addressed his uncle and family advisor. “A little over a week ago, Enzo and Matteo went to visit DiMarco. But they never made it to Providence. Enzo got a call from the hospital over in Pawtucket. When they got there, they found one of DiMarco’s girls beaten and raped.”
I winced at his harsh assessment, my fist curling against my thigh.
“What was she doing in Pawtucket?” Uncle Al asked. “And why the fuck did she call Enzo?”
Nicco looked to our cousin and nodded.
“A few weeks ago, I was in Providence,” Enzo said. “I came across one of DiMarco’s girls crying in the bathroom. A couple of days later, he asked me to go check on one of his girls at her apartment. It was the same woman. Something felt off about the whole thing, so I gave her my number and said if she ever needed help to call me.”
“It was the same girl?” Stefan asked, and Enzo nodded.
“Let me guess, you brought her back to Verona.” Uncle Al shook his head with disbelief.
“I called Nicco, and we decided to bring her with us. She had nowhere else to go.”
“Where is she now?”
“She’s safe,” I bit out.
“Interesting.” Uncle Al sat back, studying me. “This woman, she is someone to you, Matteo?”
“She’s—”
“She’s important to me,” I said, cutting Nicco off.
“I see.”
“And you understand what you risk… for a woman that is neither your wife nor your family?”
“We couldn’t leave her there.”
“What’s done is done.” My father’s jaw twitched. “The girl is safe in an undisclosed location. We need to focus on finding out everything we can about what Lombardi wants with DiMarco.”
“I might be able to help there.” Stefan pulled out a manila envelope. “Rumor has it Lombardi is looking to expand. He’s made offers on three local businesses in the last three months. A run-down strip joint on the edge of Providence. And a café and gym downtown.”
“He’s trying to put down roots?”
“Trying to. My contact down at town planning called with his suspicions. Obviously, Lombardi used an alias, but it was traceable.”
“Lombardi has to be a fool if he thinks he can just waltz into our territory and get his feet under the rug.”
“Fortune favors the bold, old friend.” Uncle Al clapped Stefan on the back and flashed him a grim smile.
“Al’s right,” Nicco said. “He’s making a power play. Lombardi must know we’ll have real estate covered. Providence is Marchetti territory. It always has been. If he’s sniffing around DiMarco, it means he’s been watching us. Learning who might not be happy with current arrangements.”
“Fuck.” My father expelled a breath. “We need to handle this, sooner rather than later.”
Nicco nodded. “Enzo, I want you to go there and meet Lucino. Talk to DiMarco and get a feel for where his head’s at.”
“Sure thing, boss.” Enzo smirked.
“I’m going,” I said, pressing my palm into the table. If Enzo was going to see that fucker, I wanted—
“No.”
“Excuse me?” I glared at Nicco.
“You’re going to stay here. I don’t want you anywhere near DiMarco until we know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
“But I—”
“Dammit, Matteo.” He slammed his hand down, making his glass of whisky clatter. “That was an order, not a request. You are already too involved to keep a level head.”
My teeth ground together behind my lips. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. But I needed this—I needed to look DiMarco in the eye and see it for myself.
And then I needed to make him fucking hurt for having ever laid a finger on Caitlin.
“He’s already looking for her,” Nicco added. “We think he killed one of his bartenders; the guy who drove Caitlin to the hospital.”
Uncle Al clucked his tongue while my father stared at nothing. This was a clusterfuck, the whole fucking thing.
“How do you want to play this?” Enzo asked, effectively cutting me from the conversation.
“Sit down with DiMarco and ask him what the fuck he’s doing with the Lombardi.”
“And if he doesn’t tell us what we want to hear?”
“Remind him that his loyalty lies with the Marchetti.”
Enzo nodded, tapping the desk. He was different with Nora. Calmer. More settled. But he still had a darkness inside him, a darkness that needed feeding. And Lorenzo Marchetti loved nothing more than getting his hands dirty in the name of business.
“This could cause problems, Niccolò.” My father raked a hand through his salt and pepper hair.
“If we give DiMarco even an inch…”
“Sì, you are right. We need to know once and for all what he plans to do. If the Lombardi are in fact trying to make a power grab we need to be prepared.”
“And Caitlin?”
I had to ask.
I had to know what they planned on doing with her.
“She can’t go back,” Nicco said, silently conveying what I so desperately needed to hear.
He had my back.
Regardless.
“Agreed.”
Relief slammed into me. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear my father say those words until they came out.