“We’ll need to go left,” Santo says. My comm device crackles in my ear.
“Yeah?”
“You got him?” Romeo asks. “Is he alive?”
“So far.”
Once, years ago, I was on the other side of Romeo’s wrath. I don’t ever want to be in that position again.
“Bring him home,” he says. “I’ve got a private jet at the airport on standby.”
I scowl down at the bodies and shake my head. “Can’t do that, brother. I’ve got carnage here and need to figure out who’s behind what.” I stare down at Santo. “And I… I think he needs medical attention.”
Romeo curses. “I don’t fucking care. You were ambushed by our enemies. You have no backup. You’re harboring a traitor with you. If he dies, he fucking dies.”
There is no other reason Santo took Elise and hid her. The others didn’t even know she was there.
He said he’d explain everything. And honest to God, it’s not in his character to betray The Family. He’s cunning and ruthless, but his loyalty to The Family can’t be questioned.
“And Rome?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll wanna lock down Leo, as soon as possible.”
He curses under his breath again. “Motherfucking motherfucker!”
“Yeah.”
Romeo blows out a breath. “Fine. I’ve got a car coming around to get you. Take him to your place in Tuscany. I’ll call in extra bodyguards to protect you. You’re a goddamn marked man until we sort this shit out. The second Santo’s ready to fly, bring ‘im home. And in the meantime, you question the shit out of him.”
I stare at Santo, who meets my eyes. He nods, and winces when he tries to sit up. “I’ll tell you everything brother but get her the fuck out of here. Fuck, leave me. They’ll come and get me and finish me off.”
“Why does this guy look like Piero?” Elise asks coldly. She stares down at his lifeless body with its vacant eyes. “Brother?”
Santo nods. “Yeah.”
“Let’s ask questions later,” I tell her. “We want to be out of here as soon as possible.”
Between the two of us, we heave Santo up. He isn’t as big as I am, but he isn’t small either. Elise is fierce, though, and Santo bears as much of his own weight as he can.
“Take a right, Tav,” Romeo says in my ear. “Black car waiting for you. Go. Orlando’s got the police locked down in the lobby. You’ve got exactly thirty seconds before anybody sees you.”
My hands are hot and sweaty as I grip Santo’s arm. He curses under his breath. “We have thirty seconds before the police come.” We’ve got cops on our payroll, but it’s a lot trickier in Tuscany than Boston. “Go, go.”
Santo curses, nearly crying, but Elise holds onto him tightly with not an ounce of sympathy. “Get in the car,” she says, half dragging him. It’s then that I remember Santo killed Piero. She’ll have questions for him.
Santo drips blood onto the leather back seat, leans back, and closes his eyes.
“I’m not sorry, Tavi,” Elise says resolutely. “I’m not.”
But she isn’t a violent person. She may have been born a mafia princess, but she’s made of sterner stuff.
I reach my hand out to her knee. “I know, baby. I know.”
This time, she doesn’t tell me not to call her baby.
She rests her hand atop mine.
The entire time we’re driving, I’m on high alert. I’m watching for signs of somebody following us, an ambush, or Santo not giving us the truth. I don’t trust him for a minute. I secure his wrist the second we get in the car, hand Elise the gun and instruct her. “Keep this gun pointed on him, and if I tell you to pull the trigger, do it.”
She gives me a nod. “Believe you me, I would be happy to.”
Santo looks at me in surprise.
My voice is hoarse, merciless. “She knows about Piero.” I sigh. “Start talking, Santo.”
I want to beat the shit out of this guy for what he’s done, but I also know that he’s my direct line to the truth I may not get any other way. And I won’t forget the signal he gave me. It appears he just killed my enemies, so it’s entirely possible that he was undercover.
But without telling Romeo? Without telling Orlando? No matter what, he’ll pay.
“Anna Regazza wanted to prevent your wedding. But you were supposed to be getting married weeks out. You threw a wrench into her plans when you got married early, which is why she tried to crash your wedding.” His voice is hoarse and weak. He draws in deep breaths. I shrug out of my jacket and take off my T-shirt, ball it up and press it to his shoulder.
I’m bare-chested and shivering, my hands covered in blood. Elise stares at me before she looks back to Santo.
“My mother?” Elise asks. She looks a little stunned, but I don’t blame her. She knew her mother didn’t have her best interests in mind. I knew she didn’t show up to give us a fucking wedding gift.
“Yeah. She was due money from your father’s death that went to you if you married. She’s been trying to plot against you getting married for… for a while.”
I glare at him. How long has he known? “And how do you know this?”
He looks away. He’s hiding something, obviously. I press my tee into his shoulder wound. His whole body arches and he swears out loud.
“Tavi,” he pants. “I promise you I’ll tell you every single thing I can. I promise. But there are some things I can’t, not now, but I will as soon as I can. I promise, brother, you have to believe me.”
I’m not gonna fight this battle now. I’m not even sure it’s mine to fight.
“Tell me everything you can.”
I can’t help the note of resignation in my voice.
I’m exhausted. My wife hates me. I don’t know what happens next.
“You’re not gonna wanna hear this, Elise,” Santo says. He’s panting heavily. “Your mother was working with Piero.” He scowls. “I don’t regret killing him.”
Her hand holding the gun shakes and she goes almost as pale as Santo. “What are you talking about?”
Santo closes his eyes and turns away from her. “Piero took you away from here. He stopped your wedding to Orlando, Elise.”
I hate hearing this for her. I’ve never felt so much sympathy for someone else.
I ordered his death. He stole what belonged to my family. That doesn’t mean she isn’t hurting, deeply.
“He protected you, that’s true,” Santo said. “But he had ulterior motives.”
She looks to me, as if I can help her, as if I have any answers to this. I only shake my head.
“He didn’t want you to get married, because Anna promised him a percentage of the payout. You made it—you made it easy. It hurts to talk, Tavi. It fucking hurts to breathe.”
“Keep going,” I tell him. “Be brief if you have to. I don’t know how much time we have.”
If the Regazzas seek retribution, we’ll have to protect ourselves.
“Jenoah knew. He overheard their plans at a bar in Tuscany before they relocated. Regazzas were sloppy.” He grimaces. “Leo had him executed.”