Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
“Goddamnit, Pietro. That’s a suicide mission! They won’t return alive, much less with Serafina. Remo will be furious over this new infringement of his territory!”
Pietro didn’t say anything for almost a minute and I was trying to get a grip on my rising anger and worry. If Samuel got killed trying to save Fina and if she was killed by Remo to pay us back… Ines wouldn’t survive that.
“Fuck!” I growled, realizing too late how close Anna stood.
I tried not to curse in front of her but had failed repeatedly these last few weeks. I lowered my phone slightly. “Go find your mother. Tell her I need to head out to your uncle and aunt.”
“Okay,” Anna said hesitantly but didn’t move. I touched her cheek and gave her a strained smile.
Finally, she turned and left the living room in search of Val.
“Ines doesn’t know yet,” Pietro said quietly. “I didn’t tell anyone but you now.”
“Good. I’ll inform Danilo. He needs to come over ASAP.” Danilo had only left for Indianapolis yesterday but this new development required his presence.
“I’m coming over now. We need to consider what to do.”
Pietro made a small affirming noise. I hung up and closed my eyes. My God, Samuel. Remo would tear him apart piece by piece and record it for all of us to see. Maybe he’d even do it in a live video and force us all to watch or he’d kill Serafina as well.
We didn’t hear anything from Samuel or any of his companions nor could we reach them—until the next day, when a beaten but alive Samuel and a badly tortured and dead Outfit soldier were delivered to our outpost near Camorra territory.
I called Pietro the moment I got the news then headed over to their mansion. Danilo was already there when I arrived. He hadn’t bothered with a suit like he usually did when he met me. This time he was in casual chinos and a white shirt. He like Pietro looked as if they hadn’t slept at all. I had been in the safehouse until way past midnight and hardly slept two hours, so I knew I didn’t look any better.
Pietro stalked toward me the moment I was in the lobby. “He’s alive?”
“Yes, and not seriously injured. They beat him up. He suffered a broken wrist and a few broken ribs but apart from that he’s okay.”
Ines and Sofia hovered in the doorway to the living room. Relief settled on my sister’s face and she leaned against the doorframe as if her legs couldn’t carry her much longer. “What about Fina?”
I shook my head. “We don’t know anything. I didn’t talk to Samuel yet. He’s flying over with a private jet now. He should be here soon.”
Sofia hugged Ines tightly, crying softly.
Pietro released a deep breath.
“I’m surprised Remo let him live,” Danilo said with a deep frown. “I think we can all agree that it’s not an act of mercy. That bastard doesn’t do mercy.”
I had to agree. Samuel should have shared the same fate as the other Outfit soldiers. That he hadn’t could only mean Remo had something worse in mind. Something that would hit us just as hard or harder in the end.
I didn’t voice my thoughts because I feared it meant Serafina would suffer.
Danilo’s eyes conveyed he thought the same thing. He came closer to me, his voice low and insistent. “Remo’s going to be furious the Outfit breached his territory. He’s going to make us pay through Serafina. We must do something.”
“Another attack won’t save her. He’s now alerted, even more than he was before. If we try to free her, we sign her death sentence.”
“Maybe Samuel did already,” Danilo growled.
Pietro’s face was ashen as he listened. At least, Ines and Sofia were too far away to hear what Danilo had said.
“Let’s go into my office,” Pietro suggested.
Ines stepped in my way and touched my chest, her eyes swimming with worry. “What will you do with my son?”
It took me a moment to follow her train of thought then it hit me. Samuel had acted against my explicit order, had led several of my men into death. That was betrayal. Rocco was locked in our cell for that very reason, because he was worth more alive than dead, now more than ever. But Samuel didn’t have any worth for me. At least not a strategic worth.
For the kind of betrayal he had committed there was only one punishment: death.
Danilo slanted me a curious look. As one of my Underbosses, he had to put trust in me that I didn’t favor certain Made Men because of their status. I risked the distrust of all my men if I favored family.
Yet, Danilo was practically family too. Could I trust in him to keep the details of Samuel’s behavior to himself? Or had he perhaps already told others?