Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
We talk about the details of the plan. Simon listens more than he speaks, which I take as a good sign. Davide doesn’t add much, even though he’s clearly soaking everything in. Elena is helpful, if a little quiet.
“The real problem is my father.” Simon exchanges a look with his brother. “He’s retired. And things are complicated with Santoro.”
“That’s an understatement,” Elena murmurs.
“I don’t know what happened between Dad and Uncle Santoro, but I think it messed them both up.” Davide swirls his drink and finishes it. “I’m not sure he’s going to play along.”
“We don’t have to tell him.” Simon looks around at everyone. “We can let him think this is a routine warehouse inspection. The old man still likes running errands for the Famiglia, it makes him feel like he’s useful. He doesn’t need to know the details.”
“I don’t like that,” Elena says right away. Davide seems thoughtful.
“If he doesn’t know, he might panic,” I point out, which doesn’t get a good reaction from Simon. He glares at me as if his old man isn’t capable of having a poor reaction to a stressful situation. “When Santoro shows up, he could do something stupid and fuck up everything.”
“He could,” Simon agrees. “But if we tell him, he could refuse to show.”
“He’ll do it.” Elena’s voice sounds small, but she looks determined. “After the attack, I think he finally realized that Santoro isn’t the man he remembers. I think that was a step too far.”
“You’re right,” Davide agrees. “I vote we tell him.”
Sion shrugs like he wasn’t really married to the idea anyway. “We tell him. Elena, that’s your job.”
“Why me?” Her eyebrows shoot up.
“Because he’ll listen to you.” Davide’s smile is tight but very amused. “We all know you’re his favorite.”
Elena huffs and shifts in her seat, making a show of denying it, but the look on Simon’s face tells me everything. He seems amused, like this is obvious to everyone but her.
“I’ll do it, but I want something in return.” Elena’s spine straightens. “I want to be the one who escorts him to the warehouse. I want to be there when everything goes down.”
“Absolutely not,” I say.
And Simon says at the same time, “No fucking way.”
Only Davide keeps his mouth shut.
Elena glares from me to Simon. “You’re both right, Dad will listen to me, but if I’m not around on the day of, he might do something stupid. I need to be there to keep the temperature low.”
“You’ll be in danger,” I say through my clenched teeth. “There’s no fucking way I’m letting that happen.”
“Santoro won’t suspect anything if I’m the one with Dad,” Elena insists. “If it’s Simon or Davide, he’ll be suspicious.”
“I don’t care. Send a Capo, send a guard, whatever, but not you.” I look at Simon for backup. “I’ll walk if she’s anywhere near that warehouse. I’ll call it all off.”
Simon’s mouth pinches together. He leans back and knuckles his forehead. “Fuck you both,” he mutters and shakes his head. “Elena’s right. God, that sucks, but she’s right.”
“No kidding,” she says, sounding smug.
I stand up, shaking my head. “Not happening. No fucking way. I’d rather fight a bloody, grinding war with Santoro than let her anywhere near the action.”
“Sit back down,” Elena commands. I remain standing, defiant. “There won’t be any shooting. Santoro will show up, he’ll think he’s ambushing Dad, they’ll talk a little and hopefully get Santoro to say something incriminating, and I’ll have a wire on. Then Captain Kennedy will show up, arrest Santoro, we’ll pin everything on him, and we all go home.” Elena wipes her hands together like it’ll be easy-peasy.
I look around the room. Davide seems thoughtful. Simon looks like he’s already grudgingly accepting this. And I feel control beginning to slip between my fingers.
This is what I wanted to avoid: the moment other people are involved is the moment when more risk piles up until I’m no longer running the show. It’s bad enough relying on Simon’s father, but putting Elena inside that warehouse when everything goes down, it’s unacceptable.
“I’m done.” I get up and ignore Elena when she tries to catch my wrist. “This isn’t happening. I’m sorry, but if my wife is going to be anywhere near that warehouse, I’m calling it off.”
“Brody,” Simon says, standing. He tries to follow but I leave his office. “Fuck, Elena, talk to him.”
She chases after me and catches up when I’m outside. She grabs at my arm and holds on tight, and I want to throw her off, but I also want to pull her against me and hold her tight. I want to hold her like I held her earlier when we fucked in front of that fireplace in the house that’ll be our home one day.
“You have to know what this is doing to me,” I whisper as she curls into my chest. “You can’t be there, baby. You just can’t.”