Blood Always

8

Unfortunately for my companion, he hadn’t yet learned that lesson. His eyes grew hooded as he listed to the side. “La donna più bella … the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he muttered almost to himself. Anyone who has watched the littlest bit of National Geographic as a kid knows that some of the most beautiful creatures on the planet are also the deadliest. Before I could muster a forced response, my phone buzzed. I took it out of my purse and flashed it in apology before reading the message from my father. I need you to come to the house first thing tomorrow. A fissure of fear skated down my spine. Are the girls okay? I’d never worried much about my sisters before, but lately, they’d been under attack, bringing to light just how vulnerable they were. Alessia and Sofia are fine, just have business to discuss. I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding before replying with a thumbs up. I slid the phone back in my purse and returned to the role of seductress. It was time to draw the curtain on this act. Gently biting my glossy bottom lip, I glanced around coyly. “You wanna get out of here?” His face split into a wide grin as I stood. Too easy. I took his arm in a way that looked like he was escorting me out, rather than me helping to support him, which was the reality of the situation. We eased our way out of the basement level bar onto the city sidewalk. The schmuck hadn’t even made it to nine at night before he was drunk off his ass. Fortunately, there weren’t too many people out in this part of the city— mostly commuters and locals who were too absorbed with themselves to notice us. “My place is just a bouple of clocks from here … I mean … a couple of blocks from here.” As if I’d ever step foot in his c*m stain of an apartment. “That’s perfect, lead the way.” The thrill of the moment obliterated any lingering effects I might have been feeling from my martini. Despite a spike of adrenaline, my heartrate slowed, and my senses sharpened with acute precision. I waited for just the right moment. The timing had to be impeccable. Nowadays, with security cameras everywhere, there was always someone watching. With a touch of staggering on my part, I maneuvered us to the corner of an intersection. A beat-up delivery truck came barreling down the road. I assessed the scene in slow motion, calculating odds and risks. The setup couldn’t have been more perfect had I planned it out weeks in advance. Just as the truck crossed into the intersection, my new friend accidentally toppled onto the crosswalk, aided by my strategically placed elbow in the back. The driver never even had time to tap his brakes. The man’s body thumped against the metal grill—the sound hanging in otherwise vacuous silence. Then, chaos rained down as tires squealed and alarmed voices called out frantically. My hands flew to my mouth in feigned shock and horror as do-gooders rushed to the man’s aid where he’d landed in a bloody heap. They crowded around him, crying in dismay and shouting at one another to call 911. As for me, I stumbled backward to the entrance of a nearby alley. Only once I had disappeared into the shadows did I remove my blonde wig and allow myself a satisfied grin. Life is good. *** “What did you need to see me about?” I sat on my father’s office sofa the next morning and studied him for clues about why he had requested my visit. If he had something to say, a simple phone call usually sufficed. Not only that, but I was going to be at the house the next day for Mom’s mandatory Sunday family dinner. What had been important enough to call me over a day early? “You’re well aware that Sal’s actions have created a ripple effect, poisoning our relationships with the other families. I’m doing my best to mend those fences, but it just brings to light how much weaker all the families are from lack of unity. We should be neighborly, not act like rabid dogs the minute someone enters our yard.” “The other families are snakes. We don’t need them.”

“Yes, we do.” His voice became deadly serious, turning my curiosity into trepidation. “Where exactly is this discussion going?” “The families are on the verge of another war—I can feel it. I’ve been there before, and I don’t want to see it happen again. When we are pitted against one another, people get hurt, and we draw unwanted attention to ourselves. It benefits no one. Even you have to admit that.” I made no comment because he was right. I hadn’t experienced a war since becoming a made woman, but I knew it wouldn’t be pretty. “I’ve spoken with Matteo De Luca—” “He’s the last person you should be talking to,” I spat, cutting him off. “If we need alliances, you should talk to the Russos or the Giordanos.” My father’s lips thinned. Our relationship was complicated. I made a concentrated effort to respect him as the family boss, but he was also my father, and the history connecting us was difficult to set aside. Fortunately, he knew how far I’d come and was lenient when my emotions got the better of me. Knowing I’d stepped out of line, I attempted to cool my temper and listen to what he had to say. “He’s the most important person I should be talking to precisely because it is the Gallo family we are most at odds with. If we can repair that relationship, the others will be easy.” The room was silent for a moment as I swallowed several scathing comments. “His family murdered Marco—your own son. How can you stomach even hearing his name?” My older brother was only eleven when he was brutally gunned down. I didn’t know his death triggered a war, only that it had changed everything. For two long years, all five families waged a deadly turf war against one another. It wasn’t until attrition forced a reluctant truce and brought the bloodshed to an end. The Commission was reinstated to help the New York and Chicago outfits work together. Now, the families weren’t out for blood, but they weren’t exactly close either. “You can’t blame every man to ever join that family for the actions of a few. Matteo wasn’t much more than a child himself at the time.” “Wasn’t it the Gallos who, just weeks ago, helped kidnap Alessia?” My question was rhetorical. We both knew who was responsible, which was why it dumbfounded me how my father could even consider befriending them.