Under his protection

Chapter 9

Dante

I walked into the meeting room where all ten capos were gathered and seated. They all rose, Salvatore taking his time, which caused me to smirk. He had always been an arrogant bastard, and as the longest-serving capo, he clearly needed a refresher course in respect.

I took my seat at the head of the table. Adriano sat beside me, and everyone else followed.

The room fell silent.

“Let’s begin,” I said.

As expected, Salvatore was the first to speak.

“These attacks are getting out of hand.” He slammed his hand on the table. “The Russians are being too daring. We need to hit them where it hurts.”

“Typical of you to want to rush in headfirst, Salvatore,” Marco responded calmly.

“A club and our Don’s private residence were attacked in one night,” Salvatore shot back, glaring at him. “If that’s not disrespectful, I don’t know what is.”

I did not bother correcting him that the attacks of last night had nothing to do with the Russians. The less they knew about Aria, the better.

“So you think it’s best to start a war we aren’t ready for?” Marco continued, his voice still calm.

Voices began to rise.

I remained silent, just listening.

My brother Matteo was also surprisingly quiet. Now that I thought about it, he looked distracted, like he had somewhere else to be.

“They are baiting us. We need to be careful,” Enzo said.

“We need to do something,” Giovanni added. “We look weak by not responding.”

At that, Paolo leaned forward, looking directly at me.

“We already look weak.”

The room went quiet.

Adriano shifted beside me but did not speak.

I did not react.

“With all due respect, in the short time you’ve been Don, your wife disappeared without a trace, and the attacks have increased drastically. This does not exactly inspire confidence,” Paolo continued.

And there it was.

Doubt.

It was no news that a couple of these men felt Matteo was better for this position. He was older and had more experience, but there was nothing they could do about it. The old Don’s word had been final, but that did not mean they would make it easy for me.

Silence.

Even Salvatore was quiet.

The tension was palpable. Everyone waited for me to respond.

“He’s right,” Matteo said for the first time. “People are talking.”

“People always talk,” Adriano responded.

“Yes, and here we are,” Paolo interjected.

“Are you finished?” I asked.

No one answered.

“Now listen carefully. These attacks are not random. They are strategic. Simple.”

I paused.

“We have a leak in the organization.”

At this, they began to whisper, but I continued.

“And from the looks of it, it’s someone close.” I look round the table, stopping at each one of them

“Maybe even one of you.” I finish

“That’s not possible,” Luca reacted.

“If that’s true, then retaliation is pointless,” Marco added.

“It doesn’t change anything. We can retaliate regardless,” Salvatore cut in.

“And risk losing more men?” Marco asked, raising his voice slightly.

“We are already losing them,” Salvatore shot back, louder.

“Enough.”

My voice cut through the room, sharp and hard.

Silence.

Good.

“We are not going to war blindly. We find the leak first, then we retaliate.”

“And if the Russians move again?” I turned swiftly toward Giovanni. He must have seen something in my face because he shrank back quickly.

“Let’s make one thing clear, gentlemen. I will find this mole, and when I do, death will be a mercy.”

I could see the fear settle over them.

“Tighten security and limit movement. No one acts without my approval.”

I paused, looking around the room.

“Is that clear?”

A united “Yes, Don” came from all of them.

Salvatore clearly was not in support, but he knew better than to disagree now.

“Now, Sal,” I said, turning toward him with a smirk, leaning forward and holding his gaze, “the next time I walk into a room and you are the last to get up, you lose a finger.”

He looked shocked.

“Is that clear?”

He gulped visibly. “Yes, Don.”

Salvatore was loyal. I knew that. He had been close to my father and the old Don, but if I continued to let his insubordination slide, others would follow, and that could not be tolerated.

“Franco, remain. The rest of you are dismissed.”

Chairs scraped as the men filed out one by one.

Adriano remained seated.

Franco Bianchi, one of the youngest to ever become a capo, sat calmly. His father died when he was just eighteen, and he had taken over since then. He had served for years under the old Don and now under me. He was quiet, meticulous, smart, and disciplined. His territories were the best managed, but more importantly, and the reason why he’s still here, Franco was an excellent hacker, handling most of our surveillance and digital operations.

“Franco, how is the search for Lucia going?”

“There has been nothing so far,” he said. It was the first time he had spoken during the meeting.

“It’s been weeks, Franco.”

He smirked. The bastard actually smirked.

I could not blame him. He was excellent at his job.

“It can only mean she does not want to be found,” he said.

“What does that mean?” Adriano cut in.

“The Russians do not have her. She is not anywhere in our territory. I am very good, but if someone does not want to be found, there is nothing I can do.”

This Lucia situation was getting out of hand. I had ignored it during the meeting because I had no answers, but eventually, I would not be able to.

“Fine. Keep searching.”

I looked at Adriano, then back at Franco.

“Is that all, Don?” Franco asked.

“No. I have another job for you.”

I paused. Franco smiled.

“Does it have anything to do with the brown-haired librarian who was taken a few days ago?”

Bastard.

“I mean, Victor and Carlos were not exactly subtle. How is Victor’s nose, by the way?” he added with a half laugh.

“I need you to find out everything you can about her as soon as possible,” I said.

Franco looked surprised.

“I am sure a background check is well within the capabilities of your team, Don.”

I exchanged a look with Adriano but said nothing.

Franco looked between us, and his expression turned serious.

“Who is she?”

“She was the last instruction given by the old Don.”

At that, he sat up straighter, but I continued.

“Find her and protect her.”

Franco had loved the old Don like a father, so I knew that would get his attention.If not that the position of Don had to be passed to the consigliere son’s since the don had no known heir, I’m sure Franco would be filling this seat

“I will find out everything I can,” he said immediately.

“It goes without saying, this should be kept quiet.”

He smiled, returning to his relaxed self.

“I am nothing if not discreet.”

He stood, gave a slight nod, and walked out.

“What next?” Adriano asked.

“We move back to the Don’s main house, remove all doubts that I deserve this position, and set up a meeting with the Russian Pakhan.”

I paused.

“It is time to end this.”