“What do you mean?”
“Julia’s expressed to me her uncle’s want for peace between the two families. On two occasions. What would be the point of using her as a pawn?”
“To get closer to you? To get you close enough to take you out? A million different things could be running through his mind, but one thing’s for certain in all of this.”
“Julia and Matteo are nothing more than pawns to him,” I said.
“Stefano has long desired control. Power. Unfettered access to everything regarding both businesses. He was envious of your father’s dealings, and now he has a way to get to them. With you out of the way, he could seize control of everything. But you need to be careful. Stefano is the kind of man that has several different plans in play. Julia could be a part of a greater scheme, or a distraction he knows he can send your way.”
My vision was dripping with reddened anger.
“If one plan fails, Stefano’s got another one cocked and ready to go. You need to watch your back, Romeo. Being behind his plans could be used to your advantage. If he thinks you’re completely clueless, he’ll treat you as such. That might make him slip up, but that’s the only thing you’ve got in your corner right now.”
“Holy fuck,” I said.
“Watch your back. Play this from all angles, Romeo. Stefano is ruthless. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. If I’m right, then he killed his own brother to get what he wanted. He won’t hesitate to kill Julia or your boy if anything seems off.”
“I need to know what’s going on inside that police department, Vinny. It’s the only lifeline I’ve got to know how far this is careening out of control.”
“I’ve got some old contacts that are still around. I’ll look into it and see what I can do. But you need to watch your back.”
“I need to watch Julia’s back.”
“It does you no good to watch her back if it takes you out. She’s a strong girl, and she’s not an idiot. That much I know about her. Play the long game, Romeo. Don’t get caught up in the romance of it all. Not now. It’s too dangerous.”
I leaned heavily against the bookcase as Vincent finished his drink.
“I’ll clean up the glass,” I said.
“Don’t bother. But you need to get out of here. If Stefano catches wind you’ve been here to see me, it could tip him off in a direction you don’t want him to go.”
I nodded and thanked Vinny for his counsel. I’d come in to this meeting with no idea what was going on, and now I had a head full of possibilities, and every one of them sucked.
CHAPTER 18
JULIA
I sat down on a bench and waited for Romeo to show up. I’d gotten a frantic call from him saying we needed to talk as soon as I could pull away. So I left Matteo with Enrico and my uncle, making my way to the park as fast as I could. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about the conversation I had with his mother; if that was something Luisa wanted me to keep secret or not. But the sound in Romeo’s voice frightened me, and I was anxiously awaiting his arrival.
“Julia.”
“Romeo.”
I stood up and watched him approach me before we both sat down on the bench.
“What’s wrong? You sound panicked. It isn’t like you,” I said.
“I need you listen. And I need you to keep an open mind, okay?” he asked.
“What’s going on?”
“Julia, your uncle’s setting me up.”
I blinked several times before I furrowed my brow.
“For what?” I asked.
“For the death of the gun runners.”