We’d already lost trust in the side organization that was meant to keep all of us safe from each other, so now it was about building the bridges. Which meant showing them that we meant business. That we’d have their backs.
Lorenzo leaned back in his seat, swiping his finger over his chin back and forth. “I heard you had a break-in?” He directed it to Gio Pozzi, the man who had taken over for Piero. Piero had run their family for years, until Lorenzo got rid of him.
“That’s right.” Gio’s eyes narrowed, his hands fisted on the table. He was clearly angry at the situation.
Lorenzo nodded. “I also heard that you were having trouble identifying the perpetrators.”
Gio’s nostrils flared. Lorenzo was calling him out, but in a way that made it look like he was helping. We all felt the tension around the table, and we all read between the lines.
“I put my men to work.” Lorenzo stood, pushing his hands in his pockets. It was a move that spoke of him being comfortable being at the head of this table. One they all took notice of. There was no way they hadn’t heard of the changes he was making inside the Beretta Mafia. “And we found them.” He turned to meet my stare, giving me the silent signal.
My gaze flicked to Christian who stood on the other side of Lorenzo. He wasn’t present at all of these meetings, but when we needed an extra set of eyes, he was always there, ready to take anyone down who posed a threat.
I sauntered around the table and to the back door, then flung it open, knowing that Romeo would be standing there with the two guys. He pushed them forward, and I waved my arm in the direction of the table. The men did as they were told, knowing what was about to happen.
Romeo had already had his fun with them if the bruises and dried blood were anything to go by. He walked them to the opposite side of the table, presenting them to the men sitting around it.
“I believe they’re from the crew trying to steal territory from you,” Lorenzo said to Gio, but he didn’t look away from the two men. The crew colors they wore told us exactly who they were. Lorenzo knew that this wouldn’t go unanswered, but he’d told us he was done playing defense. Peace could only come after violence.
“They are,” Gio ground out, standing. His body was tense, a vein in his neck pulsing. I stepped forward, keeping my attention focused solely on him. If he made one wrong move, I wouldn’t hesitate to take him out. I didn’t trust him, which was why I’d had Romeo doing recon on him and his family. “Thanks for finding them,” Gio continued. “But I’ll handle it from here.”
Lorenzo tutted, shaking his head with a grin on his face. “You assume too much, Gio.” Lorenzo pushed his hands in his pockets. “You see, this crew were also trying to get into my territory too.” He winked at them, and I knew it was coming. It was only a matter of moments now. “Isn’t that right, gentlemen?”
They stared at each other, probably trying to figure out how much they should say. A crew were as tightknit as a Mafia family, but that didn’t mean there weren’t leaks in the organization. There was always one who was willing to cut a deal. We already had the intel we needed, but now it was just a waiting game to see who would talk first here.
Lorenzo glanced down at his watch, looking bored as hell. “I have somewhere to be.” His head snapped up. “One of you better talk or you’ll both get a bullet between your eyes.”
“You’re right,” the one on the left with black hair shaved close to his head blurted out. He lunged forward, his hands slapping on the wooden table. “Please don’t kill me. I’ll tell you anything you need to know—”
“Anything?” Lorenzo tilted his head to the side, making it look like he was considering it. But my hand was moving to my waistband, ready
to pull out the piece of metal that would end the traitor’s life. I smoothly worked my way closer to them, not gaining the attention of anyone else in the room. They were too preoccupied with watching the show in front of them.
“Anything.” The guy looked frantic, apparently now realizing what was happening around him. “Their plan is to take it all. It’s not just us. We’re little fish in a much bigger pond.” His chest heaved as he tried to breathe while telling us as much as he could as quickly as possible.
“Who is the bigger fish?” Lorenzo asked. He hadn’t changed his posture, or his tone, but the narrowing of his eyes told me that he was listening intently. I was only a couple of feet away from the two traitors now. I didn’t technically need to be this close, but it was something I liked to do. Death was the final thing to happen in a person’s life, and I thought it should be respected, even if I was the one who was causing it.
“We don’t know. They wouldn’t let us see them.” Lorenzo blinked, but it wasn’t a normal blink. He kept his lids closed for several seconds too long, the signal that I’d been waiting for. I snapped the gun off my waistband, extended my arm, and fired off two shots in quick succession, one for each of them, landing in the middle of their foreheads.
Blood spattered all over my light-gray shirt, and I cursed, knowing there was no way I would get it out now. I should have known better though. I should have worn black.
Their bodies slumped forward, the blood marking the wood of the table and the carpet on the ground. The entire room would need more than a clean, it’d need an overhaul. But Lorenzo would take care of that. He always did.
I clicked the safety on, stowed it back in its holster, and tilted my head at Romeo. “Get rid of them.” His gaze veered over to Lorenzo, and my temper skyrocketed. He’d second-guessed everything I’d told him from the time I’d been made captain. I’d thought it was growing pains, but now I was seeing that I had to nip it in the bud.
Lorenzo’s deep voice echoed around the room, but I didn’t pay full attention to it. Instead, I took three steps toward Romeo. “You got something to say?” I ground out, low enough so only he would hear me.
“The boss—”
“Is busy,” I interrupted, staring him right in the eyes. “I gave you an order, soldier.” I paused, letting that sink in. “I give you your orders. Not Lorenzo. You answer to me.” I swiped a droplet of blood off my cheek, knowing that it would only smear. “Are we clear?”
Romeo’s nostrils flared, his face turning red, but finally he clipped his head in a nod and moved toward the two bodies. I crossed my arms over my chest, watching as he dragged them out of the door and into the back room where several more soldiers were waiting to help him. I’d had three more join ranks under me. They were up and coming, needing to learn the ropes, but they were getting there. One of them was Romeo’s brother, Rafael. From what I’d seen so far, he was the total opposite of Romeo. Where Romeo never cracked a smile, he was full of them. I couldn’t help but wonder how long that would last in our business.
Once the door clicked closed behind Romeo, I looked back up, spotting Lorenzo walking toward me. He didn’t need to say a word to let me know he was ready to go. I simply fell into line behind him.
“Problems?” he asked as we entered the SUV.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” I told him, starting the engine. “Where to?”