Bound by the Past (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles 7)

“You think someone from the Famiglia kidnapped him?” It was the logical explanation, almost too logical for Luca after seeing photos of Aria with me.

“Yes. Or it could be the mole.”

My mouth tightened. We’d suspected a spy in our ranks for a while but we didn’t have any clues as to who it could be. “Considering that the photos haven’t made headline yet, it could be Luca’s intention to make sure it stays that way.”

“We can leak the photos directly to several social media platforms. Once they are online, even Luca can’t stop them from spreading.”

“No, Luca is already out of control. He’ll make mistakes. That’s what we wanted. Look at what he did to those bikers. He’s unpredictable. The photos hit him where they were supposed to.” The bloodbath in Jersey had been discussed enthusiastically in several online forums in the darknet, with many speculations pointing toward Luca. I had no doubt it was him.

“All right. What are we supposed to do about the photographer?”

“He’ll be dead by now, or wish he was. Our focus needs to be on finding the possible spy in our ranks.”

“Luca’s started weeding out the Famiglia from what I hear.”

Of course, he had. He’d vent his anger on anyone who’d ever opposed him and kill as many of his opponents as possible.

I’d begun removing soldiers who weren’t loyal to me long before I’d become Capo. Luca had a lot of catching up to do. “Attack his borders and try to strike up a cooperation with the MCs in his territory.”

“They don’t cooperate well. They follow their own rules. We can never know if we can trust them.”

“I have absolutely no intention to trust any of them. I want them to carry out attacks on Famiglia clubs and storage facilities. We’ll provide them with drugs and guns in return.”

“I’ll try my luck. Right now, I don’t have any close contacts but I’ll try to build them.”

The bell rang. “I need to hang up now. Keep me updated.”

I stepped back out of my office just when Gabby opened the front door. Anna spotted me immediately and stormed toward me, the skirt of her plaid dress fluttering around her short legs. I picked her up and kissed her cheek. Livia had styled her hair with French braids again, Anna’s favorite hairdo. “Where is he?” she asked excitedly.

I smiled, nodding toward the kitchen door where Val just walked out with Leonas on her arm. Anna’s eyes widened. “He’s white!”

I chuckled. “He’s pale blond, but his hair will probably darken a bit over the years like mine did.”

Anna peered up at me. “Your hair was white when you were a baby?”

“Like Leonas’ hair, yes.”

“And I have Mommy’s hair?”

Val smiled as she stopped beside us. “Almost.”

Giovanni and Livia joined us, smiling proudly.

“Did everything go well?” Val asked her parents then kissed Anna’s forehead.

“Everything went well,” Giovanni said, but his eyes darted to me and tightened. Since he’d found out about the staged photos, he’d kept his distance to me. I assumed because he worried otherwise he’d show his anger. Being my father-in-law as well as Underboss proved tricky.

Livia crooned over Leonas but he didn’t wake.

“Daddy?” Anna peered up at me. “Why’s he asleep?”

“He’s tired.”

“But I wanna meet him.”

I stroked her hair. “Soon, Anna.” She regarded him, her head tilted to the side as if he was a toy she didn’t understand. Val gave me a small smile, looking exhausted and happy. No matter how difficult things in the Outfit were, this sight always gave me hope for our future.

We all headed toward the dining area. I set Anna down so she could follow Val and ask her questions about Leonas.

“Can I have a quick word with you?” Giovanni asked when the women settled at the dining table.

“Of course,” I said and led him a few steps away. “I know you don’t approve of my plan.”

Giovanni shook his head. “There should have been another way to handle the situation, Dante. I don’t like how this could reflect on Val.”

“Nobody knows anything.”

“Yet. To be honest, I’m glad Luca managed to keep the photos from making headlines.”

I didn’t say anything, not willing to admit that I was too. The plan was working its cause anyway and so I was determined to file it as a success, at least for outward appearances. “This plan affirmed my suspicion that we have a spy in our ranks. The photographer was kidnapped, and I doubt Luca could have sent someone from his Famiglia over so quickly. They would have to ask around for the address, and that would have attracted plenty of attention. The job must have been done by someone from our men who knew where to find him.”

“The man has been on our payroll for years. Many people know about him. The list of possible spies would be very long.”