26. Stephano

26

STEPHANO

"This is your guy," Benedict says as the projector throws an image on the screen of a man with his side to the camera. His face is turned toward the lens, but it's clear he was unaware someone was taking this photo.

"Matches the image the mole sent through," Matteo says.

At least we still have that contact in Italy, and Matteo strengthened the connection when he was there earlier this summer. Franco Fiore's neck tattoo is just as Gigi described it.

"He likes his tattoos," Benedict says as he slides to the next image. "And apparently, snakes are his favorite."

The one photo is a close-up of Franco as he smokes a cigarette. His hands are tattooed with snakes, slithering over his fingers as if they're branches. What an idiot. To make yourself so easily identifiable.

We're in a boardroom at our security company's head offices, technically Dominic's domain, but all five of us are here to strategize. Gigi and Carla have been in Boston for five days now. Dominic and I have been working on their security detail, putting new things in place for Gigi's imminent arrival at my apartment. We've been in each other's company a lot, but there's always someone else around, so we haven't spoken about marriage again, but it will happen.

"There isn't a lot on him, as expected. Let's just say, he isn't the type you want to meet alone in the dark." We've been waiting for Benedict to scour his sources for proper intel on Franco and to dig around on the dark web. "He's a known sadist and has grown a bit wild since he got clean. As a teen, he used to work in some cocaine packaging plant. Got a bit hooked. Italian parents, both dead, ex 'Ndrangheta. When they died, he was forced to go live with an uncle in Calabria. Said uncle was a Randazzo henchman. And the rest is history, as they say."

"Just your typical Mafia bedtime story then," Dominic says with a grimace.

"He has a weakness. Once a user, always a user," Luca says.

"Maybe," I say. "He looks like the type who loves power more than cocaine."

Franco got off drugs and kept off them. That's control, mind over matter, and an iron will. Good. I know the type. Like me, he must do something to keep himself in check. Something that feeds the hole in his soul. I shudder as I imagine that snaked hand wielding a scalpel, Franco relaxing into the high of cutting into skin and smelling blood. Observing his victim's pain and feeding off it like a parasite.

My fingers twitch, my thighs tense with the need to squeeze all the air out of his lungs. I exhale slowly.

"What's the plan?" Matteo asks. "We obviously need to get him here. We don't stand a chance on his home ground."

"No. And I don't see why he'd come here," Benedict says. "Gigi is charming, but?—"

"She's also worth almost a billion euros," I cut in. It's time to put all the cards on the table here.

"What?" Matteo says.

Every man in this room looks at me with wide eyes.

"Trapani's illicit diamonds and gold locked up in Switzerland. Only she has direct access to it without a shitload of checks and balances. It was a family secret. Obviously no longer."

"How do you even clean a billion euros?" Dominic groans. "It's a money laundering nightmare."

"All I know is Franco has a plan, and her stepbrother, Vincenzo Trapani, has sold her out." I bet it's because she refused to marry him. I can see that happening. I'd love to meet the fucker in person.

"That's brutal. Imagine selling out your sisters," Luca says as he leans on the table. "So, we have something Franco wants. He'll have to come here to get it."

"Exactly. He won't be able to fly over a massive security detail and will want men for hire on this side." I nod in Benedict's direction. "You are an unknown entity, to be honest. You literally live underground, so it would make sense for you to head this fake operation."

"Geez, thanks, Fanny," Benedict says.

"You're welcome, Benny." I suppress a smirk as he rolls his eyes.

"Let's hear your plan then, Steph," Matteo says as he leans back in his chair.

This is how we made Randazzo's assassination happen. This time, we're going to invite the fucker in, just like Randazzo had invited Matteo into his sanctuary. Despite being the Don, Matteo defers to me here, and I appreciate the respect and trust.

This idea has been brewing for the past few days, but I need my brothers' input to see how we can catch Franco Fiore and reel him in.

"Benedict will set up a security company on the dark web that runs on the east coast, men for hire with solid track records, reputations, references, the whole shebang."

Benedict cocks a brow as Dominic wipes at his jaw.

"And then?" Dominic asks.

"Then we make sure it's Benedict's men Franco hires when he comes to town."

"And he basically walks into a trap, and we get to finish him off," Matteo concludes.

"Yep." I'll finish Franco off. Gigi will be my wife. I've seen what he's done to her, so I'll kill him with my bare hands if that's what it takes. "There can be some bait and switch?—"

"Bait and switch?" Luca laughs. "We're not twelve anymore, Steph. Plus, there're more things that differentiate us now."

"To us, yes, but I bet both Gigi and Carla still don't know us apart when we're dressed the same."

"Too many variables there," Dominic says. "But if we put our minds to it, we can probably control most of them."

"Franco might not bring many of his own men, but he might also hire in Europe and fly in some back-up we won't be aware of."

"I'll expect nothing less. Benedict, you're going to have to put your whole team on this one to make sure we're ahead where we can be."

"Sure thing."

I glance around the table. I've laid out the basic plan—now we'll brainstorm until we've come up with the foolproof one. "Before Franco even knows he's going to need a local team, we need to bait him with Gigi and Carla's presence here. We need to control the knowledge of their whereabouts to such a point where their location is only revealed once we're ready."

"You're actually going to use those two women to lure Franco over to Boston?" Dominic's tone makes it clear he doesn't like it at all.

"How else?" I say, not happy with it either. "Gigi is what Franco wants. He'll come for her."

"And why won't he send a hired hand to do it for him?" Matteo asks. "Would be easier, and cleaner."

"Because he doesn't want her dead," I say, the mere idea like a punch in the gut. "Franco needs Gigi alive." We all know how this works. How things go wrong. It's a risk, but I've thought long and hard about it, and I don't see any other way around it. "Whatever happens, neither Gigi nor Carla can know our game plan."

"Really, Steph." Dominic groans. "There must be another way."

"They could stay hidden forever, or we can do this and get it over with. How long do you need to set things up, Benedict?" I ask, wanting to dig into details and not into the way everything can go wrong.

Benedict rakes his hands through his hair. "I could have this up and running in two weeks, for sure. I already have a few trusted guys in mind to help us set this up."

Yep, that's Benedict: an octopus, camouflaged, but with tentacles reaching far into the underbelly of our world.

"Good." Gigi will hate me when she realizes how I plan to use her. This can't go wrong because she could die. Carla could die. I won't be able to live with myself if that happens. "Gigi and Carla can't know, because when this goes down, they might give the game away. This will only work if they're ignorant of our plans until Franco's dead."

It's going to feel like betrayal, but the end justifies the means.