Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

CESARE

S aul took Fawn away before she was subjected to the mayhem in the other room. I stayed behind to make sure the mess was properly cleaned up. The Carmichaels would live. Neil with the guilt of what really happened, while Barbra would go on thinking that her daughter ran away. That’s what he was instructed to tell her. He now knew the ramifications of crossing me, so I was sure he would do as instructed. And if he didn’t, little George would become an orphan.

Now that that was out of the way, I could move on to other things.

My phone buzzed as I climbed in the back of my town car. There was the other things now.

“Did she show?”

Today was the day I enacted part two of my plans for the Fords. Today was the day, I took Veda.

“Yes,” My son Romeo responded. “But she didn’t come in. She sat outside for about fifteen minutes then left.”

I expected as much. Honestly, I’d have been surprised if Veda got out of her car. She might be skittish but she was easy to read. All the Ford’s were. Kato listened to everything his lawyer said. He didn’t question a thing. If he had he might have known that he was on my payroll. Two years later his baby sister Nova followed the trail I laid down and happily handed herself over to Giovanni.

Now, it was Veda’s turn. Like her sister, I suspected she would willingly trade herself to save her brother. Self-sacrifice was a fools game that men like me reaped the benefits from.

“Do you want me to call in a complaint?”

“No.” There was no need to involve Veda’s work. This was just a test that played out exactly how I thought it would.

“I’ll go to her.”

I hung up and tapped on the window separating the driver from myself. “Take me to the Ford house. I have a fiancé to collect.”