Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Vincenzo

"All current projects are completed, and funds from the Hepburn task have transferred." Aurora placed her tablet on the table and imbibed her Merlot.

Weekly meetings were held with either Aurora or Zion. Since Zion was currently in Westford, Aurora was my companion for the evening.

"Very good."

"I'm told that you're going to meet with Frederick Brennan." Aurora relaxed in her chair. She was a gorgeous and lethal Korean woman I'd known for close to a decade, and when I became praeses, it had been a no-brainer that she'd be my generalis.

"I am."

"Is that wise?"

My brows rose, and I put my wine on the table. "If I thought it wasn't, I'd have never offered."

She held up a hand in defense. "Of course your judgment is always sound. However, I can't help but worry."

"As my generalis, I expect you to make sure my safety is guaranteed."

"As well as your anonymity?"

I went to answer just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. "A moment." I pulled it out and saw that it was Zion. "I need to take this—stay." I pressed the button. "Yes, Zion?"

"Sir, we have a major problem."

I hit Speaker and slid the phone onto the table. "What's the issue?"

"Fred, Sean, and Aine Brennan were exiting the restaurant, and I was inside. I heard tires screech, I rushed outside, and saw a large SUV was barreling down the street. I tried to shoot the vehicle, but the driver didn't stop."

"Zion, are you okay? Is Fred?"

"Sean and Aine Brennan are dead. Fred was injured, but he's fine." I listened to voices yelling in the background. "I keep telling Aiden he needs to get Fred out of here, but he's unsure where to go…Where's safe?"

I looked at Aurora, who was already on her tablet. "Zion, take them to 47 Sycamore Street. Garage code five-two-nine-three. We own the property."

"Thank you." He was talking to someone—I assumed it was Aiden—and telling him to get Fred to the car now, that he had a secure location.

"Zion?"

"Sir?"

"I'll meet you there as soon as I can. Do not, I repeat, do not let anyone near that house. I'll bring some exercitus with me."

"Yes, Praeses. What if Aiden fights me on this?"

"Let me speak with him."

"Aiden, take this call. I'll carry Fred to the car."

"I'm not handing him off to you or anyone. How do I know Lex Talionis isn't behind this?"

"Drive-bys aren't our style, Aiden!"

Jesus, were they arguing in the middle of the street? I glanced over at Aurora, who was shaking her head but typing away on her tablet, likely gathering people for me to take to Westford.

"I'll get him to the car first."

I waited, listening to anything I could as they were running…I could tell by their breathing.

"Sir, I can get ten to accompany you," Aurora said, and I nodded.

"This is Aiden," the voice on the other end spoke.

"This is Vincenzo Belini. I know asking you to trust me, especially under these circumstances, is unlikely but it seems you don't know who, on your side of the line, is good."

"I don't know if you're good, Vincenzo," he snapped.

"I want to work with your boss, not against him. I have nothing to gain by killing him or any of the Brennan family. From what I'm told, there's some serious infighting going on there."

He was silent for a beat. "What do you want?"

"I gave Zion an address. It's secure, and I'm sending people who can keep you all safe. I'm coming to Westford as well. As an ally, I take this seriously."

Aiden huffed. "Ally is a convenient word that means friend until you're not. I watched two people I care a great deal about get gunned down in cold blood. Fred is only alive because Sean threw himself in front of the bullets. He watched his daughter die before he could get to her and thought fast enough to save Fred. I'm not feeling allied with anyone right now."

"I get it. I do. You have my word that I am not behind this. Something in your gut knows I'm right, or you wouldn't have Zion in the car with you." I knew he was in the car—someone was driving; I could hear the engine.

"I don't have much choice right now. I'll go where Zion is taking us…for now. I swear, if your man even looks strangely at my boss once, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in his head."

"Understood."

I ended the call and met Aurora's steadfast gaze. "Wheels up in thirty. You stay and keep things afloat while I go to Westford and unfuck this mess."

"Yes, Praeses."

Five of my exercitus were already at the property. Five were currently with me. We were going over a solid plan of protection. Aurora was digging deep, searching for any information regarding who was behind this. Every fiber in my being screamed that this was an inside job, but jumping to conclusions wasn't my style.

"Was anyone from Haven Hart notified, do we know?" I asked Legend, the capitaneus in charge of the exercitus.

"I messaged Zion; he said Aiden doesn't want to reach out to anyone."

"I don't believe Haven Hart is behind this. They are on good terms."

Legend nodded. "I agree, sir, but I also understand Aiden's caution."

"As do I."

"We're landing in twenty," the pilot announced through the speakers of my private jet.

"Keep to the plan until we arrive. We'll assess the situation down there and act accordingly."

"Sir, what if Aiden pushes us?" Eden, another exercitus, questioned.

"Then we push harder."

"Understood," they all responded in unison.

Once my plane landed, we got into the two black Lincoln Navigators idling on the tarmac. Not as discreet as I'd hoped, but we were taking different routes to the safe house, and there was a large garage where the SUVs would be stored.

"I notified Zion we'd be arriving in fifteen. He said Fred is still out cold, has a golf-ball-sized bump on the back of his head," Legend reported.

I was in the middle seat and turned to Axel behind me. He was one of my exercitus who had a doctorate and experience with trauma patients. "Once we arrive, I need you to assess him."

"Yes, Praeses."

Westford was a beautiful territory, large with many towns and over-the-bridge city life that poured with riches and power, and Fred owned it all. No wonder it was being fought over. If only Fred had seen it coming sooner.

Well, I was here now, and if any of those motherfuckers thought they were going to take it out from under him, they had another think coming. They would find out what it meant when Lex Talionis got involved.