Chapter 52 MICELI

The phone calls start at three in the morning and they don't stop.

The guy I planted in Lorenzo Ricci's crew has evidence of the capo skimming money from the profits of our drug trade going back decades. The rat has been stealing from la famiglia almost as long as he's been a capo.

Stronzo del cazzo .

That makes two men my father trusted fucking liars. We owe it to papà's memory to make Lorenzo's death painful and prolonged.

We can't bring him in immediately because we need to know how deep this corruption runs. Who are his accomplices? Where is the money he stole?

Torture can accomplish a lot, but it has its limits. A man who knows he is going to die has little incentive to tell the truth about where he hid his money. Especially if he has an accomplice he wants to leave that money to.

The next phone call is from my brother and I answer while I'm shaving. I use a straight razor which is silent and efficient.

"Did you get my text about Ricci?"

"Yes, but that's not why I'm calling. I agree that your guy on the inside needs more time to get all the information we want."

I grunt my approval.

"I need you to go to Boston."

The fucking Lombardi don. Salvatore was right that this land deal is good for la famiglia but dealing with the fallout from Matthew Lombard trying to steal it out from under us is a pain in my ass.

"You want reparations." It's not a guess. I know my brother .

"Yes. Matthew Lombard has to relinquish any position of authority within the Lombardi mafia and never be allowed in a position to influence Cosa Nostra business again."

It's a merciful alternative. Killing him would net the same result. Sev is good at diplomacy. Letting the don's nephew live will put the don in our debt.

He'll back Sev as the next godfather in compensation.

"I don't like Boston." And I don't want to leave town right now.

The thought of leaving Róise with a potential target on her back makes the back of my neck itch. There's no identifiable specific threat, or I'd refuse my don's order for the first time, but I still don't like it.

We're on yellow alert, like all the Cosa Nostra should be. Some aren't, but that's on them.

"She'll be okay," my brother says in uncanny response to my thoughts, not my words. "We haven't made the official announcement. Right now, she's just your girlfriend."

"She's more than that."

Silence meets my growl.

"I want extra guards on her while I'm gone." I wipe the extra shaving soap off my face before patting my cheeks with aftershave. "A stealth team or I'll never hear the end of it."

"I'll get Angelo on it."

"He can coordinate with Allessio." Angelo is our top assassin, but his crew have all trained for covert ops with Niccolo's team.

I'm on the jet, readying for takeoff, when I try to call Róise. My call goes to voicemail.

I leave a short message. "Our PR firm will be contacting you to get information for the press release and arrange the press conference with you."

I end the call before I can say something dumb, like call me back . I don't need her to call me back. I've got too many people calling me as it is.

Even if Róise's voice is the only one I want to hear.

The third time images of mi dolce fiore spread across my bed interrupt my thoughts, I have to consciously lock them away in the vault I put my drive to paint in when I am not in my studio.

If I don't, I'm no good to Sev and right now my brother needs me.

We have only months if not weeks to solidify his place as the next godfather. If we want the transition to happen without bloodshed or creating a schism in the Cosa Nostra, we need to spend every minute of that time convincing the other Cosa Nostra mafias to back him .

The godfather is not always a unanimous vote. There have been times the Cosa Nostra has been split. Not that anyone on the outside ever knew that. But division among the families is not good for any of us. It is our job to keep our people safe.

And we have enough enemies from without. We don't need our own Cosa Nostra brothers gunning for us.

I want to get the business in Boston handled as fast as possible so I can get back to New York and Róise. But I can't do that if I'm mooning over her either.

For the first time I truly understand what is driving Sev. Why he wants to be the godfather so badly.

It's not for the sake of the Cosa Nostra, even if there isn't another man alive who could handle the role as well. It's to ensure the safety of Catalina and their unborn child. And the children yet to come.

Because now I know I will do anything to protect Róise. Including becoming the don. You protect from a position of power and there is no more powerful position in the Cosa Nostra except the one my brother will hold.