Chapter Three

Adrik

As soon as Sephie and I were alone that evening, she went straight to the bathroom to take out the contacts she’d been wearing all day. This was the first day she’d had to wear them this long and they were starting to irritate her eyes. “It’s taken all my self-control not to scratch my eyes constantly for the past hour,” she said, on her way to the bathroom.

“You wore them a lot longer today than you ever have before. Maybe we need to put a time limit on them,” I said, following her. As soon as they were both out, she did rub her eyes for a moment. She walked to me, her sweet smile on her face. As she got closer, I could see her eyes had changed to deep blue. “I’ve actually missed that today,” I said. “Your eyes are gorgeous on a normal day, solnishko, but I find myself loving when they change.”

“I find myself loving you, my future husband,” she said. We hadn’t had a chance to discuss how I had introduced her to my father, and I could tell she’d been waiting to give me a hard time about it.

“I …” I stammered, running my hand through my hair.

She giggled. “You don’t need to justify it. I liked it. I just didn’t expect it,” she said as she pulled me down to kiss her. “I also didn’t expect you to be so nervous around your father. Is that normal or is that because you didn’t tell him I was coming too?”

Of course, she would have figured out that I didn’t tell anyone she would be with us. “Sephie, I didn’t tell them because I just didn’t think about it. You’re always with me. Just like the guys are always with me.”

“Oh, I’m not mad about it. I thought it was hilarious how they all looked at you when they saw you being affectionate with me. It was like they weren’t sure you were the same Adrik they’ve known for years. I don’t think I would’ve seen that same reaction if you’d told them. But that doesn’t mean I still can’t give you shit about it,” she said, grinning at me. I watched as her eyes went from blue to green. God, I love her.

“What did you and my father talk about when he kidnapped you?” I asked as I pulled her shirt off and started to unbutton her pants.

“A few things. You’re going to worry when I say this, but I don’t mean it in the way you think I do,” she said. She was helping to unbutton my shirt, likely to keep her hands busy as I could see her start to worry over how I was going to react. “You’re not as different from your father as you think you are.”

I slid my shirt off, thinking about what she just said, and watching her watch me. Her eyes were changing again, but it was like they couldn’t pick a color to stick to. “Okay, how do you mean it?” I asked, holding my shirt out so she could slip into it.

She grinned at me as she put my shirt on. “When he shook my hand, you saw the reaction he had, didn’t you?” I nodded my head, remembering his surprise when he took her hand. “It’s because he can feel there’s something different about me. He knows there’s something different about you as well. He told me. The only way he could know there was something different about you and me is if there’s something different about him as well.”

I was quietly buttoning up my shirt on her as she talked, thinking about what she was telling me. I still couldn’t look away from her eyes, as they kept changing while she talked. “Did he tell you what was different about him?”

“No, but he said your mother knew I was coming. She also knew the guys were coming. When he told me that you and I were different, I felt compelled to tell him that it wasn’t just us. I didn’t get into specifics, but he said that I’d just made your mother a very happy woman. She used to tell him that you would find me and find others who are special like you and you’d be able to realize all the dreams your father had when he ran the city, plus some.” She put her hands on my chest while I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her close to me. I was still loving being able to hold her against me completely, now that she didn’t have her cast in the way. I had no idea how much I would miss the little things between us.

“She said that? Really?” I asked. “I don’t really remember my mother. She died when I was very young. I can barely remember what she looked like.”

“I know. He knows too. Your mother was for him what I am for you. That’s why he lost control of his anger. His control died with her. He told me he worries that his anger became your anger. I told him yours was different from his, but didn’t go too much into details. He was very much lost in his memories when we talked. I think that’s the first time he’s allowed himself to think about your mother in a long time.”

“It’s definitely the first time he’s smiled in decades. And I’m not sure I’ve ever heard him laugh. I think that’s one of your superpowers. Getting grumpy men to laugh,” I said, holding her tighter while I grabbed her ticklish spot just above her hips, making her giggle and squirm in my arms.

“I don’t know how long you plan to stay down here, but I think it would be a good idea for you and your father to have a talk tomorrow. I can go with you, if you like. He seems to let his guard down around me. He also said he recognizes that you have a hard time seeing past his gruff exterior. Much like you and much like Ivan, it’s mostly an act. He’s a cheeseball in there.”

I laughed loudly. “I don’t think anyone has ever, or will ever, compare my father to cheese.”

“He’s like gruyere. Hard on the outside, soft, creamy, and maybe a little salty on the inside.”

I couldn’t stop laughing, which made her laugh with me. I picked her up, carrying her to the bed. “Now I’m going to struggle to not think about him as cheese when I talk to him.”

“You. Are. Welcome,” she said as she settled in across my chest.

The following morning, we woke up early to get a workout in before everyone else. My father still kept in shape, as did his security guys, so he had a full gym in his house, much like the ones we were used to at home. Sephie still couldn’t work out like normal, but she was slowly making progress. Andrei was so patient with her and somehow expertly kept her temper under control when she would get frustrated at not being able to do much.

Her ribs would still bother her occasionally. Her lung was almost back to normal, but she would still sometimes struggle to catch her breath. Andrei saw it one time when she talked him into letting her do more. He also saw that it scared her again. Ivan and I immediately felt it, shielding her so Andrei couldn’t see her eyes change. I suspected he either knew they were changing already or that he would be the next one to figure it out.

After that happened, he made her go back to lighter exercises that wouldn’t tax her lungs so much, despite her protesting. He gently, but very firmly, told her to shut up. He was her trainer for a reason and that was that. I think she was impressed that he put her in her place so adeptly.

She’d reached the point now that she could do very light sparring with him, which made her happy. Her upper body was still weaker than normal, and with her ribs still causing her pain, they concentrated on her legs. She was more powerful there anyway. As the rest of us were finishing up, she and Andrei were off to the side practicing drills. Since she had to go slow, he was working on her form and making it perfect.

My father and Aleksei walked into the gym, noticing Sephie and Andrei immediately. They nodded to us, but were watching her. Andrei gave her a break while they discussed something and he adjusted her form slightly. When she tried again, we could see the lightbulb moment she had. She practiced a few more times, then they had another short discussion. I could tell she was trying to talk him into letting her go faster. He would roll his eyes at her, disagreeing with whatever she was saying, but she kept at it until he finally relented. We all saw him tell her sternly, “One time.” He held up one finger to make sure she understood. She grinned, clapping her hands. He gave her instructions, she nodded her head, then he gave her the okay to begin.

After the ball, when she’d injured her hip, she lost some strength in her legs. It took her a while, but she gained it all back. This time, she lost strength in her upper body, but her legs were as strong as ever. Having to slow down and only being able to work on details was actually making her stronger and faster. Andrei was expecting each kick she delivered, but he still had to work to stay ahead of her to keep her from kicking him and not the pads.

My father had walked over to me while he watched her. “That’s how she trains when she’s hurt?” he asked.

I laughed, nodding my head. “We had her fight one of Armando’s security guys who had a problem with her having any kind of authority over him. We just wanted to knock him down a few pegs. She killed him,” I said, glancing at him. His eyes went wide. “Turns out he was working for Salvadori’s son, too. He was a plant. She knows things before anyone else most of the time.” I was curious to see how my father would react to hearing me say that out loud. After talking to Sephie about him the night before, I was feeling less nervous around him.

Ivan had walked closer, hearing our conversation. “When they tried to kidnap her the first time, she killed more guys than the rest of us did. She saved my life that day,” Ivan said. “It’s one of the reasons Salvadori hates her so much. She has a tendency to kill his guys. Frequently.” He laughed at the thought of Sal being pissed.

I watched as Vitaliy casually put his hand on Ivan’s shoulder as he responded. I could see the brief look of surprise when he touched him. I knew what he was doing. I think Ivan did too, as he saw it as well. “They all are. We just don’t know how Viktor and Stephen are yet. You don’t need to check,” I said, laughing at Vitaliy’s surprise that I had caught on to what he was doing. Sephie and Andrei had finished and were walking back toward us. She walked right to me, tucking herself into my side, smiling warmly at Vitaliy. She immediately caught on that something had just happened. She looked at me, searching my eyes. She laughed, looking at Vitaliy.

“You thought I was lying, didn’t you?” she asked, clearly amused at his guilty expression. He cursed under his breath. “We have much to discuss later, old man,” she said, pulling me toward the door. We heard the guys’ laughter as they followed us out of the gym.

A few hours later, Sephie, Vitaliy, and I went for a walk. She managed to talk everyone else into not following us this time, although it was more difficult than she thought it would be. She ended up having to compromise, promising that we would stay within sight. It made me smile to see how protective they were of her in new situations. Aleksei noticed too, asking me quietly, “Are they always this protective of your girlfriends?”

“Never. She’s the only one. I didn’t ask them to be this way, either. Not after the first day. They worry about her almost as much as I do,” I said.

He was quiet for a moment. “I used to worry about your mother much the same way. That speaks to Sephie’s character.”

“Give her time, Aleksei. She’ll have you wrapped around her finger too,” I said. Sephie was done with her negotiations and on her way to me. Aleksei smiled at her, telling her Vitaliy would be out in a minute. Her heart-stopping smile stretched across her face.

“I don’t think she needs that much time,” he said before turning to leave.

Vitaliy walked outside shortly after, his hardened expression softening when he saw Sephie. I’d seen my father’s rough features soften very few times in my life, but it was obvious that when he looked at her, he was completely defenseless against her. I was fairly certain he would do anything she asked of him.

She grabbed my hand, walking toward Vitaliy. “I’d very much like to walk with an old man, if you’re up for it,” she said.

He smiled down at her. “How could I refuse?” he asked, offering her his arm. She slid her arm through his, while still keeping a hold of my hand with her other arm.

“So happy I have two functioning arms right now,” she said, grinning up at me.

Once we walked far enough away from the house that we wouldn’t be overhead, she elbowed him in the ribs lightly. “I can’t believe you thought I was lying to you about the guys being like me and Adrik. Rude,” she said, trying not to laugh. Even though she had her contacts in, I knew her eyes were solid green right now, which made me smile to myself. I watched my father actually blush as she chastised him.

“Forgive me, malishka. It’s been so long that I have convinced myself it was all a fairy tale. I haven’t found anyone like Adrik until you. And I’ve known Ivan for years. He wasn’t like you when I knew him before. He’s changed,” he said.

“How did you know I was different?” Sephie asked him.

He walked in silence for a few steps. We could see him considering how to explain it. “It’s like a judgment system. When I touch someone, I can tell certain things about them,” he said.

“Whether they’re good or bad, you mean?” she asked.

“Yes, on a basic level. Most people are both, as I’m sure you know, but some are ruled by good and some are ruled by evil. I can tell the difference. Salvadori, for example, is ruled completely by evil. With you and Adrik, and now Ivan, it’s completely different. There’s an electricity there, almost. It feels like I can feel your power, if that makes sense,” he said.

“You should touch Misha and Andrei later. You’ll feel it with both of them, too. Viktor and Stephen also have something; we just don’t know what it is yet. They’re both timid about realizing it,” I said.

“Are they all like you, then?” he asked me.

“No, not even a little. We all complement each other though,” I said.

“How?”

“Misha started with being able to predict outcomes. Like a gut instinct. It’s now evolved into him being able to see things as they happen or before they happen. Sephie helped him with that. Andrei is like her,” I said.

“Like you how, malishka?” he asked her.

“I have a knack for reading people’s minds. Andrei just discovered he can do it too. He’s still a little insecure about it, but he’s getting better,” she said, smiling at him.

Vitaliy walked a few more steps, mulling over what we’d just told him. “Ivan feels very similar to you two. What does he do?”

Sephie chuckled. “That one is a little harder to explain, but he’s my protector.”

“He’s her shield,” I said. “I never told you, but Ivan is built different. He feels no pain. I could shoot him point blank and he wouldn’t feel it. It’s that ability that saved her life the first time they tried to kidnap her. It almost killed him, but she killed the guys coming after them so he could get them to safety before he collapsed. She also has a special ability to calm him. Ivan has a horrific past when it comes to doctors. He gets stuck in his memories anytime he goes to the hospital. It usually takes the rest of us to hold him down so that he doesn’t hurt anyone or himself and we’re having to fight him with everything we have, but she can do it on her own just by touching him and whispering to him. Viktor’s still jealous of it,” I said.

“Ivan was experimented on as a kid, wasn’t he? His inability to feel pain was a highly sought-after trait in Russia years ago,” he said.

“You know about the facility?” Sephie asked, clearly surprised.

“Not specifically, but I know of its existence. I still have friends who are very high up in very strategic organizations. They’ve talked about it before,” he said.

“Is it still going on?” she asked.

“No, not for at least ten years now. There was a kid who escaped one night. He must’ve killed fifteen people to get out. They got nervous and shut the program down, thinking that he would come for them.”

“That was Ivan,” she said.

“Really?” Vitaliy asked, surprised.

“Really. He told me all about it. If you can find the doctors that used to work there, I’ll happily kill them myself,” she said. I could feel her anger come to the surface as she thought about what was done to Ivan when he was younger.

Vitaliy put his opposite hand over her hand that was still holding his arm as we walked. He stopped and turned to both of us. “How do you control that?” he asked, completely shocked. I knew he was referring to her anger, but she was at a loss. It wasn’t at nuclear levels, so she likely hadn’t even noticed.

“Control what?” she asked. She looked between us, trying to figure out what he was shocked about.

He took her hand once more. “Your anger. You feel like a raging inferno right now,” he said.

I chuckled. “This is nothing, which is why she’s confused as to what you’re talking about. She’s keeping it under wraps because of you. But I bet if we turn to look, Ivan will be worried about her. He can feel it too,” I said.

Vitaliy turned to look behind us. I could tell by his expression that Ivan had moved closer to us. I turned to look, and sure enough, he was closer, ready for whatever she needed. She looked as well, signaling to him that she was okay. We could see him relax and return to the others.

“How?” Vitaliy asked.

“We’re not entirely sure. Adrik can feel everything I feel now and same for him. I feel everything he feels. Even when we’re apart, we can still feel each other. It’s partly why they found me and Ivan so quickly. When Ivan and I were taken, I started to be able to feel his anger, which is how it started with Adrik. Then I panicked one night and Ivan was able to feel that too. He isn’t able to feel everything yet, but I expect he will eventually. But all of them have an awareness of me, especially when it comes to protecting me. They don’t need to see me to know exactly where I am,” Sephie said.

“Ivan felt your fear the other night, solnishko. He said he would need to be admitted to an asylum if he felt things as strongly as you do,” I said.

“I agree with Ivan,” Vitaliy said.

She cut her eyes at both of us, shrugging her shoulders. “This is how I’ve always been. I don’t know any different.”

“What about the other two?” he asked.

“We’re not sure. They haven’t shown any signs that we know of yet, although Stephen is very adept at breaking people’s minds already. It wouldn’t surprise me if it had to do with that whenever it happens,” I said.

“That’s a useful skill to have,” Vitaliy said.

“I think they’re both closer to figuring it out, but there’s still something holding those two back,” Sephie said.

Vitaliy looked at her thoughtfully. “You know what it is on at least one of them, don’t you?”

“I have my suspicions but I try not to pry in people’s heads without their permission. Stephen has a very dark spot in his past. I’m sure it has to do with whatever that is. Viktor is still mourning, even though he tries to pretend like he’s not,” she said.

“His wife, no?” he asked.

She nodded her head. “He’s still heartbroken. He hides it well, but he’s still working through that pain.”

“He will for a while. It’s not something you easily get over. I still have days where it feels like my heart is breaking open because I miss her so much,” he said, moving away so we wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes.

Sephie stepped toward him, placing her hand on his arm. When he turned his head toward her slightly, she hugged him. I watched my father, who never showed any emotion other than anger, crumble in front of me. He clung to her like she was his lifeline. They stayed silent for several minutes, until finally his hold on her loosened. She stepped back slightly, but kept her hands on his shoulders. “You’ll find her again and you’ll get to fall in love with her all over again. She sacrificed this lifetime for Adrik, but the next will be the reward for that.” She was quiet for a moment, then she said, “You know she’s still around, right? You can still talk to her. She watches over you. She always has.” She glanced at me, then turned back to him. “She says she misses you too and that you’ll always be her luchik.”

He inhaled sharply, looking to me. “Did you tell her that?” he asked.

“Tell her what?”

“That’s what your mother used to call me,” he said.

“I didn’t know that. I can barely remember her.”

Sephie smiled sweetly at him, stepping away from him to me. “She told me, Vitaliy. Don’t ask me how. It’s never happened before and it might never happen again, but she just told me to tell you that.” Sephie was quiet for a second, then she laughed. “She might’ve also just told me to tell you that she was right and you should’ve listened to her.” Sephie looked up at me, grinning. “I like your mother. She’s fun.”

Vitaliy laughed. I’d seen him laugh more in the past two days than I’d ever seen him laugh in my entire life. He cursed under his breath, looking at Sephie with a look of wonderment in his eyes. “You would’ve loved her. You’re very similar. I’m surprised she didn’t have you yell at me for not knowing she was watching over me.”

“You weren’t ready to know, Vitaliy. Now you are. She can’t be mad at you for what you didn’t know,” she said.

He glanced between Sephie and me. “I admit that I did doubt your mother was right when she told me you would find the absolute perfect woman, but she was definitely right,” he said.

“That’s why she’s stuck with me,” I said, pulling her to me.

When we walked back to the house, the guys were all outside where they could see us, along with Trino and Aleksei. A couple of my father’s other security guys were there as well. My guys were visibly relieved when Sephie came back. Ivan looked at her, likely wanting to know what had made her anger show up earlier. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking what had happened. She walked to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Have I mentioned lately how adorable you are when you get all twitchy when you’re worried about me, Squish?” she said, kissing his cheek.

Aleksei laughed. “Squish?” He looked at Ivan. “You let her call you that?”

She looked at Ivan, stepping back slightly, worried that she’d made a mistake. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders tighter, keeping her there. “She’s the goddamn princess. She can call me whatever she likes,” he said.

Sephie laughed, saying, “Ivan has had more nicknames than the rest of them, I think. Squish is just my favorite. Would you prefer I only called him Vanya? Is that it? You’re jealous because no one ever gave you a more creative nickname than Alyosha?”

Aleksei’s cheeks blushed. “My mother called me Alyosha.”

“It’s very Russian and it’s very traditional. I would expect nothing less. I, however, am not so traditional and prefer the fun side of life, so I’m going to keep calling him Squish if you don’t mind. And even if you do, fuck off,” she said, smiling at him.

In thirty years, I’ve never heard my father laugh as loudly as he did when he heard Sephie put Aleksei in his place. Everyone was laughing, even Aleksei. Russian men, particularly older Russian men tended to be hardened and didn’t waste time on being overly polite. They understood frankness. They respected it. Much like with Ivan in her apartment kitchen, we all witnessed her earn Aleksei’s respect.

“Come, we will talk business while Alyosha licks his wounds,” Vitaliy said as he walked to the couches and tables on the patio outside the house. Ivan kept Sephie back for just a minute, having a quiet conversation with her. He still looked concerned, but whatever she said to him made him smile. She was still smiling when she turned to join me on the couch near my father. She happily climbed in my lap to free up more space on the couches for someone else. Ivan took advantage and sat next to us.

I glanced at him, making sure he was good from earlier. He leaned over saying, “Checking on her contacts. I don’t know a few of these guys. We’re all still a little jumpy from Trino’s guys.”

I nodded once. “Good call,” I said, as she looked back at both of us. “Adorable. And twitchy,” she said.

“I know Sal and Lorenzo orchestrated this coup attempt, but we didn’t get around to where they are now. And what of the other bosses? I know Armando is being held, but what of everyone else?” Vitaliy asked.

“Trino took care of Sal’s son, Anthony, as well as Lorenzo and Massimo,” I said.

“Vitaliy, I don’t know if you know about Trino’s flair for the dramatic, but it’s fucking impressive,” Sephie said.

“Explain,” my father said.

Sephie glanced at Trino, grinning at him. Trino looked at Vitaliy and said, “I like the theater. I wanted their deaths to make a statement.”

Vitaliy looked to Sephie for clarification. “He lit Massimo on fire and threw him off a cliff. Then he chopped off Anthony’s and Lorenzo’s heads and delivered them to Sal.”

Vitaliy looked at Trino, almost in admiration. “That is impressive,” he said.

Trino laughed. “We do things a little differently in South America. That’s tame compared to what I have planned next.”

“Where is Sal now?” Vitaliy asked.

“He fled to Italy a couple days after he got Anthony and Lorenzo on his doorstep. He had tunnels under his house that he used to escape. My guys were watching him,” Trino said.

“He’s with Ricardo. We’re not completely sure, but we think Ricardo has been behind all of this, along with Lorenzo, from the beginning,” Viktor said.

“Ricardo De Luca?” Vitaliy asked.

“You know him?” I asked.

“Da. He was close associates with Giovanni, before Armando took over for him. They were in business together regularly. He pitched me a couple of ideas, but I never was interested. I never liked him, although he wasn’t in the illegal side of things,” he said.

“We think he’s been behind Armando the entire time. Armando isn’t who he says he is. He’s from a poor family in Italy. His mom was a crack whore, even. Very different story from the one he’s been giving everyone else. Ricardo and Giovanni are related, but distantly. He’s the connection between Armando and Giovanni. He likely placed him with Giovanni in the hopes that he would take over from Giovanni and he could control him,” Ivan said.

“Ricardo has also been in business with Lorenzo for years. Once you banished Lorenzo to Sicily, he set up extensive networks throughout Europe. He’s been rebuilding his fortune over there with Ricardo’s help,” Viktor said.

“Why would Ricardo care about controlling Armando if he’s not part of that side of the business?” Vitaliy asked.

“That’s the question we can’t figure out. Either he is and we just haven’t found it yet or there’s another reason. Armando said he’s basically obsessed with Boss. Ricardo has been trying to beat him in business for years, but has never been able to. Boss always has a bigger project going than Ricardo and is always more successful,” Ivan said.

Vitaliy looked at me, nodding his head once. “This is why I turned the business over to you so early. I knew you wouldn’t fuck it up.” I chuckled.

“Was Sal in the flesh trade when you were still running things?” Sephie asked Vitaliy.

“If he was, I didn’t know about it. That’s abhorrent. I wouldn’t allow it,” he said.

“That’s how Lorenzo rebuilt his fortune in Sicily. Those are his networks throughout Europe. According to Dario, Sal has been in it for years, too. That’s what caused me to find Sephie. I went to their meeting because I’d heard about Sal’s son trying to bring it to the city,” I said.

“What happened at the meeting?” Vitaliy asked.

“Um, it got a little derailed,” Sephie said. She looked at Vitaliy, almost like she was going to be in trouble. She said, “See, I have this problem with my mouth. I can’t not be a dick sometimes. It tends to get me in trouble.”

He looked amused, as he asked again what happened. She sighed. “The bosses knew he was coming and that they were in trouble. It wasn’t just about Anthony. The other bosses had raised taxes so they were all in for it. Anthony was supposed to create a diversion, which involved me and was mostly successful, but nobody expected your son to react the way he did when Anthony used me as a distraction. It kind of set off a chain of events that night.”

“What did he do to you?” Vitaliy asked, now starting to get angry.

Sephie looked at the floor. I could feel the light shaking start in her legs. “First he smacked her ass so hard that she fell over the table,” I said. “She quickly left the room, which gave me the opportunity to teach that kid some manners. Later, he caught her coming out of the kitchen and tried to touch her. She refused, so he choked her.”

“Boss knew something was wrong when she hadn’t returned and neither had he. Anthony had her off the floor by her neck when we found him. Viktor and I took him outside and almost beat him to death that night. He didn’t like that,” Andrei said.

“Was this before or after he told you his name?” Vitaliy asked Sephie.

“After,” she said.

“I’m surprised you didn’t kill him, then,” he said, nonchalantly.

“At the time, I was more worried about her. And I still had an ounce of respect for Salvadori, although that was short-lived,” I said.

“And what about your guy?” Vitaliy asked Trino.

Trino cursed in Spanish, disgusted at the thought of Martin. “That’s also Sal’s fault,” Sephie said. “Sal convinced Martin to help them overthrow Trino. He involved the Mexican cartels, too. Either Ricardo or Lorenzo or both decided to use the cartels as their army. They needed manpower and they knew it. Overthrowing Trino was the payment for the cartels helping them, but Ricardo knew there likely wouldn’t be enough of them left at the end of it all to worry about that. When Trino stayed loyal and wouldn’t negotiate, they changed their plan slightly. Somewhere along the way, they convinced Martin to help them overthrow Trino, with Sal’s goddaughter as payment.”

“The same goddaughter that was sleeping with Armando when she first met Martin, let the record reflect,” Misha said. I wondered to myself if he would ever get over his hatred for her.

“This is all connected nicely, I must say,” Vitaliy said.

Sephie snapped her fingers, pointing at him. “Same, Vitaliy. Same.” He laughed at her, shaking his head.

“It all points back to Salvadori. And apparently Ricardo,” he said. “I still have a few contacts in Italy. I’ll see what I can find out about Ricardo.”

“We have a way to get rid of him and make the people of the city think the mayor and police are actually doing something, but we also think the mayor is in Sal’s pocket. The police commissioner is not, but he can only do so much. The people are ready to revolt against the other bosses. They still love Boss though. They will stand with him if he gets rid of all the other bosses,” Ivan said.

“That’s your plan? Get rid of all the other bosses?” he asked me. I nodded my head. “What do you need from me?” he asked.