"Sir, we are being followed."
"Keep moving according to plan."
I quickly typed into my phone: KEEP TAILING THE BLACK CAR BEHIND MINE.
I arrived at the airport and sat in the VIP lounge, my eyes fixed on one of my men dressed exactly like me as he boarded the plane. My jaw clenched as I watched him disappear through the gate. I requested an economy seat on the next flight to Italy.
Three cars had left my residence this morning. One taking Ava to see her mom, another to the train station, and the last one that brought me here. They were all being tailed.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Ava's number. My fingers drummed against my thigh as I waited for her to pick up.
"Ava, have you gotten to your mom's?"
"Not yet."
My heart dropped into my stomach. I sat up straight, my grip tightening on the phone.
"What do you mean, not yet?"
"We are going down south. My mother's hospice was changed."
Fucking Sinclair brothers.
"Alright." I tried to keep my voice steady.
I dropped the call and quickly opened the tracking app on my phone. Her car was heading south of London. I let out a breath, my shoulders relaxing slightly.
BOOM.
The sound of the explosion shook the entire terminal. Black smoke rose into the sky, and my private jet was suddenly surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances. I watched through the window as the pilot was carried out on a stretcher, his body blackened and bloodied. My man, I'd placed in my seat looked even worse.
Fuck. Whoever is after me wants me dead.
I stood up quickly, my heart pounding. I slid on a black jacket and pulled a hat low over my face, removing the expensive suede jacket I'd worn earlier. My hands shook slightly as I adjusted the collar.
"Sir, your flight is ready to take off."
I patted the shoulder of the guard beside me, gave him a tight nod, then adjusted my jacket and walked onto the plane. I squeezed into a seat beside two giggling tourists who barely glanced at me.
"Buongiorno, Lorenzo."
My father's most trusted man, my uncle in every way but blood, my second father, stood at the arrival gate leaning on a walking stick. Salvo stretched out his hand for a shake, his weathered face breaking into a warm smile. He has never been the same since my father's death. The limp, the gray in his hair, the weight he'd lost. I drew him in for a hug instead, feeling how thin he'd become.
"Salvo, you didn't have to come to the airport."
"Knowing you are solo?" He raised his eyebrows, concern written all over his face.
I patted the gun at my side.
"Not enough, son." He opened his jacket to show me the weapons lining the inside. He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Salvo and his dark jokes.
"Impressive."
He gestured to a cab waiting at the entrance of the airport.
"Salvo, master of disguise."
We both walked to the cab and slid into the rear seats. The leather creaked under our weight. Salvo immediately pulled out a black envelope and placed it on my lap.
"Those are the men responsible. Two were found dead at the harbor. Seems like the person didn't want their tracks to be followed."
I opened the envelope. Two burner phones fell into my palm. I turned them over, examining them closely.
"Their means of communication. I gave them to my man in forensics. Nothing is on them. The person knows how to cover their tracks." Salvo's voice was tight with frustration.
I sat back on the chair, running my hand through my hair.
"Enzo was here two days before the fire." His voice deepened as he showed me the pictures. "That son of a bitch had a meeting with some dons at a hotel."
Fucking bastard.
"I did a background check on their IDs. Both men are from the Cassanos and Romanos." His voice went low, almost a whisper.
I let out a shaky breath and punched the seat in front of me. The driver's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror but said nothing.
Fucking allies. One wave of cash and they are running after Enzo like dogs.
"Let's visit the Romanos' yard, shall we?"
"I greatly doubt it, Lorenzo." He took a slow drag on his cigar, the smoke filling the cab. "The Romanos and Cassanos are your best allies. This person is trying to destroy your relationship with them."
I rubbed my forehead, feeling a headache building behind my eyes.
"You should tread wisely, son."
The car came to a stop. Salvo rolled down the window and collected another envelope from someone I couldn't see. He opened it quickly, his face darkening.
"Look at this."
I grabbed the papers from him, my eyes scanning the documents.
"They can't be so foolish, can they?"
"The bodies are at the cemetery." Salvo's hand gripped my shoulder. "Switched IDs. The Romanos and Cassanos men were killed first, and their IDs were given to the dead men at your vineyard." He patted my shoulder as the cab came to a full halt. "There's a knife behind you, Lorenzo. Someone very close."
There is a mole in Valenti. Who could it be? Someone close to me or someone from my past?
I looked at Salvo. It can't be him. He barely survived the attack that took my father's life. And he knows nothing about my current operations. I bit my bottom lip, tasting blood.
"Thank you. I know I can always count on you."
To the world, Salvo is dead. Only I know he is alive.
"Anytime, son." He handed me a keycard. "Stay here tonight. They are good friends of mine. You'll be safe."
The cab joined the traffic while I walked into the small hotel Salvo had arranged.
My phone buzzed.
SHE HAS ARRIVED SAFELY AT HER MOTHER'S.
I looked at the pictures my men had sent. Ava stood at the entrance of the hospice, and in the next photo, she sat beside her mother's bed. Her eyes shone with a brightness I had never seen before, not since the day I brought her into my home. She seemed to have lost that light on her way to my house.
What if this was Aria?
What if she never died?
My chest tightened. I pressed my palm against it, trying to breathe.
Stop it, Lorenzo. Don't make a fool out of yourself. You attended her funeral service. You held her in your arms as she bled to death. You watched the life leave her eyes.
If there was resurrection like the priest said, ten years later is too early.
I tossed myself onto the bed, my arm over my eyes.
My phone vibrated silently. I picked it up.
SIR, I JUST GOT INTEL. SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW. JULIO SAYS SALVO IS ALIVE. HE MENTIONED IT IN PASSING AT A MEETING WITH SOME GUY FROM ITALY. HE HAS SOME HENCHMEN IN ITALY ON THE LOOKOUT FOR HIM. WE HAVE GOT THIS ONE CONTAINED, BUT I WOULDN'T ADVISE YOU STAY IN ITALY ANY DAY LONGER.
I punched the wall beside me. The plaster cracked under my fist, pain shooting through my knuckles.
KEEP AN EYE ON HIM. LET ME KNOW OF HIS EVERY MOVE AROUND THE CITY. AND FOR THE HENCHMAN, KEEP HIM ALIVE AND GET EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION FROM HIM. DON'T LET AVA OUT OF YOUR SIGHT.
I paced around my room, my footsteps heavy on the wooden floor. I peeped through the blinds of my window, scanning the street below.
There were stories that Salvo betrayed and killed my father. But he didn't. I know that for sure. I was there. I saw everything.
I owe him his safety. He is my only family left.
No one knows I am in Italy after the accident at the airport. And no one knows about Salvo being alive.
Fuck.
But Julio knows almost everything. Everything. I need to get rid of him. How could he betray me after all these years? I took him in when he was nothing, trained him, and made him my consigliere. Now he wants me dead.
I leaned against the door, holding my breath. Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Heavy boots. Multiple men. If my instincts are right, they should know exactly where I am.
BANG.
The door exploded inward. I was already moving, climbing out of the window into the next room.
"Shhhhhh." I pressed my finger to my lips, motioning to the terrified couple in bed. Their eyes went wide, but they stayed silent.
I slipped out their door, moved quickly down the hallway, and climbed out another window.
BANG.
The bullet grazed my arm, tearing through my jacket. Hot pain seared across my skin.
"Ow!" I fell hard onto the concrete below the hotel, the wind knocked out of my lungs.
I rolled to my feet and ran, sneaking in through a restaurant's back kitchen. I crouched behind a steel table. People screamed around me, customers diving under tables, staff running for the exits.
I pulled a business card from my pocket with shaking hands, pressed the numbers into my phone.
"Am I speaking to Ian's Meat?"
It was our code. Salvo's voice came through immediately.
"Get out of Italy as fast as you can. Tonight." My voice was tight, breathless.
BANG.
Glass shattered above my head. I ducked lower.
"What is going on, Lorenzo?" I could hear the panic in his voice, the fear.
"Just get out. Find somewhere safe. Now."
"No. I will find you. I promised your father I would protect you."
"How fast can you get to the restaurant beside the hotel?"
Footsteps. Getting closer. I could hear them shouting in Italian, coordinating their positions.
"Five minutes. Maybe less."
"Make it three."