"Drive," Nico ordered.
Luca pulled the car away from the curb instantly. "How did it go?"
"She wants me to take her to the Battaglia dinner as my companion," Nico said, staring out the tinted window. "In exchange for her brother's neutrality."
Luca was quiet for a long moment as he navigated the city streets. "And you refused," Luca stated. It wasn't a question.
"I told her I would burn her family to the ground if they backed Castellano."
Luca gripped the steering wheel. "Don. I support your play. Always. But we ran the numbers while you were inside."
Nico shifted his gaze to the rearview mirror, meeting his second-in-command's eyes. "Tell me."
"If Castellano moves through the eastern routes," Luca said, "we lose the perimeter. We don't have the men to fight a two-front war against a combined force. If the Marinos open their borders... we will be fighting in our own hallways by Sunday."
Nico stared at the back of Luca's head.
