Page 44 of Little Rabbit

My blood goes cold, and then it burns with rage. I can feel the same rolling off of Nico.

“They’re trying to box us in,” Lazaro says grimly. “You think they’re working together? Seems like a fucking weird coincidence if not.”

“What intel do we have?” Papa demands from Aurelio.

“From all accounts it appears they are not working together,” Aurelio answers. “I have a mole in Parisi’s men, and according to them, Parisi is pissed Leonardo’s son was able to get to Sienna before his or Giovanni’s men, and now he’s done playing. Apparently, when he found out Alessio grabbed her, he lost his shit and vowed to end this.”

“You think he’s going to come after us because he knows we’re going to be split into two areas,” Dante summarizes. I glance at him and see the expression on his face is tight, but thoughtful. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Marco, Giovanni, and Leonardo all have moles in each other’s units, and they’re each using that to their advantage. Giovanni heard about Marco’s move, and he’s probably informed Parisi that this is the time to strike. He knows we’re going to ask for your help and send men to New York, which means this place is going to be left vulnerable in some way, even if you leave most of your men. And Parisi will know the women will be left here to keep them safe. Which is exactly what we were going to do. But that leaves Leonardo, and we have no idea where Dario and the men here are, or what Leonardo is planning, but I think it’s safe to say that he’s going to try and join in the fray.”

“He’s right,” Aurelio agrees. “I’ve got my men keeping tabs on Leonardo, and he’s been laying low, but I think that’s because he’s wanting to see what his son and brother do.”

“Which means he’s either planning to get his son onto our grounds to take the girls in the middle of the fray, or he’s seeing if you bring them to New York and will try to take them from there. He’ll most likely launch a full-scale attack once Giovanni and Marco have finished theirs, with the hope that we’ll be weakened enough to take out both families and claim new territory and alliances,” Lazaro finishes. “Clever fucking bastard.”

“Out of all four men, Leonardo is the one that needs to be watched most closely,” Nico says tightly. “He’s had years to watch my territory, and he knows I’ll fight back just as hard and smart as he would, so he wants me to exhaust myself, show some sign of weakness. Which won’t fucking happen. I have other allies I can call in if there’s even the slightest chance we might fail.”

“We need to focus on the here and now,” Papa says briskly, getting to his feet. “And right now, there is a war coming on two different fronts. Parisi knows going after us is an unmistakable declaration, and I’m not about to let that fucker take one inch of what I’ve worked to build. But Parisi is also split, since he took so many men with him to America, leaving fewer here. The Russians will be a problem, but not one we can’t handle. I have connections to Russia myself, and I have people we can call in to fight fire with fire, so to speak.” He looks at Nico and I. “The question now is what to do about the women.”

Everything in me is screaming to get to Sienna now, to keep her close and never let her out of my sight. I can protect her. But I also know my job is to do whatever needs to be done to protect our empire, our family, and everything we’ve built. Not to mention protecting Gia, and Nico’s territory as an ally. “Is there anyone we can send them to that we can trust?”

“Probably,” Papa answers. “But there’s no guarantee they will be able to protect them should any of these fuckers find out where they’re being stashed. But we have allies in London, Russia, South America, and even some in Australia that we can call on to house them.”

I reject that idea instantly. I’ve only just found her, and sending her away will only distract me. But at the same time, having her with me will be the same.

“This is a fucking mess,” I snarl, thrusting a hand through my hair. “I don’t want Sienna anywhere fucking near this, but I also don’t trust that if we send her off somewhere she won’t run.”

“And Gia isn’t going to be without her sister,” Nico grits out. “Fuck.” He turns away, pacing, and I see his fists clenching and unclenching as he tries to work out what to do.

“The other thing we’re not considering is Gia is a wealth of untapped information that could be helpful,” Dante adds carefully. When Nico rounds on him, teeth bared, Dante holds his stare. “Gia lived at home for years, and she said often times they didn’t pay attention to her. Getting to know her, I think it’s safe to say that she listened in on those conversations. Hell, they might have had them right in front of her, thinking they had her so under control that they didn’t have to watch what they said. If we fight a war, we fight to win, and Gia might be able to help. And if that’s the case, then we keep her and Sienna close, and we keep them protected.”

“You do have those fancy passageways you can hide them in,” Lazaro agrees. “How many people know where they are?”

“Myself, those in this room, Gia, and Sofia,” Nico grits out. “I don’t want my men knowing because that’s how they start hiding shit.”

“Then we make sure that the women are able to get in and out of them at any time. Do you have a bunker or a secret exit?” Aurelio asks. Nico and Dante share a look. Aurelio makes a sound of impatience. “I’m not fucking asking so we can infiltrate when this shit is done. I want to fucking know so I can plan an escape for the women and a few guards if shit goes south. After that, change the fucking thing for all I care, but this is fucking war, and we don’t have time for this shit.”

Nico nods stiffly. “Yes. There are two exits. One goes into a bunker that’s on the property behind the house. From there, the bunker has another exit that is in the thick trees behind. The house blocks it from view. The other exit is through the gardens, but the women will probably get trapped in the maze if they try to go that way.”

“Gia would probably know how to get out if she had to,” Dante says likely, a smirk pulling at his lips.

Nico glares at him. “She knows how to try and get out the front, but not the other side.”

“Then one of the first things when we get there is show us those exits, and we make sure that the women know just in case,” Aurelio interjects. “We leave nothing to chance.” He looks at Papa. “So now we decide who goes.”

“I’m going with Sienna,” I tell them firmly.

Papa nods. “She’s a flight risk, so I agree. I will stay here, as will Urso, Massimo, and Zeno. We cannot risk leaving ourselves unguarded. Alessio, you, Lazaro, and Alonzo will go to New York. Once we have handled things here, we will join you and leave the men we need to clean up.”

“What about Sofia?” Lazaro asks.

“What about her?” Dante asks, scowling. “She will be coming back with us.”

“You want to put my sister in danger?” Lazaro explodes, fury making his eyes darken to black. Aurelio’s eyes narrow but he says nothing.

“Sofia is no safer here than in New York,” Dante snaps. “None of you may fucking like it that she’s with me, and you need to get the fuck over it. She’s a grown ass woman and she can take care of herself. And if shit goes south and we have no men, I want her with the women. Sienna clearly has skills, but so does Sofia, which means Gia will be even safer. And if you think she’s going to stay here while Sienna and Gia go to New York, you’re delusional.”

Lazaro’s fists clench and he steps forward, and I step up between him and Dante. “You know he’s right. And if anything happens to her, I’ll help you dismember his body.” Lazaro’s jaw clenches, but he nods and turns away to stand back near the door, arms crossed over his chest, clearly unhappy with the entire situation.

“Alright, that settles it,” Papa says. “Everyone knows what’s happening, and I want constant reports. Aurelio, your men will be available to assist New York should they need it.” It’s an order, not a question. Aurelio nods, and Papa looks back at me. “Be careful,” he warns. “And try not to piss off Nico to the point he kills you, or piss off Sienna and deny me grandchildren.”

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