I slam my fist on the desk. “Get the car ready. We’re going after her.”
“Yes, boss.”
I hang up and storm out of my office. Viktor is waiting by the elevator, his face grim.
“How could you let this happen?” I ask with a snarl as we descend.
Viktor’s expression remains stoic. “I apologize. It won’t happen again.”
We exit the building and slide into the waiting SUV. He takes the wheel, and we speed toward Central Park.
“Tell me everything you heard,” I demand.
Viktor recounts the phone conversation he overheard. “She told Damiano she wanted to meet to discuss a truce. She mentioned Isabella and Tony in the conversation.”
My hands curl into fists. “Damn it, Felicity. What is she thinking?”
We arrive at the park, and Viktor parks the SUV. I scan the area, searching for any sign of Felicity or Damiano.
“There.” Viktor points. “By the fountain.”
I spot them. Felicity stands with her back to us, facing Damiano. Even from this distance, I can see the tension in her posture.
“Stay here,” I snap to Viktor. “Be ready to move if things go south.”
I exit the car, resting my hand on the concealed weapon at my hip. As I approach, I catch snippets of their conversation.
“And Isabella and Tony?”
“They stay safe, away from all of this. You can see them, but on neutral ground and under controlled circumstances until we have a firm truce. We ensure their protection, and you get to be a part of their lives without putting them in danger. Once things are settled, I assume you’ll want them to live with you, and it will be much safer for them to do so if you embrace the truce our father wants with the Russians.”
I’m close enough now to intervene if necessary, but I hold back, curious to see how Felicity handles this as Damiano pauses.
“I’m not making demands,” Felicity responds, her voice steady. “I’m proposing a solution that benefits everyone. Including Isabella and Tony.”
Damiano’s expression shifts at the mention of his family. “How do you know about them?”
“That doesn’t matter,” says Felicity. “I know you care about them more than you let on.”
Damiano’s face softens slightly. It’s subtle, but it’s there. Felicity’s approach is working.
“What are you proposing?” asks Damiano, his voice less hostile.
Felicity takes a deep breath visible by the way her shoulders rise and fall. “Like I said, a truce. We work together to modernize our operations. No more bloodshed, no more conflict. Everyone is safe. Santino wants us to be a family. I don’t see that happening, but we can remain on neutral terms.”
Damiano is silent for a long moment. I tense, ready to step in if he reacts violently, but he doesn’t. Instead, he nods slowly.
“I’m listening,” he says.
I’m stunned. Felicity has managed to do what I thought impossible. She’s gotten Damiano to consider peace without resorting to sending a threatening message using his family as props.
As they continue talking, I retreat to the SUV, thoughts whirling. When I slide into the passenger seat, Viktor raises an eyebrowas he looks up at me from the rifle mic he was using to hear everything. “Well?” he asks.
I shake my head, still processing what I’ve witnessed. “She did it. She actually got him to listen.”
Viktor’s eyes widen slightly as he nods. “I heard, but should we do now?”
I watch as Felicity and Damiano shake hands, their body language relaxed. “Now, we prepare for a new era of cooperation, I guess?”