Page 44 of Assassin's Obsession

Our new home.

Death:Take her to the Long Island course.

Death:Send men to keep her two caddies in the game.

I don't trust Bianchi not to use her mom and sister as leverage against her.

Satisfaction fills me that I assigned my top men to watch over Candi when I left the club tonight. I trust all my men, but Derian and Mario don't back down. Not even to a capo.

There's a chain-of-command in the Cosa Nostra. Just like in the military. But you can't run a crew of enforcers when they're afraid of offending someone higher on the food chain than them. Enforcers have to stand outside the chain of command while respecting the one within their team's ranks.

That's how I operated during my years of military service and it kept me and my men alive deep in enemy territory. The same standards make it possible to do my job as Severu's top soldier amongla famiglia.

My men are taught to do the same. They respect me as their boss and Severu as mine, but they ignore the political jockeying for position among the capos and other high ranking made men.

As it should be.

The men who get caught up in it don't stay on my team.

Even so, Derian and Mario are the least likely among them to let a capo push them around.

Chapter 14

CANDI

"Kath?" Stefano's voice is hoarse.

"My friends, call me Candi. You can call me Kathleen if you have to call me anything."

He clears his throat noisily while everyone in the alley stares at me like I flubbed my choreography and ended up on my ass on the stage.

Rolling my eyes, I shrug. "What? You've never seen a stripper whose the illegitimate daughter of one of your capos? Considering how many of them screw around in the backrooms, I find that hard to believe."

"Don't talk about yourself that way," Stefano barks.

"I'm not talking about myself any particular way," I deny. "I'm talking about men like you. I'm not the one with anything to be ashamed about in this scenario."

Regardless of the terminology, I know what I am and I'm not ashamed of it. I'm a stripper. So what? It's an honest way to make a living. At least I don't beat people up and kill them over bad debts for a living.

Mario whistles. "She's got some balls. Talking to a capo like that."

I glare at him. "Doesn't take any extra bravery to tell someone the truth."

"It does when the truth can get you hurt." This from the unhelpful peanut gallery named Freddy.

"Why doesn't anyone admire my courage in standing up to you fuckers?" The guy still kneeling on the ground asks, aggrieved.

"Nobody asked for your opinion." Freddy kicks the guy who falls forward on his face.

I shudder in sympathy.

If I didn't know, he was going to die. I would think that was the worst thing that could happen to him tonight. Despite the street cleaners suddenly coming through here on a regular, the last place I'd want to be right now is face down in the wet muck.

If it's not a stray dog leaving his mark, it's the rats. And don't get me started on people thinking alleys are a great place to piss, or worse, when they don't want to bother looking for a bathroom.

"Bring her here to me," Stefano orders.

"Not going to happen." Derian sounds pretty certain of himself.

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