Page 28 of Reign of Commotion

“They’ll wait for you outside.They’ll take the lead.Stay on course.We’ll have eyes posted to see if we can get a fix on the Mercedes.Maybe we’ll get lucky,” Niccolo says.

“Nah, they’re gone.As soon as I spotted them, they took off.I can’t shake this gut feeling that we’re still being followed,” I tell him.I feel Milana tense up beside me, and she begins to look around at the cars around us.“I see Bruno and Piero,” I tell him.Bruno’s driving and lifts a hand to signal that he’ll lead the way.

“We’ll see you in a bit,” Niccolo says.

Dad’s voice growls into the phone.“They will pay.”

I sigh and think that this better come to an end soon.I turn and watch the terror on Milana’s face.Tonight, we’ll move to another location.They knew where to find us if they were this close to my condo.Someone’s feeding Anton information, and I suspect it’s one of our own.

* * *

It’s not long before we get to my parents.The gate opens immediately upon our arrival, letting all three cars through and shutting quickly behind us.Dad waits on the front steps with Niccolo and Alessio, who must have arrived shortly after my call.

I get out and open the door for Milana, who still seems to be rather shaken, but manages a strained smile to greet them.

“Hello, gentlemen,” she says shyly, sticking tightly to my side.

“Cara,” Dad calls to her and opens his arms.Milana lets me go and steps into his embrace.

“I’m so sorry,” she says with a muffled cry.“I don’t mean to cause so much trouble.”

“You brought my son home.It’s my turn to protect you,” Dad replies.“Let’s get you inside.Expect Lilliana to fuss.It’s the natural order of what a mama does, apparently,” he teases, and Milana lets out a half giggle.Dad opens the door, and as he said, Mom is right there waiting, enfolding Milana into her arms and taking her inside.

“Let’s do this out here.I don’t want to scare Milana any more than she already is,” I suggest.Alessio nods.“They know where I live.The condo has security, and I have a great system, but I don’t want to take any chances.I’ll find a hotel for tonight,” I tell them.

“Hotels are harder to guard.We’ll need too many men to cover it all.Stay here,” Dad insists.

“No, Julian and Milana will stay with me,” Alessio insists.“My house is a fortress.More importantly, what did you see?”

I recall the details about the Mercedes and the driver and give them the description.“What bothers me is that they knew where I lived and where we would be.The attacker was either scouting and planning, or they were going for the attack once they got me off the main highway.Someone among us is talking, or they’ve been able to tap into our lines.”I rake a hand through my hair and begin to pace.

“Who knew you were at the apartment last night?”Niccolo asks.

“All of us.A few of Dad’s men.That’s all that I know of.”

“None of my men are snitches!”Dad insists.

Alessio puts a hand on Dad’s shoulder.“Calm down, Joe.I know you run a tight ship, but someone found out.Have there been any visitors lately?Deliveries?Repairs?”

“With the wedding, of course.This place was a madhouse.Lilliana went apeshit with the people traipsing in and out, but we checked them all at the gate.And I only do business in my office.No one is allowed in my office unless they’re invited,” Dad says.

“With all the commotion, it would have been easy for someone to slip in and out,” Niccolo says.“I think we start with a list of vendors and delivery people.”

“Scan for bugs.Get a list of people who entered the house and a list of companies that made deliveries,” Alessio orders.He turns to Dad.“You have cameras at the gate.Pull the videos from the past week.I want to go over them myself.”

“Check with Mom.She has the list of people she hired for the wedding.We can cross-reference her list against the video.We can even get a list of staff from the companies.”I pause and look at Alessio.“I appreciate you letting us stay with you tonight, but this has to end soon.Milana is scared half to death.This all happened because she crawled into a freezer to pull me out.”

“We will figure this out,” Alessio confirms and begins to walk away, but I call him back.

“Can I have a moment alone?”I ask him.Alessio gives Niccolo and Dad a nod, motioning for them to leave us alone.I walk to the trunk of my car and pull out the box with the sheet with the proof of Milana’s virginity on it.“This is the last of the traditions.I would prefer to have this done away from Milana, if possible.”

Alessio sighs and looks at the box in my hands.“I have no intention of putting on a display for all to see.I’ll see who asks for the proof and decide if they have the right to participate.It will also give me an opportunity to ask why they would question my reasons.Angelo has been a royal pain in my ass for a long time.If it weren’t for his dedication to my father when he was capo, I would have done away with him long ago.His attitude leaves a lot to be desired, and I’m well aware of his objections.Angelo thinks his men are loyal to him, but they are loyal toIl Destinofirst.”He points his fob at his car and pops the trunk.“Put it in the back.I’ll see to it.”

* * *

Milana

Julian stays close to me throughout the day.He finds ways to touch me, whether it be guiding me to the lovely table Lilliana has set for brunch or placing a hand on my knee under the table.I find it soothing, and when I glance at him, he always seems calm, like nothing happened.I guess in the grand scheme of things, being followed is nothing compared to what could have happened.

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