Page 77 of Borrowed Bride

“And then what?”

“Then,” says Leo. “We scrape together what we have left from this stupid fucking war.”

“No clubs, that’s for sure,” Marco snorts, and his eyes hint of amusement.

“Agreed,” says Leo.

“Alone, we don’t stand a chance,” Marco continues as he moves closer to me and touches my arm. “But together? Maybe there’s a chance we can turn this whole wretched thing around.”

32

MARCO

The cold wind billows around me, carrying with it the scent of oil, old waste, and salt from the water. Below me, the city stretches out with each building lit up like an urban Christmas tree.

For the past month, Leo and I have been digging while hiding behind our war. On the surface, it looks like we’re both still at each other’s throats and targeting what territory we have left, but in secret we have been using that distraction to freely investigate the Ricci family. It was clear early on that they were deep in the human trafficking trade, and there were several other smaller families that worked alongside them. The key connection was indeed Dante who, upon my return from the “hospital,” was all too eager to listen to my pre-planned rant about how Leo trying to kill me in the club was the last straw.

Keeping Dante busy gave Fawn the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the Barrone financial records. She discovered a link between Dante’s personal account and the Russian Mafia. It’s been a long time since the Russians were safe on this side of the ocean, and when they retreated, we took that as a victory.

A misplaced victory if Dante has been feeding their skin market all these years.

It was a step forward but a painful one for Fawn and myself. Knowing my father, the man I trusted above all, had a hand in harming the woman I had loved so dearly was crushing. I feel sick every time I try to guess what he had planned for Gianna.

Over the past month, I’ve watched him closely since Gianna’s disappearance surely reached him when those guards he sent never returned, but not once did he give the impression that anything was wrong. In fact, his performance was so good that sometimes I doubted he really was the mastermind behind this hell.

It was proof of how good he really was at hiding the twisted shit.

While I was busy with Dante and Fawn was digging into the money, Leo took the Ricci’s. Over time, he accumulated the names and addresses of every single Ricci business and establishment. There were more than a small family of their size should ever have, and most were on Barrone territory. This was another gift from my father, no doubt.

The man placed at the head of my family to throw Leo off the scent was eventually brought in on the plan because without him, controlling what men I had left would have been difficult. I didn’t tell him the names of the targets, or even anything about Leo. I simply informed him that soon I would have a list of Leo’s places that we would attack simultaneously and bring this war to an end.

If this man betrayed me and told Dante, Dante would think I was targeting Leo, and I kept a fake list of Leo’s remaining properties on hand.

In reality, when the time comes, I will send the real list, and every single Ricci establishment will crumble under the combined might of my men and Leonardo’s.

“Marco?” Gianna approaches me slowly, picking her away across the rooftop and reaching for me when she was close enough.

The hardest part of this entire thing has been being away from her while pretending to be back on Dante’s side, and seeing her again lifts my heart immensely. I’m utterly infatuated with her. She consumes all of my thoughts and even now, with her hand in mind, it’s not enough.

It will never be enough.

“Are you sure you want to be here?” I ask, kissing her cheek. “You can stay with Freya.”

“No, I have to be here,” she says with a firm nod. “Freya is safe with Tara for now and this…everything has been building to this.” She squeezes my hand. “I want to be here.”

“Do you think Fawn will pull it off?” This entire night rides on Fawn’s ability to break into my safe house and rescue Emilia, who Dante has barely stepped away from the entire month I was back. My own plans to rescue her had to be put to the side, and now Fawn is my only hope of saving my sister.

“I think if anyone can, it’s her,” Gianna nods. “She’s strong. Capable. And she’s fighting for a lot more than herself.”

“You’re right.”

“The places you hit tonight, are you going to kill everyone?” She looks up at me with her large doe eyes and I nod slowly.

“Yes. Because every finger in the Ricci family has been in the slave trade pie and no one gets out. The only people seeing a hospital tonight will be the victims we rescue.”

Gianna nods as the wind catches in her hair, so she tilts her head to keep her face clear. “So why here? Why this roof?”

I shrug one shoulder and then point down toward the river. “From here, we can see the river and the docks. Any victims we find are likely going to be there, and from here we’ll be able to see the ambulances helping them. And then over there.” Ipoint to the other side of the city. “Leo’s rigged several Ricci warehouses to blow. We’ll get to see that too.”

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