Page 30 of The Vendetti Soldier

She said: Don't get too close. It's dark inside. It's where my demons hide. And I answered: Get too close, there is a hell inside of me it's where your demons can live. - TheMindsJournal

Luciano

“We still haven’t foundout who sent the man to kidnap Mischa,” the Capo states. He’s furious, and I can’t blame him. It’s unacceptable to go this long and not know much more than we did on our wedding day. “It has to be Fiadh O’Toole; I’d bet my bottom dollar on it.”

“Agreed,” Salvatore nods, appearing more solemn than usual. My guess is he’s already received Capo’s opinions on this matter,and he’s having to hear it again in front of the rest of us. I don’t miss the way Matteo’s angry stare momentarily pins on Valentino either. No matter how much time passes, we’ll never forget how he was fucking the enemy on the down low. There’s no telling how long it would’ve gone on had he not gotten caught, and that’s the part sitting the heaviest on us all. Loyalty is everything in the mafia, especially in our famiglia.

“Anything?” Matteo growls. “Does anyone in this room have something new to tell me about this puttana, or do I have to rely on Yuri for everything these days? The Russian seems to get more done than my own fratelli.”

“Send us,” I cut in, ready to get more payback. I may’ve killed the man who was attempting to kidnap Mischa, but I have a feeling the same people he works with also attacked the Russians and the Vendetti Estate. I want them all to get what’s coming to them. Preferably sooner than later.

He scoffs, “I’m not sending you out of the country to get murdered. You’re Vendetti; I know you all have your own contacts. People kiss our asses constantly, attempting to sample a piece of the Empire. They want to be us, beg to marry our bambinos someday. Fucking call them and find out what they know. Capisci?”

I exchange a quick glance with mio fratelli, silently communicating our determination to find out the truth about Mischa’s almost-kidnapping. Santino silently nods in agreement, his jaw clenched as he stares at Matteo with steely resolve. We may be underestimated, but we are not to be trifled with. We have our own ways of handling business outside theconfines of the Estate, and they usually end up with someone being buried. I doubt our fratello, the Capo dei capi, would accept anything less at this point.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” I assure him, my voice filled with unwavering support. He may be the head of this famiglia, the boss, but he’s also the brother I respect the most and hate to disappoint. He practically raised us, taking Romano’s rage from my mother’s death on his shoulders when he could, to lessen the burden on us.

“We won’t rest until we’ve uncovered every last detail,” Salvatore promises, his back ramrod straight with determination.

Without missing a beat, I reach for my phone and send a discreet message to a contact who I know moves people quietly from one country to another. I need to see if anyone has requested transport to come or go to Ireland recently. If so, it could be the break we need to figure out who’s pulling the strings behind these attacks. We will stop at nothing to uncover the truth of this latest betrayal, as the Vendetti name demands respect. Matteo, our protector of this famiglia, will keep digging and punishing whoever he needs to until we ensure those who cross us pay the ultimate price.

With their blood.

Rolo, the transport guy, texts me back, saying he has moved a few people to and from Ireland. I don’t know why I didn’t think to ask him sooner. I immediately speak up, “My contact says he’s moved a few people traveling to and from Ireland.” I wait forhim to text me again and add, “He’s willing to give me names, but he believes they’re fake.”

Matteo’s brows shoot up. “Give him Cristiano’s number if he’ll speak to him. I want Cris to get every little detail he can out of him. What’s this contact want in return for his information?”

I text Rolo back, including Cristiano’s number and letting him know we’re expecting his call immediately. “Nothing, aside from hoping to do business with us at some point.”

“If he’s willing to sell out his passengers, then he wouldn’t hesitate to do it to us. We’ll take his information, but our business will remain elsewhere,” he replies without a second thought and gives Cristiano a barely there nod, conveying his orders. He trains his attention on Salvatore, “See what’s around his pick up and drop off points. If we can’t get real names, maybe we can find images from nearby cameras.”

“I’ll put Cassio on it,” Sal responds and tugs his phone out. He quickly types out the order, confirming it’s been sent.

Matteo leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of him as he contemplates the next move. The oversized painting of him and Violet takes up the wall behind him. It’s a reminder to anyone who stands in front of this desk of who sits at the top of the Empire.

Cristiano’s phone rings with a call from an unknown number. He answers in front of us with a curt, “Who is this?”

On the other end, Rolo's voice carries through the line. “I have names for you, but like I said to your brother, they could be fakes. The last transport I moved heading to Ireland was a group of three—two men and a woman. Gave me cash up front, didn't ask questions.”

Cristiano quickly jots down the names on a piece of paper as Rolo recites them. “Rory McCarthy, Kieran Fitzpatrick, and Jack Hayes. I knew Kieran was a fake, considering she’s a woman and came up with a male alias. It’s not my business to dig into their stories, though, just to get them where they need to be. Undetected.”

Matteo's eyes narrow at the mention of Rory McCarthy. I can tell the name strikes a chord with him, but I’m not sure where he’s heard it before. None of them are familiar to me, so I keep my mouth closed, listening to Cris hang up, and we all train our attention back on Capo. “Rory McCarthy, I’m pretty sure it’s one of the men Romano was meeting with at the club in Italy.”

“Romano?” Valentino finally breaks his silence, questioning the one thing we’re all wondering about. “Why is our father meeting with anyone Irish in his club in Italy? Do you think he’s aware?”

Matty immediately shakes his head. “No, he’d hired him for something. I only remember because I had called when Rory was around, and Romano had said his name. When I asked if he was safe and keeping his head down, he told me Rory McCarthy was nothing but a local and he had nothing to worry about. I had him briefly looked into, but he came back clean. I’m guessing we didn’t dig far enough to find what we needed.”

“Fuck,” Santino grumbles. That word pretty much sums it up.

If we call Romano to warn him, he’ll be on the defensive, acting as if we think he’s too weak to look out for himself. If we don’t inform him and something happens to him… well, it won’t be any more skin off my back, but he does have our little brother in his life to care for now.

I’m not concerned about his wife; something about her doesn’t fit. How she and Romano just so happened to meet in his club and she supposedly wanted nothing to do with him at first? I find it highly unlikely. I’d hedge she was waiting for her chance with him; after all, he’d be an easy way to live a comfortable life. Especially if she was broke enough to have to work at the club and live in her small, shitty apartment. There’s always the prospect of her getting killed being associated with the retired Capo dei tutti, but it didn’t seem to faze her when he brought her home and we met her. Naturally, we were all skeptical of her ambitions, but Matteo claims we need to back off and allow our father to enjoy his retirement after living the life of Capo.

A knock interrupts before we can say anything else. Valentino’s closest to the door, so he answers it. He opens the door about a foot, enough to stick his head in the opening, brow raised as he listens to what the person on the other side has to say. A moment later, he’s stepping back, opening the door wider. He glances at Matteo, “You’re going to want to hear this.”

Severo, one of our most trusted Mademen in the Empire who is typically at Matteo or Violet’s side, steps over the threshold. I can tell with one glance it’s something important. He’s the onlyperson outside of mio fratelli and their wives to know we’re in a meeting right now.

“Excuse the interruption, Capo,” he greets respectfully.

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