Page 86 of The Lieutenant

“No chivalry. You made points already this week.”

“Not likely enough. I’m still going to hell. The meeting?”

“Set up for tomorrow at eleven. Just go in gingerly. Feel them out. I trust you with however you handle it. The picture you sent?”

“Yeah?”

He half laughed. “The club’s guest doesn’t exist, at least according to Interpol.”

“I guess they don’t know everything.”

“No, but he was carrying a weapon. The picture needed to be enlarged, but our mystery guest unbuttoned his jacket and the angle at which Kara snapped his image showed a gun in a holster. The model is a Smith and Wesson MP40. Sound familiar?”

“It’s the weapon that killed Leandro.” My anger was only increasing.

“Exactly. There’s no chance that’s a coincidence.”

I gritted my teeth and opened the small trunk, allowing the valet to grab our bags and place them on a cart. Kara didn’t wait for me to open her door, adjusting her sunglasses as she stepped out into the beautiful sunlight. She turned around and at that moment, I thought her breathtaking. Just the way the light breeze was whipping through her long curls kept me stunned.

“None,” I hissed and Kara caught my terse reply, trying her best to act like she hadn’t. “He needs to be found.”

“And you know he’s long gone. He was the lookout, no doubt searching for you.”

“No doubt. Sadly, he almost got what he wanted,” I told him. “What do you think about offering a deal to the Sicilians?”

“A deal,” he repeated, but seconds later, my brother caught what I was insinuating. “Offer up Bernardi on a silver platter with the knowledge about his son.”

“Yes. Why not? We don’t need to do all the dirty work if they buy the information.” It was a decent plan, although carrying it through would need to be handled carefully.

“It’s only talk from a man who betrayed Bernardi. He has nothing to lose by telling you a lie. In other words, that’s not much to go on. Coppola might think it a ploy.”

“It’s at least enough for Lorenzo to handle the rest of the investigation himself. Plus, we understand grief all too well and what it can do to men of power. With my input, he could easily be swayed into taking action.”

He laughed. “You have a good point. Not a bad idea although risky. But getting an audience with Don Coppola won’t be easy.”

“With risk comes rewards. Besides, I think I have my way in. Just leave it to me.”

“Count on you to be the most conniving of the three of us.”

“Another compliment. I think you’ve met your quota for the year. We’ve arrived at the hotel. We’ll talk later.”

“All kidding aside. Be careful. It seems Bernardi is constantly one step ahead of us. If he catches wind we’re conspiring with a crime syndicate from his own country, he will seek an even stronger level of revenge,” Dimitrios offered. “And the Sicilians aren’t to be trusted.”

“Careful is my middle name, and now, I’m convinced the bastard is behind our recent troubles. Let’s see if I can toss a decent lure in the water.”

“Let’s just say the chatter has shoved me in that direction as well.”

“We will see what happens.” I ended the call and shoved the phone into my suit jacket before tossing the keys into the valet’s hands.

She was staring at the Eiffel Tower, which was only a couple of blocks away from the hotel.

She sighed, removing her sunglasses to get a better look. The smile on her face forced my balls to tighten. “I’ve never been here before. It was the one city I placed on my bucket list.”

I crowded her space, basking in her enjoyment, not mine. “There are crime syndicates in France.”

“They’re not nearly as dangerous as the ones on my list.” She shifted into a wry expression, looking up at me on purpose.

“A fascinating response. Let’s get checked in.” Why did I have a feeling she had used our family as a means of obtaining a meeting with the Sicilians? She was clever.

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