Page 133 of Wicked Rivals

“Close. Good. Tell them to keep an eye on the place. Scout the area to be sure no one else is around. But make sure they stay out of sight. I don’t want him to know we’re coming.”

“You got it, Stef. I’m on it.”

Tony punched the message into his phone, then tore away from the curb.

“Tell me everything we know about this guy,” I said.

“His father worked for the Capaldo family. Some low-level soldier, but he ended up being a favorite. His mother was mentally ill. When he was a kid, the Capaldos took him in, but that ended because of an issue between him and Benedetta.

“Not sure what happened, but Don Capaldo kicked him out, then the guy went to live with his mother. She left him the house. He’s behind on taxes. Still has a mortgage. The bank's foreclosing. Several registered firearms. Short rap sheet. Stalking, sexual harassment, but nothing ever stuck.”

Tony made a sharp right turn, making the tires squeal.

“False allegations, or a coverup by Capaldo?” I asked.

“Not sure. Bruce will find out.”

Fuck. We could use more information than that, but this had to be good enough for now. I still didn’t know what we were walking into, or how mentally unstable this guy might be.

We pulled up in front of the house, and two Vignali family soldiers met us at the car.

“It’s completely quiet on the ground floor,” one said, “but we heard something come from the basement. No windows down there, so we haven’t been able to check it out yet.”

I gave a clipped nod, got out, and drew my forty-five. The gun’s heavy weight always gave me comfort.

Whether due to the weight, the cold steel, or the amount of power, holding this gun made me feel invincible. It always had.

“Tony, stay here with the kid.” I turned to the soldiers. “You two go around back and keep watch. The son of a bitch does not leave this house alive. This ends tonight, and with one hell of a message.”

“I'm coming with you,” Enzo blurted.

I stopped his door from opening.

“No, you're not. You'll stay in the car where it's safe. You’ll see your mother when I bring her out to you.”

He looked up at me with his pleading eyes.

“But what about you, Mr. Vignali? You need backup.”

Pain and joy thumped inside my chest at once.

He’d called me “Mr. Vignali” again, but he cared enough to offer himself as my backup. I reminded myself the name thing would get worked out at another time and shook my head.

“That’s not happening. You’re a child. Get in the car.”

Then I hovered over him, waiting impatiently.

If anything happened to him, I would never forgive myself. I would never willingly put him or any child in this situation.

Yes, I’d already gone too far by bringing him to the school with me, even though he proved himself to be an asset there. But in that filthy, decaying house, where a madman with a vendetta held his mother captive?

Absolutely not.

“I'm going in there,” Enzo said. “And if you wanna stop me, you're gonna have to shoot me.”

Before his words even sunk in, the boy shoved open the car door, smashing it against my leg, hopped out, and sprinted toward the house.

I bit back a curse and ran after him. My hand came down around the nape of his neck just as he opened the door.

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