Page 56 of Revenge & Ruin

“And it’s definitely Natali?” I ask, my phone pressed to my ear.

“Ran the plates twice, just to be sure,” he confirms. “If I were a betting man, I’d put money on it. Leon is returning today, that’s for sure.”

I’d known my luck would run out eventually. The only reason I’ve been able to keep such close tabs on Isabella was because her brother was out of town. Now that he’s back, I have a choice to make: continue to monitor them or withdraw.

Monitoring them was only supposed to be an intimidation tactic, a way to see if they’d give away Ida with their day-to-day operations. But it’s nearly pointless now that Isabella is aware of our presence.

If anything, the monitoring will only provoke Leon into lashing out at us in some way. And as useful as that might be in the short term, I know I’d struggle to leverage him against Ida.

For one, the old bat hasn’t cared to make her presence known so far. For another, I’m not willing to gamble on the fact that Isabella would rather see her brother dead than her mother.

I suck at my teeth as I continue down the road. It might have been easier to call a cab, but the fresh air after days of being cooped up is doing me some good. Besides, I’m close enough to the train, and Martino is still watching the airport for me.

The problem with withdrawing my men from monitoring Isabella is thatI don’t want to.

Because what if she runs off again? What if she gets herself in too deep with the cartel? Hell, what if some handsy asshole tries to bother her at the gym again?

Maybe hell has frozen over after all.

I pinch the bridge of my nose.

No. She’s not my responsibility. Her brother is back now. He can look after her.

I dial the number before I can talk myself out of it. Within five minutes, the Guild has dropped out of Manhattan entirely.

It’s a burden off my shoulders. At least, that’s what I tell myself as I make my way across the city.

The building site has come a long way these last few weeks, although I’m still presented with a hard hat and a high-vis jacket when I enter the concrete tower.

Almost all the windows have been erected now, so the breeze is less biting as I reach the top floor.

“Took your time, princeling!”

Of course, the fiery redhead had made it before me. She is her father’s daughter, after all.

“Mia,” I greet her with a roll of my eyes. “You do remember that I have the power to cut out your tongue if you call me that again.”

“Someone has to keep you humble.” She grins back, wrapping herself up in her long jacket beneath her own high vis. “Quite the setup you have here.”

I gesture around to the large, open plan of the fourth floor. “What do you think?”

“As a club or a casino?” she replies, eyes squinting slightly.

I sigh under my breath. “You know, at this point, you may as well come to Guild meetings instead of getting all your information secondhand.”

“And deal with you every week? I’d rather throw myself out that window.”

“Mia.”

“Teo.”

“Tell me honestly.”

She purses her lips at me. “About the building or joining the Guild?”

“Let’s start with the building,” I back off, knowing this game won’t end well if I push too hard. “You’ve been the only consistent manager at the Candelabrafor years.”

“Bartender,” she corrects.

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