Page 80 of Revenge & Ruin

As I slip out of bed and pull on my clothes, I do a check over the bunker.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to use this space. Most of the rooms are simply stocked with living supplies, but there's anoffice filled with books and a TV that shows static unless you put in a DVD.

Contact with the outside world is blocked by three separate layers of encryption on my various computers and monitors scattered throughout the space. The front door itself has four and a biometric scanner.

There’s no way she can get out, not without passing a cryptography course that I basically wrote for Stanford University.

Still, I double-check the cameras before I leave. My eyes linger a moment too long on her soundly sleeping figure.

I could go back to bed, hold her close, and just wait down here until everything blows over. There are enough supplies to last usyearsif we needed them to.

But there’s too much work to do. With one last forlorn look, I make my retreat.

It takes an hour to get to the compound, and though I’ve spent most of this week actively covering up the fact I have Isabella in my…well, bed, I suppose…it’s still a relief to find my men none the wiser.

Marco is waiting for me in my office when I arrive, his usual scowl heavy on his forehead.

“You asked to see me?” he says sharply as I take a seat at my desk.

“I have new information on the Prince’s Hand that I’d like you to act on,” I reply without missing a beat. “They’ve tapped into a financial arrangement with the Californians and I need you to cut them off.”

Marco takes his own seat. “There are three Italian mafiosos in California, five if you count the Sicilians.”

“But only one who can afford to finance a war on the other side of the country,” I counter.

He nods. “I knew Rocco should have sat them at a higher table at the wedding.”

“By all means, remind them that we do not take their fickleness lightly.”

“Very good.”

I turn to my computer screen, intent on spending an afternoon reviewing the backlog of documents I’ve been procrastinating about tackling. Considering how often we operate above the law, the legalities of building a casino are mind-numbingly dull.

But Marco doesn’t get to his feet.

I glance over. “Something on your mind?”

“You approached my daughter about the casino.”

“I did.” I don’t bother trying to deny it.

“Why?”

I give the older man a long look. “I told you, the Guild doesn’t like any loose ends.”

“Then let her leave.”

“Would she go?” I ask. “Tell me honestly, if I made Mia that offer, would she actually take it?”

Marco scowls at me, although we both know I’m right.

“The casino is a good fit for her, Marco. It’s essentially just a promotion from what she’s already been doing, just on our payroll.”

“She’ll be on the front lines!”

“She will be surrounded by the Guild at all times. If she does not accept this position, what happens next will be out of my hands,” I snap back. “I’m trying to help her.”

“Then try harder!”

---