Page 30 of Reign of Hope

“It would be a suicide mission,” I hear Ivo say.

“It’s bigger than that,” Reno says firmly. “And it involves all our families.”

“Get to it, Reno.” Alessio shows his impatience.

“A triad is growing and has linked its forces with several gangs. One of which is the Skulls to gather information onUltimo Morte,” Reno says. “In each of our cities, the Triad is making connections with low-level gangs, not to take us down, but to gain information.”

“Fuck that! They’re dead! All of them.” Dante lets loose. “Who are they? They want blood, I’ll give them blood.”

“Calm down, Dante. Before we begin killing, we need to know who is involved,” Reno responds, his voice so calm that I find it eerie.

“What’s the plan, gentlemen?” Marco asks, his voice also sounding unnervingly calm. I’m feeling more like Dante and am ready to wage war.

“Risk got his information from Hawk. Risk and Guard have full confidence in Hawk and his men. They’re doing some scouting and hope to have more for us in the next few days. Orion is coming this way to work with Dante. Raffaele, I need you to grab Drake or one of his henchmen,” Reno says.

“I suggest that idiot, Spike,” I say.

Reno nods. “That’s an idea. Once Hawk gives us the names of the other gangs that might be working with the Triad, we’ll need to plant bugs for tracking. The goal is to find out if the Chinese mob is trying to encroach on our territories. They’re going to go for the divide-and-conquer routine.” He pauses, then says, “The Skulls are pissed that Allegra got away. Drake wants revenge and believes that Allegra is his and wants her back. The men in the red car were Skulls, but the money is being provided by someone else. We need to know who. The next time we encounter them, we need to take them alive. That’s the only way we’ll be able to get the information we need to take them down.”

“We are all targets. The only upside to your situation is that you already know which gang is being paid to do their dirty work,” Nero says on the other end of the phone, directing his comment to Reno.

“Not for long,” Reno responds.

“Risk is a man of honor. He won’t let us down,” Dante states with conviction.

“Damn straight!” Sebastian interjects.

“You have a lot of confidence in this guy,” Raffaele says. “Then again, he’s come through time and time again.”

“You remember, Nero, it was Ghost from the Pride who found Olivia,” Sebastian reminds him.

Nero sighs. “Yeah, I remember.”

“The Triad has multiple factions. We need to know the boss or bosses who are working to move into our territory. Orion is arriving tomorrow. As soon as I have more information, you’ll hear from me. In the meantime, keep vigilant and have extra protection wherever you go,” Reno finishes.

The call ends, but Reno’s not done.

“The Skulls are here for Allegra,” Reno says. “If they don’t know where she is, they’ll be scouring the city for her. Until Orion and Dante can get a lock on where they’re hiding, she needs to stay out of sight. Victorio is another way of getting to Allegra, which means he needs to stay on Leo’s property. His job from this moment on is to lie low. And work security at Leo’s place. He goes nowhere on his own.”

“If they can’t find either of them, how do we lure them out?” Leo asks.

“One step at a time. First, let’s give Dante and Orion a chance to set up and do some digging. Then, we’ll come up with a plan,” Reno responds.

“With any luck, this Hawk guy may find out more about who is pulling the strings,” I say. “I had a feeling the Skulls were involved,” I say through clenched teeth, thinking I should have killed them all that day when Spike approached Allegra.

“This is not just the Skulls. This is much bigger and far more dangerous. The Triad is a powerful mob. Before we make a move, we have to know the name of their leader and where to find them. Once we have that information, we attack and cripple them,” Reno declares, pounding his fist on his desk.

EIGHTEEN

Naked Twister

ZANO

Orion arrives the next morning. He’s staying with Dante, and from what I hear from Sebastian, they’re practically locked in the wall-to-wall computer room from morning until late into the night. Elena can only get them to eat if she brings their food to them. It’s been three days, and so far, they’ve gone through all the videos countless times. With the police reports Sebastian retrieved from our men on the vice squad, they were able to get the DNA results and the name of the Skull member who was injured.

Tony Von Garter is the person we’re looking for. Orion is in the midst of searching all the hospital records. It’s a long shot, but depending on the severity of the injury, his friends may not have had a choice but to get Tony medical help. They’re also checking all private clinics and doctors in the area.

There’s also a chance they let Tony bleed out and dumped the body. There haven’t been any reports of a body found that matches Tony’s description, but that doesn’t mean much. Disposing of a body is gang survival rule number one.

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