Page 29 of Reign of Hope

This is one of the best parts of my day, this morning especially. I’m finishing up my omelet when my phone rings. Reno himself is calling me.

“Yes, Capo.”

“Risk called this morning and shared some information. You should come over immediately. Bring Allegra with you,” Reno says. He’s the only one who continues to call Allegra by her formal name.

“Should I worry?”

“Be cautious. Stay sharp and get here when you can. There’s a conference call scheduled with Raffaele, Alessio, and Marco in an hour. I’d like us all to be together when that takes place,” he states, and before I can ask anything further, he hangs up.

I glance at Ally, who is putting the dishes in the dishwasher. “Get ready, babe. You’re coming with me.”

“Me? Why?”

“Reno got news, and he specifically asked that you come with me.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

Sensing her panic, I come to my feet and take her by the shoulders, looking deeply into her eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll be there, and I promise you, you’re safe with me.” I pull her into my arms.

She clutches the back of my shirt, pressing her cheek to my heart. “This is the only place I feel safe. In your arms,” she says quietly.

“Nothing will touch you, Ally. You belong to me, and I take care of what’s mine,” I vow.

* * *

Ally is happily greeted by Anna, and the women disappear into Anna’s studio. Reno had it designed for her. I go right to the office and knock on the door before entering. Leo is standing by the unlit fireplace with an espresso in hand. Sebastian is with him, and Reno is standing by the window looking out.

“Sir,” I simply say.

Reno looks over his shoulder. “Good morning, Zano. Dante will be along shortly. He’s bringing Elena with him. Since he found out he’s going to be a father, he refuses to leave her alone,” he says with a hint of a smile.

“Please!” Sebastian says, rolling his eyes. “He’d take her everywhere given the chance.”

Dante enters and must have heard his twin, because he replies, “I wasn’t the one who slept on the floor in the nursery for a week just because Marcella might cry, so you would hear her.”

I want to laugh, but Dante seems on edge. That doesn’t stop Leo. He puts an arm around Dante, leading him farther into the room. “I’m the first to admit that when Lucia was pregnant, I was scared out of my mind. But nothing is going to happen to Elena. You know any one of us would die to protect her.”

He blows out a heavy breath. “Yeah,” he says, then looks to his older brother. “What’s going on, Reno?”

“Dial Marco, Raffaele, and Alessio in. I’d rather not repeat myself,” he tells him. Dante sets up the call, and each one of the capos responds quickly.

Nero and Luciano are with me,” Marco announces. I would expect that they would be. Everyone is aware that Nero will be taking over for his father when Marco retires. Marco continues to rule the family, but over the course of the last several years, Nero has taken the lead on many of the business dealings.

“I have Niccolo and Julian with me,” Alessio jumps in. Niccolo is Alessio’s consigliere and his best friend since childhood. Julian has proven to be a loyal soldier and is being groomed to take over his father’s position as underboss inIl Destino.

“Ivo and Francesco are present,” Raffaele states. Having spent time with both Ivo and Francesco, I can honestly say that I’m glad that we’re all allies. Nothing scares me. I’ll protect my capo andNostra Casawith every fiber of my being, but it’s good to know that we’re not at odds withUltimo Morteanymore.

“Excellent,” Reno begins. “I got a call from Risk today. He’s our contact and dear friend in Satan’s Pride. When he first put out feelers for information, he got nothing. Then, by sheer luck, he was speaking with a man named Hawk, the president of another club closely linked to the Pride men, and it seems we’ve got a problem.”

“Shit!” Sebastian swears, expelling a frustrated breath. Normally, Sebastian’s the first one up for a fight, but since Olivia came into his life, he’s become more cautious. Then Marcella came along, and Sebastian has sworn to keep his family safe.

“Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me start by telling you that the Skulls are only part of the issue. It seems that the leader of the Skulls, Drake Harris, has a thing for a redhead with freckles by the name of Allegra. Victorio was his way to get close to her. Drake liked the idea of bedding a pretty woman, but he also wanted information aboutUltimo Morte.Victorio was too young to remember much of anything from the days his father was part of the family, and that left Allegra,” Reno explains.

“She was a teenager. A young one at that,” Raffaele cuts in.

“But old enough to know more than her brother,” Leo responds.

“But why? Was this Drake guy planning an attack onUltimo Morte?There’s no fucking way they’d win that fight,” I say, looking around the room at the others.

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