Page 34 of Reign of Hope

There’s a long pause, and Zano drops his gaze to his plate, focused on what Sebastian is telling him.

“Where do you want me to meet you?” Zano asks. There’s another pause before he says, “Right. I’ll wait for Elio, and we’ll meet you there.” Sebastian must be talking about me, because Zano lifts his head and looks right at me. “Reno? Really?”

I wish I could hear what Sebastian is telling him, but I don’t have to wait long. “Reno is picking you up, and you’ll be staying with Anna today.” He takes a deep breath. “We found the Skull member who was injured from the shoot-out. He’s alive and at the hospital. Reno wants you safe at his place. Sebastian, Elio, and I are going to go see if he’s conscious and can give us some answers. Go get what you need. Reno will be here any minute.”

Zano goes to get ready while I quickly clear the dishes, gulping down my coffee and devouring my breakfast for extra fortification. Reno’s been very nice to me lately, but he still makes me nervous. I gather the pile of magazines and place them in my oversized tote bag. Anna has great taste, and I’m sure she won’t mind giving me her opinion.

As Zano walks back out, the doorbell rings. He walks straight over, peering through the peephole, then yanks it open. It’s Reno at our doorstep, with Samuele on his hip. Samuele wriggles, wanting to be put down, and as soon as he’s on his feet, he races over to me and wraps his little arms around my legs, looking up at me.

“Well, hello, my handsome boy,” I say.

“Zia Ally. I come to get you!” he exclaims excitedly.

“Where’s your sister this morning?” I ask. The twins are very close, and Samuele has his father’s temperament when it comes to protecting his sister.

“With Mom. They’re making us muffins.” Samuele’s face lights up.

With great exaggeration, I exclaim, “Oh my goodness, muffins! I hope they make blueberry.”

“Chocolate chip!” He giggles.

“Even better.” I look up and finally greet Reno. “Hello, Capo. Thank you for coming to get me.”

Reno has a hint of a grin on his face. “My pleasure. Samuele was very happy to hear you’d be spending the day with him, and Simona has already chosen her new pink nail polish for you to put on her,” he says. “Zano and I are stepping into the hall. Perhaps you can entertain Samuele. We’ll be but a moment.” Reno nods to the door, and both men step out. Samuele makes sure I don’t have time to contemplate what they might be talking about and takes me over to the KerPlunk game.

* * *

Zano

Just as we step out, Elio comes out of the elevator. Reno waits for him to join our huddle. “Sebastian is at the hospital. He’s had to pay off a few cops on the payroll to get time alone with this kid.” I raise my brows at the mention of the wordkid. Reno nods, looking from me to Elio. “Tony Von Garter is a sixteen-year-old punk. The Skulls abandoned him in an alley a few days ago. He was in bad shape. The doctors weren’t sure the kid would pull through. But the police were able to match his prints and DNA to the evidence found at the scene.”

“Has he said anything to the cops?” Elio asks.

“Tony said that he was at the wrong place and the wrong time. He hitched a ride with a bunch of guys, none of whose names he can remember, when a gunfight started, and he got clipped in the midst of it all.” Reno gives a shrug. “Sebastian says the kid is scared shitless. Dante’s pulled up all he can about Tony. His parents are junkies. He has two kid sisters, and they’re freaking out because apparently Tony is their only source of stability.”

“Fuck! The kid joined the Skulls to be able to feed his sisters,” I say.

Reno quirks a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. “This can work in our favor.”

“Leverage to get him back to his family?” Elio says.

“It’s possible. It’s Tony’s choice: life or death,” Reno declares. “Get going. I’ll make sure Allegra stays safe.”

* * *

The Skulls don’t know how to look after their own. Tony Von Garter is a skinny young man, bruised and beaten, on top of having a gunshot wound. Some of the black and blue on his body are faded, but others look fresh. According to the doctor, Tony’s lost a lot of blood and is lucky to be alive. The police have him handcuffed to the hospital bed, not that we give a shit. Besides, Tony is in bad shape and wouldn’t make it out of the building.

Sebastian is the first to walk into Tony’s room. Tony grows pale, or paler, because he didn’t have color to begin with. He goes from pale to freaking out when I walk in. He must recognize me, because I recognize him. He’s the guy from the back of Allegra’s apartment building I saw when I went in after Victorio.

“You…you…” Tony’s voice wanes, and he swallows deep.

“Yeah, Tony, it’s me,” I say, pulling up a chair next to his bedside and taking a seat. “It’s been a while. I see you’ve been busy.” I look over the tubes and equipment he’s attached to.

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it,” he whispers.

“It’s not going to go that easily,” Sebastian says. “You know who Zano is, now let me introduce myself. I’m Sebastian Viale, consigliere to Reno Viale, capo ofNostra Casa. The Skulls have waged a war with our family. It’s a war they can’t win. The result will be the destruction of the Skulls, including their leader.”

“Good,” Tony whispers, clenching his jaw in anger. “I hope they burn in hell.”

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