Page 91 of Veiled Vows

“How?” The sensation doesn’t shift even though the captain’s firm words ring true. “Finding Roman in the city will be like looking for a sliver of glass in a sea of crystal.”

“Do what you’ve been doing since the moment this shit started. Lead.”

I want to roll my eyes and tell him he’s wrong. That his speech is nothing more than a flowery way to make me seem more important than I actually am. But, surprisingly, it’s working.

And he’s right.

The Falzone name should have faded the moment my father died, but I’ve scraped by to keep us alive by seeking out alliancesand ensuring we don’t vanish under everyone else. That has to mean something.

I close my eyes and rub at the spot between my eyebrows. “I want to be as calm as Theresa,” I murmur. “She seems so completely unfazed by everything.”

“She’s not,” he chuckles softly. “She just has years of practice. But if it helps, what’s the first thing she would do?”

Opening my eyes, I try to imagine what my life would be like as her with infinite power and respect at my fingertips. “She would use everything she has to get the information she needs.”

“Exactly.”

Back upstairs in the kitchen, I try to channel my inner Theresa to keep the confidence in my heart as I stare down the eight guards and four staff members left in the estate. None of the staff look me in the eye, but all eight of the guards glare at me like I’m shit on their shoes.

“I’ll keep it short. You’re all going to die. The Gatti’s have fucked with my family for far too long, and I don’t have the patience to wait around any longer. But one of you has a chance to live.” I look at each guard in turn as calmly as I can while my heart pounds like a wild drum beneath my ribs. “Tell me where Roman is and I’ll let you live.”

A sea of silence greets me.

“Alright.” Shrugging one shoulder, I glance toward the captain. “Kill them.”

He clicks his tongue and his men raise their rifles toward each of the guards and the staff. The first guard dies, earning a scream of surprise from one of the staff members. She begins to cry and shake with her head down low. The staff next to her tries to keep her calm, hushing her the best he can as the second guard gets shot. Then the third.

The fourth cracks. “Wait! Wait.” Staring past the barrel of the gun aimed between his eyes, he glares at me. “You’re really going to kill innocent people?”

“No one here is innocent,” I snap. “Including me. I’m just cleaning up a mess. So unless you have something important to tell me…” I raise my hand to signal my guard to continue when the fifth guard in line surges forward.

“Santino took Roman to the Yakuza!”

“You bastard!” The fourth guard surges toward the speaker and is quickly shot dead.

“Continue,” I say calmly as the man who spoke out stares in horror down at the dead body now slumped in front of him.

“He—fuck. Boss said that Alto was supposed to check in. He didn’t. So he said he was going to take Roman back to where he belonged. See, the Yakuza never liked that Roman defected when he learned who his true father was, but the only reason they never did anything was because Santino was protecting him. But Santino…he hates him now so he’s giving him back.”

A sudden bubble of laughter escapes me. “Santino is taking Roman to the Yakuza? For what exactly?”

The guards frown at me, visibly confused. “To let them kill him. Yakuza have a way of making that shit prolonged and painful. He wants a show, says he deserves it.”

The laughter swells up again and I cover my mouth with my hand. It must be the relief, surely.

“The fuck is wrong with her?” mutters another of the guards and a few of them shift uncomfortably.

“Oh my God this is…” I exchange an amused glance with my captain. “Kill the guards. Let the staff live.”

“What the fuck?” The talker surges up onto his knees. “You said if I told the truth, I’d live.”

“I lied,” I giggle, shaking my head. “But I will give you one little tidbit before your passing. You see, Santino is returning Roman to the Yakuza, correct?”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“They’re mine,” I grin. “Iown the Yakuza now.”

37

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