Page 42 of Bound Vows
“Such as?” Denis asks.
“Such as ensuring that anyone who threatens her discovers the consequences of targeting what belongs to me.” I turn back to face my subordinates, noting how they subconsciously step away from the menace in my tone. “Maya’s safety is now a matter of organizational security. Threats against her will be treated as threats against me.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Alexei argues. “You’re compromising operational security for personal attachment. This marriage has created a blind spot that will get us all killed.”
My phone rings before I can respond. I answer immediately, already knowing the news won’t be good. I should beconsummating my marriage right now; no one would dare call me if it wasn’t an emergency.
“We have a problem, boss,” Anatoli, one of my security leads, barks out. “The warehouse in Queens is on fire. Multiple explosions. Looks like a coordinated attack.”
“Casualties?”
“Six dead, twelve injured. Someone hit us during the shift change when security was lightest.” Anatoli pauses, and I hear sirens in the background. “This wasn’t random, boss. They knew when and where to strike.”
“Who?” I demand.
“Intelligence suggests the Gallo organization, possibly working with Chicago muscle. They moved fast and organized like they had inside information about our operations.”
I disconnect the call without a word and look at my subordinates, who are trying very hard not to appear smug about being proven right. “The Gallo family declared war on us minutes after my wedding reception.”
“How convenient,” Katarina observes. “They attack the same day you marry into an allied Italian family. Almost like someone encouraged them.”
“Almost like they’re testing our response to see if marriage has made me weak.” I walk to my desk and retrieve a phone reserved for giving orders that require immediate and permanent solutions. “Anatoli, I want Christopher Gallo’s son taken from his bus stop in the morning.”
“Boss, he’s just a kid?—”
“He’s leverage. Take him to a safe house and await further instructions.” I end the call and look at my lieutenants, who stare at me with varying degrees of surprise and approval. “Anyone else want to question whether marriage has made me soft?”
“That’s not soft,” Denis admits with grudging respect. “That’s fucking brutal.”
I pour another drink and take a shaky breath. “The Gallo family wanted to test my resolve. They’ll discover that some tests have permanent consequences.”
“What about the boy’s father?” Alexei asks. “Christopher is not going to?—”
“He’ll surrender every asset his family controls.” I finish my drink and set the glass down with enough force to crack the crystal. “I want the warehouse attack traced back to its source. Every person involved, every dollar spent, and every phone call made. Then, I want those people to disappear in ways that make their families grateful for closed-casket funerals. Once that’s done, we’ll return the boy to his mother, unharmed.”
“Now you’re talking.”
I walk to the wall safe and retrieve files containing detailed intelligence on every family that attended today’s ceremony. “How many of our wedding guests do you think knew about tonight’s attack?”
“Most of them,” Katarina answers without missing a beat. “The timing wasn’t coincidental. Someone wanted to test whether the marriage had changed your priorities.”
“Then they’ll discover that marriage has expanded my reasons for brutality rather than diminishing them.” I spread the filesacross my desk and begin reviewing family structures. “Maya’s safety is now tied to my reputation. Anyone who threatens her threatens everything I’ve built.”
“Which brings us back to the original problem,” Alexei points out. “Maya’s family has reached out to other organizations, offering territorial concessions in exchange for military support.”
I click my tongue in acknowledgment. “Max Mastroni is building a coalition. The question is whether he’s planning rescue operations or revenge campaigns.”
“Does it matter?” Katarina scoffs. “Either way, his activities represent a threat to your authority and Maya’s usefulness as a political asset.”
“It matters because Maya’s value extends beyond political considerations.” I close the files and look at my lieutenants, who are trying to read the implications of my statement. “Her skills make her an asset.”
“Those skills also make her dangerous if she decides to use them against us,” Denis observes.
“Which is why our honeymoon will take place at the mountain safe house rather than some tropical paradise.” I walk to the window and watch the last of the wedding guests disappear into the night. “Isolation, a controlled environment, and enough security to repel a small army. Maya will have time to adjust to her new circumstances without outside interference.”
“For how long?” Alexei asks.
“Until I’m convinced that her loyalty to me exceeds her loyalty to her family.” I turn back to my subordinates. “Maya’s cooperationhas been impressive, but cooperation under duress is different from genuine partnership. The mountain location will provide clarity about her true intentions.”
