Page 10 of Sworn to My Heart
As I open the door to my office, Mariano immediately walks past me, and starts making calls. I can always count on him to do all the dirty work for me in my name.
Taking my seat behind the desk, I tune out Mariano’s calls as he gathers intel, focusing on the French’s recent activities in my territory. Mariano mentioned their increased expenditure on our prostitutes and their escalating disturbances at my club. They’re growing bolder, and if they provoke a war, I’ll dismantle them methodically. But first, I must ensure they haven’t tied Alin to me before proceeding.
At least now I know that Graham is with the two girls, watching over them, so I don’t have to do it secretly and worry tonight. They’re safe. The image of Alin standing there, protecting Cora when we burst into the apartment, just waking up from sleep, won’t leave my mind. I can’t ignore my attraction to her, but her instinct to shield Cora reminds me of something wilder, more primal. A fierce readiness that hints at a past steeped in danger. Before she recognized us, I glimpsed a determination in her eyes to confront, not merely defend, but to eliminate threats. It’s the gaze of a predator, powerful and calculating, accustomed to prevailing. She confirmed it herself when she mentioned she could have ended us. But her immediate regret was evident, she hadn’t intended for us to see her predatory nature.
I will find out what Alin Gray’s story is. I can’t afford another complication, especially one that jeopardizes my family. If some dark revelations surface from her past, Cora will need to severties with her as well. Perhaps distancing herself from Alin is precisely what will help me eradicate any lingering attraction.
While I focus on pinpointing the French’s vulnerabilities and resisting thoughts of Alin, Mariano returns with a trove of gathered information. He marks the latest surveillance points on the map, piecing together connections and forecasting their next moves.
“Finally, some action,” Mariano and I suddenly hear someone say. We immediately turn around, spotting Pedro standing at the doorway.
“You always look for action, even where there isn’t any. I really hope you came here with information and didn’t just arrive late because you were dreaming about Care Bears,” I snap at him with a mix of anger and frustration. Pedro is the youngest brother, and since Mariano and I have always taken on the heavy responsibilities, he grew up without burdens on his shoulders. As a result, he allows himself to slack off or make mistakes that Mariano and I always have to cover for. This behavior exhausts me, and I refuse to tolerate it any longer. He needs to work and prove he’s part of the family and won’t bring shame to any of us.
“Is that how you know me, Luca?” he asks with a chuckle, confidently walking into the room and standing in front of my desk. Yes, that’s exactly how I know him, I nod and sigh.
“No games, Pedro. What did you find?” I cut straight to the chase; my patience worn thin by his casual demeanor.
“You’re really edgy today, must be the lack of sleep,” he chuckles, testing my resolve, and I can’t tolerate his disrespect any longer. Rising swiftly, I seize him by the collar with force. “I may be your brother, but I am your Capo. Act and speak accordingly, especially in times like these! Do you understand?” I warn, tightening my grip until his face begins to pale. He drops his gaze, hands raised in surrender.
“Sorry, sorry, here, look,” he quickly adds, showing me the messages on his phone. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I sit back down, satisfied that I’ve wiped the smirk off his face; he needs to uphold his responsibilities in our organization. I look at his phone and see screenshots of messages written half in English, half in French, and it’s not clear what I’m supposed to understand from it.
“What are these messages?” I ask Pedro, knowing he’s now gathered himself and will clarify the information for me.
“It’s Martin, the bastard. What all these messages say is that the French have deliberately spent a lot of money here recently,” he says, confirming my suspicions that something was wrong from the start.
“Well?” I urge him to continue, and he complies.
“They got hold of Angelo this week. They know he manages our smuggling operations and, after torturing him and his daughter, he spilled everything—our suppliers, schedules, everything. They’ve effectively crippled us while pretending to strengthen ties with lavish spending on drugs and prostitutes. Martin’s blocked our supplier and diverted our shipments. Our next supply in two days won’t arrive. They’ve struck a deal with another supplier,” he finishes, his tone grave and poised for action. I had sensed the recent extravagant spending had a deeper motive, but this exceeds stupidity. I’m furious I didn’t realize it sooner.
“They have no financial gain from spending all this money here, and buying out our main supplier too. It has to be pure revenge. Such a stupid move. They don’t have the budget to keep holding our supplier permanently, and certainly not to keep buying our goods like this. Mariano, you and I are going to meet with our precious Angelo and show him what happens when you betray us,” I declare threateningly, looking at Marianoas my devilish side comes back into play. It has been quiet and comfortable for too long, and I lost my focus; that won’t happen again.
Turning to Pedro, I issue a direct command. “Prove to me you’re capable this time. Find out when Angelo was taken, and why we weren’t informed until now.” He nods solemnly, and for the first time, I sense he’s ready to step up.
“We’re going to deal with that fucking asshole Martin and all his soldiers, one by one, and I’m going to enjoy every second of those little shits begging for their life,” I inform my brothers with full confidence. They’re nothing and they need to remember that. I have no problem giving them the reminder.
“We do have one problem,” Mariano suddenly says. “Our dear supplier is in Vegas right now.”
“Then we’ll make sure to surprise him in Vegas. We need to go there anyway to close the deal with Flavio,” I announce.
“Pedro, can I trust you to handle things here? I’ll leave Abert with you. He’s the only one I trust completely to help you and stay here,” I look at Pedro and feel proud when he nods and takes his role seriously.
“Mariano, I don’t know how long we’ll be in Vegas, so ask Cora to pack. She and Graham will come with us; we’ll leave her with her family. She’ll be safest there until we finish everything we need to,” Mariano immediately agrees, and I quickly rise from my seat, heading toward the door. I turn to them just before I exit.
“We’ve been quiet for too long, and we started feeling too comfortable. That will not happen again, understood?” My eyes narrow as I step closer, my voice slicing through the room. It’s time to show them that no one messes with the Capo of New York.
Alin
I wake up in the morning to the delightful smell of cooking. My eyes immediately snap open as I realize I never cook in my apartment. I turn my head frantically and see Cora happily dancing around in the kitchen, making breakfast.
Relaxing, I smile to myself, grateful for her presence in my life, even though we both keep secrets from each other. She has her reasons, just as I do.
“Wow, it smells amazing! And such a beautiful chef,” I compliment her as I approach. Startled, she jumps in place, clearly engrossed in her culinary task.
“Someone has to get some fat on your skinny body, and I don’t see any man lining up to do it,” she says teasingly, and I snort in disdain.
“Unlike you, my dear, I don’t want a man to take care of me,” I say, and she furrows her brows, ready to stab me with the fork in her hand.
“Unless he looks like Mariano,” I quickly add, and she bursts out laughing.
