Page 118 of Bellini Born
“What aren’t you telling me, Enzo?”
“Private security isn’t equipped to handle this kind of threat,” he explained.
“And what kind of threat is that?” I pressed, the pounding in my head intensifying.
Never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted his following words.
“Dario came after them. Threatened Gemma’s life, then put a hit out on her husband.”
“What the fuck?” I roared. “Why?”
Enzo sucked in a hissing breath. “Sorry to say this situation doesn’t get any better. He was trying to scam our bettors out of money, and when Gemma refused to cooperate, things got ugly.”
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered.
“You know she wouldn’t ask for help if she wasn’t terrified out of her fucking mind.”
I could empathize with Gemma, having recently almost lost the woman I loved at the hands of others.
There was no question that if it were in our power to do so, we would offer our assistance. She might’ve branched out on her own, but Gemma was still family, and we never denied a request for help.
“Send Marco’s team. It’s better if they do something useful instead of waiting for Gio to magically reappear.”
“On it.”
“Do we have a location on Dario?” His behavior could not go unpunished.
Bitter laughter sounded from Enzo. “The worthless piece of shit bit off more than he could chew, gambling with our clients’money, so he took a page out of Gio’s book and turned into a ghost without paying them their winnings.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course he did.” My uncle was a spineless fucking coward. Not that it was a surprise to anyone, considering he spent years beating up on women and children. Only weak men needed to do that to feel powerful.
“I’ve already taken care of those who were stiffed and added a little extra on top for the trouble.”
“Great. Is there anything else, or can I enjoy one last Italian sunset before returning to the endless Chicago winter?”
“Nothing else on this end,” Enzo announced. “Fly safe, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait,” I grumbled under my breath as I hung up.
Shaking my head, I looked skyward. Though this trip abroad hadn’t exactly been a vacation, it had been a nice reprieve from the constant demands of my everyday life, where I’d been forced to fill my big brother’s shoes with no warning. But I had a responsibility to those who loyally served my family, and it was time to go home and lead them into battle.
“I heard you shouting. Is everything okay?”
My head dropped to find Summer had entered my makeshift office, and a smile curved on my lips. Who needed to watch a sunset when you were able to bask in the radiant glow of this incredible woman’s attention?
I nodded. “Yeah. Enzo had news.”
She eyed me warily. “Good news or bad news?”
“Little bit of both,” I admitted. “Good news is we uncovered who committed arson and torched our house. But the bad news is we have to go home and deal with them, so I’m afraid to say our honeymoon is over.”
Her gaze dropped to the floor. “I understand.”
I stepped closer, tipping her chin up. “We can come back. Just the two of us in a few months, if you’d like. Or I can take you somewhere else. Anywhere in the world your heart desires.”
Blue eyes shining bright, she shook her head. “It’s not that.”
My hand cupped her jaw. “Then what?”
