Page 58 of Vengeful Union

“We’d better fill in Dante and Denis.” Hurt echoes through her words.

“He made his bed the day we found out you were the Boss. Since then, he’s just been a fucking bastard,” I say, wanting her to see that this isn’t her fault. That this is down to that fucker’s selfishness and hunger for power. “He should have stood by you. He made his bed, Makenna, now he’s going to lie in it.”

She nods stiffly, turns, and strides back into the house. I follow her. I need to sort this out, but I want to be with Destiny. I can’t imagine what she’s going through right now. She’s not like me. She’s not programmed the way I am. I can deal with killing people, including my own fucking family, if I need to. But Dest, she’s sweet, kind, and caring. Her heart is so full of love and compassion. Seeing her shoot her father shocked the shit out of me, and it takes a lot to do that. I saw the pain and anger in her eyes as she pulled that trigger.

Watching her leave was hard, but I know that right now, I need to get ahead of this shit with Patrick and make sure his plans are thwarted.

“What did Destiny give you?” Denis asks, his impatience showing.

I throw the envelope onto Makenna’s desk, and Dante instantly dives for it, snatching it up and reading through it.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” he growls, his jaw clenching, eyes filled with anger.

“What?” Makenna hisses. “What the fuck has he done?”

“He and that fucker Carter were working together to bring us down. From the information Destiny has given us, Patrick has about fifty men, both Italian and Irish, on his side.” Dante smashes the envelope back down onto the desk. “He’s got three fucking buildings where he’s been storing weapons, drugs, and fucking money.”

Denis rocks back onto his heels. “Not only is he a betraying bastard, but he’s also a thief.”

Makenna’s face is stoic. She’s pissed, but I can also see this is hurting her.

“As much as I hate to say this,” I begin, “this is too much for just one person. Someone else is part of this.”

Denis nods in agreement. “Definitely.” His accent gets thicker as his anger rises. “Someone, whether it be Clann or Famiglia—someone is helping Patrick.”

“It stops.” Makenna’s voice vibrates with her anger. “It fucking stops. Anyone who is working with them is dead. There is nothing worse than going against the family.”

“Whether they be Irish or Italian, anyone onside with Patrick will pay for their betrayal.” Dante runs his hand through his hair. “The question is, who is Patrick’s partner?”

“Destiny’s given us pictures of who has been in those buildings,” I tell them. “It’s time to call in the family.”

Makenna bristles at my words. “We can’t trust them.”

“I’m talking about Killian, Hayden, and Liam, along with their men. They don’t have a problem with you, Kenna. They trained you; they helped you become the Boss. We need them right now.” As fucking shit as it is to say that, it’s the fucking truth. We need people we can trust, and that means bringing in people who aren’t close to the action, so to speak.

Makenna nods, her body tense. “I’ll call Liam; Denis, you call Killian.”

Liam will bring his sons, Hayes and Hayden. Liam married my Aunt Edwina and is the head of the Clann in the Midwest. His son Hayden is Underboss and Hayes is a captain. When his daughter, Jade, is released from prison, she too will become an underboss.

“On it,” he responds gruffly. We’re all feeling the betrayal. It stings deep. “Danny, Mal, and Melissa are on hand. Knowing Callie, she’ll call her family and they’ll do some digging. They will be pissed that someone threatened the family.”

Dante nods. “Do it. We’re going to send a fucking message. It’s time for the East coast to realize we are not messing around. You come for one of us, you come for us all.”

“Have we thought about the possibility that Alessio could be in on this?” Denis asks, and silence meets his words. Utter silence.

“Not a fucking chance,” Dante snaps.

“I get that he’s your brother, but Pat’s ours. Are you completely sure he’s not a part of this? He’s never around, yet he’s close enough to us to get as much information as he needs. He’s closer to the family than Pat is. Who would be better?”

Dante glares at me. “Ales is not in cahoots with Patrick.”

Makenna sighs. “We are not blaming anyone. Accusing someone of something they haven't done is a surefire way to not only piss them off, but it could also push them toward Pat. Having our men cast aspersions on them is damaging. So lay off the blame game.”

“What we found out doesn’t go any further,” Denis says. “Only family, close family, is to know. Romero, Danny, Mal, Hayden, Killian, and Liam. That’s it. Everyone else is under suspicion.”

“I’m telling you,” Dante snarls, “it’s not fucking Ales.”

“If you truly believe that, good for you. But I don’t,” I tell him. “I don’t trust anyone but my immediate family with my sister’s life. Dante, think about what could happen if you’re wrong.”

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