Page 12 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

“I know. We know women have never been off-limits to him.”

“Which is the reason for my call. Carleen needs to wake, and Lizzy needs to stay ready. He’s going to come for us all once Gio makes his final move. I need to cover my sons. If any of the women in their lives are…”

“I understand. I know. Gio has promised to wake Carleen already. Lizzy is always training, Gio has also made sure of that. You don’t have to worry. We will all be ready. We’re here for whatever Gio needs. We’ll be ready for war.”

“Bene.”

I hang up and stare into space. This is what I’ve been counting on. Everyone is playing their part.

I knew Gio would be angry, much like I know Dante will be furious when he learns the truth about me and his father. I fear what my youngest will do if he has the knowledge of all that has been going on.

I want Riccardo dead, but it’s not for Dante to do. Riccardo belongs to my oldest three—Gio, Jace, and Ny, they own his last breath.

Chapter 5

Warning

Gio

Ten months later…

“No, Carleen, I’m glad you called. Congratulations on the new place. Sure, I have a guy,” I say into my earpiece as I hold a finger up toward Lizzy while we make our way up from the basement training room at the Dollhouse.

I wanted to go down and check in on Ming and the girls. She seems to be handling things well with them in Ny’s absence. Lizzy stopped by because I promised her dinner. I had planned to pick her up, but I should have known she’d stop by.

One of her favorite bookstores is in the neighborhood. No doubt she was there before she came in. She pops by there whenever she gets a chance. I’ll make sure we go again before our dinner reservations.

“Thanks, Gio. You know how Dario gets. If I ask him for help, he’s going to take over and he has enough going on in his life,” Carleen says, pulling my thoughts from Lizzy.

I scoff to myself. Dario thinks he has a lot going on in his life. I want to ease his mind, but I can’t yet. I need him to see this promotion through blindly. He’ll know all he needs to know when the time is right.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart. You’re family. My guys will take care of you.”

She sighs in relief. “Thank you so much. You just took a ton off my shoulders. Now if only you could find me a good boyfriend,” she teases.

I grin and lift a brow. “I have a friend who’s been dating on one of those apps. I’ll text you a link.”

“Really? I don’t know about something like that, Gio. With my luck, I’d get some crazy.”

“And you have three crazy Italians who are only a call away. Try it. You can tell Jace if you’re going to see someone in person, he’ll look into them before you meet up.”

“That’s asking a lot.”

“Nothing is too much for you.”

“Listen, I have to go. Your brother is banging on my door.”

I chuckle. “Let him in before he breaks it down. Talk to you later.”

I hang up and send over the number for the contractor she asked for and the link to the app. I had one of the girls hack and duplicate the real one a few weeks ago. It’s the app we found Lou Kelley’s profile on. The way he ogled Nyla over, I know he’ll bite once Carleen shows up.

My little brother still hasn’t made a move to get what he wants. I might need to move things along for him. Pushing them into a restaurant together didn’t do the trick like I thought it would. Time to take things up a notch.

I look at my watch and crack my knuckles. The Dollhouse doesn’t open for another three hours. I place a hand on Lizzy’s back to guide her as she has her nose in her phone, reading and not paying attention.

We walk out onto the main floor. I frown and sigh. Lizzy looks up at me with her lips parted.

“You know I hate it when you come here, right?” I say, continuing our conversation from before Carleen’s call.

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