Page 45 of Reluctant Heir

“I was at Blue Light, blowing off some steam since I got the night off—”

“Doesn’t give you the right to be an idiot,” I tell him. “Tell me what this is about, so I can stop wondering if our plans have been compromised.”

“What plans?” Fernando asks, furrowing his brow, and then he must read the complete lack of patience on my face because he opens his mouth again. “It’s not about a girl, not like that.” He coughs and takes a damn long time, getting a drink of water. “My sister was there, Francesca. And some guys were harassing her, so I stepped in.”

I realize how much I don’t know about my own people who work in my house. I only know about her because Geo did.

“I try to keep her … away from all of this,” he continues.

“That doesn’t matter. Tell me about who did this.”

“They weren’t from here. They didn’t talk, just dragged me outside and fucking beat me to a pulp. The only thing they said to me was, ‘Tell them we know,’ before they fucking left me in the back alley.”

“Tell who?”

“I think you and the other bosses,” he says, squinting up at me.

“Where were they from?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen them around with any of our families, so either they were hired out or aren’t from this area. What do they know?” he asks, and I ignore him.

Fernando shuts his eyes, blowing out a long breath. “I think they might have been from Chicago since Francesca was there.”

I stare at him, knowing what that means. They could be Leoni. I knew Fernando was from Chicago originally. His father left with mine, bringing Fernando and his sister and mom with him. But it got to be too much, and his wife left, taking Francesca back home to Chicago and back to her family, who were wrapped up with the Leonis. Fernando’s father had plans to return to Chicago once he was more settled and bring back his wife and daughter, but he was killed before that happened. His mom remarried a guard in the Leoni crime family, and then Francesca was stuck. It’s a screwed-up situation.

“Is that where your sister has been?”

“Yes,” he says.

“Where is she now?”

“I don’t know,” he says again.

What a wealth of information.

“I never saw her after that. They could have taken her.” His eyes take on a panicked look.

I groan in frustration. Just what I need—a complication.

“Fuck, Fernando. You know for sure this shit involves me? It can’t be anything else?”

“Who else could they be talking about?”

I pace, raking my hands through my hair, and look back at him. “I’m not finding her. I’ve got too much at stake to risk it.”

He blows out another breath, and this time, he pushes up to sit, gritting his teeth against the pain as he props himself up against the headboard. “I won’t ask that of you. Once I can stand, I’ll look for her.” The sadness in his voice makes my top lip curl.

I won’t fall prey to his theatrics. Stupid fucking decisions made by others aren’t going to be my problem. I have to think of my family, my sister.

Lilliana’s disappointed face leaps into my mind, and I know what she would think of me if I didn’t do everything in my power to find Francesca.

I won’t do it. I have a coup to stage. And apparently, someone else is coming after me and the bosses for some unknown reason. If it’s Leoni, I have a big fucking problem on my hands.

“Heal up. You are back to work as soon as you can stand,” I tell Fernando without a backward glance.

I chewon a toothpick as I look out the window. There’s not much to see but bushes and rocks under this overpass. Geo is in the driver’s seat, his eyes meeting mine every once in a while when he glances over. We opted to do this meeting just us, no driver that I have to wonder if he’s trustworthy or not. The tension is thick in the vehicle, and I drum my fingers on my knee while we wait.

“They are late,” Geo says.

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