Page 54 of The Don

He shakes his head. “It’s too risky. He’ll be expecting an ambush.”

“Possibly afterward, but not before.” I say thoughtfully, and Dom shakes his head. “What if he has the same plan? He has already tried to take out Matteo. We will undoubtedly be next.”

“Which is why we must get to him first.”

Ryan is listening with interest to our discussion and says as an aside, “My sources tell me he follows the same procedure for every meeting. He sends a decoy out first. To anyone watching, it’s the man himself with his wife beside him heading off for lunch.”

“A decoy?” Dom raises his eyes and I nod.

“He has always preferred this method. It’s why he has survived for so long. His decoys have taken many bullets with his name on it, and he merely replaces them when they exit his employment for the afterlife.”

Dom whistles. “The slimy bastard.”

Ryan agrees. “Some may call it ingenious; we all know it’s the mind of a master criminal with no morals.”

“And his wife goes along with it?” Dom says incredulously, and Ryan nods. “She probably prefers their company, anyway.”

He grins. “So, while his wife and his doppelganger are enjoying lunch, Carlos is enjoying lunch of a different kind.”

“I don’t understand.” Dom says irritably and I add, “Whores, brother. He has them delivered, and he indulges in his hobby while his wife is away, and that is why our plan can’t fail.”

“Because he won’t expect an ambush when he leaves in the second car.”

Dom exhales sharply. “I still don’t like it. He will have thought of this and addressed the problem. If you know about his plans, it’s probably common knowledge. Soldiers have loose tongues and no loyalty if they are tempted by a higher bidder.”

“Or were told by someone with an interest in ridding the world of a monster?”

“Who?” Dom leans forward and Ryan laughs softly. “Giselle.”

“What about her?”

I interrupt. “One of Matasso’s soldiers contacted Eduardo. They knew each other from the neighborhood they grew up in, so had a connection.”

“Eduardo?”

“One of my Captains on the edge of our territory. Matasso fucked his wife while he watched because the soldier lost a guy they were tracking who owed them money. As you may expect, the soldier was mightily pissed and dropped the information to Ed out of revenge.”

“Do you trust him?”

Ryan nods. “We checked it out and had one of our ghosts in position observing the Matasso fortress, and he noted the cars leaving and who was in them. The fact he saw what appeared to be Matasso and Giselle leave in one car and two hours later another car left with Matasso also inside backs up his story.”

“Careless.” Dom shakes his head as I lean back in my seat and shrug. “It’s worked for him and has prevented three attempts on his life that I know about. Sometimes the enemy stands in full view and remains invisible.”

Ryan speaks up. “So, today will be no exception. Matasso will expect an attack and send his wife ahead with his duplicate. They will lunch at Farado’s as that is the finest restaurant near to Bagway’s office. Then they will leave, expecting any hit to happen there. Meanwhile, Matasso himself will have finished his own ‘lunch’ and will have arrived at the destination at the rear of the building. He usually prefers to enter through the service entrance disguised as a contractor and then changes in the restroom before heading up to business. He leaves the same way while his duplicate uses the front entrance.”

“So, your plan is to take him out at the service entrance.” Dom looks worried. “Can you trust the informant?”

“He hasn’t let us down yet and the fact his wife is now pregnant with Matasso’s child would dislodge the loyalty of even the most loyal soldier.”

Dom leans back with a low, “Fuck me. I would kill him.”

“Then be my guest. My sniper is already in position, but if he misses, or Matasso manages to evade his bullet, it may be advisable to have a Plan B.”

Dom nods. “What do you have in mind?”

“Wait for him inside. There are many staff in the building, and it would be easy to conceal yourself with some soldiers disguised as workers. An insurance policy if you like to prevent him ever attending that will reading.”

“And Diana, what are your plans regarding her?” Dom looks as if the mere mention of her name passing his lips fills him with distaste and I snarl, “She’s coming home with us, and this time will pay for her sins.”

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