Page 30 of Enemies in Ruin

But now, the Marzanos serve the Valachis, a bitter pill to swallow for my father and the rest of our family. It’s not that the Valachis aren’t powerful in their own right, but with the death of Don Valachi, they’re not seated on the Commission any longer. They don’t have the same level of control that the Marzanos once had, and that’s something that we can’t forget.

I park on the street outside the mansion, not wanting to drag this out any longer than I have to. Men patrol the grounds, one of them approaching to monitor as I climb from the vehicle. He’ll stay while I’m inside, protecting my vehicle from tampering. These men are a reminder of the danger that surrounds us. The streets of Manhattan are like a battlefield, and we have to be constantly vigilant to stay alive.

I walk into the house and down the hallway toward my father’s office. I look for Tom out of habit, wishing his stabilizing presence was around, but he retired recently and isn’t on the property any longer. I find myself glancing at the walls that are lined with portraits of our ancestors, a reminder of where we come from and what we stand for. It’s an impressive sight, but it’s also a sobering one.

They’d turn over in their graves if they knew everything I was up to.

When I enter the room, I see that my father and his men are not alone. Standing by the window is Evie O’Hanlon, a woman I met exactly once before at a dinner party. She’s stunning, with fiery red hair and curves in all the right places.

She doesn’t do it for me, though. There’s something cold about her, something dangerous. Her eyes follow me as I take my place at the table, and I can’t help but feel like a pawn in a larger game. I also can’t stop thinking about Carina and what we just did. I push the image of Carina on her knees to the back of my mind.

“Hello, fiancé.” Evie doesn’t smile as she greets me. I give her a curt nod, not liking the use of the word fiancé, especially after what I just did. But this is business, and it doesn’t involve matters of the heart. I’m sure Evie has someone keeping her company at night. The thought of my woman sleeping with another man would normally make me want to crack bones, but I couldn’t care less with Evie.

My lips tighten. That’s telling.

“The matter for which I called you all here can be discussed in the parlor.” My father speaks without making eye contact with me. It’s not that he’s nervous; this is his normal dismissal mode. Allowing us all to sit down and get comfortable, only to tell us we need to move, is his idea of power play.

I don’t comment but rise, and as I leave the room, I can feel Evie’s eyes on me. There’s something about her that makes me uneasy. I can’t shake the feeling that she’s hiding something and that she’s not to be trusted. But, then, who can be trusted?

As I leave the office, the silence of the hallway engulfs me. The clicking of Evie’s heels is to my back as we make our way to the parlor, but she makes no effort to catch up.

I step into the parlor, and the door closes behind me with a soft click. My eyes immediately flick to Evie. She takes a seat with a cool expression that betrays nothing of what she’s thinking. I can feel the weight of her gaze on me, and I know she’s sizing me up, trying to decide whether she can trust me.

I can feel the tension in the air, and I know that this conversation could determine the future of my family and the entire city.

Evie speaks, her voice like ice. “A little bird landed on my shoulder this morning. It sang an interesting song.”

“Oh?”

“That bird was a crane. I believe it’s time for us to have a talk about the situation at hand.”

“And my father asked you to deliver this news to me?” I sit down across from Evie on a stiff brocade sofa. A small oval table separates us, making the space feel intimate. Evie stretches her legs out, and my mind, for some reason, flickers to the memory of Carina in the shower.

“Yes, he thought it would be best if I explained our proposition more fully to you.”

The proposition she speaks of is our marriage, of course. I already knew that, but now I would know why. But I already had an idea. Evie is the head of the O’Hanlons and the Papparados, two of the most dangerous and influential families in the city. The power that comes with our alliance is immense, but so is the risk.

“Our marriage will be valuable,” she states, and she looks as unhappy about the idea as I do.

“As valuable as being an Untouchable?” I ask, my voice steady even as my mind races with possibilities. The original Untouchables were the stuff of legend, a group of gangsters so feared that even the Mafia trod lightly around them.

Evie’s smile is small, but it sends a shiver down my spine. “Perhaps even more so, considering the alliance that comes with me. But I must remind you, Luca, that this alliance is not being offered to the Scarpettas. You should not be biting the hand that feeds you.”

I know she’s right, that I shouldn’t be risking everything for a chance at power. But the lure of that power is strong, and I can feel myself being pulled in two directions.

Evie continues to speak, her words like knives that cut through the air. She’s a tigress, a predator that stalks her prey with cold calculation. I know that I’m in over my head, but I can’t back down now. “This arrangement only extends between our families. No other family.”

“There was a hit on Carina Scarpetta’s life last night,” I state. Could my power reach out to those involved and stop any impending threats?

Evie rises and walks to the window. The clicks of her heels match the beat of my heart. She folds her arms across her chest, and I rise, ready to say more, when she turns to me.

“Let the pieces fall as they will,” Evie says, her voice cold. “This is the arrangement, and you’re a wise man, Luca. I know you understand what I’m saying.” When I don’t answer, she gives a final nod of her head and leaves the room. The meeting is over, and her meaning was clear. If I want the power an alliance with her brings, I must let the hit on Carina go through.

I sit for a moment and think about why my father didn’t have this conversation with me. He knew allowing Carina to die wouldn’t be something I could accept, but he also knows that having the power to join forces with Evie is something I can’t walk away from, either. I need to find a way to have both.

As I walk back to the Don’s office, I try to sort through my thoughts. But the moment I open my father’s office door, he looks up from behind his desk and makes eye contact with me. He’s ready to talk now.

“She makes some very good points” is all he says, showing me he fully agrees with Evie without me saying a word.

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