Page 40 of The Sound in Silence

He barks out a laughter. “Eel. Seriously? That’s the best you can come up with.” He shakes his head a few times, but returns to the serious version of him I need. “It’s fucked when I can’t find them in the same damn city.”

It is. Caladin’s the best tracker in theFamiglia. If someone needs to be found, I ask him. He’ll always retrieve them. He’s been holed up in one of the back offices of a casino here, scouring the city’s footage when we pulled it from all the major roads.

“Unless the Volkovs already left,” Caladin suggests. “We could very well be searching for literally nothing.”

“Maybe. But that doesn’t answer where my father’s hiding. He hasn’t taken the jet back home, which means he’s still in the city. If he’s here, I bet they are too.”

“Why’s your father such an ass? He really sucks at taking no for an answer. I mean, throwing Vanessa at you…”

Caladin always speaks direct, and more often than not, I’m thankful for it. I lift the glass in my left hand in a toast, silently agreeing with him before I down it in one go and stand. I begin toward the bar, but instead, rest the glass on the nearest flat surface and head for the door. Something about the way the sun shone right against the wood paneling of the bar flashed another image through my mind. An image of another room, much grander than this one.

Caladin scrambles to get to his feet, rushing after me. “Where to now, Boss?”

I throw a look over my shoulder right as I exit the condo and hit the button for the elevator. “Must you call me that?”

He shrugs one shoulder. “Itisyour position now.”

“Doesn’t feel like it,” I grumble as the elevator shows up. “Not when my fucking father is still trying to maintain control of shit.”

As the elevator descends, Caladin realizes he still has no idea my plans. “Where we going?”

“Palms Casino. Just remembered, we own the Empathy Suite.” The place costs one hundred thousand dollars per night. Easy money maker for rich motherfuckers who have nothing better to spend their wealth on.

“And?”

“And, whatever my father is up to, he’s trying to make nice with the Bratva. Which means putting them up at the most elite place we have access to.”

* * *

The best thing about being me is that staff always hands over information without hesitation. The moment we entered the Palms Casino lobby, the pale faces of the reception staff told me all I needed to know. And then one, unsuspecting soul revealed the rest the moment Caladin and me approached.

“Sir, you’ve just missed your father.”

I throw aahaexpression to my right, where Caladin’s leaning against the counter, rolling his eyes at me. “Was he with people?”

“A large man and a woman. Young. Long black hair.”

“Ursin and Vanessa,” I summarize to my cousin before demanding, “They say anything before they went?”

The boy nods rapidly, until his long bangs cover his face. “Your father said they’re checking out. He’s finished with your room.” He shifts, glancing to the computer in front of him and back. “Um, were you also looking to use it? A cleaning crew can get up there immediately.”

“Don’t bother.” I shove away from the desk and spin on my heel, tipping my head for Caladin to follow. “At least, I was right. I’ll call the Vegas airport. The Volkovs either arrived by their plane, or they took commercial, so I wouldn’t know they were in the city.” If Father gave their flight team approval to land on Rossi territory by his jet, he risked me learning about their presence before he was ready for me to.

I’m barely past the hotel lobby when my phone rings, the Rossi pilot’s name flashing over the screen.This can’t be fucking good…

“Erico here.”

“Sir, I just saw your father.”

I was fucking right.I dive toward the corner of the lobby, lowering my phone but upping the volume so Caladin can hear too. But leave it off speakerphone, so the pilot’s voice doesn’t travel too far.

“Where?”

“Airfield. I thought he was going to ask me to return him to New York but minutes after he arrived, another plane showed up. Plain black. He and two others boarded it and flew off.”

“Young woman, older man?”

“Yes.”

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