Page 56

“Tell me!”
Dad slowly nods. “Fine. Not too long ago, Kat made a visit to a man named Ian Raines. Diamond dealer slash drug dealer. He’d fucked Viktor over, stole from him. Partnered with the Cinques because he needed a bailout. They used him as bait, knowing Kat would go after him, just like she has with every scumbag who has crossed her father over the past eight years. That’s her MO, and they know it.”
“Okay, so…” I fist my hair. “She killed him? Why is that bad? He deserved it.”
“Yes, but it puts Viktor in a vulnerable spot.”
“I don’t get it.” Jesus Christ, why is this so fucking murky? I didn’t even drink that damn wine, and somehow, I’m still missing the big picture here. “What the hell does this have to do with me and the horse farm?”
I hear the bathroom door creak open. “Fast, Dad. No more games. Tell me what I need to know!”
“Viktor made a lot of enemies when he first came over from Russia. People didn’t like the way he did business, and he was violent. Very violent. He killed a lot of people, stole a lot from the competition. And he made a name for himself. He was feared, until Xiomar Cinque rose up in power. He had a lot of connections in Mexico and wanted to bury Viktor. Drug and human trafficking were the big moneymakers and whoever won the battle would collect big time.”
This mafia history lesson is making my temples pound. “Let’s get to it, Dad. I’ve aged about ten years waiting for you to make your point.”
“The point is, the Cinques put the hit on Viktor’s family to scare him, to make him stand down, to chase him out of California…whatever the hell they needed him to do in order for them to rule the west coast.”
“It doesn’t explain why Kat is still alive.”
“Kat is their insurance. They kept her alive because if Viktor went after them, they’d take her out, too. That’s why he came out here and hooked up with the Salesis. Back then, his businesses were as dead as his family. He needed another lifeline, which is why he picked up with Vito. And the Cinques agreed to leave him alone as long as he left them alone and stayed on this coast.” Dad sighs and sits in a leather recliner. “But Kat…Kat’s the enforcer. And as time went on, she took a lot of risks going after her father’s enemies. To her, if anyone crossed him, it was a betrayal and required extreme punishment.”
“By death.”
“Yes. But Raines was used to bait her. The Cinques knew she’d go after him because of what he’d done to her father. They tracked her.”
“But they didn’t kill her. Why?”
“That’s the part we still don’t know.” Dad sweeps a hand over his head. “Or, at least, I don’t know.”
“Jesus Christ,” I moan. “Why the fuck is everything on lock down all the time?”
“This is our life, Rocco. There are always a lot of unknowns.”
“Yeah, I didn’t sign up for this crap,” I mutter.
Dad stands up and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Be careful, son.”
“I’ll be fine. Are you gonna be okay with Mom and Lindy?”
Dad nods. “Yes. Don’t worry about us. The Salesis have people down there. We won’t be alone. They’ll be watching Grandma’s house and anyone coming near it.”
“I feel like a sitting duck. This really sucks.”
“I know it does.” He pulls me in for a bear hug and squeezes tight. “But it’s only temporary. Talk to Nico.”
“I’ve been trying,” I grumble.
Dad claps me on the back. “You know he’s going to take care of things. I love you, son. Always remember that.”
I feel like I’m about to do the death row walk and it’s damn unsettling. I needed to know what he just told me, but fuck, I didn’t want to hear any of it. I figured once we knew who killed Kat’s mom and sister, we could just take them out and be done with it. But shit has gone sideways…and then upside down and inside out. There’s a reason why they haven’t popped Kat. Viktor knows that reason, not that he’d ever tell me. And I don’t want to wait around to find out.
Something big is gonna happen. That’s why they haven’t gotten to us yet.
If they wanted us dead, we’d already be fish food at the bottom of the Hudson River.
They want us alive. For now.
Nico, what the hell are you doing to get me out of this mess?