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“Exactly,” I agreed, my tone grim.
“But why go through all this trouble?” she asked. “Why not just strike directly?”
I shook my head, my jaw tight. “Because he wants chaos. He thrives on it. He’s testing us, testing our alliances, seeing who will side with us and who will turn away. If he can destabilize things enough, he can swoop in and take control.”
Sofia’s expression darkened. “He’s trying to play everyone against each other. So, what do we do?”
Before I could say anything, Alonzo set plates of food in front of us, a worried expression on his face. “Is everything alright,signore?” he asked cautiously.
I forced a smile, trying to put him at ease. “Everything’s fine, Alonzo. Just a little… complication.”
I was about to speak when the news anchor’s voice cut through the air again, a sudden urgency in her tone.
“We have just received breaking news from Naples,” she announced. “Authorities have launched a massive raid against another prominent crime family operating out of the region. The Amato family, known for their involvement in drug trafficking and smuggling operations, was hit early thismorning in a coordinated effort involving local and federal law enforcement.”
I frowned, my attention fully captured by the television. Sofia leaned forward, reaching for the remote, her expression serious as she turned up the volume.
“This is the second high-profile raid in less than twenty-four hours,” the anchor continued.“Sources say the raid is part of a larger crackdown on organized crime across Italy, spearheaded by a newly formed task force led by prominent political figures, including Senator Giovanni Ricci.”
Senator Giovanni Ricci. The name made my blood run cold. He had been at the charity ball last night—the same man I’d seen speaking quietly with Raffaele Moretti, looking far too comfortable for my liking. I had noticed them exchanging words but had been too preoccupied with the chaos to think about it.
Sofia glanced at me, her brows knitting together in concern. “That’s the man Raffaele was speaking to last night, isn’t it? Senator Ricci?”
I nodded slowly, my mind racing. “Yeah, it is. They were having a conversation before everything went to hell.”
She turned back to the television, her eyes narrowing as if trying to piece something together. “Why would Raffaele be talking to a senator who’s now leading a task force against organized crime?” she murmured, more to herself than to me.
My thoughts were already heading in the same direction. “It doesn’t make sense,” I muttered. “Unless…”
“Unless Raffaele is working with him,” Sofia finished, turning to face me. “Think about it, Massimo. If Ricci is spearheadingthis new task force, and Raffaele was speaking to him so freely, maybe Raffaele’s been playing a different game all along.”
I felt a knot form in my stomach, the implications of her words sinking in. “You think he’s… what? An informant? A rat?”
She shook her head. “No, not just a rat. What if Raffaele is more than that? What if he’s leading this task force, using his connections in the underworld to bring down rival families… including yours?”
I frowned, my mind racing. “But why? Why would he go after his own kind?”
Sofia’s expression turned thoughtful. “Maybe he’s making a play for power,” she suggested. “If he’s the one feeding the authorities information, he can take out his rivals without ever getting his hands dirty. He can control who goes down and who stays in play. And if he’s tight with Ricci, he could be manipulating the law to do his dirty work.”
I stared at her, considering the possibility. It made sense. Too much sense. “If that’s true… if Raffaele is behind this task force, he’s been setting us up from the start,” I said slowly. “Making us look like the villains while he pulls the strings from the shadows.”
Sofia nodded, her eyes sharp and focused. “And it explains why he framed the Russos for the bomb. He’s pitting everyone against each other while he stays above suspicion. But it’s more than that—he’s making a move to clean up the underworld in his own favor, leaving him as the last one standing.”
A wave of realization hit me, my pulse quickening. “If Raffaele’s got the authorities in his pocket, he could take us all down—one by one.”
Sofia’s gaze was intense, her mind clearly working as quickly as mine. “But he hasn’t made his move against you directly yet,” she pointed out. “Which means he’s still planning… or he needs something else from you.”
Before I could reply, my phone rang again, breaking the tense silence between us. I glanced at the screen—another call from Leo. I picked up, keeping my voice steady. “Leo, what is it?”
“Boss,” Leo said, his tone urgent. “We’ve got a situation. Our shipment—guns intended for the Middle East—was intercepted by the port authorities. Someone tipped them off, and they’ve confiscated everything.”
My grip tightened on the phone. “Damn it,” I muttered, glancing at Sofia.
“What do we do, boss?” Leo asked, tension clear in his voice.
“Keep a low profile,” I ordered. “I need to think. We can’t afford any more surprises.”
I ended the call, my mind whirling. Sofia’s theory was starting to make sense. If Raffaele had been playing us all along, then this was just the beginning of his plan.