Page 28 of Angelo’s Vengeance (The Commission #3)

ANGELO

Kostas and Veronica had been searching for a week now, and they concluded that the Salvatore Renzetti we’d stumbled across was a fraud.

He was someone who had taken up the name of Cosimo Olivetto’s third cousin and had a passable Italian heritage, so he hadn’t been questioned too much about who he was.

Plenty of cash had been flashed about, and people liked that.

Still, when Veronica compared facial features from early school photos of Salvatore Renzetti, they didn’t match the ones captured from security footage we’d been able to grab from cameras in the New Orleans area.

Which begged the question … who was he really? Because we had no idea .

What we did agree on was that Carlotta Santelli was at the center of it all. As Veronica and Kostas dug deep, they’d hit on more and more aliases that she used — more people she’d manipulated as she spread her evil around the globe. Each time I learned another piece, it made me sick to my soul.

For now, I needed to focus on ensuring that the Five Families knew Renzetti wasn’t who he claimed to be, which meant meeting them one-on-one, including that fuckface Scarpato.

Earlier, I planned a meeting with the don of the Cardoni famiglia , a family whose allegiance we needed locked down. The Commission couldn’t afford splinters right now, especially with Renzetti crawling out of whatever hole he had been hiding in to light fires on the edges of our territories.

These endless meetings kept me from Theo, and I hated that.

It had been days since the moment when she’d let me get close in her studio, and I found myself searching for other opportunities to spend time with her, but she’d been slippery, taking her meals before me and going to sleep early, claiming she needed the rest. I’d seen the moment she shut down in the studio when she thought I wanted to go a step further.

Maybe she thought I didn’t realize that she was still vacillating about her commitment to a marriage to me, but I saw it.

I wouldn’t force her into anything. Everything I gave her would come without strings attached.

I had to remind myself that these meetings were just additional steps towards figuring out ways to keep her safe. All of these things I was doing were for her protection.

The lights in Fortune were dimmed, and staff activity was minimal, but Bacco and I agreed it was the best place for a meeting we could control.

Since the rebuilding, we had beefed up security, built bulletproof panels into some of the walls, and even added secret back passages and a safe room.

The catastrophe at Mirage last year, where Frankie had been kidnapped, taught us all a valuable lesson.

We needed to up our game and prepare for the worst eventualities, including other crews coming in and shooting up the place.

I sat in the back of the club, one arm draped across the leather, the other scrolling through encrypted messages—each one more frustrating than the last. Renzetti was still alive, still hiding, and still carving pieces out of our operations like a butcher with a dull blade—messy, deliberate, and personal.

Valentino Cardoni arrived with two guards, exuding enough confidence that I could tell he wasn’t concerned about being in a location over which he had no control.

When we spoke, I wondered if he might want to dictate the terms to a more favorable venue; usually, this wasn’t something I would have suggested.

Far be it from me to hint that I wasn’t willing to meet on his turf.

However, with everything going on with Renzetti, I couldn’t take any chances. There was Theo to think about.

Valentino had taken over from his father just a few years earlier — he was second-generation mafia like I was.

Still, he had been a second son not destined to be a don until his brother had died in a skiing accident in Tahoe.

He was also the father of a little girl, if I wasn’t mistaken, based on the dossier I had on him.

However, there wasn’t much information available on her or her mother, as he wasn’t married.

“Angelo,” he said, shaking my hand. His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ve been hard to reach. ”

“Been hunting ghosts,” I said flatly. “But we’re here now. Let’s talk.” I kept my voice even, but I knew I was struggling to maintain my patience.

He didn’t seem fazed as he motioned for his men to stand by the door and moved further into the lounge. “Nice place you’ve got here. I came once before, but this is even better.”

Motioning towards a booth in the back where Bacco sat, I said, “We made some improvements—learned some things last time that I wanted to implement here. Always making notes with each build. I’m sure you understand, but I appreciate the compliment.

” Waiting for Oscar to pour our drinks, I leaned against the cushions and observed the other man.

The Cardoni famiglia was cautious and intelligent.

Valentino’s father, as well as his brother during his brief tenure, adhered to a modest plan that kept their mafia close to power without overreaching.

I respected that. They weren’t spoken of with fear, but they didn’t shy away from eliminating people either.

The Cardonis stuck to their business and left ours alone .

Rubbing the edge of the crystal glass with the side of his thumb, he watched me. “You want to talk about Renzetti? That what this is about? Or you just wanted to have drinks?”

Nodding, I pushed my drink over and leaned forward.

Bacco and I had discussed how forthcoming to be.

My consigliere didn’t agree with me about divulging information, but there was a line, and I was going to walk it as close as I could.

It didn’t make sense not to try to bring in everyone we could.

“You’re up to date on what happened with Oliveto? ”

“Yes. I think I have the story straight. Cosimo was constantly searching for his brother’s killer. He just couldn’t let it go, but he also couldn’t accept that Fausto was a pig.” He gave me a considering look. “Too bad they both ended up dead.”

Bacco gave a harsh guffaw. “Sounds like you’re sorry.”

The sarcasm wasn’t lost, nor unappreciated. It was how I’d hoped that Valentino would lean.

“As for Renzetti, word on the street is that he’s some kind of lost cousin, but sounds fishy to me.”

Well, well, well. He was smart. Adjusting slightly in the booth, I relaxed a little.

“You’re right to be suspicious.” Sliding my eyes to Bacco, I ignored the way his shoulders tensed.

He definitely didn’t want me to share this next piece of information, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

“We’ve discovered that the man masquerading as Salvatore Renzetti isn’t who he claims to be.

At one time, there was a Salvatore Renzetti who was very loosely connected to Cosimo Oliveto, but it isn’t the man who is parading around today. We aren’t sure who he is.”

Valentino draped an arm along the back of the banquette, his eyes narrowing. “And … I sense something else there.”

“And … Carlotta Santelli,” I couldn’t bring myself to call her my mother, “has been working with Renzetti in the flesh trade. We are committed to stopping both of them at whatever cost.”

Finally, his eyes showed surprise, as if I had given him information he hadn’t had. “So you’ll kill her then if you can?”

“Definitely. She was instrumental in the kidnapping of my fiancée. She’s also definitely involved somehow.

We’ve struggled to figure it out, or find where she’s at — or Renzetti.

There has been motion along the periphery of our territories, but not the man himself.

” Bacco made a slight choking sound. That was definitely too much information, but I could sense the genuine interest in Cardoni.

He looked at me with consideration, and then after a moment, he seemed to come to a decision. “Well, we’re a small famiglia , as you know. There are some ways we could help.” He ran his hands over the rim of his glass while I waited for him to make the fucking point. “Carlotta knew my father.”

I didn’t say I was surprised, but still, my eyes slid over to Bacco. I wanted to swear out loud or kick something.

Valentino continued, “She stayed sometimes at our summer home. There has been activity there recently, but I haven’t been too worried since we have staff there sometimes. It might be worth a look.” He watched me consideringly.

“We have been wondering if there are places she might stay,” I said thoughtfully as if this was earthshaking news. Inside, I was jumping up and down.

“There are a few other locations that I can check, which might be more likely. She stayed with us when I was growing up.” His mouth tightened as if the memory of Carlotta stained his adolescence.

“Thank you. That would be very helpful,” Bacco interjected. “We had no idea that Carlotta had been around Don Cardoni after she’d left the Santellis.”

Valentino reddened, “It was even before that, and after.”

“I see. Did you know that Vallone is my sister’s father?” I threw the last out lazily on instinct. I didn’t think that Valentino liked Carlotta much either. “Carlotta liked to whore herself out.”

Valentino’s eyes slid to the side away from me as rage pooled deep inside my belly at the thought of the woman jumping from don to don looking for power grabs.

A flush rose on Valentino’s cheeks before he added, “My father kept diaries.”

Very interesting.“Did he talk about Carlotta?”