Page 37

37

ROMEO

“You said he’d fucking left the country! That multiple cameras picked him up in Albania, and our on-the-ground informant confirmed he was there this morning! So how the fuck is the Butcher still in my city?”

Franco didn’t cower in front of Matteo, but I saw the fear in the hacker’s eyes. “I don’t know, boss. You saw the pictures of the Butcher from this morning yourself.”

Matteo’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, and I’m sure it would be easy for someone like you to fake images like that.”

“I would never betray you, Don Rossi. Never.”

Franco’s family had been loyal to Matteo’s father and had never accepted his usurper uncle’s rule. When Franco became a Made Man at eighteen, he’d told Matteo he was interested in computers and thought he’d be more helpful to the Family that way. Matteo supported him getting his degree in computer engineering, and he trained under several hackers in the years that followed until he was one of the best in the world. I couldn’t imagine why the quiet, reclusive man would betray us, but I understood Matteo’s suspicions. None of us had expected Domenico to betray us last year, and it had led to so much pain and suffering.

“You’re relieved of your duties and on house arrest. Enzo will escort you to your apartment. We will remove all of your computers and other devices.”

“Sir, please, I would never?—”

Matteo cut him off with a slice of his hand. “Leave.”

Franco walked past me with hunched shoulders. Enzo was waiting for him when the door opened, arms crossed, eyes hard. He gave Matteo a curt nod before escorting Franco away.

Our men liked Franco. He was a bit odd and rarely left his office cave, but his hacking had saved Family lives many times over. This would cause massive ripples in our ranks.

“Are you sure about this?” I’d never held back with Matteo. He had been my friend before he’d ever been Don. But the icy glare fixed on me now made me remember why our enemies called him the Angel of Death.

“Are you questioning me?” He took a step towards me, but I held my ground.

“I didn’t realize this was a dictatorship.”

“We are under attack. My wife, newborn baby, and sister are under attack! Either Franco is a traitor or he’s incompetent—neither are traits I will tolerate.” Matteo was breathing heavily, eyes wild, and I softened slightly.

I wished I could argue against his logic. I didn’t want to believe we had another traitor in the Family, and certainly not a man who had personally saved my life on multiple occasions. But we were in a precarious position—not just when it came to the safety of our family, but also for our position in the world of organized crime. We could not be seen as weak, or other factions would start moving in.

“You know how much I love them, too.”

Matteo nodded. “I know. But I need you focused.”

I bristled. “I am focused.”

“No. You’re letting some fucking piece of ass distract you.”

My fists clenched, and it took all my self-control to keep from punching him. “Don’t you ever insult her again. And distract me? Like Sofiya distracts you?”

Matteo’s face was a mask of fury as we stood chest to chest. “Sofiya was useful to me, to the Mafia, in forming an alliance. I don’t even know who this woman is.”

We stared at each other, breathing hard, until Matteo took a step back, his hand running through his hair. “Fuck. Fuck! Don’t tell Sofiya I said that.”

He sat down and put his head in his hands. The past few months had taken a toll on my brother. Between the stress of the Albanians, reforming the alliance with the Bratva, and worrying about Sofiya and Clementine, he had new gray hairs.

“You know I love Sofiya. More than anything. I didn’t mean?—”

“I know, fratello.” I sank back down in my chair.

I’d never seen love like what Matteo showed Sofiya, except for maybe in my parents’ relationship when my father was still alive.

“Do you love this girl?” he asked.

I swallowed. Did I love Juliet? The thought of my life without her crushed me. But what if I truly embraced what was happening between us, pulled her into my life, and exposed her to danger? Was that love?

“Maybe,” I admitted. “But maybe it’s more loving to let her go. How could I bring her into this life and put her in danger?”

“You need to decide. Make a clean break of it, or bring her in. You’re putting her and us at risk as it stands.”

I wanted to push back, to tell him he was wrong, but I couldn’t. The longer I stayed connected to Juliet, the more danger she was in.