Page 16 of Oath of Protection (Blood Oath Bargains #1)

SIXTEEN

AFTERMATH

Three days after the battle, the compound still smelled like gunpowder and fresh paint.

Construction crews worked around the clock replacing windows and patching bullet holes, their hammering echoing through halls that had seen three generations of Valente family history.

Nico stood in his father's office, watching workers repair the fountain that had taken the worst of the damage.

"The Harbor Commission approved our expansion proposal," she said, setting a stack of legal documents on Sal's desk. "Full permits for the new shipping facility. After this week's... events... they seem more cooperative."

Word about the Kozlovs had spread fast through the city's power structure. Competitors, officials, and business partners all recalibrating their relationships with the Valente family now that the threat was gone.

"Good." He looked older in the afternoon light, but his voice carried the same authority it always had. "What about the federal investigation?"

"Agent Hayes called off the task force," she said. "Officially, they're reassigning resources to more pressing cases. Unofficially, they lost their primary informant and most of their evidence when Vincent disappeared."

Three days of damage control. Making sure the story held together when people started asking questions.

Tony's death defending the compound against foreign attackers.

The Kozlov organization's elimination during their failed assault.

Vincent Torrino's mysterious disappearance, taking his knowledge of family operations with him.

"And Tony?" Nico asked.

"The funeral is tomorrow," he said quietly. "Full honors. He'll be buried in the family plot with proper ceremony."

The decision had been made during those first hours after the battle, while bodies were being counted and stories were being arranged. Tony would be remembered as a loyal son who died protecting his family, not as the traitor who'd nearly destroyed them. Some lies were kinder than truth.

"The men respect the choice," Matt said from his position by the windows. "They understand the difference between justice and vengeance."

Footsteps in the hallway announced Cam's arrival. He entered without knocking—family privilege now, earned through bullets and blood. His left arm was in a sling from the fight with the Kozlov gunman, but he moved with the same alert confidence that had kept them all alive.

"Security report," he said, settling into the chair beside Nico. "Perimeter's been reinforced, new patrol schedules are in effect, and the weapons inventory has been restocked. We're ready for whatever comes next."

"What comes next," Sal said, his eyes moving between Nico and Cam, "is rebuilding. The Kozlov threat is gone, but nature abhors a vacuum. Other organizations will try to move into their territory."

"Let them try," Nico said. "We'll be ready."

Sal studied his face for a long moment, then nodded. "You sound like a boss."

"I am a boss."

"Yes. You are." Sal stood slowly, moving to the window that overlooked the compound's main courtyard.

"Sixty-five years I've been building this organization.

Started with nothing but ambition and the willingness to do what others wouldn't. Now it's time to hand it over to someone who can take it further. "

Succession had always been inevitable, but hearing it said out loud hit differently. Final.

"Pop—"

"The transition will be gradual," he continued. "Six months, maybe a year. Time for you to learn the parts of the business you haven't seen yet. Time for everyone to adjust to new leadership."

Bianca cleared her throat. "There's the matter of organizational structure. With Tony gone, we need a new underboss."

"Matt stays as consigliere," Nico said without hesitation. "His counsel has been invaluable, and the transition will be smoother with experienced advisors."

"Agreed," he said. "And for underboss?"

Nico had been thinking about this decision since the battle ended. The underboss position required someone trustworthy, competent, and completely loyal to the new regime. Someone who understood both the legitimate and illegitimate sides of family operations.

"Dante Moretti," he said. "He's proven himself repeatedly, he's respected by the soldiers, and he has the tactical knowledge to handle security operations."

"Dante's young for the position," Matt pointed out.

"So was I when I started running operations. Age matters less than competence."

He nodded approvingly. "And what about him?" His gaze shifted to Cam. "What's his role in the new structure?"

The question hung in the air like smoke. Cam had been formally accepted as family, but his exact position in the organization's hierarchy remained undefined. He wasn't a soldier in the traditional sense, but he wasn't an outside contractor anymore either.

"Head of Security," Nico said. "Full authority over all protective operations, family safety protocols, and threat assessment. He reports directly to me."

"That's a significant position," Bianca said carefully. "A lot of responsibility."

"He's earned it."

Cam shifted slightly in his chair. "I appreciate the confidence, but I should point out that I'm not Valente by blood. Some of the older soldiers might have concerns about loyalty."

"Any man who questions your loyalty can discuss it with me personally," he said, his voice carrying steel. "You've bled for this family. You've killed for this family. Blood is what makes you family, not the name on your birth certificate."

The formal recognition settled something in Nico's chest that he hadn't realized was still unsettled. Cam belonged here now, completely and permanently. No more questions, no more tests, no more choosing between professional duty and personal commitment.

"There's one more thing," he said, returning to his desk. "The Kozlov organization left behind significant assets. Properties, businesses, accounts that need new management."

"We're taking over their operations?"

"We're integrating what's useful and eliminating what isn't. Their shipping contracts, their real estate holdings, their legitimate businesses—all of that becomes part of our portfolio.

" His mouth curved into something that might have been a smile.

"It's amazing how much a criminal organization can accomplish when it focuses on business instead of violence. "

It was almost funny, in a dark way. The Kozlovs' attempt to destroy the Valente family had instead made them stronger, more diversified, more legitimate. Their failure had become the foundation for the family's next evolution.

"What about their soldiers?" Cam asked. "The ones who survived?"

"They have a choice," Nico said. "Swear loyalty to new management or find employment elsewhere. We're not in the revenge business—we're in the survival business."

"Spoken like a true don," Matt said with approval.

The meeting continued for another hour, working through details of territorial integration, personnel decisions, and the thousand small choices that came with absorbing a rival organization.

When it finally ended, family members dispersed to handle their various responsibilities, leaving Nico and Cam alone in the office.

"You sure about this?" Cam asked quietly. "About making me head of security?"

"Are you having second thoughts?"

"Just want to make sure you understand what you're getting into. Making me family is one thing. Giving me authority over soldiers who've been with the organization for decades is another."

Nico turned to face him fully. "Those soldiers respect strength and competence. You've demonstrated both. If any of them have a problem with your appointment, they can take it up with the new don."

"The new don." Cam's mouth quirked upward. "Has a nice ring to it."

"Doesn't it?" Nico felt something settle in his chest—satisfaction, maybe, or simple recognition that this was where he belonged. "Think you can handle working for a boss who's younger than you?"

"I think I can manage."

They stood in the afternoon light streaming through windows that no longer showed bullet holes, surrounded by the quiet bustle of an organization rebuilding itself. The compound felt different now—less like a fortress under siege and more like the headquarters of a business empire.

"What happens now?" Cam asked.

"Now we get back to work. The shipping contracts won't negotiate themselves, and the Harbor Commission meeting is next week." Nico straightened his tie, preparing to return to the mundane business of running a criminal organization. "Think you can handle the excitement of legitimate commerce?"

"I'll do my best."

As they left Sal's office together, Nico caught sight of their reflection in the hallway mirror—two men in expensive suits, walking side by side with the confidence of people who belonged exactly where they were. The bodyguard and his client had become something else entirely.

They'd become partners in every sense that mattered.

Behind them, the sound of construction continued—hammers and saws rebuilding what had been damaged, making it stronger than before. The Valente compound would rise from the ashes of war, just as the family always had.

The Valente family had survived worse than this. They'd survive whatever came next.