Page 57 of Taken by the Mafia King (Kings of Philly #1)

KILLIAN

T he men in my office were all lower bosses of families that had enterprises between Philly, Boston, and New York.

None of them had the kind of sway or business I’d acquired over the years, but they had enough power in their own territories that allying with them against the De Luca family would make an actual difference.

The real work would be in the aftermath.

The destruction of one of the most powerful families on the eastern seaboard would have a ripple effect, and we all knew it.

Turf wars were common after a power struggle. Bosses would fight for the freed-up resources left behind in the wake, and I couldn’t let that happen. Chaos was bad for business.

While they all stood to gain something from taking out Giuseppe, several of the men were still hesitant to work with me.

Like they had the option.

I had Sera to thank for the sudden shift in the dispositions of the outliers standing in the room when I returned to my office. The murmured whispering done while I was trying to shake Sera down in the hallway ceased as I strode back into the room, cuffing my sleeves.

Let them whisper. It wouldn’t mean shit in the end when all the pieces were played.

I looked around the room, challenging any flicker of uncertainty I saw in their eyes. “Where were we?”

One of the men glanced from me to the finger still on the coffee table. I hadn’t forgotten. I could smell it. Perhaps the severed digit would leave more of an impression on them than my girl storming in here like she owned the fucking place.

My girl?

I moved to the fire and continued like we’d never been interrupted.

“As I was saying, Giuseppe is a child. He doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

His wealth and territory are built on his late father’s back.

The boy has no idea what assets he controls, but I do.

” I turned and sank into an armchair, crossing my ankle over my knee.

I had the rapt attention of every bastard in the room.

“You will split whatever’s in his warehouses and mansion between the eight of you.

I will dictate who gets what when it comes to breaking up his territory.

The De Lucas’ operations overseas are vast, and those are staying within my family’s control for the time being.

At least until you prove your worth to me. ”

I looked from man to man, each of them paler than the next.

Lombardi’s ring gleamed on the coffee table, the flicker of the fireplace catching the glint of metal against pale, dead flesh.

I should leave a body part on the coffee table for all my meetings, I mused.

I knew they had questions still, but none of them said a word as I leaned forward.

“The woman you just saw is off limits to everyone. It’s no secret who she is, but if I hear that any of you have opened your fucking mouths and started talking about why I have Andre Bianchi’s daughter in my house, I’ll kill you and make your wives and mistresses clean up the mess.

And I’ll take a trophy, too.” I glanced at the finger before staring hard at all of them one by one. “Understood?”

Everyone nodded without hesitation.

“Any questions?”

“No.”

“Not at all.”

“You got it, Boss.”

Boss. I smirked at the man who’d said it.

“That’s it, then.” I waved a hand in dismissal and the men left the room. The last man to leave, a boss from Boston, closed the door behind him.

Francesco chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned against the window on the far side of the room. Tommaso, on the other hand, looked like he was going to either break something in half or puke.

“What is it, Tommaso?” I asked, leaning forward and taking the finger by the ring, careful not to touch the flesh. I tossed it into the fireplace without a second thought and stood to go scrub my hands in the half bathroom attached to the room.

He waited until I returned from the bathroom, drying my hands on a plush towel that I tossed on my desk. He looked uneasy as he slid his hands in his pockets. “What was Sera going on about out there?”

“Delaney being a problem,” I replied, leaning on the edge of my desk and crossing my arms over my chest. “Which she is.”

“I put a chair in front of her door,” Francesco said.

“I don’t think that’s enough. She’s picking the deadbolts any chance she gets. She took her dresser apart to get to the nails, Killian,” Tommaso explained. “She’s desperate. Desperate people do crazy shit. They’re unpredictable.”

“Then I’ll chain her to the bed,” I said. “I paid too much for her to kill her outright. We’ll have to make do for now.”

“As much as I want to talk about these dumb broads,” Francesco cut in as he inspected his fingernails, “what the fuck are we doing about Giuseppe?”

“If I hear you refer to Serafina as a dumb broad again, I’ll slit your throat,” I said with collected calm, staring him down.

He looked up at me, narrowing his eyes slightly as I continued.

“To answer your question, we will take him out. In three days. Everything goes. His warehouses, his houses, his safehouses. Every ally he has will see what has been done.”

“You’re starting a war,” Tommaso warned.

“I’m escalating a war,” I corrected. “So be it. The men who were just here saw what I’m capable of, and I don’t think any of them want to be just a rotting finger in my basement.

” My attention returned to Francesco. “You’ll delegate who gets what during the raids.

Everything goes, but the girls he has captive are to be taken back to our safehouses and cared for until we can get them back on their feet. ”

“And Andre?” Tommaso asked, his eyes meeting mine.

“Andre will watch Giuseppe’s kingdom get ripped apart and see what’s coming his way.

That’s the plan. If he’s smart, he’ll go into hiding and give up his territory.

If not, we make an example of Giuseppe and leave his head on Andre’s doorstep.

” I ran my tongue over my lower lip, smiling a bit at the thought.

I would knock each king off his throne until I was the only one left.

Until I owned it all.

And in Andre’s case, I had a secret weapon he wouldn’t see coming.

Francesco nodded and made to leave the room, but Mikey came through the door to my office slightly out of breath.

“Why aren’t you with Sera?” I snapped, then stood up straight when I noticed the frantic look in his eyes.

Mikey shook his head. “We got a major fucking problem.”