Page 76 of The Bonventi Hitman

At Luca's name, my pulse quickens. "Not an issue. We wouldn't let a package going to Demitrakis be light."

"Speaking of Luca, where is he?" Enzo asks.

My chest tightens. The image of his body rolled up in my closet flashes through my mind. "Last I saw, he was heading up his driveway when I dropped him off."

"Hmm. Couldn't reach him. Texted him to call about..." Enzo's voice trails off as he paces the room. His eyes dart to the closet, then back to me. "Anyhow, with Demitrakis and the Ostrowski families on board, we're ready to crush those fucking Russians."

I nod, keeping my face neutral. "Luca mentioned it."

"Yeah, he did good work negotiating. Had my doubts because of how sloppy he’s been lately, but he proved me wrong." Enzo stops pacing.

"The final sit-down with the heads is coming. Need to plan this carefully—wiping out a family isn't simple."

"The Russians won’t know what hit them," I say.

"There’s more," Enzo replies, meeting my eyes. "The Delaney family."

"Fuck Sean and the Irish. We’ll deal with them."

Enzo exhales sharply, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I wish I had 100 men like you, but the Greeks and Polish won’t help unless we bring the Delaneys back in. Can you believe that?"

I hesitate, then offer, "Maybe they’re right. Bring them in, but make them pay their dues."

He nods. “ Let them fight the Russians to prove their loyalty. It’s always chess."

"Always chess," I say in agreement.

"The meeting's in a few days—at my house. Keep it casual. You'll be there."

"Of course, Enzo," I reply. "Anything for the family."

"Good, good," he says. "On a lighter note—how's beautiful Livia doing?" he asks as he looks over at the picture of her on my desk.

My sister—god knows how much I love her—hasn't been on my mind the past few weeks. I've been busy.

"Uh, she's good. Enjoying the California weather. She'll be coming to visit soon. Wants to write part of her dissertation here and visit."

Enzo smiles. "Well, you'll have to let me know when she's in town. I'd love to see her."

Something in his tone makes me pause, but I've got bigger problems. Like Luca's body in my closet.

"Well, like I said, just a short visit. I needed the drive and fresh air, figured I'd stop by to speak in person."

"Anytime, Enzo. You know you're always welcome here."

"I'll see myself out. Get some rest," he says and walks out.

After Enzo leaves, Lydia rushes back. "He's gone, sir."

"Okay, thank you."

"Do you need… help?" she asks.

I shake my head. "Lydia, you've done more than I could have ever asked. Just try to go about your day as usual. I'll take care of everything from this point."

I sit down and take a moment to process what I need to do and how I'm going to do it. First, getting rid of Luca. But how? How can I do this so it doesn't come back to me?

Think… Think.