Not that I can blame the guy. He got shot and nearly died. Thick bags hang under his eyes, and he’s sitting up hunched over like someone punched him in the gut. When I come down into the quiet of the basement, though, his sharp eyes stare into mine, and I’m thrilled by the sudden fire I see in his expression.
“The girls okay?” he asks, which I appreciate. The first thing he wants to check on is his family. “That horrible nurse wouldn’t tell me shit.”
“The girls are fine.” I stand at the end of his bed. Poor bastard seems all skin and bones. “Fio and Elisa are both unhappy you asked to see me first.”
He nods like that doesn’t surprise him. “They’ll come down soon enough. First of all, how long have I been out?”
“A few days.”
He grimaces and looks around. “I assume the hospital was too dangerous?”
“We had to move you.”
“And my family?”
“Disarray at the moment. Corrado’s trying to gather support, but the Capos haven’t fully backed him. Not while you’re still alive.”
“Which explains why the hospital’s not safe. That fucking bastard.” He takes a deep breath and leans back in his bed. “You want to hear something terrible?”
“Always.”
“I looked up to Corrado when I was younger. Always thought he was the strongest of all my uncles, and I liked that about him.”
I smile a touch. “Now that doesn’t seem so great, does it?”
“He has to die.” Raf stares at me, face grim and determined. “I should have moved harder on him much sooner.”
“You made some mistakes,” I concede, but I don’t take that any further. I’m tempted to tell him about the attack on Fiorella and the shit she’s been through, but what’s the point? He’s been unconscious, and none of it was his fault anyway.
Yes, he should’ve hit Corrado harder and faster. Yes, he gave his uncle too much space. He should’ve been working harder to cement support behind him, especially knowing that his father was going to die soon.
But he fell into a common fucking trap. He believed in the reliability of the people in his organization. He assumed they’d do the right thing and respect his father’s wishes instead of trying to kill him.
Now here we are. He wasn’t paranoid and aggressive enough. So it fucking goes.
“I never should have listened to my father.” He grips the sheets tightly in his hands, his knuckles turning white. “He was so sure his brother would back down eventually. They were so close when they were younger. But I was the reason they started falling out, and when Dad named me as his official heir, that fucked everything up. Corrado could never accept it. Dad thought he’d get over his pride for the sake of the Famiglia. He was so fucking wrong.”
“At least you’re learning.”
He grunts, jaw working for a moment as he gathers himself. “What progress have you made? I assume I’m alive because the Marino Famiglia still backs me.”
“Partially, anyway. Don Marino made it clear that he’s under considerable pressure to stop your family’s civil war, no matter the stakes. He’s holding back for now, but he won’t wait forever.”
“How much time do we have left?”
“A week at most. Possibly less after tonight.” I finally tell him about the attack, which doesn’t do much for his bloody mood.
“Corrado’s got to die, and he’s got to die fast.” He moves as if he’s going to get out of bed but doesn’t get far. He’s tangled in IV lines and much too weak to start walking around. His frustration is palpable, and I almost feel sorry for him.
“I have some leads, but there’s one main problem. If I’m the one who takes your uncle down, your Capos will always see you as a pawn of the Marino Famiglia.”
Raf licks his dry lips and studies me. “Are you saying I’m not?”
“I’m saying if you want to be Don, you’d better make them think you aren’t.” I step closer, voice lowering. “But you’ll always remember how much you owe to me and my Famiglia, won’t you?”
There’s the pivotal moment. He considers, not giving me much by way of a reaction, not yet at least. I need him to understand that while we’re going to give him a long leash, our alliance is going to be heavily weighted in favor of the Marinos. It’ll make his life harder, but I’m not here to worry about his leadership style.
I’m here to win power and keep my family safe.
