“Very good,” I agree. “Double pay for the survivors. Make sure the families of the dead are compensated and taken care of.”
“Always.”
I pause at the bottom of the steps and squeeze Enzo’s arm. “You’ve been by my side all the time, and I appreciate you.”
“I know you do. I wouldn’t mind a little gesture to show it though.”
“The depot is yours.”
His eyes widen a touch. “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious. The Serrano Famiglia’s going to be a mess by the time we’re finished with it, and they’ll need help rebuilding.”
“Are you sure Adriano will approve this?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it happen.”
I nod once more before stepping out into the night. The stink of death follows me. I smile to myself and breathe deeply, staring up at the moon and the stars.
Nothing better than revenge.
I take out my phone. “Fiorella? Baby?”
She sounds relieved to hear from me. “I was so worried. What’s going on?”
“Tell Raf Corrado’s dead.”
A short pause. She doesn’t sound as happy as I thought. “But it’s not over yet, is it?”
“Not quite yet. We have more work to do.”
Chapter 38
Fiorella
Ilinger in my father’s old office. The shelves are barren, and most of the books are packed away. Only a few family photos are left behind. The drawers of his desk were emptied out, and the filing cabinets were combed through and mostly discarded.
“Everything feels gutted,” I say when a person steps in through the door. I look over, and Luca’s watching me with a slight frown.
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a lot of change.” I lean against the desk for a moment and run my fingers along the side. “Dad spent a lot of time in here. It felt like this was some kind of magical cave where big, scary, adult things happened.”
“Emphasis on the scary.” Luca smiles and comes toward me. “You had a good relationship with your father.”
“I did and I didn’t. After the panic room, we butted heads a lot. I hated him when he arranged for me to marry you. Now I look back, and I’m happy he did it.”
“Everyone has complicated relationships. It’s just how life goes.”
“What about this?” I go to him and put my hands on his chest. His heartbeat is steady and strong. “Is this complicated?”
“Yes and no. Do you really want something simple and easy? When we’re together, it’s incredible. But everything around us?”
“Stressful.”
“Like what’s about to happen in that meeting room.” He bends down and kisses me. “You don’t need to see it.”
“Yes, I do. It was partially my idea.”
