Wecan’tgoinguns blazing, no matter how much my heart screams at me to do so. I need to shut that bitch up for a while and think logically.
Vincenzo saw me kill Carlotta because she had a knife to Cruz's throat, so he'll think I have feelings for him. I know my father; the only reason to take Cruz is so he can use him against me. It’s what he does and has been doing my entire life. He used me against my mother and her against me. It’s his favorite trick. As old and tired as it is, it’s still effective.
I have to believe that Cruz is okay. That he’ll remain that way until Vincenzo gets his hands on me. Deep inside, I know it’s no longer just a possibility, but a fact. I know it as surely as I know the sun will rise in the morning. One day, and sooner than I probably realize, I’ll be back under my father’s control.
It’s enough to make me want to vomit.
But I can’t dwell on that now. When we were in London, The Duke gave me some crash courses on strategy. I’ll never be her; I’d rather run in with bazookas and fuck shit up. But I paid attention to what she told me, and as I stare out the windows overlooking the city, various plans start forming in my mind.
“Thank you all for being here so early,” I announce as we gather in the conference room. Although one of our apartments would have been more comfortable, we might need the information on the bulletin boards to pull all this off. “I’ve come up with some plans, and I’m going to need your help.”
Murmurs of agreement echo through the room as my gaze meets each pair of eyes. Today, Ryan has been replaced as the leader, and a heady sense of power rushes over me.
“Trey and Eric, are either one of you able to create realistic and entirely believable CGI footage?”
They glance at each other and back at me, brows dipped questionably. “What exactly are you looking for?” Trey asks.
“Let me back up a little. I want to attack my father on all fronts. I want him to feel like he can’t leave his fortress, that there isn’t anywhere else for him to go. He’s lost both his brothers and all his nephews. The only support he has is the kind he has to pay for.
“Vincenzo has always had a paranoid streak. He believes everyone wants what he has, that everyone wants to be him. I want to play on this. I want him running scared. I want him to be without resources, without friends, with nowhere to go but his fortress.”
Tessa’s lips curve up in a smile, her eyes twinkling with an evil glint. “Like what we did to my mom,” she reminds Eric and Nate, and they nod in understanding. I tilt my head at her. She told me, Rebecca, and Susannah a few nights ago how they had destroyed her parents, and it’s partly where I’ve gotten my idea from.
“What does that have to do with CGI?” Eric asks.
“Before I get to that, can the two of you block out all communications to the fortress, except for what we want to get through? Phone lines, Wi-Fi, TV channels?”
“It’s going to take a couple of days, but sure.” Trey shrugs. “I’m guessing you want the phone lines redirected to me or Eric, or maybe Jase?”
“Yes. Jase, can you handle that? He has cops in his pocket and might call them if we scare him enough.”
“Of course. It’s easy enough to do. I can set up a voice changer too, so if he calls out more than once, it won’t always be my voice.”
“That’s excellent, thank you. Back to the CGI. I want to create false news stories. I want him to believe that every property he owns in the city has been destroyed. Bombs, fires, whatever.”
“Couldn’t we just do that anyway?” Kian pipes up, and I chuckle.
“Sorry, boom bestie, I know how much you would love to blow up all those buildings, but some are apartments, and we don’t want any innocents getting hurt. Plus, there would be an investigation, and we just can’t deal with that right now. I want him holed up in that house so we don’t have to hunt him down. With nowhere to go, at least we know where he’s at. He’ll think he’s safe there since he doesn’t know we know about it.” Kian pouts, his bottom lip stuck out farther than any toddler’s I’ve ever seen. Reaching across the table, I pat his arm. “But don’t worry, I’ve got plans for you and your bombs later.” Kian sits up, his eyes widening and a satisfied smirk crawling across his face.
Eric spins in his chair and pulls a remote out of his pocket. A screen attached to the ceiling lowers, and a satellite image of the property comes up. “I was able to hack into the satellite to get real-time images. I’m recording this in case we miss anything, but if there’s any movement, we’ll be able to see it here.”
“Thank you,” I reply gratefully. “What about his cell phone? Can we do anything about that?”
“I can handle that,” Jase says. “I created a program that allows me to take over a number. All texts and incoming and outgoing calls will be diverted through me.”
“Perfect. So, you’re the phone guy. Trey, can you bring up the blueprints for the fortress?” While Trey gets working on that, I turn to Nate. “I want to make a blackmail video for Vincenzo. Can we send it through the dark web like you did when you sent the pictures of Ricardo?”
Nate scrubs the stubble on his cheek. “Sure, we can do that. Do you think it will work?”
I chuckle darkly then crack my neck. “Nope. But it’s the shot I’m firing to start the war. I’ll give him the chance to return them within a timeframe. He’ll never give up his collateral, but it will give me the reason I need to ‘blow up’ his houses and apartments.”
“You’re fucking devious, little sis,” he says appreciatively.
I grin back at him. “Guess it runs in the family.”
He puts an arm around my shoulders and squeezes me. “Guess it does.”
We use my guest bedroom to make the video. The curtains are closed tight against the light, and we find black sheets in the linen cupboard which we pin to the walls. To add to the effect, I’m wearing all black and have my sunglasses on.
