“Thank you,” I say as Florian gets ready to leave.
Just before he opens the door, he turns to say one more thing. “And for what it’s worth, Camille, I’m sorry about what I said when we were kids. You would’ve made an excellentcapo.” Even in this dire circumstance, I can’t help but smile at his remark.
The very next day, Nick Pappi shows up at the warehouse. I almost can’t believe my eyes. Florian must’ve been able to find him and deliver the message at record speed. I suppose urgency warranted it, considering that time’s running out and Leo’s reaching the end of his preparations. Nick looks rougher than he did before. He’s got a line of thick black stitches across the side of his jaw and is walking with a limp, but he’s alive and he’s here. I know that Nick is one of Gabriel’s most trusted and capable men. A sprout of renewed hopefulness grows within me. Maybe there’s still time to fix this mess and get the hell out of here.
I stand far enough back so as not to be noticed, but still within earshot as I listen to Nick talk with Leo. “I served your brother well,” he says. “And I can do the same for you.”
“Why should I trust you?” Leo asks as he raises a brow at him. “I know you and Gabriel were friends. You were hisconsigliere, not just a soldier. You were an advisor and a trusted confidant. Why should I think you’re so eager to switch sides and betray my brother now?”
“Because above all else, I’m a loyal member of the Adamiborgata. I place mafia rules above attachments to people. I’ll serve the winning side, whoever’s at the helm of it, simply because I don’t want to be unaffiliated.”
I see Leo from the corner of my eye as he stares down Nick, gauging whether or not he is being lied to. “Okay,” he says finally. “I’ll give you one chance. I could use a man like you, especially one who knows insider secrets. But cross me even once and I’ll kill you. And if you don’t think I’m capable of it, you should know that I have dozens of men now who’d be happy to do the job for me.”
“Understood,” Nick nods.
“Don’t you hold a grudge about being beaten up back at my brother’s apartment?” Leo asks. “I find that hard to believe as well. We killed your friend Pito. You’re not upset about that?” His eyes look like they’re trying to cut through any lies that Nick might be feeding him.
“Of course I’m upset about it,” Nick says. “I’m upset that Gabriel didn’t protect hisborgatabetter from his cunning little brother who’d been plotting in secret this whole time. He should’ve been smarter, and then those men wouldn’t be dead.” He looks around the warehouse at some of the other soldiers who used to serve as soldiers under Gabriel. “I see that some of ourborgatahas already defected and joined with you. That means that they too want to be on the winning side of things. I can be an asset to you that way as well, Leo. These men will listen to me. I’ve earned their respect. Unlike your brother.”
Nick plays his part so well that he practically has Leo eating out of his hands. Surprisingly, I thought Leo was smarter than that, but I guess not. I guess the blinding quest for power prompts selective ignorance. Leo sees Nick as a powerfulconsiglierehe wants on his side, an asset the other men will fall behind, thus adding power to his force. And apparently, he has a hubris I never knew about until now, because he’s stupid enough to believe that people like Nick would forgive the treacherous things he’s done and fall in line to follow him. I gave Nick credit—it’s a bold and brazen move. That’s why Gabriel’s always liked and trusted his consigliere so much. Nick’s loyalty and constitution are unmatched.
Once Nick is accepted inside, he gets to work, pretending like he’s servicing Leo and this insane insurrection mission. But later that night, just after Leo leaves my room following the rising tension after more thwarted attempts to try and touch me, Nick shows up at my door. “God, you’re a welcome sight,” I sigh with exasperation. “Please tell me you have a plan to get us the hell out of here.”
“I do,” he says as he steps further into the room and motions toward a chair at the table in the center. “But you might want to sit down to hear it.”
“No thanks, I’ll stand.”
Nick smirks. “Gabriel was definitely right about you. You’re a firecracker.” Even the sound of his name makes me ache for Gabriel. I want to see him and see that he’s okay. I want to go back to being wrapped up in his arms and laying with my cheek pressed against his bare chest. But in order to do those things, I need to get us both out of here first. “The only way to stop Leo from amassing more of a following and being too powerful to stop with so many men is for you to take back your father’sborgata.”
I’m admittedly stunned. “Me?” I ask in surprise. “Did you miss the memo about how females can’t becapos? Or the backstory that had me running away and turning my back on my ownborgatabecause they wouldn’t follow me as their leader? What makes you think that’s even a remote possibility now? The Grecos will never follow a girl. That idea won’t work.”
“I think you’re wrong. The entireborgatais in chaos right now, and the Grecos need a leader. Otherwise, Leo will assume control easily.”
“No one will ever let me be thecapoof the Grecos.”
“Perhaps not, but what if you didn’t need to becapoin order to lead them? What if you could simply lead them as thecapo’sdaughter?” he asks. “Many of them still respect your father’s legacy and would follow his wishes. Maybe we can avert the whole logistical issue entirely and change the structure of leadership.”
“You want to uproot decades of mafia hierarchy and traditional misogynistic rules?” I ask, believing it to be impossible.
“Camille, you’re still blood. You’re a Greco, and Leo isn’t. Maybe the rest of yourborgatawould rather follow a girl than follow an outsider, if posed with only those two options. No one else has been able to take the seat of power.”
“I just don’t know if that’ll work,” I say as I sink into the chair that I had earlier refused. “But since Leo’s getting close to reaching his goals, I guess we’re all out of options, aren’t we?” Nick doesn’t even need to answer that question because I already know it for myself. “Alright, I’m willing to give it a try.”
“I heard Leo’s going out tonight, over to Brooklyn to pick up some sort of drop. I’m not really sure what it is. But he’s taking several of the guards with him for protection. I’ll come back to get you after they’ve left the building, and then we can find Gabriel and tell him what the plan is.” With that, Nick leaves and I sit there thinking about how much Gabriel’s going to hate this plan. Anything that involves putting me at risk rubs him the wrong way. But he’s going to have to get over it this time, because now we’re all at risk.
18
GABRIEL
“God, I’m so glad to see you,” I say as soon as the door opens and Camille walks inside. I don’t hesitate to pull her into me and press my face against her hair as she buries her head against my chest. Nick is here too, and that surprises the absolute shit out of me, but I take a moment just to hold Camille first. I’ve been so worried about her this entire time, and so frustrated that I haven’t been able to break her out of here yet.
“Did my brother touch you?” I ask as soon as she lifts her head to look at me. I want to see it in her eyes that she’s being honest with me and not trying to spare me information she knows will send me over the edge. “If Leo touched you, I swear to God I’ll—”
“No, he hasn’t,” she interrupts. “Not yet, anyway. I’ve managed to keep him at arm’s length for now.”
I look her over and she appears to be unharmed. Then I look at Nick and reach out a hand to shake his. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” I smile at him. “Glad to see you made it.”
“Eh, a little worse for wear, but I bounce back pretty quickly,” Nick jokes. For a second, things feel almost normal, and I’m relieved to see that he’s with Camille. If I couldn’t have been with her to protect her, Nick is the next best thing. I trust him undoubtably.
