I nodded. “Yeah, I know. My guess is that you know who did.”
“He’d already been shot,” he whispered, coughing immediately after. He motioned for me to crouch lower to the table. “I called Trent. He said he needed to see me, that it was urgent. Took a couple hours to break away. By then it was too late, but…” He snarled as he looked at the two-way mirror.
“What else?”
“He said three words as he grabbed my hand.”
That’s how my father had gotten bloody. “All right.”
I could barely understand what he was saying, but it was certain my father didn’t want any ears overhearing.
“Peter. Pawn. Club.”
What in God’s name could that mean? I sat back briefly, trying to put the puzzle together. “No idea.” I moved closer once again. “Your gun was fired.”
“Yeah, it was. Had an issue to deal with.” He patted my hand, a knowing look on his face. He’d taken out one of our own.
What the hell?
“Do what you can to protect the family, son. I don’t care what that means. You were always meant to lead. Paolo will give you anything you need. He’s one of my few Capos I trust implicitly.”
The words were somehow far too chilling, tensing every muscle. He anticipated being taken out. That wasn’t going to happen on my watch. I also knew his comment was offering additional information.
As I collected my things, I could feel various eyes on me. There were no friends in this precinct, no one on our payroll. And the funny thing was, the building was completely out of the jurisdiction of where the murder had supposedly taken place.
More blatant evidence of a setup.
Maksim had been working under my employ for some time while my father had a different Capo, a man who’d been with him for years. Paolo wasn’t from the old country. He’d been lured away from an Italian street gang almost nineteen years before. His loyalty to my father was unimpeachable. Then why wasn’t he holding court for my father? There was only one reason.
Finishing what my father had started.
Which meant Paolo was a wealth of information.
I waited until we were in the car before saying anything to Maksim. “I want you to get Paolo to my house immediately. I need to know exactly what orders my father gave him. Paolo has information we need, answers only he can supply. Then let Thomas and the others know we’re coming.”
“You got it, boss. Incidentally, plane is set up for departure tomorrow morning at ten a. m.”
“Excellent.” I pressed down on the accelerator, eager to get away from this shit hole, back home to my… I realized the word ‘family’ had come to mind. She didn’t belong to me, at least yet.
“Yo, Paolo. Boss man needs you at his house.”
The word pawn I understood and of course everyone knew Peter was involved. What the hell did club mean? I was frustrated beyond belief, feeling the effects of the ticking time bomb. Everything was being squeezed and my belief was that I would be next.
“Yeah, I hear you. Finish what you got going and come to the house. Yeah, I’ll tell him.” By that point of ending the call, Maksim was staring at me. “Paolo is finishing a job.”
“Which is?”
“Your father found a couple men who betrayed all of us.”
I hissed hearing the news, even though I suspected my father would initiate a search and kill in his ranks. That was his style. While I doubted we could have extracted any information from the soldiers already meeting their demise, having the opportunity would have been beneficial. “Fuck.”
“Paolo will handle it well,” Maksim assured me. “If not, I’ll kick his ass.” Grinning, he dialed another number, performing his duties as required.
I was weary from the day, the poker game switching to chess, now cat and mouse. My patience had worn thin.
“Jesus, Thomas. Answer the goddamn phone,” Maksim grumbled and pressed the number again.
I’d been around long enough to know very little would keep a soldier from communicating, death being one of them.
“Call every one of them, now!” I barked, pressing the accelerator again until I flew up the entrance ramp to the highway going over seventy miles per hour. I pressed the number for the phone I’d given Willow, expecting her to answer on the first ring. Nothing. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”
“Sasha isn’t answering either.” Maksim continued dialing numbers, cursing under his breath.
“What in God’s fucking name?” I floored it, going in excess of ninety, zigging and zagging around cars. If Peter did anything-any fucking thing-he was a dead man.
“What the fuck, Thomas? You’re required to answer when we call!” Maksim snapped. “Uh-huh. Yeah… What? Are you kidding me?” He shook his head. “Fine. Get back to the goddamn house.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“Just after Jonas left, they heard an explosion. Someone threw a pipe bomb at his car less than half a mile from the house. He’s fine, just scared the piss out of him. He and Sasha were the ones who went to investigate.”
A warning. I had both hands on the steering wheel as I shot off the exit, screeching around turns. While I was coming from the opposite direction, I was able to clearly see the flashing blue lights. I would deal with the police later.
The car was barely in gear or the engine stopped before I raced into the house, running into the living room. Willow wasn’t there. “Willow!” I turned in a circle, eyeing Thomas as he walked inside. “Where the fuck is she?”
Thomas’ eyes opened wide, his face paling. “She was… here… boss. I swear to God.”
“If anything happened to her or my son, you are going to die.” I took the stairs three at a time, racing toward Dimitri’s room, at least two of my soldiers closely behind. The damn door was closed. Every part of my body shaking, I reached for the doorknob, horrified at what I might find.