And very much alone.
This was another reality my father had shoved into my mind. If I didn’t give a fuck about anyone, I’d never feel a sense of loss. There’d been no pets allowed when Stefan and I were young. There was also little laughter, holidays filled with tears from my mother, my father spending time away from the family.
I’d known why, but the pain it caused my brother and me wasn’t easily forgotten. Why the hell was I going down memory lane? My past had nothing to do with what was happening now.
“Everything you do will shape your future, Lorenzo. Make certain you make wise choices.”
The words of my mother burned in the back of my mind. I’d had few of my own choices in the early days. This was my time. This was my kingdom.
I snickered at the thought. What was a kingdom without a queen?
While I refused to believe that Sierra had been taken from me through careless measures, my stomach remained in knots.
“Goddamn it. Answer the fucking phone!” I bellowed as the damn call went straight to voicemail. Again. There was no way Sierra had gotten away from Dante and been able to get to her car. None.
And still, I hadn’t been able to stop shaking from the adrenaline coursing through my veins or the paralyzing fear. I raced around the curves, tires squealing, heading first in the direction of my house. Then I realized that without knowing whether or not Sierra was alive, I wouldn’t be able to make the kinds of decisions I was required to do in order to keep the situation from turning into a firestorm.
If she’d managed to get away from my most trusted soldier, I had to grasp the concept that she could have been playing me all along and that Dante was dead. Why? Was there an entirely different connection that she had with Axel or with whomever was pulling the puppet strings? I had no way of knowing until I talked with her.
If I was so lucky.
Fuck. My mind was all over the place, unable to piece together a decent plan.
What troubled me the most was the way her father had reacted to my harsh statement. He was a man fully entrenched in the belief that his daughter had been killed.
And he was certain I was to blame even though Axel had been the one to threaten her life.
No man was that good of an actor. David had been given some kind of evidence in order to believe such a heinous act could have been performed.
I sped through the streets, my grip on the steering wheel so tight my knuckles were white. That matched the searing white-hot blaze burning deep within. There were too many unanswered questions and every one of them had Axel smack in the middle. With my father in the hospital and my brother on his death bed, I had to turn to someone I could trust not to fuck up my world.
Michael.
My choice would be looked at as a flaw, some of my men uncertain of my state of mind. They had no idea just how much was at stake. The Francesco organization stood to lose millions if the next decisions weren’t handled with the utmost care.
So fuck ’em.
I knew what I had to do.
I dialed the number, trying to maneuver the road as I headed for the interstate, weaving in and out of traffic. I was sick inside, my instincts screaming the setup had been designed specifically to put me in this predicament. The only element of surprise I had was working with the Sons of Darkness. I felt confident that if I made a single request, the wrath of God would converge on the city within a matter of hours. But taking comfort in that realization held no merit at this point.
“Michael.” I heard the glitch in my voice, the extreme angst that could become overwhelming.
“What’s wrong?” Michael asked, on edge immediately.
“I need your help.”
“Anything, my friend.”
“I need you to take over my organization for a short duration.” This was more than I’d suggested during dinner with the members of the alliance.
There was a hesitation in the conversation followed by a deep sigh. “What you’re asking is unprecedented and could lead to serious ramifications within your ranks,” Michael stated in a quiet voice.
Tell me something I didn’t know. “I’m fully aware and will handle the aftermath. I have no choice.” I briefly told him what was going on, giving him a portion of my keys to the kingdom. He would coordinate with Angelo, staying out of sight. Unless things got out of hand. He would merely be a presence in my world, refusing to allow either my soldiers to go astray or any of my clients who had requirements to fulfill.
He would also pay attention to rumors on the city streets.
Then there was the shipment arriving in the morning at the Port of Chicago. If the ship wasn’t met, the finances handled, an acceleration of my family’s demise would begin. And I had my doubts that I’d be able to turn the tide, allowing for the Movinos to sweep in.
Perhaps this is what the asshole had in mind the entire time. This was one of the largest shipments we’d commissioned, millions of dollars at stake, more important than ever given the others had pulled out. I growled as I tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, rubbing my jaw as I tried to imagine what my father would say. At this point, I couldn’t worry about his chastisement. Trusting Michael would be a true test of our alliance.
Faith I didn’t have.
Trust was long gone.
But honor still remained, something I knew the Cappalinis held close to their hearts.
I made a second call to Angelo, hissing when it took three rings before he answered. “What the hell have you been doing?”
“I… I’m sorry, boss. I went to see Vincenzo. I’m just leaving the hospital,” he answered.
I sucked in my breath, furious with myself. I had to calm the fuck down. “How is he?”
“He’s awake and doing fine. Barking about getting out.” His laugh sounded hollow. “I checked on Mr. Francesco as well.”
“And?”
“He’s pissed. Said he tried to call you.”