Well, Riccardo didn’t seem to share my thoughts-or anyone else’s, for that matter. He remained stubbornly confident in his desire to keep Elena by his side, and I have to admit that it paid off soon after.
The Mexicans were sneaking around our borders at the time, and as soon as Elena took Max out of our protection, they distracted her and kidnapped the boy. They’d been planning it for a while, and when we rushed to save him, the Mexicans ambushed us, only allowing Riccardo and Elena to pass through. We didn’t have enough of our men to fight back, and the Mexicans had a good chance to kill us all-if only the Russians didn’t show up.
Yes, the Bratva followed Elena’s call and came to save Max as well as help us get out of the Mexicans’ trap. Not that we wouldn’t have
eventually won on our own. They simply saved us plenty of time which, in turn, saved Riccardo’s life-and that was a big deal.
I can’t say that our relationship with the Russian Bratva has turned into a friendship of any sort-we had been killing each other for years, after all. But the pure disdain and hatred that we used to nourish has given way to tolerance and even some sort of mutual respect…I guess. To be honest, I haven’t seen any of the Russians in weeks-all since Elena and Riccardo left for their long-awaited honeymoon. And that’s exactly what pisses me off.
The Russians have promised to be our allies, not only Riccardo’s- but it doesn’t seem like they’re eager to fulfill their part of the deal when I’m in charge.
So yes, while my dear older brother is enjoying the sunny beaches of California and the embrace of his Russian wife, I’m dealing with the mess the two of them left behind. But do you think anyone is going to acknowledge my efforts? Of course not. It’s only Riccardo who always gets to hold the crown-but trust me, not for long.
Even with the chilly autumn winds blowing right into our faces, Louis takes us to our main base rather quickly. It’s an abandoned warehouse in the heart of our territories, built on the bank of Little Calumet River and long forgotten by the city administration-or at least, that’s what we pay them for.
As we drive through the streets, we receive a few glances from scared civilians and curious prostitutes, but everyone in this neighborhood knows better than to bother us. The rumors are gonna spread like fire, though, and I curse under my breath, watching a group of druggies follow our car with dead eyes. Damn it. Perhaps I should’ve listened to Louis and called someone else to pick us up.
I can’t let our reputation go down because some half-alive dregs of society will assume that we’ve lost in a fight. But they aren’t gonna talk about it for long. It won’t be the first time we have to get rid of someone who dares to speak against the Messina family.
But I feel anger building up in my chest as I think about it. The Mexicans have failed to kill us, but they still managed to spoil the rest of this goddamn day.
As soon as Louis drives into the parking lot behind the warehouse, I see my cousin Matteo and a few of our men rush out of the building. I get out of the car first and, before anyone speaks a word, point them to the passenger seat.
“Marco, Dante, take Hector to the doctors. He’s lost a lot of blood.” “What happened?” Matteo walks closer to me while the other two
rush to follow my order. Louis gets out of the car as well, and as he closes
the door a few pieces of windshield glass fall with a distinct clink.
“Fucking Mexicans happened.” I can’t help the furious note in my voice as I take out the suitcase with money and start toward the entrance of the warehouse.
“They laid another trap,” Louis pipes up as the two of them follow me inside. “Organized a fake work zone in the middle of I-94, and as soon as we slowed down they ambushed us. Hector barely got us out of there.”
Just listening to it makes anger spread through me in a heated wave, and I grab the suitcase tighter, walking up the stairs to the office. These bastards really think they can keep playing their dirty games without
consequence, huh?
“Goddamnit. Are you serious?” Matteo’s voice is laced with concern, and I meet his gaze as soon as we pause in front of the office door. “Paolo, they’re going too far. I don’t care if Riccardo wants some rest, we need him here.”
“Do you think so?” I quirk an eyebrow, unable to hide my annoyance, and gesture for my cousins to come in before closing the door behind us. “Because Riccardo didn’t stop them from stealing Max and laying that ambush on the shore-and now, they think they’re strong
enough to defeat us.”
“He killed Nicolas,” Louis says, but his frown says that it doesn’t sound convincing even to him. It only makes me chuckle.
“Yeah, and look where we are now.”
Nicolas Escarra was an old man at the head of the Escarra family, so at the time, it did look like a win-but after his son Gerardo took over, the Mexicans became even more active and annoying. I shake my head, lay the suitcase on top of Riccardo’s desk, and look up at my cousins.
“I’m not saying that Riccardo made a mistake, but I don’t think that asking him to come back will fix anything. In fact, it will only make us look like we’re in panic and don’t know what to do without him.”
Matteo and Louis exchange a quick glance and turn to me with doubt and curiosity. “And do you know how to deal with them?”
I can’t help but smile and straighten my shoulders, unable to contain the surge of pride and joy. “Yes, I do.”
I’ve been waiting for so long to reveal my plan, and now the time has finally come. I open the suitcase and start replacing the stacks of money, continuing in as calm and careless a tone as I can muster. “We have to show the Escarra family our strength without losing more of our people. We have to stomp on whatever pride they have and force them to submit.
They were bold enough to lay a hand on our boy-and for that, we have to steal the most precious thing they have.”
“What’s that?”
I look up at them with a smirk. “The Mexican Princess.”
“Gerardo’s daughter?” Louis’ eyes widen while Matteo hums, considering my plan.
“But Gerardo is obsessed with his girl. She’s surrounded by guards every second. We won’t be able to even touch her without the Escarra family declaring war!”
I expected them to say this, and it only makes me even more pleased to dig out a folder from the bottom of the suitcase. It’s full of papers, photos, receipts, and printed-out emails, and I open it and drop it on the desk in front of Louis and Matteo.
“Yes, and that’s why I paid a traitor in their family to get all the information we need.”
The very first photo in the folder shows a high school graduation ceremony, and it would be nothing interesting if not for a red circle around one of the graduates. It circles the face of a girl with honey skin, long curly hair, round cheeks, and brown eyes, awkwardly smiling at the camera. She seems out of place, separated from other graduates and guarded by a man behind her.
Jacinta Escarra is her name, and no matter how innocent she looks, this girl is the most powerful person in this photo-and very soon, she’s gonna be mine.