Chapter 28

The first could have been mistaken for a deal gone wrong. The junkie was too desperate for her next fix at the cost of her own life. If it hadn't been for how similarly she'd been left. Moved from the place of the murder. Dried blood and dropped off to one of my properties.

By the looks of this new body, her yellow dress, and designer sandals, she was far from a junkie.

I didn't believe in coincidences. There was no such thing. They were warnings, some others were signs of a bigger play in motion. I had been right.

I stood, pulled the tarp over her body, and tucked my discarded glove inside my pocket.

Adrenaline rushed through me, hammering my heart in rage. This was my city, and a civilian had been picked based on looks, for a message.

It's been received.

"I know what you are thinking, but would he really risk going against La Cosa Nostra?" Elio's low timbre tried to ease me. It failed miserably.

The answer was in front of us. Antonio Giuliani had violated code, but he'd done so quietly and indirectly to remain clean. Anything would be based on speculation unless proven in council. My enemy was one of my own, California.

La Cosa Nostra ran on codes. One of them: we didn't touch made-man women or kids. Not ours. Internal affairs were fought between men, businesses, and territories. Even then, I would've taken precautions. But now, with her head as the endgame, stakes have been raised, and codes will be broken within our famiglia.

Giuliani was too old to win, too stubborn and dumbfounded in ego to see straight. Even if Franco Zanetti was the one who broke his word, I knew there would be consequences for taking her under their deal. But Giuliani made a mistake by starting a war I would finish. If he wanted to do it on the sidelines, so be it. It'll be dirtier this way. In the end, I had more power in the council and streets. I couldn't lose to either side.

"I failed to act when the first body popped. I'm not willing to risk the third one being Alessandra."

She was mine. Mine to torture, mine to protect. My queen.

Giuliani knew what he'd done. Now was the time to pay.

"I need your orders."

I ran my hand over my face before it settled over the bridge of my nose. I couldn't slow down my mind enough to pick the first order to give. I needed a minute, a drink and a fuck to clear my mind. I didn't have any of them, but the thought of Alessandra's lifeless green eyes snapped me back.

"I need Vadim at my house until Yamal returns tomorrow. Make sure Wix and Vine are with him but not inside. The following day I want him investigating all new and future money transactions made in our waters for any irregularities." Sharp orders fired rapidly from my lips. "Dario and Mimmo should set up a crew to watch the ports." With Alessandra as the main target, her safety was first. I faced him. "And you, up the security in our clubs and establishments."

Elio agreed with a nod before he dipped his head toward the body in question.

"Make sure her family is taken care of by the end of the day. Cash, nothing to be traced back to us."

"Already working on that." Elio flicked his wrist, and after a quick glance at his watch, he added, "The cleaners will be here in five."

Good.

"Now." The craving to lose control intensified, and I could almost hear their cries. "Have we identified who dropped her off?"

I had surveillance in every corner of the properties I owned, and if I didn't own them, Leonardo did. Nothing happened in this city without the Lombardi family knowing. It was a death wish, and one I delivered with pleasure.

Elio's attire of black jeans and a tee answered before he even nodded. "Yes. Two males, they are in their early thirties and not affiliated." Poor bastards, they had no clue. "They reside in Model City and are usually together at night."

"Perfect."

Miami was the definition of beauty in disguise. Cruel at night and unforgiving if unknown. Filled with street gangs, murderers, and the homeless who would do anything for a white line. A combination of chaos, money, crime, and tourism. An exquisite disaster.

Model City housed the finest criminals at night. Usually skittish, and with the confidence of a wolf but the composure of a rat. Even then, they all knew the Lombardi name. Not one neighborhood stepped out of line. It's how they survived.

I guess a reminder has to be made.

"Let's go," I announced, and while adrenaline continued to plow through me in waves, we left the body behind.

Sleep would have to wait. I had to take care of business. I had made Alessandra a promise to take her to the city tomorrow. I couldn't break it, and that meant I had to ensure her safety.

Dario leaned outside Elio's vehicle with his arms crossed in all black. When we neared, he straightened, and I tossed him my keys.

"Follow us back to the city."

Dario nodded. In silence, he walked over to my car while Elio and I cornered his. I climbed inside Elio's blacked out SUV and closed my eyes, but peace wasn't something I had the pleasure of in this life. My phone rang inside the cab. Lately, that was all my phone did, and it was unusual, as anything related to the family came to Elio first. The only people who contacted me directly were my brothers and those who had my private number.

"Are you planning to answer?" Elio grumbled, annoyed by the phone's chime.

"I need a drink," I mumbled, rubbed my face, and picked up my phone.

AZ flashed on the screen. A person I had no drive to speak to, but I needed to.

"Aldo," I answered Alessandra's brother.