Did he realize that he spoke about him in the past tense?
“Enzo’s dead?” I asked.
Dante didn’t answer my question. At least not directly.
“He made his bed and is lying in it.”
“What about Ben?” I asked. “He betrayed the Ricci Family. That doesn’t come without a cost.”
Dante finished his beer and gestured the bartender over for a second. He waited until we were alone again before speaking.
“Do you know that Enzo suspected that you were the traitor?” Dante asked.
I held my tongue, not wanting to reveal that Enzo was right. I had betrayed him to save those girls, but I hadn’t been the only one. Ben had betrayed all of us.
“If I was, would I be coming to you?” I asked. “Seems like suicide.”
“Truth is, I never liked Enzo’s recent business dealings.” He huffed and shook his head. His top lip snarled with disgust. “I’m no saint by any means, but things are going to start cleaning up around here, and you can guarantee that DeLuca’s men will be driven out of town.”
Was that a threat?
“You’re the new don,” I said, letting the realization dawn on me that Dante had taken over the Ricci Family. Not only was he second, but he also had Enzo’s men behind him, an army that supported him.
“You’re lucky I like you,” Dante said. “But I don’t trust you to be an associate anymore. That was Enzo that wanted to hire you. You can come and have a drink on me, but you need to find another place of employment.”
That was fine with me.
“We’re not going to let you steal any more women or children.” I wanted it made clear that I wasn’t going to allow him to hurt anyone else in Breckenridge.
Enzo laughed under his breath. “As I stated earlier, I wasn’t a fan of Enzo’s business practices and have no intention of continuing his games. I have other matters that have captured my interest that I don’t care to discuss with you.”
He took another swig from his beer before putting the bottle down forcefully against the table. “Your fiancé, or whatever she is, I have no desire for her. As long as she keeps my name out of her mouth, you can rest assured that my men will leave you alone.”
“Is that a threat?” If Skylar testified against Dante, was he going to endanger her life?
Dante smiled. “The way I see it, I’ve done nothing wrong. Enzo snatched your fiancé, and you hired Ben. My hands are clean.”
“Where is Ben?” I’d come here to locate Benjamin Ryan, and I hadn’t gotten the slightest detail on where to track him down.
“You tell me, he betrayed the Ricci Family for the DeLuca Family. Rats end up dead, but I didn’t kill him. He wasn’t massacred in the bloodshed?”
I opened my mouth but shut it just as quickly. Ben was dirty, but I wasn’t a saint either. How I’d managed to avoid jail and turn my life around was a miracle.
“If I get my hands on Ben, he’s a dead man. Then again, maybe I should thank him. With Don DeLuca out of the picture, Sergio dead, and his guards mopped all over the compound, my newest enemy is Angelo’s second, Gino, and he’s too old to be on the front lines. It’s like being don was just handed to me. And in a matter of time, the DeLuca’s will be under my control. I’m guessing I have you and your pretty little team to thank for that?”
Dante held up a beer to say ‘cheers’ to Jaxson and Lincoln as they sat at the bar.
“The best part is, I’ve got my sights on Gino’s daughter, Nicole. That hot little piece of ass, I’m going to get my hands on her and ruin her.”