Leda ignored her brother. “You are wrong about this, Lucas,” she continued, her cheeks flushed with anger. “I’ve already told you the last thing you want to do is put both of Carmine D’Agostino’s children together. He’s coming after us. That is what he wants.” She looked down at her rounded stomach. “And that means that he will have access to our child, Lucas. I can’t let that happen.”
“He will never touch our child,” I bit out. I would rip Carmine’s fucking heart out of his chest if he ever thought he could touch our kid.
“You should listen to her,” Nico added. “It’s what our father wants.”
Leda smirked at me. “See? Even my brother agrees with me.”
She was going to pay for that comment later. I would be relentless with my tongue on the spot that made her flood our bed.
Our fucking bed. We were a team, and she was forcing me to remember that. It still didn’t stop me from wanting to keep her safe. If anything happened to Leda, there would be no one that could stop me from painting this fucking world with blood.
“So,” Nico said after an uncomfortable moment. “I guess I can thank the two of you for the shit in the city right now?”
“Yes,” Leda spoke up before I could. “We are responsible for the gunfire and the fires.”
Nico just shook his head. “And what do you expect to gain from it? Spreading the police thin? Give dear old dad a means to have better access?”
I cocked my head, surprised by his bitterness. “What are you talking about?”
“Spreading out the police presence isn’t going to help at all,” Nico explained. “They are already too thin in the ranks from the whole defund-the-police issue. All you have them doing is chasing shadows. The thinner they’re spread, the shittier your plan gets.”
“And what would you have done?” Leda asked, clearly displeased with her brother’s sharp words.
“Not this war of attrition,” Nico responded, his eyes on me. “You can play all you want, but in the end, it’s a numbers game. They have more than you, and they’re more than happy to let their new members get wasted in the process. Think about it Leda, you’re sending men to kill their former friends and associates. How long do you think you can sustain this fight? How long before one of them turns?”
Leda had nothing to say. Nico was right.
“And as much as I hate to agree with Valentino, you can’t stay here either.” Nico said after an uncomfortable moment of silence. “This place isn’t safe. If I can find you, he can find you.”
“I know,” Leda said softly. “You’re not wrong, but what else can we do?”
“Go for the head,” Nico said coldly. “Make a move that forces him to move against you. Then strike.”
“Nothing will make him move.” I said. “He didn’t give a shit about all the business he’s losing.”
“That’s true.” Nico leveled his gaze at me. “But there is one thing that will move him.”