Giovanni
It was outrageous.
I couldn’t believe it.
The time and patience needed to pull off something like this was unthinkable. So many working parts. If one thing went wrong, it would have all been for nothing. Yet, as I stared at my woman, my beautiful Layla, I knew that only someone with her tenacity, spunk, singular-driven mind could ensure a plan like that happened.
It was brilliant really.
Rather straightforward. One person to infiltrate the Society. One person to infiltrate the Golden Skulls and then there was the wild card. One person, nobody, would suspect.
Three individuals whose lives were forever changed because of so many people. Each of them sought revenge and not one single person saw them coming. I didn’t and I was sitting across from one of them.
I knew Layla was clever, but after listening to her tell me every sordid, cunning, dastardly detail, I found myself dumbstruck, unable to form a coherent sentence. What could I say? As far as I was concerned, my woman had every right to seek retribution for what she endured but to come up with a plan like this and then go through with it? The courage, strength, and resilience and fortitude needed to pull it off were unthinkable. Looking at Layla now, who looked so innocent, sweet and loving as she waited patiently for me to respond, I was in awe of her and, if I was completely honest, a little bit scared.
“What are you thinking right now?”
That was a good question.
I wasn’t really thinking anything. I was more in shock than anything else. Yet, this was the woman I loved. The one person on the planet who meant more to me than my own family. She held my heart in the palm of her hands. There was nothing she could do to ever change my mind. Smirking, I replied, “I am thinking that you will always keep me on my toes.”
“We knew it was a longshot. The amount of power these men held was unthinkable. The destruction they caused to achieve their own desires made them the vilest men on the planet. Over the years, their power grew and now they believe they are unstoppable. But we couldn’t let them get away with it. Just thinking about what they did to our families alone, in our eyes, meant they needed to pay. We knew that we couldn’t do it all by ourselves. Just one person taking them on wasn’t going to be enough. When we found each other, we knew we might have a chance. Along the way, we met others with similar backgrounds and an innate desire for revenge. Some you know personally, but through it all, we never lost sight of the objective.”
“Which is?”
“To punish the guilty, the responsible.”
“Responsible for what?”
“Responsible for taking our childhoods. I know it may seem trite, maybe even a little far-fetched but everyone involved has somehow had their lives altered because of one man. Not all of us are strong, smart, resilient, but in our own ways, each contributed to where we are today.”
“And where is that?”
Layla looked me dead in the eye as a chill of fear trickled down my back while she spoke, “Ready to cut the head off the snake behind everything.”
“How are you going to get to him? No one has ever laid eyes on Goldman.”
Layla shook her head. “That’s not true. One of us has. You must understand. Everyone involved has in some way been tainted by this whole mess. Some more than others, whether through direct contact or by someone in one of the lower sects. What all of you fail to understand is that nothing is done without his okay. Goldman has been pulling the strings all this time. You all want to believe this war Goldman has going is to exact revenge. Maybe on some level, that is one of his motives, but it’s not the real reason. It’s not what gets him out of bed every morning.”
“And what does he really want?”
“Control. He wants it all. The power to instill fear, make life or death decisions on a global scale. Greed is his motivating factor and the only way to achieve his heart’s desire is to eliminate his past, giving him a clean slate. Even if Reaper was to return to the fold, there is no way Goldman would ever allow Reaper to live. It’s impossible.”
“What about Ascari and the others, like your birth father.”
“Fodder that will be dealt with once Reaper is eliminated. Reaper doesn’t realize it, but he holds many cards that can bring down Goldman. In fact, Reaper actually met him once, though I’m positive he doesn’t’ remember. Goldman has been playing the long game. Moving people around like chess pieces on a board. It’s all about moves and counter moves. The man is good, but all anyone needed to do was step back and take a better look at the bigger picture. Goldman’s ambitions are vast. He wants all the power. There is only one position that would give him the very thing he covets.”
“The Presidency.”
“Exactly,” Layla nodded. “As the leader of the free world, he would be able to do what he wants. To cultivate partnerships, make deals, and eliminate heads of state with the flick of a pen. If he is ever elected, he will institute a new world order and the public, the American public, will be powerless to stop him. With the backing of several Senators and Congressmen, Goldman would be unstoppable. That’s his endgame and he can’t achieve that if his past is still in the way.”
“But how do you get to him?”
“I don’t. That’s not my objective. My objective is to ensure you survive. That your family survives. Because of your father’s ties to the Society, you have all been marked for death. Even though you have nothing to do with the Society, because you are the son of Valentine Valentinetti, you were born with a death sentence hanging over your head. You sealed your fate when you refused Bianchi and aligned yourself with Reaper.”
“Who is going after the Society?”
Layla grinned as I held my breath. God, she was cunning. She was more astute than I ever gave her credit for. I wasn’t joking when I said she would always keep me on my toes. “Someone you’d least expect.”