Milo massages his throat, coughing violently. A sheen of sweat covers his brow, his hair mussed from our brief and one-sided altercation. “I’ve been piecing things together,” he croaks. “I kept asking myself, who’d benefit the most from your death?”
“You’re definitely top of the list,” I snipe, on the defensive.
“Oh, please. I may hate your guts, but I don’t envy your workload. If you died, I’d have to take care of Lorenzo’s incompetent ass.”
“You really need to stop running your mouth in front of me.”
“What? We both know it’s true. Lorenzo’s glory days are over. If it weren’t for you, his entire territory would fall overnight. Everybody knows you’re the one running things around here.”
I sneer. “Who’s everybody?”
Milo stands upright, smoothing his wrinkled shirt. “Everybody. Your associates, other soldiers, neighboring capos. The sottocapo.Lorenzo’s a laughingstock, Dom. A has-been. You command far more respect and loyalty.”
“Stop it.”
“It could all be yours and he knows it. That’s why he’s been ordering hits against you.”
I’m at a loss for words. This isn’t right. It can’t be…
My phone pings. It’s a text message from Elio.
Arin has a meeting with Miriam Singh. We’re in SoHo, a place called The Lilac Fountain. Want me to bring you some mozza sticks?
My face falls.
SoHo? That’s right in the middle of Renato’s territory.
Alarm bells blare inside my skull. How could Elio take Arin there? What the hell is he thinking, walking straight into the lion’s den? He should know that’s way too far outside of our jurisdiction.
“Fuck,” I hiss, shoving my phone back in my pocket.
This is too much.
Between Lorenzo wanting me to carry out his vendetta, Milo manipulating me into overthrowing our own captain, and Arin being caught in the middle of war she knows nothing about, it’s a miracle I even have the energy to remain standing. At this point, I’m running on pure adrenaline.
I need to deal with one problem at a time.
Right now, I need to get to Arin before shit has the chance to hit the fan.
“This isn’t over,” I snap at Milo before shoving right past him.
“Be careful, Dom,” he shouts after me. “I’d watch my back if I were you.”
Any other day, I’d ignore him. Milo’s always had it out for me. What if he’s lying? But if he is, would he really go this far? He knows what we do to traitors. We don’t take betrayal lightly. Anyone caught working with the police or cooperating with the other syndicates in New York are met with swift and merciless punishment. But as irritating as Milo is, he isn’t stupid. His moves are calculated, his risks weighed. He’d never suggest something as ludicrous as gunning for Lorenzo’s seat at the table unless he knew he had winning odds.
I don’t know what’s more terrifying. The fact that my boss might be trying to kill me, or that I’m actually taking Milo seriously. There’s no time to rack my brain about it, though. Every second I waste is another second Arin remains exposed. I need to get her out of there.
No matter what the cost.
Chapter 20
Arin
“Amazing! Beautiful! Gorgeous!”
I’m pretty sure I’m in love with Miriam, and we’re only two drinks into our casual meeting. She continues to browse through the pictures in my phone, zooming in to admire all the small details of my work. I can tell she has an eye for fashion because she pays attention to things regular folks wouldn’t even know to look for.
“Your stitch work is wonderful,” she compliments. “And look at this intricate beading!”