The sound of my phone ringing broke us apart. I gazed at her while pulling it from my pocket. Her face was flushed, her full lips parted, enticing me to taste her again. I had to force myself to take a step back from temptation as I hit the button to answer.
Marco’s voice came through the speaker, further dousing the moment between Mia and me. “Everyone is out.”
“No problems?” We kept the conversation cryptic on the off chance that someone was listening. Our lines were secure. We owned a cellular company, and Trey’s wife, Hailey, had taken over monitoring it to ensure that. But there could have been bugs in the room or someone listening wherever Marco was. It wasn’t worth the risk.
“None. We’re on our way to you after a quick stop.”
I said goodbye then hung up, and Mia went over to one of the barstools. I took in her stormy expression, wishing I could ease her turmoil. “How are you doing?”
She shoved her dark hair back from her face. “I’m fine.” Her hand fell to her lap, and she raised her chin to meet my gaze. “It’s weird. I’ve always known he wasn’t a good father, but that altercation and what Ricco told me destroyed any positive feelings I might have had left.” Her eyes hardened, and her fighting spirit burned in their depths. “I want him dead. Not only him but Ricco too.”
“That can be arranged.”
She flashed a humorless smile. “Good. Let’s make it happen.”
My focus sharpened as she tapped a finger on her thigh. “What are you thinking about?”
“We need to bring Dante and his brothers into this.”
“No.” I didn’t like the coincidences of late. “It’s too much of a risk. Our family is enough.”
“If Ricco brings in Guido and anyone loyal to him, which I know he will, it wouldn’t hurt to have more with us who can fight.” She paused, her teeth momentarily sinking into her bottom lip, and my senses went on alert. “There’s something you should know. I gave Dante the codes to my father’s house and the guards’ rotation schedule.”
“Why?”What is her connection to the Verretti family?
“We were going to help the women Ricco was trafficking, and I couldn’t shake this feeling that something would happen to me. I gave him the intel so he could break me out of the house if needed. But I wasn’t detained there, and I left in a rush before I could tell him I was free.” She shrugged, a flash of worry creasing her smooth forehead. “I don’t know if he went looking for me or not, and I want to talk to him or his brothers.”
My muscles grew taut, and I had to work not to clench my fists. “What are they to you?”
Her brows scrunched, and she pursed her lips. “What do you mean? I’ve known them forever.”
I clenched my teeth, waiting for her to answer the question.
Then she straightened in the chair, her eyes wide. “Oh, you mean romantically?” She scoffed before resting her palm on my chest. “There has never been anything between me or the Verretti boys. They’re more like cousins.” Her finger stabbed my chest. “And you know that from our first time together.”
I curled my hand around her finger, removing it from jabbing me, then pressed a kiss to her hand. Pulling her to her feet, I wrapped my arms around her. I had never been the jealous type, but with Mia, all the control I had over my responses went to hell. “We have to talk to Stefano and Marco. The decision was not to involve them. If they agree, you can call Dante.”
When I released her, it was to order room service. Everyone would be there soon, and we needed to eat while figuring out who would go where tonight. If our attack was successful, it would be our last few hours here, and then we would head back to Chicago. I was more than ready for that. The Verretti family could deal with the fallout and monitor the actions of the Amato and Tucci families.
I looked around the hotel room, noticing the décor for the first time, and laughed. “Very different from where we stayed last night.”
Mia giggled. “Have to say I prefer the other place. This modern lime-green geometric design they’ve got going would be hell on a hangover.”
“We’ll only be here until midnight.” I decided to text Marco and Stefano about the Verretti brothers. The entire trip had been for Mia, and if she trusted them, I would try to give them the benefit of the doubt, even if reluctantly. It helped that several of the Chicago bosses were okay with Dante. Marco and I had yet to come around, but I hoped that would change after this.
There was a soft knock on the door, and I pulled my gun but pointed it at the ground, motioning for Mia to get behind me. A quick check on my phone to view both angles from the camera revealed that it was room service. There was no one else in the hallway other than two employees and carts full of covered dishes.
I opened the door, still cautious. The carts were wheeled in, and I dismissed the staff before they could unload the food, handing them each a large tip before shutting and locking the door. Mia and I had just moved the food to the small island and the table in the space where the kitchen met the living room when a text from Marco came through.
I winced as I read his message but tried to play it off. I slipped my phone back into my pocket, a sense of dread strangling the words I had to force myself to say. “You can call Dante.” It was the right thing to do if she and I were to continue to build trust. And I wanted that, especially after witnessing how her family treated her. “Tell them to get here tonight, and we’ll fill them in on what’s going on.”
Mia slid her arms around my waist, her chin angled high and her gazed locked on mine. I read the sincerity in her expression. “I promise they’ll help us. Adriano is a sharpshooter, besides being an assassin,” she said.
We were well informed about the Verretti brothers. I encircled her in my arms, letting her fill me in on the off chance there was something I didn’t know.
“I’m sure you have intel on Dante. But what you might not know is that he’s always been kind to me. All of them have been. Cal is the most confrontational, the only one who would tease me to get a reaction.”
“It’s fine, Mia. Go ahead and call them.” It was better to get it over with. Once they were there, I could judge them for myself.