Chapter 45

Victor was silent for a moment before he said.

"But don't you think that that's low? Using her? That must be dangerous for us. Because the brothers will do everything to get her back and they'll know what we are doing. They'll know that we are taking her to lure them in. They are not fools. They will protect themselves and will surely not lay down their lives because of a girl."

One of them, who was a woman, flinched when she heard the words.

Her face hardened as she said. "It's not about low or high. It's effective. I believe they'll still show themselves to us in one way or the other and that's when we are going to strike. Domenico literally bled for her. He risked his life for her and I know he's going to do it again. They only do that for people they live the most. You wouldn't even find a mafia done rising his life to save his mother. But he did it for her. That means a whole fucking lot. That is leverage and we can capture that leverage without tying it to ourselves then we have the fucking jackpot. We can control the game."

Their leader put his hands on the table and looked at them all. "We did not come here to play small," he said. "We came here because we got hurt and because we came to make them answer. If she's the key, then here it will be. But we are going to make sure that this is done smartly. No fire. No public show. No weapons in hand in broad daylight, unlike before. We are going to take her,quietly. And not just that, we are going to hold that piece close. We force them to move and we make them choose. And when they choose, we will show them what we really are and how far we are willing to go to achieve our cause. So I don't care how risky the next plan is going to be. We have already taken risks. And be mindful that no matter what we do, it's a risk. The real risk is actually doing nothing. So we have to do something, as soon as possible."

When he was done speaking, it did not take long before the questions started to come, fast.

How to get her?

Where she was?

Who watched her?

They already had people working on those things so it would be way easier for them to figure it out now.

They had done a thorough background check also on the guards who were tasked with watching the hospital, the ones who were soft and when they changed their shifts.

They weren't just there to talk about the general idea of the plan but the intricacies and the actual way to make it work, something they had overlooked in their previous plans. Right now, they were more than prepared to make sure that it worked out for good.

Their leader listened as the plan went around,but then he heard something that made his ears perk up instantly. He had codes and values, and it wasn't going to be violated because of this zealous gathering.

"Lucy is the only one we touch. We cannot touch the Stones' women or children unless it is the last resort, unless that's the only way we can save ourselves. We will not hurt innocents. If we must hold them we are going to make sure they are safe. We bargain. We push. We do not burn this whole plan down unless they do something stupid. That's rule one and I'm not letting any of you break it. Is that understood?"

Another voice came from the other side of the table.

"And what if they come for us? What if they find out who we are and take us out before we can actually do anything?"

"That is the exact reason we are doing this. That is the risk." He said bluntly. "If that happens, then that means he's played right into our hands. And we will do absolutely everything we can to make sure that he pays for it. But until then, do not fuel this. Our only objective is to take down the heads. Once they are gone, the rest will be very easy to deal with. And in no time, the fancy will fracture."

Ursula nodded. "That's a tight plan but we need it. We work as one, get in and her get and get out. Hand her over to a neutral safehouse and contact the family through someone. We start small and give them a choice. Hopefully they are going to want to trade something for her safety."

They agreed, and then continued to argue about the rest of the plan. Many of them were worried about the fact that their leader was in fact, a Stone. But he was so clever and so careful that nobody suspected or would suspect a thing.

That was in fact, the greatest advantage they had over the enemy. They had someone on the inside who could get them the information they needed.

That was more than enough. It was ugly and careful, a planning of a thing that would hurt people they did not know but needed to hurt.

On the other side however, somewhere across town, Lucy was still on the hospital bed, recovering from her injuries.

Her mother had also been taking in but because her Injuries were not severe enough to confine her to a bed, she always came to see her daughter.

Whenever she wasn't in her bed, she was at her daughter's side. And she never left the room even for a second.

She was always there to remind the nurses when it was time for her daughter's meals, and talking with Lucy whenever she was strong enough to talk.

Over the next few days, Lucy’s color came back and her skin filled out around the bruises.

The machine that had kept her steady the whole time now ticked a kinder beat and soon she started getting out of her bed, taking short walks around the hallways with her mother and six guards that Domenico had appointed to keep their eyes on her and make sure that she was okay and had all she wanted at all times. But nothing came easy, nothing.

Because they had no idea what was coming.