"Might be the best solution available."
"And Saltori? What do you want me to do with him?"
"Take him down the highway and drop him off. Away from civilization." Whether or not he approved of my resolution wasn't something that I cared about. This was, after all, my decision.
He twisted his mouth then nodded in affirmation. "Will do. What are you doing with Francesca while you travel to Italy?"
I gave him a wry smile. "Taking her with me." I eased my hand into my jacket, reaching for my phone. I needed to have my father moved to an undisclosed and secure location before I made any other arrangements.
No phone.
Hissing, I searched my other pockets, my mind shifting to the last place I'd had the phone in my hand. Fuck! Fuck... I'd placed it on the nightstand before shedding my clothes and sharing a shower with Francesca.
I had a bad feeling in my gut, my stupidity possibly creating a nightmare.
"What's wrong, boss?" Grinder asked.
"Call the guards at the house. I want an update. Make certain that Francesca is all right."
"Of course, boss. What's going on?"
"Maybe nothing." Maybe everything.
I stormed toward Saltori, moving to within a few inches of the bruised and bloodied man. "You're going to supply me with details of your operations, Saltori. Every single one of them. They are coming back into the fold. If you fail to do so, both you and your son will disappear. Am I clear?"
Louis gave me the same haughty look I'd seen before then lost his expression. "Yeah, sure."
"And you're going to leave town for an undisclosed period of time and trust me, I will be watching."
He was a bit player in all of this, a mere insect who had no right to live.
But I'd allow him to.
"Sure. Whatever."
I sneered, bending over so I could look directly into his eyes. "Fuck with me and you'll lose everything you've ever considered precious in your life. There are no options. There are no outs. You belong to me now."
Swallowing, his lower lip quivered as he struggled to answer. "Yes. Understood."
"Good."
I walked away, feeling as if I had more respect from the... from my soldiers. I could see an expression of anxiety on Grinder's face as he paced the floor, his phone firmly planted in his hand.
"Damn it," he hissed under his breath.
I'd never planned on falling hard for Francesca. Doing so was irresponsible as well as dangerous. However, there was little I could do.
With either the nagging in my mind or the churning in my stomach.
I'd never been one to believe in love at first sight. I wasn't a romantic. I also wasn't good for her, but I knew in my heart I could never let her go.
"Pick up the damn phone." Grinder kept his voice low, but he wiped beads of sweat from his face. I'd never seen the larger man nervous and he was anxious as fuck. "Fuckin' shit."
"What is it?"
He took a deep breath before tipping his head in my direction. "Neither one of them is answering."
A wave of anger and hatred swept over me. I should have known better than to leave her alone. Francesca had freed the stranglehold the demon had over me for so many years, allowing me to feel again.
Love again.
And no one was going to take her away from me.
"Get me back there. Now. If anything happened to her, heads are going to roll." I heard the quiet calm in my voice, the darkness before the storm.
"Absolutely, boss."
Twilight had settled in, the giant glowing moon hovering over the sky highlighting the series of clouds fueled by the light wind. They reminded me of ghosts whispering their promise of evil things to come.
And I knew evil was about to descend on the streets of Los Angeles.
If something had happened to Francesca, the city wouldn't come out unscathed. Maybe monsters should rule, especially in the darkness, allowed to feed on their prey, voracious in their hunger. Admitting I was one of them, the unclean and unholy, had been difficult over the last few years.
No longer.
I was not only one of them.
I was their leader.