"Get with Angelo. Lock down the shipment coming in. I don't want a single person coming in or out of the port until I get there. Make certain that everyone who owes us money pays up. Put word out on the street that I'm playing hardball."
"Makes sense, boss." Dante gave me a confident smile. "What about your brother and father?"
"I will assume my father is ready to leave the hospital. Make certain he stays. I don't care what you tell the doctor, my father is not to be released. As far as my brother," I said, another pang of guilt and remorse shooting through my heart, "just keep the soldiers in place. Make certain no one can get to him."
"Such a shame."
"He's not dead yet!" I snapped then held out my hand, taking calming breaths. "I'm sorry, Dante. You don't deserve my wrath."
"It's okay, boss. You're going through a lot." He tipped his head toward the forest. "You sure you don't want me to burn the bodies?"
I studied the bank of trees, taking a deep whiff of the clean air. "Better if their bodies are found." Someday. Then again, if what I suspected was true, the two assholes were merely a number and no one would care.
I stormed toward the truck, climbing inside, immediately starting the engine. Sierra was already waiting inside, refusing to bother looking in my direction. We headed out, Dante close on my tail. By the time I got to the main road, at least a portion had been plowed. I concentrated on driving as I thought about my next moves. I'd be forced to talk with my father soon enough.
"What are you going to do?" Sierra asked.
I darted a glance in her direction before twisting my hand on the steering wheel. She'd been quiet since the attack, barely saying two words. She continued to stare out of the passenger window of the truck. The risk I was taking was significant, but I refused to allow her out of my sight again. "What is required." I knew the answer wouldn't satisfy her, but I wasn't prepared to tell her that a war had already begun.
She huffed and folded her arms.
Another five minutes passed. After leaving Galena, I couldn't help get over the foreboding feeling that I'd had since the early morning. Something had remained in my craw, my instinct telling me that whatever was occurring in Chicago had already begun to escalate. Sierra was right in not assuming I was the target. If my gut was correct about who'd betrayed the family, then my first assumptions would prove to be correct.
Someone or some entity was going all out in order to destroy our entire family.
I hadn't been there to make certain my soldiers were in line and that would need to change. I'd been impetuous in my decision to allow Michael to interfere with my business.
With my family's business.
This would likely be a decision my father wouldn't be able to tolerate. There was no way to spin the situation without highlighting my weakness.
For a woman.
What the fuck. I'd done the right thing. I'd face the goddamn consequences. "Is there anything else you can remember about Lucas, perhaps something he told you that might highlight the information he was going to provide?"
"I've gone over it several times, Lorenzo. There's nothing. He simply said it was huge, a story that would take me national."
I rubbed my jaw, taking in the information. Why the hell would Axel care? Or whoever was pulling the chains? Granted, if the various politicians and business moguls aligned with the organization were exposed, that would further place a wedge in our power, but that seemed unlikely. Not a single one of them would say a damn thing. If they breathed a word, their entire world and wealth would be destroyed.
"And why trust you? Why not go directly to the public?" I asked for the second time.
She shifted in her seat, obviously uncomfortable. "I don't know."
"But you suspect."
"Okay, fine. I have a feeling that he knew I had a connection with you."
"He said that?"
Sighing, she shook her head. "No, but I had a feeling given the way he was acting, the few questions he asked about previous stories I'd written. Your family name came up more than once."
I bristled, trying my best to control my anger. "You should have told me this from the beginning."
"I just thought of it. Okay? Besides, what difference does that make? I'm not trying to hold anything from you. There's nothing else he said. You have to remember that Lucas was very cautious about providing anything of substance. He was freaking terrified from the very first meeting."
"What did he tell you during those first meetings?" I heard yet another demanding tone in my voice.
"He mentioned he had a list of city leaders who had a connection with you and that they needed to be exposed. He also said that there were other avenues of corruption and before you ask, he refused to explain other than the statement about the FBI. That's when I pushed back, telling him I needed proof. He was talking crazy by that point and I didn't trust him." She shot me another look, one I was easily able to catch.
"Other avenues? An interesting choice of words. Axel," I huffed.
"But who would be stupid enough to work with Axel, going against your family?"
"That's a damn good question."
Sierra exhaled, shaking her head. "I hate this, all of this."
I'd barely driven out of the area when my cell phone rang. Seeing Michael's number, I sucked in my breath. "Lorenzo."
"We need to talk. There are some developments that need your attention," Michael stated.
"Yeah, including the fact two assassins almost made their mark last night."
"Fuck. This shit is escalating. I think we need to call another meeting of the alliance. Working together from afar isn't going to take care of this situation."
"Go on." I listened intently and when the conversation ended, I realized that there was no way of running from the past. There was nothing that had prepared me for what he said; however, the implications were clear.
The war had begun months before.