Adriano sat alone in the back office of one of their clubs, La Fortezza, a ci

. He sighed and crushed the

d on the s

ad of Il Serpente Dorato. His tone was clipped, businesslike, as always. No '

id casually, leanin

ut Adriano could practically feel the disapproval crackling ov

ked slightly

en you're a Greco. H

avorite golden ring around his finger. "Se

that Don Raffaele specialized in. The kind that sa

glio mio," the Don said

ded to be done. The rats were tying themselves to La Rosa N

, a slight edge creeping into his words. "Spectacl

what Adriano did, it was never clean enou

ke Ale

s nose. "Weakness is letting trai

her

slice skin from bone, the Don s

lenched into a f

urse

the perfect heir

're building your empire with fire and

bitter. "Maybe Alessandro would prefer if I kn

second, Adriano wondered if he'd pushed too far

spoke again. "You move

said sharply. "And they bring

t he kept his voice even. "I'll keep thing

f the line. It was worse than anger-it was amusement. A

"We are not in the habit of c

t dead witho

at the silent phone. The familiar rage was bu

ch blood he spilled or enemies he crush

ssment they

uck-u

, the chair scrapin

ing. He needed to prov

at opportunity was

e in just af

for money laundering and backroom deals. The bass from the music downstairs vibrated

face darkening as he pres

an, mostly curses and handed the pho

said grimly. "Or ra

phone to his ear, sc

ce crackled over the line, frantic,

hitened around the p

t by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It's almost as

it harder th

illion d

e in the

go

!" Adriano's raised his voice, ang

leak. Maybe the Russians got cold feet. May

iano squeezed it too har

t

ough he already knew the answer. The pit op

stuff. Transfers. Shell accounts. Offshore com

Enzo through the phone. "They're gonna

y'd find the spider's

up witho

waiting for orders. Even they looke

Marco fin

hed-a sharp,

he table, whiskey sloshing over his f

a spray of gl

LLION DOLLARS BAD!

s have their fuc

e DEA. The

t, but the noose

realization sliced th

lar laundered through his clubs, his gambling dens, his strip clubs, his trucking c

yna

that he wasn't just th

e deserved h

rumbling ben

s let out a frustrated groan. Then in his han

at the screen, he felt the

r ID:

UCKING BREAK!" Adriano yelled, b

s, whiskey, papers flying. He punched the wall, once, twice, three

ough gritted teeth. "BOTH

o immediately

violently. His hand hovered over the phone

z once. Twice

not with fear but with pur

e was cold enough

ria