Page 58 of The Don
“Lorenzo and Federico will tell you the details. All I know is that he wanted an audience with The Board, and he went to Luca Giordano to make the request.”
I stop at that name. I’ve checked the living room, dining area, and kitchen. I haven’t found anything out of order. But that name surely is. There are few people Salvatore hates; Luca is one. “And what happened?”
“According to my contact at the coroner’s office, they found Luca’s body yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
Tommaso shrugs. “Apparently, Luca’s men didn’t notice he was missing for a while.”
I grunt. “I wonder if there was any money left in his accounts. I’m sure The Board will want to hear about that.”
“I assume so.”
“Were you not there?”
Tommaso shakes his head. “Salvo gave me another job.”
“Which was?”
“I think I should tell you and Alfonso that together.”
I squint my eyes and frown. “Why?”
Tommaso smiles, big and bright. “Because that was part of the job. Salvo told me whenever you got here, it would be time to start the final stage of his plan.”
“Whenever I got here?” I yell. “If he wanted us here, why didn’t he just call us?”
Tommaso holds up his hands and shrugs. “You might question the boss, but I don’t. Anyway, I’m gonna go downstairs. Take your time. We have time.”
“How do you know that?”
He rolls his eyes. “I told you, Salvo has a plan.”
At that, Tommaso walks to the front door and pulls it open, waving on his way out.
I’m so angry that I glare at the closed door for a few minutes after he’s gone, trying to calm my racing pulse. When I have myself together, I walk down the hall to check the bedrooms. The guest room is mostly empty and pristine, a bed that no one has slept in taking up most of the space. The master bedroom makes my gut clench. Shae’s presence is everywhere; her bonnet on her pillow, her pajamas thrown over the foot of the bed, her toothbrush next to Salvo’s on the bathroom sink.
I have to find Salvo. That’s my job. He’s my boss and friend. I owe him this. But I alsohaveto find Shae. I don’t know how I can look Zahra in the eyes again if I don’t. I don’t know how she’ll be able to stay with me if I fail.
I walk to the last bedroom. It’s Salvo’s office. Even I’ve never been in here. I reach for the door handle, expecting it to be locked. When I find that it’s open, my gut clenches.
Salvo’s offices are a window into his brain and I find exactly what I expect. The room is tidy with a small couch under the window on one side of the room, a large armoire taking up the opposite wall, a rug in the middle of the room, and a desk across from the door with boxes neatly stacked on it. I can see two small slips of paper on top of the pile of boxes. I walk to the desk, hoping that I’ll find answers here, and I guess I do.
One of the envelopes is addressed to Shae. The only thing that stops me from opening it is knowing that Salvo will kill me if he finds out that I have. And he will find out because hewillbe back.
Besides, the other envelope is addressed to me. “Why didn’t you just call me?” I mutter, ripping it open.
“Ai, cazzo,” I groan as I read his words. “Why is nothing ever easy with you?” I say as if Salvo is in the room. But he’s not. And whatever Tommaso thinks, I don’t talk back to the boss either. But when I get Salvo out of this, I will give him a piece of my mind for taking such unnecessary risks.
A piece.
A small piece.
* * *
Alfonso
“What’s going on?” Zoe hisses against my ear.