me. Does he not still hold it on the tip of his tongue when he gives you your orders?”
“In case you’re still not getting it, she’s telling you that power comes in many forms. It’s not always about blood and death,” Trey huffs, crushing pieces of bread into his soup.
“I get what she’s saying, but I don’t agree. Men have lived their entire lives fighting, so what are we to do when your perfect Vita is upon us?”
“They get to survive.”
She puts it so simply, but I have to agree with Frankie’s assessment. It’s going to be hard for a lot of soldiers to change their ways because we say they have to.
Christian explains, “She’s going to let the chief of police do their job and put the bad guys away. If they break the law, it won’t be because we ordered them to, it’ll be of their own volition and down to them to pay the price.”
“Exactly. It’s the way it should’ve been, and it’s the way in many countries around the world. Vita will be no different.”
The butler bursts into the dining room, and Mila is on her feet before I am. Danger is in the air, and I’m already reaching for the gun I have stashed under the table.
“What is it, Alfred?” Cristian snaps.
“Mayor Salvatore, the chief of police, and a man of the cloth are through the gates that weren’t opened for them, and they’re not alone.”
“Police officers?” Frankie asks, typing away on his phone.
“Some, but they seem to be soldiers. Not yours, though.”
“It has to be DiMarco’s men,” I growl, tucking the gun into the back of my pants.
Trey hands Mila a gun that she holds like she’s done it a thousand times before, tucking into the garter halfway up her thigh. Again, I shouldn’t be surprised she knows how to fire a gun, and it shouldn’t be turning me on.
Heading for the door, Mila steps in front of me and lifts her chin.
“Now is the time to take out Alexander. They’re not here to have dinner with us.”
“I agree.”
“The chief isn’t going to let you take out the mayor and get away with it,” Trey remarks.
Keeping her eyes on me, Mila says flatly, “Then the chief will die tonight too.
We go out first. I already have my men standing by yours, so you take my lead.”
“If something should happen tonight, I want you to know this isn’t how I wanted it to end between us.”
Her brows pinch together as she steps closer. “If your will isn’t strong enough to end this night the victor, then you have no business standing beside me, Raphael.”
Trey smirks and joins Mila as she walks out the room. I thought she was fucking dead, which has shown me how easily one of us can be taken out. She knows what I fucking meant.
I catch up to them just as they make it to the front door.
“You found your will, then?” Smirking, she nods for Frankie to open the door.
As we step outside, blue lights glow in the darkness, and I scope out how many men are here. I count the twenty-four men I’ve never seen before backing up the mayor, the chief, and Father DiMarco.
“What’s this all about?” I call out.
“Raphael Marocchi and Jamila Camarco, you are under the arrest for murder,” the chief shouts through his megaphone.
“Who’s murder?” I ask, making my voice carry over the wind.
He lists eight names. Eight names I’ve never heard.
“They’re DiMarco’s men at the hotel,” Mila utters under her breath.
“You’re mistaken. I’ve been too busy today to murder anyone. Leave my property, or I can’t promise you’ll get the option again.”
Alexander moves forward, his eyes only for Mila. “Come quietly, and no one will have to get hurt. I can still help you if you cooperate.”
Fantastic. She shows him up, calls off an engagement she told him was a sham, and he still wants to save her.
Ignoring him, she looks up at me. “We’ll never get a better chance to take them out like this. I’ll take down Alexander, and you take the chief, yes?”
With a nod, she counts down from three. Whipping my gun out, I aim for the chief while she slides her shooter out of her garter and points it at the mayor. Our shots fire simultaneously, and the two men drop to the ground. The unexpected has their men staring on for a few seconds, and I watch the smoke drift from the barrel of my gun.
“Take them out!”