I sat back, surprised by the venom in her voice and eyes.

Ines bit her lip. “I’m sorry. This was uncalled for. I—” She swallowed and pressed her hand over her eyes. “I feel so helpless. I always told my children I’d keep the monsters at bay. And here my daughter is in the hands of a monster and I’m sitting here having coffee, unable to help her, to protect her.”

Tears prickled in my eyes. “Nobody could have foreseen something like this.”

Ines smiled bitterly. “I don’t know. Things have been escalating more and more. There’s so much hatred between the famiglias. How will all of this end?”

Peace was even less an option after what Remo had done. Dante would rather make another peace treaty with Luca than ever agree to a truce with the Camorra.

“Do we even have any options? The Camorra and the Famiglia work together. They’re against us.”

I didn’t say anything. Things looked bad for us. Luca wouldn’t work with Dante, not after the photo incident and not when it meant having the Camorra as his enemy. Who else was there? The Corsican Union in Canada, but they kept to themselves. We didn’t share the same cultural or linguistic background. They didn’t trust us and had little to gain from a cooperation. They wouldn’t risk a conflict with the Camorra and the Famiglia. And the Bratva? The Pakhan in Chicago who ruled over most of the Bratva in the Midwest had some sort of non-aggression pact with Remo Falcone.

Ines let out a choked sound. “It’s even worse than I think, isn’t it?”

“No,” I said firmly. “The Outfit has gone through crisis before and we’ve always come out of it because we stood together. Remo is trying to drive a wedge between us, which is why he asked for Pietro’s city. He wants to sow dissent in our family, but we won’t let him. We won’t allow him to destroy our bond because Serafina will need a strong family when she returns.”

Ines smiled weakly. “Dante’s right. You’d be a great Consigliere.”

It was easy giving advice when you didn’t have to suffer the backlash. I could give Dante my opinion because ultimately he was the one who’d be judged for it. He had to carry the weight of responsibility.

Sensing that Ines wanted to be alone, I went in search of Leonas to tell him we’d have all dinner together. Danilo would be there as well. He’d decided to commute between Indianapolis and Minneapolis as often as possible. For someone as young as him, he had to carry plenty of responsibility. A sick father, a disabled sister, ruling over Indianapolis, and now saving his fiancée.

“Leonas!” I called.

“He’s with me,” Dante said from a room down the corridor I’d never paid much attention to. The moment I stepped inside, I froze. It was weaponry. That explained the barred windows and heavy door. Knives, machine guns, and pistols lined the shelves.

Dante sat on a chair and Leonas stood beside him. In front of them on the table was a gun. It was in its separate pieces and Dante showed Leonas how to put it back together. Then he explained how to unlock the safety, aim and shoot. Leonas listened with a look of utmost concentration. Dante handed the gun to our son and my heart stopped. He was only seven. He was too young for this.

“Dante—” My voice shook.

Dante looked up. “It’s not loaded.”

I swallowed. “Can I have a word with you?”

Dante held out his hand and Leonas handed the gun back to him with a proud smile. Dante ruffled his head then stood. “Now go to the dining room.”

Leonas rushed out, grinning as if this had been the most fun game. I closed the door for privacy.

“He’s too young,” I whispered harshly.

Dante loaded the gun calmly then put it into one of his holsters. He shook his head. “If the attack proved anything, then that no one is safe. Not even children. We can’t coddle Leonas. He needs to learn what’s necessary to survive in this world.”

“Why? You and your soldiers are here for his protection. Anna and I aren’t wielding guns either.” For which I was glad. I hated them, even if they were a necessary evil in our world. Yet, I didn’t want Anna to have to carry one, not even now. Even with a gun, she wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like Remo because she lacked what those men had: no scruples and cruelty.

“Because I need to prepare Leonas in case I ever don’t return to all of you.”

I took a step back. “Don’t plan your death, Dante. We’re trying to have a third baby and you’re considering dying? What am I supposed to do without you? And what about the Outfit? They’ll be thrown into chaos. Who’d lead them if not you?”

Dante came toward me and pulled me against him, but I didn’t soften. I was angry and scared. “Val, I don’t intend to die any time soon, but death lurks at every corner. I need to prepare Leonas so he could take over at a young age.” Seeing my horrified look, he kissed me gently. “Not now, not in five years, but I want him to be strong and ready to lead the Outfit once he comes of age.”

“Could you have led the Outfit at only eighteen?”

“Maybe. Not the same way I do now. I would have made mistakes but I would have learned from them. Hell, I’m still making mistakes, even age doesn’t protect you from error.”

I shook my head. “He’s just a boy.”

“He’s the future Capo of the Outfit. He can’t afford to be a little boy.”

I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead against Dante’s suit. “When… when will you induct him?”

Dante touched my head and pressed a kiss to my hair. “At twelve.”

I shuddered. “How will you prepare him? How will you make him strong?” I opened my eyes, searching Dante’s face. His blond brows pulled together. “He’ll learn to fight. We have our fight centers for a reason. He’ll fight with older boys who won’t take pity on him. He’ll learn to shoot. Eventually he’ll have to be present at interrogations… at killings.”

“You won’t torture him to make him strong,” I said firmly.

“I won’t torture him.”

I pulled Dante’s head down to me and kissed him desperately.

Samuel and Pietro looked horrible. Dark shadows spread under their eyes. Pietro had started smoking again. A habit he’d abandoned for Ines.

I joined Pietro outside on the patio. He stared up at the sky, blowing smoke out. “When you first told me about Falcone’s demand, I would have agreed without hesitation. I’m still not convinced I’d say no if I were face to face with him.”

“He won’t give her back to us even if we promise him Minneapolis. He knows it can’t work. A territory can’t be gifted. It has to be conquered with sheer brutality. He’d have to kill every Made Man in your city to really own it. Remo is someone who wants to conquer. He’d never accept a territory that he didn’t bleed for. This is his game, Pietro.”

Pietro took another deep pull from the cigarette then threw it to the ground and stepped on it. “I swore to Ines I’d never start smoking again. She didn’t even comment when I did. Seeing Ines suffer… fuck, this is torture.”