“I sent a message to our neighborhood lead,” Sasha says. “He’s on it and he’ll text us both with updates.” She looks at me. “And you’re right about the possible trap. I’m going to call Carlo and see if he can find out anything from inside The Jackals.” She heads back into the office, leaving me with Matteo.
“I’m calling Kayden in case Gallo does something crazy and ends up standing in front of him,” I say, punching in the auto-dial and walking toward the TV room for privacy.
He answers in two rings, his voice deep, concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m safe,” I say, “but I need to give you a heads-up to make sure you stay that way. Gallo showed up here in a fury. He had a picture of his sister with a huge X over her face, and some writing in Italian that basically equates to a threat. He thinks you did it. I told him it’s not you, but he’s out of his mind right now.”
“Where is he now?” he asks, receiving the information as calmly as he does everything.
“We’ve had him followed, but he just left. He was standing in the pouring rain, pounding insanely on the store door. My worry is that he’ll connect with Alessandro and alert him to where you are. Or he’ll wait and try to confront you when you return to the castle.”
“You did right by calling me,” he says. “I just left Niccolo. Obviously I need to get back and have another conversation with him about Alessandro and Gallo.”
I want to ask what happened in their meeting, but this isn’t the time. “Sasha wants to go to him, to try to get him under control, but—”
“No. Gallo followed her earlier. This could be a setup.”
“That was my thought as well,” I say. “Right now, we’re waiting to see where he goes and what he does.”
“Text me if there are new developments. Call me if you feel it’s urgent.”
“I will.” I bite back another “be safe” that I know isn’t what The Hawk needs to hear. “While you’re talking to Niccolo, just remember that he’s afraid of dying. And fear—”
“Is punishment,” he supplies. “That idea is going to make me sleep better tonight. Make sure someone calls Adriel and updates him.”
“I will.”
He’s silent for a moment, then two, and I almost think he’s hung up before I hear, “Ella.”
“Yes?”
He says something in Italian, his voice low, gruff, intimate, and then he hangs up—leaving me wondering what he said, and why he wouldn’t say it in English.
eleven
I end the call with Kayden and head toward the store again, Sasha meeting me under the archway dividing the TV room from the store.
“I just called Adriel and filled him in,” she says. “He’s already successfully handed off the cocktail to our man inside Niccolo’s operation, and he’s pulling into our driveway now. Did you reach Kayden?”
“I did,” I confirm, “and he was worried about Gallo setting you up before I even mentioned it myself.”
“I really don’t think that’s what that was. Not based on how upset he was, and per our man following him, Gallo parked at the front of the castle and is making his way to his car in the pouring rain. If he set me up he’d be waiting around and would surely have a better plan than pounding on the door in the rain.”
“You have to remember that Alessandro is involved with him now, and by reputation, he’s devious.”
“Alessandro already knows I work for Kayden. Oh, crap! I don’t think Gallo knows my story yet, but Alessandro could tell him at any time.”
“He might have hinted at it, or told him and Gallo didn’t want to believe it, so he followed you.”
“Maybe. Either way, now that I’ve had time to process Alessandro’s involvement, I can’t reconnect with Gallo. He’s too volatile. I could ignite new anger that might send him into the deep end.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “And I hate that, because Gallo really is a mess. He needs someone to ground him. I’m hoping he just goes home tonight and drinks or sleeps this off.”
“His sister is in danger,” she says. “He’s not going to just let this go.”
“What are you thinking?”
“That he’ll go to Milan,” she says, and we both look at each other as the light bulb goes off. “And,” she adds, “that’s exactly what the goal was.”
“He leaves the city,” I supply, “and he’s no longer able to cause trouble.”
“It’s a temporary fix, but a fix,” she says. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that means his sister is safe. Not with the people we’re dealing with.”
The sound of the door between us and the castle lifting sends both of us in that direction, and we arrive in front of it at the same moment Adriel appears. “Where’s Gallo now?” he asks, his dark hair slightly damp, the scowl on his face seeming to deepen the scar down his cheek.
“He’s headed toward the airport,” Matteo announces, joining us. “I hacked the database and he leaves for Milan on the last flight out tonight. I’ve already contacted our people in Milan and arranged coverage at the airport when he arrives and at his sister’s place immediately.”
Sasha and I glance at each other. “We were right,” she says.
“You were right,” I say, glancing at Sasha. “They got him out of town.”