“I won’t argue with that.”
“I can hurt his business connections, and I can push to prosecute as many of his guys as possible. At the very least, I can tie them up in court.”
“I’m actually hitting one of his places today.”
He looked surprised. “Really?”
“We’re still at war, you know.”
“Of course.”
“A group of my girls identified a cache of weapons and money at a strip club he runs. We’re going to attack it, take the cash and guns, and kill every mafia guy there.”
“Brutal.” He smiled. “I like it.”
“He still outnumbers me,” I went on, “but I’m growing. An influx of cash and guns will go a long way toward helping me.”
“Where are you recruiting from?”
“Mostly the girls we safe.”
He frowned. “That’s slow.”
“How?”
“They’re untrained and there’s a limited supply. Have you thought about hiring men?”
“I have. I’m not sure that will go over well.”
“You might not be able to win without doing it.”
“My group likes to feel like a bunch of freedom fighters. That’s why we fight so well together, and why they’re so intense. If I start hiring guys, it might start to feel like a normal mafia, and morale could plummet.”
“I see,” he said. “I guess there’s a lot that goes into running something like the Spiders.”
“Nothing is ever easy.”
“Of course not.”
He finished his drink and stood up.
“But we’re doing well against them, despite the numbers. His group is fractured on the inside. I know there’s talk of rebellion. We just need to widen that crack and give it a tip, and the whole thing will topple over.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I’ve spoken with a lot of people in the mafia. I was his daughter, after all.”
“Of course.” He walked to the bar. “Drink?”
“No, thank you.”
He poured himself a whisky and turned back toward me. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
He frozen, frowning. “I’m not expecting anyone,” he said softly, waking over to the door.
He looked out the peep hole then recoiled visibly. “Shit,” he said softly, walking over to me.
“What? Who is it?”
“Your father.”
I stood, anger boiling through me. “You did this.”
He stared at me for a second before shaking his head. “We’ll talk about that comment later. Right now, you need to go into my bedroom.”
“What? You want me to hide?”
“God damn right I do.”
“No.”
“He knows I’m in here. I can’t turn him away, and you can’t be here.”
I stared at him for a second, anger rolling through me, but I knew he was right. I couldn’t just stand there. He had to let my father in, and I had to hide.
Without another word, I turned and walked back into the bedroom. I shut the door and turned the lock, sitting down onto his bed.
I was furious. Part of me thought that he set this whole thing up, but that was absurd. Of course he didn’t set this up. If he did, he wouldn’t make me hide.
Plus, I was in actual danger. I didn’t have any of my people with me, and I was sure that my father did. If he saw me, Arturo would take me and do who knows what with me. He’d probably put a bullet in my head at best. He’d make it fast and clean, since I was his daughter, but he’d dispose of me like any other problem he had in his life.
I hated being locked in a room, hiding like a child from my father, but I saw no other way. I had to trust Wyatt, and hope that he’d handle this well.
17
Wyatt
I knew Louisa was angry, and I couldn’t blame her. It looked pretty fucking bad that her father, our mortal enemy, happened to show up right when she was sitting in my room, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Calling Arturo earlier was probably a mistake. The man liked to drop by without calling first, probably because he enjoyed putting people off balance. It annoyed me to no end, and in this instance it was actually working.
I pulled the door open. “Arturo,” I said.
He smiled at me. “Wyatt. You kept me waiting.”
“I’m sorry about that. I was on a call.”
“Are you sure? Not hiding a woman friend in there?”
I did my best not to show him anything. “I wish my job gave me that kind of luxury.”
“Oh, I’m sure you could get anything you really wanted, Wyatt.”
“Of course. Come in, Arturo.”
I stepped aside and he stepped into my living room. I glanced at his usual muscle before shutting the door and stepping in behind him.