A Bad Call

The following morning, I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could, careful not to wake Shay. She was exhausted from the multiple rounds we’d had last night, our first as an engaged couple.

I grabbed my phone and a pair of shorts, then tiptoed out to the main room to order some breakfast. A knock on the door interrupted me. When I opened it, Noah and Conner were standing there, looking uneasy.

I swung the door wide open and they walked in, taking a seat.

“What’s going on, guys?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “Why are you both looking so jittery?”

Just as the words left my mouth, my phone buzzed on the table. Picking it up, I had a sinking feeling that this wasn’t a call I wanted to deal with right now.

“Hey, Dad. What can I do for you?” I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice. Calls from him were rarely good news.

“Didn’t Conner tell you I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday?” His voice was gruff on the other end of the line.

“Yeah, he did. But I didn’t have a chance to call you back. We were tied up with something and it ran late. What do you need?”

I rolled my eyes as I spoke, already anticipating the drama.

“I need you to come home right away. We’ve got a big problem here and I need you and your crew to handle it. I don’t have enough men for this. I need at least five hundred of yours to come with you.”

I sat up straighter in my chair, trying to wrap my head around why he would need that many men.

“Dad, we’re on vacation. We’re not due back for another four days. We all needed this break, especially after finally taking care of Luca. He kidnapped Shay again, but we got her back. We tortured him and blew up his boat. He’s dead.”

“I know. My men told me about your showdown with him,” he replied.

“Wait, what do you mean, your men? Are you having me followed?” I asked, my voice rising a notch.

“Zane, listen. I have men watching you right now. There’s a mole in my ranks and they’re coming after us with everything they’ve got.

“You need to get your men and Shay here as soon as possible. Someone from our past is back for revenge. And it’s not just me they’re after, it’s you too.”

I jumped up from my chair and headed out the door to Noah’s room next door. Conner went to fetch Max and asked him to stay in our room, then came back to join us.

“Who are we dealing with now? I thought once we took care of Luca, our problems would be mostly over.”

“This is old revenge against me. But now they have information on my extended family and they’re targeting each and every one of them.

“Zane, they killed Thomas and his entire family. We found them two days ago, slaughtered in their home, along with some of his men.

“One of them was barely alive, but he managed to tell us that the others had sided with Christian to save themselves. He died a few hours later. He didn’t know who the mole was.”

Thomas was my dad’s second youngest brother. He had a wife, four kids ranging from ten to eighteen, and a bunch of men under his command.

Christian was the head of another Mafia family in Italy. He’d been at war with my dad for as long as I could remember.

He’d backed off about ten years ago after my dad’s men took out one of his warehouses. But now it seemed he was back and targeting my family.

I started pacing the floor, running my free hand through my messy hair. It looked like I’d stuck my finger in a socket.

“So, he’s absorbing these men into his own crew to make it bigger and stronger. And he’s gathering information about how each organization is run so he can launch a surprise attack.

“How soon do you need us there? We’re over nine hours away, even by plane.” My shoulders slumped. I knew this was going to get ugly.

“I’m sorry, son, but my planes are waiting for you at the airstrip. They’ll take you home and then straight here, along with as many men as you can bring.”

I glanced at Conner and Noah, who were shaking their heads. “Give me about an hour to pack up and get everyone together. We didn’t bring much, but I’ll get us organized as soon as we’re off this call.”

Forest walked in, rubbing his eyes and stretching. “For a vacation, you sure know how to ruin a good night’s sleep.”

“Forest, is that you?” my dad’s voice came over the speaker.

“Dante, it’s been a while. How are you, sir?” Forest stopped in his tracks and looked at us.

“It has been a long time. How’s your dad? Is he still working, or did he retire when he handed the reins over to you?” My dad’s voice had softened.

“He’s still around, but he’s been traveling with my mom for the last few years. She wanted to see the world. He said he tried to visit you a few years ago, but you were out of the country.”

I should have known my dad had connections with Forest’s family. He knew all kinds of people in the same line of work.

“My men told me you’ve been hanging out with my son. I also heard about the little love triangle you two had.” My dad chuckled.

I slammed my hand down on the table. “Enough, Dad. I told you to stop keeping tabs on me. I’m tired of you sticking your nose in my business.”

His tone turned icy.

“I have to make sure you’re not making decisions that could get you hurt, son. I’m glad you’ve teamed up with Forest, though. His dad built a strong empire.

“Now that Forest is in charge, he’s taken it even further. Your groups are evenly matched, which is good for both of you.”

“Dad, cut to the chase. What’s Forest got to do with this?” I had a sinking feeling that he was about to be pulled into our family drama.

“I need him to join you. If we combine your best with his, we can hunt down and eliminate Christian for good.”

Forest raised a hand, glancing at me. “Wait a minute. Are we talking about the same Christian my dad warned me about? I was under the impression you’d taken care of him over a decade ago.”

“We thought we had, but his body was never recovered. Two days ago, my brother and his family were found brutally murdered in their home. One of his men confessed it was Christian’s doing before he died.

“He’s systematically killing off my family and recruiting the top men from their ranks to form one of the most lethal groups ever. I need help to put an end to him, as soon as we identify the traitor in my ranks.”

“How many men are you asking for, Dante? I can have them ready to go within the hour.” Forest settled next to me on the couch.

“I need at least five hundred, if not more, along with Zane and his crew. I want this to be over, once and for all.”

“I’ll gather my men and head over with them. When do we need to depart?” He glanced towards the door.

“My dad has planes ready for us, and we need to be on them in an hour. Then we head home to gather who we need, and load them onto the planes to head over there.”

He stood up. “Consider it done. I’ll make a quick call, and I’ll be packed in five minutes.”

I gestured at Conner. “Contact our men on the boat and have our stuff moved to the planes right away. I’ll wake up Shay and grab some breakfast. Then we’re out of here.”

He nodded.

My dad’s voice filtered through the phone again, this time sounding pleasant. “I’m eager to meet my future daughter-in-law who also happens to be carrying the heir to our empire.”

I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“We’ll be there by tomorrow. See you then, Dad.” I ended the call and slammed my fist into the wall.

“What’s up, Boss?” my men asked.

“I’m fed up with him keeping tabs on me. I’m not a kid anymore; I’m a grown man who can look after myself and everyone else around me.”

They grinned. “We know that. He just likes to keep an eye on his favorite son, that’s all.”

I grunted and left the room to order the breakfast I’d been craving before this damn call.