Two of our businesses, one a restaurant and another, a bicycle shop, both of which fronted for money-laundering operations, had been attacked, but no one had been killed. Nothing of the businesses connected directly to us, so investigators would not find anything linking the crimes, but this was only the beginning. Money was taken from both businesses, but the amount of cash wouldn’t have warranted the burglaries.

No, a message was being sent.

This was the prelude to a war.

But Luke DeMarco’s shooting threw us off. He was working with the Pagani family. Why would he have been attacked?

That was the piece that gave us all pause.

“I feel real uneasy about this,” I said. “They wouldn’t have attacked DeMarco. Hell, if things had progressed to this point, DeMarco wouldn’t have been at a fucking bowling alley. Something isn’t right. It’s someone else.”

“Isabella?” my father asked.

Roman glanced at me.

“I saw her at the hospital. She’s beside herself.”

“You were at the hospital?” he asked.

I’d told Roman where I was, but not my father. “They’re Lucia’s family.”

His lips tightened. “You miss the point of everything.”

“By point of everything, you mean my treatment of Lucia.” I knew. It wasn’t a question. “If it’s the fact I’m not a monster to her, then you’re right, I miss your point. Maybe you should have given her to Dominic after all.” The thought sickened me, but my saying it out loud to him, and in front of other members of the family, it only reaffirmed the fact that I would never allow that to happen.

My father made no reply, which surprised me. But it also strengthened me.

Every man in the room seemed to be holding their breath.

“Leave Lucia out of this. She’s my concern and mine alone. Period. Let’s talk about the damage done, who’s behind it, and what we’re doing about it.”

He exhaled but turned his attention back to the task at hand. I assumed he’d deal with me later, but when that time came, he’d learn there would be no more dealing with me. My strings had been cut. I was no longer his puppet.

Maybe it took that contract to teach me that, to break me from my weakness, my cowardice when it came to Franco Benedetti. If any good could come out of something as terrible as stealing a life, this had to be it.

“Back to who is behind this,” Roman began. “I believe the Pagani family is carrying out the attacks. I don’t believe Isabella DeMarco would have her cousin assassinated. Assuming that was the intent.”

“What else would it be? They put two bullets in him,” I said.

Roman agreed. “Maybe Isabella is a bigger threat than we gave her credit for. Maybe Luke was an underling, a cover for her.”