Drake sighed. “Bad timing, but I guess finding one’s mate takes precedent over everything else. We got word that Emilio is shipping a load of weapons to Indonesia. We all know what that means. He’s using his furniture business as his cover. The weapons are built into the furniture. We don’t yet know when he’s going to actually send them out using his trucking company. My man will let us know when that is happening. We can’t allow that shipment to make it to Indonesia.”

“How reliable is that information?” Elijah asked.

Elijah Lospostos, the man with the largest territory, an international monster that he was slowly taking apart, piece by piece, was a man they all listened to. He was considered the most dangerous of the men at the table. He had married Siena Arnotto, and that made him family. Alonzo was all about loyalty, and he’d given his to Siena when she was just fifteen. Now that loyalty extended to her husband. She was in the early stages of pregnancy but she was carrying triplets, so all of them were watching over her—something she didn’t like. He’d like Evangeline to meet her.

“His word is gold,” Drake stated.

“Is Emilio going to lose his mind when he finds out that Alonzo has claimed Evangeline? He wanted her. He made that clear at the table,” Joshua said. “We’ve got an enemy in Patrizio Amodeo. If Bassini loses it over Evangeline, we’ll be fighting on two fronts.”

“It’s bad timing,” Elijah agreed. “Emilio is hard to predict. If his pride is hurt because Joshua stepped in to stop his claim on her then he’ll go after Joshua. He could be upset at Alonzo and go after him.”

“Will he hurt a woman?” Alonzo asked.

Elijah shook his head. “It isn’t his style. He’s protective of women as a rule. I was surprised he didn’t come across the table and slap Patrizio when the man insulted Evangeline. We’ve weakened him as a boss. If he doesn’t throw in with us, Patrizio will swallow him up and he knows that.”

“If we take this shipment, that could tip the scales,” Drake said, reaching across the table for the coffeepot. It was Cajun coffee, black and strong, something they all needed. “We don’t want Emilio taken out as a boss. He’s one of the better ones.”

Jake Bannaconni let out a sigh. “I’ll have to agree with that. We don’t have anyone ready to take his place yet.” He glanced at Timur.