I put down the papers and pushed my chair back. “Of course, Anna. What is it?”

Something about her demeanor was off. She usually wasn’t this demure around us, even if she was reserved when strangers were around. She closed the door and tiptoed closer, avoiding my eyes. I pulled her on my lap and she nestled her head against my throat, her fingers fumbling with my jacket.

“You can tell me anything, you know that, right?” I said quietly.

She gave a sharp nod. “If I do something bad, Daddy, something you don’t like, will you kill me like Orazio?”

For a moment, my heart stopped beating. Grabbing her shoulders, I moved her so I could see her face. Her eyes held honest trepidation and it was the worst sight I could imagine. The shit with Orazio and Fabiano meant nothing in comparison to the fucking anguish I felt because my own daughter thought I might kill her if she displeased me. The mere idea…

I nudged up her chin. “Anna, no matter what you do, I’ll never hurt you. I’ll protect you with my life from any harm. You hear me?”

“Even if I become a traitor?”

“I won’t ever hurt you. Ever.”

She bit her lip. “Okay.”

“Who said something like that?” I asked, trying to keep my voice gentle.

“Leonas said you’d have to kill Orazio because he’s a traitor, and that you’d do the same with anyone else who betrayed you.”

I gritted my teeth. I kissed Anna’s forehead. “I love you more than anything, Anna.”

“I love you too, Daddy,” Anna said and snuggled against me once more. Despite my workload, I decided to spend some time with her. “How about we play a song together?”

“Really?” She sat up with wide eyes.

I rarely played the piano anymore. For one, I didn’t have time, and it had never been my passion, but playing with Anna held a special place in my heart.

She hopped off my lap and took my hand, practically dragging me toward the library. This was my daughter, not the scared girl from a few minutes ago.

Anna settled on the piano bench.

“Won’t you play the harp?”

She shook her head sharply. “I wanna play the piano with you.”

“All right.” I sat down beside her. “Let’s see. What song do you want to play?”

“Let it be!”

I chuckled. I searched her booklet for the song then opened it. Anna loved to listen to the Beatles and play their songs. She was an old soul in a young body. “Ready?”

She grinned up at me, her worry and fear forgotten. I’d do anything to keep it that way.

I should have known Rocco would act. The moment I’d told him I wanted to capture Fabiano for questioning, he’d been tense.

Valentina had only just celebrated our eleventh anniversary when Giovanni showed up on my doorstep, looking completely flustered.

“What is it, Giovanni?” I asked as I crossed the lobby toward him. Gabby quickly moved back into the kitchen to give us privacy.

“One of Rocco’s men showed up in our outpost close to Kansas. He’s more dead than alive.”

Leonas hovered in the doorway to the living room, eyes wide and curious. I motioned for Giovanni to follow me into my office. I had a feeling this would be something I didn’t want to discuss in front of my son.

“One of the men Rocco sent to Vegas to capture Fabiano?”

Giovanni huffed. “Apparently, Rocco sent them over there with the clear orders to kill Fabiano and all the fucking Falcone brothers who were with him during one of those disgusting death fights.”

I stiffened. “That’s what he said?”

Giovanni grimaced. “He wrote it down. The Falcones let him live so he could deliver their message to us, to you that is. But they mauled his body pretty badly. Cut his tongue off and his goddamn ears. Broke pretty much every bone in his body he didn’t absolutely need and then delivered him on the doorstep of the outpost. The doctors aren’t sure he’s going to survive the inner bleeding.”

I turned my back on Giovanni, needing time to get control of myself. Rocco had gone against my direct orders. We’d discussed our plan several times. Capture not kill, and only when Fabiano was alone. The Falcone brothers weren’t supposed to be targeted to prevent a war with the Camorra. “What did he write down?”

Giovanni’s steps rang out then he showed me a photo of a bloody piece of paper on his phone. “That’s what I got.”

I took his phone and read the scrawl.

Dante,

I didn’t take you as a man who plays dirty.

Your flyspeck of a territory didn’t mean a fuck to me.

Until today. Attacking my territory? Trying to kill my brothers?

Nice move.

I hope you’ve prepared for war because I’m going to bring it to your door.

Playing dirty is my specialty and I’ll show you how it’s done right.

I’ll make you bleed in ways you never thought possible.

This will be so much fun.

Remo Falcone

“He’s a madman,” Giovanni said. “Causing his wrath will bring us trouble. I assume Rocco did this without your knowledge or did you change tactics without telling me?”

I gave him a look. I would have never made such a stupid move. Remo didn’t play by any rules and he was completely unreasonable. A madman like his father and even more deadly if rumors could be trusted.

“Rocco is a liability.”

“He is,” I agreed.

Giovanni regarded me calmly. “You’re going to remove him from his position?”

I smiled coldly. “Nobody but you and Pietro knew of the plan to capture Fabiano. I prefer it to stay this way.”

“Of course. My lips are sealed. And you know how Pietro is.”

Even if an attack on Las Vegas was pure madness, I’d rather my soldiers think I was behind the insane plane than have them know that my own fucking Consigliere went on his own vendetta.

“What are you going to do with Rocco? Kill him?”

“Not yet,” I said quietly. “Send Santino and Arturo out to capture him and bring him to our safehouse for interrogation.”

Giovanni paused. “What about his wife and the boys? How much are they supposed to know?”

“I doubt Maria will be sad to see him gone from her life. Don’t give her detailed information. This needs to stay within the inner circle.”

“You think he’d run if you called him in?”

I laughed bitterly. “Rocco is a master at self-preservation, and if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll run as far as his legs can carry him.”

Giovanni raised his phone to his ear. I moved to the window, shoving my hands into my pockets. I’d held onto Rocco for too long. In the past, many of his decisions had been very helpful but in recent years he’d become a liability like Giovanni had said. This would stop now.

I wouldn’t kill him, however. Not yet. There was a reason why we had the safehouse with its cell-like, soundproof rooms. They were designed to keep people caged for a long time. Rocco wouldn’t die for his crimes, he’d live as long as I deemed him of value, and I had a feeling that one day he might be.

I didn’t want to consider peace with the Famiglia, but if all failed a non-aggression pact might be the way to go. Offering Scuderi as a peace offering to Luca would be an option then. I hoped it would never come to it. Yet, no matter how much I hated Luca and wanted him dead, he was a man with values, not many, but the ones he had were ironclad. He was a family man like myself. Remo Falcone and his twisted brothers were little more than blood-thirsty, out-of-control monsters. There would be no peace with them as long as I took a breath.