the trade, no. They're testing me."
"What type of message do you want to send?"
Jio smiled slightly. "The only one I can. And the only way to do that is to take care of whoever iced my dad. We can't afford a war."
"The other families won't want one, either," Marc reminded him. "The cost isn't worth the prize."
"If they think the opponent is weak enough, they might risk it."
Marc slumped back. He really shouldn't be surprised. Jio was young for a family leader. In another ten years, he probably wouldn't have been faced with as many challenges.
"What do you need from me?" he asked. Jio raised an eyebrow. "Besides that."
"Keep your ear to the ground on internal rumblings. I won't hear if there's something going on until it's too late."
"I already have Silvio on that."
"Good. There has to be something on the streets. You can't kill the head of one of the most powerful families on the West Coast and not have someone know something."
"Why was Jiovanni by himself?" Marc voiced the question which had bothered him since he first learned of Jiovanni's death. As the head of the Tazio family and a target, Jiovanni never went anywhere without his driver and guard. Yet, he'd been alone. No one had seen him leave the estate. Marc had questioned both the driver and the guard before he'd gotten hauled into Ryan's office and assigned the "Lessa Errand." They'd known nothing.
"I ask myself the same question every hour," Jio said.
"What of his guard and driver?" They were good men, or at least had been until this snafu.
Jio shook his head. "I haven't decided. They haven't tried to run. What do you think?"
"Messages have to be sent, but with everything going on, I'd hate to eliminate any men loyal to you. I believe they're loyal."
"If they're telling the truth. Make a list. I need to know who we can trust without question. Until we find out who did this, and why, any of the family could be in danger. We need to know their guards will protect them at all costs."
"Is everyone staying on campus?" Marc asked.
"At least until the burial. After that, regular life will begin to return. Nina and the children aren't to leave without my express permission. They know this. Make sure whoever you okay to guard them knows."
Marc nodded. He'd have done the same to protect his family. "Remind me. What time's the funeral tomorrow?"
"Father Raphael will do the mass at ten in the morning. We'll have the burial directly after. Make sure we have enough guards in the background. Mother wants to have a wake after the burial."
"People haven't been coming for the Vigil?"
"She's only allowed close friends to pay their respects. Our compromise was a wake here at the house. Oh, shit, where the hell are we gonna put Alessandra?"
"I'll stay with her."
"Well, that goes without saying. Mother will have a fit if we have her sit in the front pew with us." Jio hammered his fist on his desk with a thud. "I do not need this. Do you think she'll be upset if we don't have her sit with us?"
Marc stared at Jio's fist, surprised by his concern at hurting his unknown half-sister's feelings. "I don't know. I can explain it to her. It would be better for her to keep a low profile anyway."
Jio sat back up and ran his hand over his face before resuming his normal poker face. "How is she taking all of this?"
"To be honest, I think she's still in a state of shock and trying to process everything."
Jio considered for a moment. "Tell her what you think she needs to know."
"I don't want to be the judge—"
"I trust your judgment. Let her know enough so she understands our rules—so she stays safe and doesn't do something stupid without realizing it. She can't know nothin'. That's just as dangerous as her knowing too much."
CHAPTER FOUR
"B ored?"
Lessa nearly fell off the window seat when she spun around at the unexpected voice. She hadn't heard Marc enter her room. He leaned against the doorframe, an eyebrow raised in question. She'd been watching the sky's show
"What type of message do you want to send?"
Jio smiled slightly. "The only one I can. And the only way to do that is to take care of whoever iced my dad. We can't afford a war."
"The other families won't want one, either," Marc reminded him. "The cost isn't worth the prize."
"If they think the opponent is weak enough, they might risk it."
Marc slumped back. He really shouldn't be surprised. Jio was young for a family leader. In another ten years, he probably wouldn't have been faced with as many challenges.
"What do you need from me?" he asked. Jio raised an eyebrow. "Besides that."
"Keep your ear to the ground on internal rumblings. I won't hear if there's something going on until it's too late."
"I already have Silvio on that."
"Good. There has to be something on the streets. You can't kill the head of one of the most powerful families on the West Coast and not have someone know something."
"Why was Jiovanni by himself?" Marc voiced the question which had bothered him since he first learned of Jiovanni's death. As the head of the Tazio family and a target, Jiovanni never went anywhere without his driver and guard. Yet, he'd been alone. No one had seen him leave the estate. Marc had questioned both the driver and the guard before he'd gotten hauled into Ryan's office and assigned the "Lessa Errand." They'd known nothing.
"I ask myself the same question every hour," Jio said.
"What of his guard and driver?" They were good men, or at least had been until this snafu.
Jio shook his head. "I haven't decided. They haven't tried to run. What do you think?"
"Messages have to be sent, but with everything going on, I'd hate to eliminate any men loyal to you. I believe they're loyal."
"If they're telling the truth. Make a list. I need to know who we can trust without question. Until we find out who did this, and why, any of the family could be in danger. We need to know their guards will protect them at all costs."
"Is everyone staying on campus?" Marc asked.
"At least until the burial. After that, regular life will begin to return. Nina and the children aren't to leave without my express permission. They know this. Make sure whoever you okay to guard them knows."
Marc nodded. He'd have done the same to protect his family. "Remind me. What time's the funeral tomorrow?"
"Father Raphael will do the mass at ten in the morning. We'll have the burial directly after. Make sure we have enough guards in the background. Mother wants to have a wake after the burial."
"People haven't been coming for the Vigil?"
"She's only allowed close friends to pay their respects. Our compromise was a wake here at the house. Oh, shit, where the hell are we gonna put Alessandra?"
"I'll stay with her."
"Well, that goes without saying. Mother will have a fit if we have her sit in the front pew with us." Jio hammered his fist on his desk with a thud. "I do not need this. Do you think she'll be upset if we don't have her sit with us?"
Marc stared at Jio's fist, surprised by his concern at hurting his unknown half-sister's feelings. "I don't know. I can explain it to her. It would be better for her to keep a low profile anyway."
Jio sat back up and ran his hand over his face before resuming his normal poker face. "How is she taking all of this?"
"To be honest, I think she's still in a state of shock and trying to process everything."
Jio considered for a moment. "Tell her what you think she needs to know."
"I don't want to be the judge—"
"I trust your judgment. Let her know enough so she understands our rules—so she stays safe and doesn't do something stupid without realizing it. She can't know nothin'. That's just as dangerous as her knowing too much."
CHAPTER FOUR
"B ored?"
Lessa nearly fell off the window seat when she spun around at the unexpected voice. She hadn't heard Marc enter her room. He leaned against the doorframe, an eyebrow raised in question. She'd been watching the sky's show
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