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Their lives were at stake. They had as much skin in this war as I did.

That was theonlyreason I kept from shouting at them.

“I am being careful. Like I said, he helped me. I was pretty shaken up, so he took me to eat….” and then a little white lie slipped out. “At one of his favorite restaurants.”

That pacified the captains.

“Good, well, it’s not likely you’ll be running into him again,” Donnie muttered.

That was the last straw. They didn’t think I could find him if I wanted to? That my resources were limited, and there was no way to track down a stray wandering out and about?

But I didn’t challenge that concept. No, I slapped them from a different angle.

“Yes, since I’m under house arrest,” I said ruefully. “That is going to change, signori. The revitalization initiative is starting soon, and I will be there.”

Their joint protests were cut off with a flick of my wrist.

“I will leave this house to help rebuild the neighborhood. I have to be amongst our people. I have to lead our soldiers in this fight,” I said calmly. “Otherwise, I’m not a don, I’m a figurehead.”

They shared a look.

“As you say, donna,” Joseph finally spoke for the group. “But carefully.”

“Carefully,” I agreed. “And as far as Mr. Fields is concerned, we allow him to live in the neighborhood should he return. Don’t interrupt him or any of the other civilians. Understood?”

With another terse look, they agreed.

Thankfully, that concluded the meeting. I held myself back from sprinting to the kitchen. My steps were slow and measured as I emerged from the office. Vincenzo was slicing vegetables with wicked precision. He worked the knife like it was a dance at the ballet, and his fingers were on pointe.

I snatched the bottle of rosé, poured myself a healthy glass, and watched him as I sipped.

“You’re pretty handy with that blade,” I observed.

Vincenzo shot me a calculated look. His fingers never stopped dancing, even when his eyes were trained elsewhere. “Thank you, donna.”

As yet another vegetable fell victim to his skill, I figured out how I would use the young man. “I need an enforcer.”

Vincenzo nodded. “Most bosses do.”

“I can’t rough men up.”I don’t have the stomach for torture.“Would you like the job?”

Vincenzo paused. He rubbed his chin on the back of his hand. “Alright.”

So simple. Just one word.

“Alright,” I repeated. That was settled. I had three capos, one bodyguard-advisor, and now an enforcer. It was a small organization as far as they went, but it was as good a start as any.

Taking my wine, I wandered upstairs to have a good think on the problem that was my midnight visitor. The man who didn’t exist. The beast who made me feel more alive than anything else in my few short years on this earth. The stray who vanished into the night.

Chapter 23 – Isabella

Dawn came too quickly to a racing mind that fought sleep, no matter how desperately the body needed it. I pulled myself out of bed, dressed in black cargo pants, a black tee, and combat boots. Vincenzo already had breakfast ready, and in forty-five minutes, a group of us were at the church before the appointed time.

“Shouldn’t we be overseeing a deal?” one of the soldiers muttered, not knowing that I could overhear. “There are several rackets that need attention, too. Not to mention a shipment is coming in a few days, and we don’t got nowhere to put it until we sell what we already got.”

“I’m not sure she knows what day-to-day work looks like in an organization,” his friend responded, shooting a glance in my direction.

I caught his look and pinned him with a hard one in return.