Page 56 of Condemned to You

Alfie scrunched up his nose. “What are you talking about? Grace has never been to Bethany’s house.”

“She was there with Aria.”

Alfie and Luca looked at one another before turning their attention back to me.

“Aria has been in hiding,” Luca replied. “After you disappeared, I wasn’t sure what you would do.”

I don’t blame Luca for thinking I’d go after Aria but part of me felt insulted that he had to think I’d go that low for payback. At the end of the day, it would be something I’d do, just not to him.

“Grace must have known about the secret pathway,” Alfie spoke up. “Makes sense now. She made sure you got in and out quietly. Why was she there to begin with?”

“She was going to kill her,” Luca stated.

“Why?” Alfie questioned. “Why go after Bethany?”

Luca deeply inhaled, “Because I’m willing to die for my family. I’d sacrifice myself every time, but I couldn’t handle if one of my own gets hurt. Whoever this motherfucker is wants us all dead. Every single last one of us.”

A group of people happen to walk past us.

“Let’s take this conversation to a more secluded spot,” I suggested nodding to the small boat tied to the pier.

Under the moonlit sky, the Chicago River shimmered with the reflections of towering skyscrapers as we quietly navigated the small boat through the dark waters. The gentle lapping of the waves against the hull was the only sound accompanying our hushed voices, each word wrapped in urgency as we approached a secluded spot beneath the North Avenue Bridge. Shadows danced across our faces, illuminated intermittently by the distant glow of city lights, creating an atmosphere thick with anticipation. We needed a solid plan to ensure we did this right – we had no room for error.

Luca, leaning over the edge of the boat, watching the reflections ripple in the water, "The monthly meeting is tomorrow. We need to separate everyone. Now that we know Grace is working with the enemy, we need to use that to our advantage." “Instead of tomorrow, let’s get this show on the road asap,” I said. "We know the enemy is heavily armed, but they’re also overconfident. That’s their weakness. If we use their own weapons against them, we can turn the tide in our favor."

Alfie, grinning, his eyes lighting up from excitement to finally be part of scheming, “Everyone needs to separate. If Luca sets the location at the museum as originally planned then ghost will think his plan is going according to plan. We separate each man sending half of them to the museum and the other half to a safe location.” Luca, raising an eyebrow, "That’s risky, but it could work. Only the enemy needs to die." “Ghost doesn’t know the procedure for each meeting. So he can think the Consiglieres are scouting the area for safety measures. Unless Grace is made aware of that as well.” “Not a shot,” Alfie replied, “I remember my first meet with Giovanni, he’s tough – like E here.”

Of course he was. Gio was born and raised in Chicago – these streets were survival of the fittest.

“How are we going to separate everyone?” Luca asked.

Alfie answered, “Mark. Lorenzo lands in Chicago and we get him right on the plane with you and Domenico already on it.”

“What if it gets leaked?” Luca answered knowing the possibility that having multiple people aware of a situation was risky. Alfie was on to something. Interrupting, I replied, "Aria.”

“I don’t want her involved,” Luca replied.

“It has to be her. Aria speaks to her brother every day and she’s very close to Dom’s wife, Lina. It has to be Aria."

“When ghost doesn’t see the trio at the museum, he will get suspicious.”

“Only if Grace informs him. He needs a set of eyes on site,” Alfie said. “Get Aria back to Chicago. Tell her to call Grace and relay the message to her brother since you suspect something fishy is goin’ on. Meanwhile you call Lorenzo directly and fill him in. We get them here and then separate them. You get on the plane with Domenico and Lorenzo. E and I can corner Grace. I’m sure we can get information outta her.”

Both Luca and I look at Alfie impressed.

“Told you he’d be good,” Luca said to me.

“Not bad kid,” I nodded to Alfie. “Alfie and I will find ghost’s hiding spot and put a bullet through his head. Meanwhile get men to circle the museum looking for Goldilocks – you can’t miss the kid, curly blond hair and sticks out like a sore thumb. Ghost is going to need someone there for a set of eyes.”

“What if Grace suspects something?” Luca questioned.

“By the time she does, it will be too late,” I replied.Alfie and I both looked to Luca as he contemplated the plan. “Fine. But I don’t want a bullet through his head. Make him suffer. Gut him like a pig.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Alfie and I sat in a Mercedes 190 Evo II with blackout windows as we watched Lorenzo, Gio, and Grace approach the plane. Luca and Lorenzo exchanged words before they boarded the plane. A look of confusion on Grace’s face as she realized the plans had changed. Looking to Gio, she told him something which in return he smiled then punched her in the face, causing her to pass out. Picking up her body, he walked her to our car and plopped her in the trunk.

As he walked up to my window, I slid it down.