Page 176

That sounded more believable.

Criminal empires didn’t vanish when a door was kicked in. They fractured when trust disappeared.

Once the files became public, every Coccico ally would wonder whose name appeared next. Officials would burn records. Accountants would flee. Men would be rushing to trade information before anyone else did. The machine would turn on itself.

“They know we have the drive,” Atlas replied. “They don’t know we have Greco.”

Atlas glanced at the bullet holes across the room.

Marigold moved against my chest. Her eyes opened halfway.

“Is everyone angry?”

The adults fell silent. Tone came to us and crouched in front of her daughter.

“No, sweetheart.”

Marigold looked around the room.

“They look angry.”

Tone brushed the hair from her face.

“They’re working something out.”

“Did the bad men break the house?”

“Yes.”

“Is Papa going to fix it?”

Tone looked over her shoulder at Archie.

His expression changed at once. He crossed the room and knelt beside them. “We’re all going to fix it, Goldie.”

Marigold reached for him. Archie lifted her from my lap and held her against his chest. She tucked her face into his neck, trusting the answer because it had come from him.

Tone placed one hand over the back of her daughter’s head. For a moment, the three of them stood together in the wreckage as we all considered the looming war.

At seven tomorrow morning, the Cavalho family would step into another line of fire because the evidence my father had hidden had led us there.

I rose from the sofa.

Demitri’s hand fell from my shoulder.

I moved closer and took his hand. His fingers closed around mine.

Across the room, Atlas began assigning vehicles and teams. Raze summoned the heads of security. Archie carried Marigold upstairs with Tone beside him. Marcello argued with the doctor about whether a gun could be fired one-handed while Samira threatened to have him sedated.

The house continued to repair itself around us.

The cake batter remained untouched on the kitchen counter.

By morning, the windows would still be broken. Blood would remain in the cracks between tiles. The children would wake in a house full of armed men and be told everything was under control.

At seven, the Serra files would reach the world.

At the same moment, the Cavalhos would intercept the Coccico convoy and open the containers they had killed to protect.