FIFTY-ONE.

ALESSANDRO, AKA DON VALENTINO.

I lean back in my office chair, trying to piece the puzzle I had absolutely no idea I was attempting to solve.

Maverick, Roman and Gio.

I knew there was something odd about Gio. When he first came to me, asking me to join the famiglia, I was hesitant at first because he wasn’t able to give me a back story of his famiglia.

He spoke little Italian, and he told me it was because he was adopted.

After learning that he formerly worked for a large security corporation that offered highly trained bodyguards for mega stars staying in the country for work.

I turned to Riccardo for a second opinion, and he advised me that it wouldn’t hurt to have someone with his credentials join our famiglia.

Maybe I should have overlooked Gios’ sob story and done a deep dive into his background – into his famiglia lineage.

I toss the feathered ink pen across the room and tear the fucking photograph into tiny pieces.

That's going to be an image that will mentally stick to me l