His Mafia Prince
Chapter 286: Unnamed

Chapter 286: Unnamed

Once Miles and the others have left the room, I take Tyler with me to the other corner, push him up against the wall, and lean over him.

"He was going to kill you," he says, before I can speak. "He was going to bash your fucking brains out, and he wanted me to see it. So don’t you tell me I did anything wrong, Sasha."

"You didn’t." That surprises him. I tip his chin up and kiss him, a soft press of my lips. "Don’t get me wrong," I say afterward. "I wanted you to have that gun with you tonight to protect yourself, first and foremost. But it also gave me options with Clemenza, if it came down to it. And, well..." I glance over at Clemenza’s body. "It gave you options, too. Thank you, angel, for defending me. But I couldn’t have anyone knowing—"

"Yeah, yeah," he says. "I know the score. If Clemenza refused to step down, you and you alone were supposed to kill him. All that tradizione shit that I don’t understand, right? Guess Clemenza was right about that."

He gives me a wicked grin, but I’m not ready to smile about tonight just yet. I pull him away with me, heading for the door. "Let’s get out of here. It’s over, baby bird."

Tyler gives Louis Clemenza’s corpse a dispassionate look as we pass by. But when we get outside to the hallway, his face goes from stony cold to exhausted. "Is it really over?"

"I believe it is. Clemenza’s dead. The money is gone. His Capos will fall into in-fighting, and we’ll see if we can scoop up the most useful leftovers, the ones Vollero recommends, and make them Triple Triads." We both turn as the doorbell sounds, and Giulio jogs past us to get the door. I pull Tyler to me and kiss him softly. "Go on," I murmur. "Go wait in the kitchen for me."

I don’t want Tyler to see the next part, watch me showing off the corpse of Don Louis Clemenza to my men, so they can see for themselves that the work we’ve put in has paid off. It’s important to me, to them, but I don’t want Tyler to see us gloating over his handiwork.

I’m a monster, and I know what I am. But Tyler will always be my anchor to a brighter world. I want to make sure, despite everything, that he does not lose the light that I see in him.

***

Once Tyler is safely stowed in the kitchen, I bring my Capos into the dining room and show them the proof. Giulio has already looked his fill, so he stays standing guard over our new Clemenza friend in an upstairs room instead. Miles saw it, played a part in it, but says he wants another look. "Need to make sure I have the details down, Boss," he murmurs to me, "so I can back you up if anyone asks, you know what I mean?"

I do know what he means.

As for the rest of them, Luigi and Snapper Marino are eager to witness the scene, and Al Vollero comes in last of all, pride lighting up his face.

"See for yourselves," I instruct them. "I don’t want there to be any doubts. And I want all of us to remember tonight. What we achieved together."

But Vollero is not interested in looking at the dead Lou Clemenza. He takes my hand, bends over it, and ostentatiously kisses the ring. "Don Sasha Adonis, may you live forever."

I pull him upright and into an embrace, kissing him on each cheek. "You did well, Al. Very well. Thank you for putting your reputation on the line for the Family. And your life, too; it was a dangerous play."

"No need to mention it," he says with false modesty.

"Hell, yes, there’s a need to mention it," Nick says, coming over to clap him on the shoulder. "And I gotta tell you, Al, you make a much better rat than I ever would have."

They laugh together. I’m glad to see it. I’m relieved everything has worked as planned, because without loyalty, without teamwork, none of us will survive.

"We can kiss each other’s asses later," I say, shaking off the formality.

"Let’s get rid of this mess first. Al, there’s a Clemenza bodyguard down there who claims he’s been working with you these last few weeks. Just confirm he is who he says he is, will you? I don’t want any surprises tonight. Snapper, call in the cleaners. Nick, get word to Alvarado and Castillo, and to Big Gee, of course. Let them all know. Make sure they understand that I did this, that I had no choice. I’ll give them a full report tomorrow night at the meeting. And tell them we’ll divide up Clemenza’s territory between the four of us. Best to do it soon, before the Clemenzas get it into their heads to regroup."

They all nod and set about their work. I catch Miles, taking him aside.

"Let Angelo know it’s done, too," I murmur in his ear. Miles stifles his grin and nods.

"Will do, Boss."

The others scatter like roaches when the light hits, each with their own piece of the mess to clean up. Good. Let them move. I don’t need hesitation tonight—just action.

Clemenza’s corpse stares up at nothing, his blood already tacky on the floor. Should’ve known better than to push me. Should’ve remembered who the fuck he was dealing with. But men like him? They always think they’re the exception.

Al’s voice rumbles in the background, confirming the bodyguard’s loyalty. One less loose end. Snapper’s already on the line with the cleaners—they’ll make this disappear like it never happened. Luigi’s spreading the word, shaping the story before the rats start whispering their own versions. By tomorrow night, the others will fall in line. They’ll take their cuts of Clemenza’s territory, quiet any objections, and that’ll be that.

But I know better. This isn’t over. There’s always someone who thinks they can step into the dead man’s shoes, always some hothead looking to make a name. Let them try. I’ve got the pieces in motion now.

I flex my fingers. No going back. Only forward. And if more bodies need to hit the ground to keep it that way? Well. I’ve got no problem pulling the trigger again.

As for me, I want to make sure Tyler is alright—but when I go down the hallway to find him, he’s disappeared from the kitchen.

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