“Is she dead?” Regina del Mondo’s eyes stayed on her laptop screen, barely flicking to acknowledge her capo standing on the opposite side of her desk.

“Uhm, well. That’s hard to say right now.”

Her eyes met his and she blinked, closing the top of her computer. “If you don’t have answers, then don’t bother opening your mouth unless you want to suck on the end of a gun instead of the nearest dick.”

“Reggie—”

She lifted one perfectly manicured hand, stopping him cold. “Massimo, I ignored the gossip when rumors swirled about you and your proclivities.”

“I know but—”

One look and he shut up. “We are the newest family to take a piece of New York, and it’s been hard won. Especially since we’re dual-natured and have a woman at the head and not some big swinging dick.” She folded her hands on top of her closed laptop. “I pride myself on our progressive stance, unlike the traditional five families.

“They’re old-school about everything, especially when it comes to men and alternative lifestyles. I took you in and made you a capo against my own consiglieri’s advice, knowing full well it would cast aspersions on my ability to head this family. Any of the other families would have ripped your dick from between your legs and shoved it in your mouth, sack and all, before they shot you.”

Regina waited to see if he would interrupt again, but when he stayed silent, she nodded. “Now, tell me, once and for all, did you do what I asked or did you fuck up and kill the little princess?”

Massimo shook his head. “No. We located her in the city. It was just as you thought. She was hiding in plain sight. I had Gordo take a maintenance job in her apartment building so he could track her comings and goings. He followed her plenty when she went for a jog in the park, and waited for the right moment to strike. The plan was to make the assault look like a mugging or another jogger attack. He was able to inject her with the serum, but she fought back.”

“And?” Reggie raised an eyebrow.

“Gordo phased.”

“What was it I said, hmmm? Keep it simple, stupid! But it seems even the most straightforward instructions were too hard for you to follow.” She exhaled, her fingers curling into her palm in anger.

“Gordo said he saw the girl’s eyes flash yellow and he knew she was ready to shift, so he beat her to the punch. He knocked her to the ground, slashing her back before running off.” Massimo wiped a nervous hand over his forehead. “She must have hit her head or something, ‘cuz she didn’t get up.”

“Fucking imbeciles! Didn’t I say I wanted a clean hit with no fingerprint leading back to me or our family?”

“I know, but—”

Her hand slid under her desk, her fingers gripping the 9mm strapped beneath the center drawer. “You but me one more time and I swear, Massimo, I’ll shove my gun so far up your ass you’ll think you’ve found glory hole heaven!”

“Regina, please. I have informants planted all over the city. I know where she is.”

“Spit it out, then.”

“She’s in a coma at Tudor Hill. It’s a level two trauma center, but I’d bet my balls no one there will be able to trace the serum or the source. It’s too obscure, even for our kind. They’ll chalk the case up to some sort of mystery illness and pack her off to live the rest of her days in comatown.”

Reggie eyed him for a moment and then nodded. “Good. And you’re right about the antiserum. I have the only vials in the city and I’m certainly not handing them over to Ward Grisham for nothing. I want him to suffer. I want him to know what it feels like to lose the most important thing in his life. To have it so close, but still so far out of reach.”

Massimo glanced at his folded hands, but didn’t comment.

“Whatever it is you have to say to me, just say it.” Regina frowned.

He met her stare and then nodded. “Okay, Reggie. You said you like it when your people are straight with you.”

“Straight?” She snorted. “That’s funny coming from you.”

He eyed her. “Go ahead, tease me all you like, but the jokes at my expense won’t change the fact you didn’t lose a single thing in all your dealings with Senator Grisham. Not one person you care for and not a single inch of territory.

“Grisham’s a dirty politician, Reggie, so it’s no one’s fault but yours you got burned playing in the dark with him. I warned you about his playing God, that screwing with the natural order would come back to bite him, and you if you weren’t careful. You want to be like the five families? Be accepted as their equal? Then you should’ve gotten leverage on Grisham before you approached him for help.”

She angled her head. “You don’t say.”

“C’mon, Reggie. Whether you want to admit it or not, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Each of the five families has something on every politician they keep in their pants like pocket change. It keeps the peace and helps keep the politicians open to suggestion.”

“Ward Grisham’s precious daughter is suffering a sleeping death. I’d call that plenty of leverage, and it’s his own doing. Like you said, he played God and it bit him in the ass. Now when he begs for her to wake, I may give in, but only when he delivers what I want.”

“Still—” he pressed.

“Land your plane, Massimo. Your point is?”

“Say what you want about the New York five families, but when it comes to business, hurting children is taboo. It’s an infamnia. A disgrace.”

“Evelyn Grisham is a grown woman. Not a child.”

Massimo shrugged. “She’s the senator’s child. Besides, she’s innocent of her father’s crooked dealings.”

“You don’t know that,” she argued.

Massimo nodded. “Yeah, Regina. I do know. I may not be a lot of things, but one thing I am is thorough. We tracked her from her arrival in New York three months ago, to the small island town a day’s ride from Quebec City where she grew up. So, whatever slight you imagine you suffered at Grisham’s hand, his daughter is not part of his corruption. Hell, she’s been estranged from him for nearly two decades. A daughter in name only.” He lifted a hand. “I’m your capo, Regina, so I follow your orders, but it doesn’t make it right.”

“You talk about change in my pocket, Massimo? That man took millions from me while playing God. So much so, he should have a permanent residence in my pants and not in the way that old letch wishes. I wanted him to broker a place for us at the grown-up’s table. For our family. For me. Everyone knows Grisham holds real sway with the other heads of the New York families. He may be on the take, but they respect him.”

“I think you over estimate the man’s pull, Regina. He’s only one dirty statesman among many.”

She snorted. “One word from him, and I’d have the recognition and respect I deserve. Instead, he cowed to their old-school bullshit that women are only useful in the kitchen and in the bedroom.” She shrugged. “If that’s what he believes, then his daughter can spend the rest of her life flat on her back.”

“She’s comatose, Reggie. Not kicking back with her legs spread.”

“Exactly, Massimo. His precious princess is still so close, but totally unreachable.” She exhaled quietly. “It pains me that you can’t understand that, but not as much as it’s going to pain you.” Without hesitation, she pulled the gun from the holster beneath her drawer and shot him between the eyes.

The man crumpled to the floor with a thud in front of her desk. She stood, watching his blood pool on the carpet for a moment before wiping her free hand across her forehead, smoothing her hair. Gun in hand, she picked up the phone and pressed the button for the intercom.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Sylvie, please ask Gordo to come in...”