Chapter 171: A Ghost Running A Mafia Family

"Your sources talk too much."

"Are you hurt or not?"

Dimitri considered lying. Considered telling Enzo to mind his own business.

But Enzo had called to check on him.

That meant something.

"I’m fine," Dimitri said. "Two bullets. Both removed. I’m healing."

Enzo exhaled...relief, maybe. "Does father know?"

"About the ambush?" Dimitri’s jaw tightened. "I don’t know. Maybe. It happened in his territory. Someone probably told him."

"And he hasn’t called?"

"No."

"Then he doesn’t know yet. Or if he does, he’s deciding how to handle it." Enzo paused. "The fact that he hasn’t reached out means you still have time to control the narrative. Tell him your version before someone else does."

"Maybe I don’t want to tell him at all."

"Dimitri...."

"He doesn’t need to know everything I do. I’m not a child reporting to my father anymore." Dimitri’s voice was hard. "I handled the situation. The Romanos attacked me. I defended myself. End of story."

"Except it’s not the end. Not for the Romanos."

Dimitri felt something tighten in his chest. "What do you mean?"

"Sal Romano had an older brother. Dante Romano. He’s taken over as head of the family." Enzo’s voice was serious. "And according to my sources, he’s out for blood. Your blood."

"Let him try."

"Dimitri, this isn’t a joke. This guy is dangerous. No one’s ever seen his face. He operates completely in the shadows. Uses intermediaries for everything. Even his own soldiers don’t know what he looks like."

Dimitri processed that.

A ghost running a mafia family.

That was... unusual.

Paranoid, maybe. Or incredibly smart.

"What else do you know about him?" Dimitri asked.

"Not much. He ran operations in Naples for years while Sal handled Rome. Quiet. Strategic. Never made noise until now." Enzo paused. "But my source says he’s sworn to destroy you. Not just kill you, destroy everything. Your empire, your reputation, your family."

"Ambitious."

"Dimitri, I’m serious. This guy isn’t going to come at you head-on. He’s going to find your weaknesses. Exploit them. Hit where it hurts."

Dimitri thought about Eve.

About the fact that she was currently at her office with only Marco’s team protecting her.

About the fact that a man who operated in shadows and planned carefully would absolutely target her if he knew she existed.

"Why are you telling me this?" Dimitri asked. "Why do you care if the Romanos come after me?"

Silence.

Then: "Because you’re still my brother. And despite everything, I don’t want you dead."

Something in Dimitri’s chest loosened slightly.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "For the warning."

"Don’t thank me. Just be careful. This Dante Romano is playing a long game. Whatever he’s planning, you won’t see it coming until it’s too late."

"Noted."

"And Dimitri?" Enzo’s voice turned careful. "Watch your people. If he’s as smart as my source says, he’s going to try to turn someone close to you. Get inside your organization. Use your own people against you."

"I’ll handle it."

"I’m sure you will." A pause. "Take care of yourself."

The call ended before Dimitri could respond.

He stood at the window for a long moment, processing.

Enzo had called to warn him.

That was... unexpected.

Maybe their relationship wasn’t as broken as Dimitri had thought.

But that was a problem for another day.

Right now, he had bigger concerns.

Dante Romano.

A ghost with a vendetta.

A man patient enough to plan in shadows and smart enough to know Dimitri’s weaknesses.

And one of those weaknesses was currently sitting in a Phoenix Talent conference room with only standard security.

Dimitri pulled out his phone, texted Mike: Come to the house now.

Then called Marco.

His head of security answered immediately. "Boss?"

"The Romanos have a new leader. Dante Romano. Sal’s older brother. He’s planning retaliation for the ambush." Dimitri’s voice was hard. "I need you to triple Eve’s security. Add four more men to her detail. No one gets within fifty feet of her without being vetted. And Marco....assume the Romanos are watching her. Assume they know who she is and what she means to me. Guard her like her life depends on it."

"Understood. I’ll pull men from other operations and reassign them immediately."

"Good. And Marco? No one tells Eve about this. As far as she knows, this is just routine security enhancement. She doesn’t need to know the Romanos are making moves."

"Got it, boss."

Dimitri hung up, looked back out at the city, and felt the familiar weight of leadership settle on his shoulders.

He’d killed fifteen Romanos defending himself.

Now their leader wanted revenge.

And the war Dimitri had been building toward with his father just got infinitely more complicated.

*** ℴ

Mike arrived thirty minutes after Dimitri’s text.

The elevator opened and he walked in carrying two coffees and a bag from the Italian bakery Dimitri liked.

"Figured you’d need caffeine," Mike said, handing over one of the cups. "And Nonna told me you’ve been skipping meals because you’re sulking about being on bed rest."

"I’m not sulking."

"You’re absolutely sulking." Mike pulled up a chair, sat across from where Dimitri was positioned at the small table in his home office. "So. What’s the emergency?"

Dimitri took a sip of coffee....perfect, the way Mike always remembered, and set it down carefully.

"The Romanos have a new leader. Dante Romano. Sal’s older brother."

Mike’s expression shifted immediately from casual to focused. "And?"

"And he’s out for blood. My blood specifically. Enzo called with intel....apparently this Dante has sworn to destroy everything I’ve built. Not just kill me. Destroy my empire, my reputation, my family."

"Ambitious." Mike pulled out his phone, started taking notes. "What do we know about him?"

"Almost nothing. That’s the problem." Dimitri leaned back, felt his shoulder pull but ignored it. "He’s a ghost. Been running operations in Naples for years but always from the shadows. No one’s ever seen his face. No photos. No public appearances. Even his own soldiers don’t know what he looks like."

Mike’s eyebrows rose. "How is that possible?"

"Paranoia. Control. Strategic brilliance. Maybe all three." Dimitri pulled up the encrypted file Enzo had sent. "He uses intermediaries for everything. Never shows up in person. Communicates through layers of people so no one can trace anything back to him directly."