Donna Vittoria couldn't stop me. All she could do was weep and beg me to come back alive.
I carried Mietitore and walked toward the Valente compound.
The chain-link gate of the Castellano yard groaned shut behind me, and somewhere in the distance, the low rumble of engines told me the compound perimeter was already on alert.
Valente soldiers rushed forward, blocking me outside the compound gates.
The one leading them was none other than my senior brother from the Castellano crew, Master's proudest protégé: Edoardo Castellano.
He stared at me in surprise, brow furrowed. His hand went to his tie, tugging it straight. "Nara, if you've come to seek the Boss's favor, you should keep your head down and your voice low."
"What's the point of making such a scene?"
I didn't bother looking at him. My eyes stayed fixed on the compound gates. "Tell Aldric Valente to come out."
"Tell him an old friend has come to visit."
Edoardo let out a weary sigh.
"Nara, have you lost your mind?"
"We're nobodies. Street kids from a nothing crew. If not for this stroke of fortune, how could we ever have been made and stood before the Boss of All Bosses?"
"'An old friend.' You're not embarrassed to say that out loud?"