“Then you will be the new pakhan,” I say, squeezing where my hand still clasps him. “And I expect you to protect my family.”
“I’m serious, Aleks.” He falls reluctantly silent. “You need to promise me that you’ll take care of Wren. And my boy.”
“For f**k’s sake, man,” he swears angrily, “you don’t even have to ask. Of course I’ll protect them. But you should be the oneprotecting them. You should be the one around for them. Let me go in. I’ll—”
“It has to be me that goes in there, Aleks. Anyone else, Vittorio will simply kill on the spot. We can’t leave any room for errorhere.”
“Ironic, considering you’re waltzing into enemy territory blind as a bat, with nothing but hope and a prayer. Some might callthat ‘an error.’” He tilts his head to the side and gives me his puppy dog eyes. “I’m n
