Elie was never sure how much the Ferraro men told their wives. Mariko was a rider and took rotations alone. She was an excellent assassin. Sasha had never been trained, although she was deadly with rifles. She’d been raised on a ranch and she knew her way around weapons. She wasn’t afraid of much and Elie knew she trained with the others and had asked Enrica, Emilo’s sister, to train her as a personal protector. She was often left with Francesca, Grace and the children if there was an emergency, and she wanted every advantage should there be a need to protect them. It was obvious that she knew why they had come to Los Angeles.
“Santoro’s used to making deals,” Stefano answered. “He’ll try to give Val and Dario a piece of the action. Hopefully, whatever he offers them will give us some insight into how he’s running the trafficking operation. I wouldn’t be surprised if Brielle already knows everything about it by the time we get home.” There was an edge of humor to his voice.
“She’s really that fast on a keyboard?” Mariko asked.
“Like lightning,” Ricco said.
The engines were rumbling and Franco’s voice came over the cabin’s speakers, warning them they were about to take off. Ricco reached out almost causally to ensure Mariko had her seat belt fastened. Elie hid a smile. The gesture was so automatic, it was clear Ricco hadn’t even thought about it. He’d seen Stefano do the same thing with Francesca each time they were in a car or a plane. Sasha, however, did up her own seat belt and reached for Giovanni’s hand.
Elie realized the very competent Mariko didn’t mind Ricco’s extra check because it was what Ricco needed, not her. Francesca didn’t care that Stefano needed that extra check as well. The two women didn’t feel as if it took anything away from them as women. They were giving something to their men. Sasha’s man didn’t need that same reassurance. Whatever he needed, she evidently provided. Every relationship, he realized, was different, depending on what each person needed or wanted.
“Brielle’s accurate, too,” Stefano said. “That ass Dario intends to scoop her up, doesn’t he? Has he already tried to get her?”
Elie laughed. “That same night. Offered her adventure. Said you’d be trying to get her but you’re more mundane and wouldn’t let her branch out and fly like he would.”
“That rat. I’m going to pay him a visit and see what kind of surprises I can leave for him to unravel. He won’t be calling me mundane after that.”
“Those weren’t his exact words,” Elie said, a little more cautious. He didn’t want a war between Dario and Stefano, even a friendly one. “She has to hear their offer still.”
The humor faded from Stefano’s eyes. “You’ll be with her.” He made it an order.
“Of course. I know their rules, even for family. She isn’t familiar with them. Emmanuelle would look after her.”
“Would Emme be there? A part of the meeting?” Stefano asked. “She’s Ferraro and Saldi, with ties to both families.”
“Brielle is Ferraro,” Elie said firmly. “My name is Archambault, but I’m still Ferraro and she’s my wife. Our first loyalty lies with you. I made that very clear to Dario. I told him I would not allow her loyalties to be divided. He assured me they would never put her in that position.”
“But they don’t know Brielle, do they?” Stefano said quietly. “She’ll say she won’t go any further than Dario and Val direct her, but she has a gift. That gift compels her, Elie. When there is compulsion involved, it is very difficult to stop. I doubt if Brielle will be able to overcome something she’s been doing since she first touched a keyboard.”
Elie feared Stefano was right. “That’s why I’m going to the meeting. I want to lay down the rules if she wants to work for them.”
“You want her to.”
Elie inclined his head. “I think it would be good to have a pair of eyes other than Emme’s there. I don’t mean using Brielle as a spy. She wouldn’t do that even if I asked her. She’d simply say she couldn’t do that kind of work. I don’t like Emme responsible for security without any of us backing her up. Val and Dario have made a lot of enemies, and before this is all finished, they’ll make a lot more. They hold a large territory and it has important ports. Someone is always going to be looking to take it away if they make a misstep. The good news is, Val and Dario are family and they have us.”