Page 201 of Diego

I understand immediately why Mario called us instead of simply telling Giovanni to get on a plane. Whatever connection now exists between Chicago and Atlantic City, Mario runs Chicago. Bringing people into another family’s territory to search for a missing man carries implications even when everyone involved has good intentions.

Mario rests his forearms on the desk. “He was very clear that he did not want to arrive in Chicago and start sending his people into buildings, questioning people, or chasing leads without speaking to me first. Given where things stand between us, he does not want there to be any misunderstanding about why they’re here.”

That, more than anything, tells me Giovanni is taking the relationship seriously. He could have come in quietly and dealt with his problem before we ever knew about it. Instead, he called Mario and asked.

“What did you tell him?” Lorenzo asks.

“That he can come.” Mario’s gaze moves between us. “And that we’ll help.”

There is no objection from any of us.

A man disappeared in our city while working for a Conti. Whatever branch of the family he belongs to, that is enough to warrant our attention.

“When?” I ask.

“This evening. Giovanni is coming with Antonio and Nico.”

Antonio is the third of the four brothers, and Nico is Luca’s son. I suspect it's intentional that Luca is sending members of his family that we haven't yet met. It was a little over a year ago that we met Roberto and Vito from the Atlantic City faction.

I wonder when the chance will come that we'll meet Luca himself. Technically, our eldest brother, though it’s doubtful he knows that himself.

I nod once.

Mario continues before any of us can ask. “They’ll bring what they have. Giovanni wants access to our local resources so they can narrow the leads before they start physically searching locations. I told him we would have people ready to help with records, cameras, vehicles, ownership information, anything we can get for him quickly.”

Ricardo folds one ankle over his knee. “Do we know what kind of real estate fraud?”

“Not enough yet. Giovanni said they have been following questionable transactions tied to properties in Atlantic City. Shell companies, transfers, valuations that did not make sense. One of the entities they were looking at led his man here.”

I think briefly on the real-estate angle because I have spent half the day listening to Blair talk about ownership histories, failed acquisitions, and old property records. The similarity is broad enough to mean nothing. Chicago is full of real-estate companies, shell entities, investors, and transactions complicated enough to require a team of attorneys to explain them.

Before I can ask anything else, Lorenzo’s phone rings.

He glances at the screen and answers on the first ring. “Donna?”

The rest of us fall silent.

Lorenzo pushes away from the windows as he listens. For several seconds he says nothing, and then his entire posture shifts. “How far apart?”

Mario is already sitting straighter.

Ricardo looks at me.

I know before Lorenzo says another word.

“All right. I’m leaving now.” His voice is steady, but he is moving before the sentence is finished, grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair near him. “Stay where you are. I’ll meet you there.”

He ends the call and shoves the phone into his pocket.

“Labor?” Mario asks.

Lorenzo nods, and for the first time since I walked into the room, something other than business occupies all of us. “Contractions started earlier. She thought they were nothing. They aren’t nothing anymore.”

Ricardo is already on his feet. “Go.”

Lorenzo does not need encouragement. He heads for the door, then stops long enough to look back at Mario. “You’ve got this?”

“We’ve got it,” Mario says. “Call when you know something.”