"Why was Don all by himself?” Ricardo asked as the family members sat around the large mahogany table.

Sergio charged through the doors, his hair tousled as if he had run his fingers through it repeatedly. His eyes were blazing red, and his cheeks were wet with tear stains. “What happened to Don?” he demanded.

He was accompanied by his men, who wore genuine looks of surprise. They knew Sergio intended to kill Don Carianno, but they didn’t know how he planned to do it. To find out he had done it with minimal help was surprising.

“Sergio, Stai tranquillo (take it easy),” one of the family members urged.

“The...