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She scoffs as I step out of my car. “Don’t act like he didn’t come to you.”
“Vinny keeps plenty of shit from me, Giana.” I stroll through the park, ignoring a group of teenagers arguing over who did themost speed tonight, and drop a hundred in a homeless man’s cup.
“He’s harassing Natalia?—”
“Your friend should’ve known that’d happen. You fucking warned her.” I blow out a desperate breath. “Can you tell me anything?”
“No,” she says sharply, almost offended I asked. “You know I can’t.”
I frown yet understand.
“You know my father always gets vengeance for his men. He wouldn’t be the man he is if he didn’t.”
My throat goes tight, and I pull my phone away from my ear when it vibrates to find my father calling through. “I have to go.”
She ends the call.
Nothing else needs to be said.
We know Italy will never happen.
We also know our families are headed for war.
I send my father’s call to voicemail and head toward my car. We need to swallow our pride and find a solution with Cristian. We can pay him or offer a percentage of the casino. Anything to avoid a war.
I wait to call my father back until I return to my car.
“Get to the casino,” he demands.
When I get to the casino, Vinny’s Mercedes is parked in the rear parking lot. He flashes his lights in my direction and waits until I step out before doing the same.
“Why’d you tell him without me?” He slams his car door shut.
“I told you, we were going to tell him. Did you think I wouldn’t just because you pussied out?” I don’t bother glancing back at him as he follows me or when I key in the casino’s passcode to the back door and jerk it open. “You created this mess. Now, you need to fix it.”
He trails me as I return to our father’s office. I knock on the door with my knuckle and wait for him to yell, “You can enter,” before stepping inside.
My father is still behind his desk. The only difference between then and now is that his Glock is positioned between his daily pill organizer and a half-empty glass of Jack and Coke. When he notices Vinny behind me, he picks up the Glock. I move out of the way when he lifts it and aims at Vinny.
“You have no idea how badly I want to shoot you right now.” My father shuts one eye to focus on him like a target. “To kill you, throw you in a ditch, and allow the maggots to eat your futile brain.”
Too bad he won’t pull the trigger.
My father is a menace who doesn’t have enough guts to shoot his son … unfortunately.
Vinny raises his hands. “It was a mistake. A man pointed his gun at me, so on instinct, I shot first.” He drops his arms when my father lowers the gun and returns it to his desk.
There’s an urge to grab it and shoot Vinny myself.
“Cristian called me.” My father glares at Vinny. “He knows you killed Dario.”
“Dario,” I repeat. “At least you didn’t kill a high-ranking soldier.”
“High ranking or not, he killed one of Marchetti’s soldiers over a whore.” He stares Vinny down and curls his lip. “I’m disgusted to call you a Lombardi.”
I nod.
Vinny lifts his chin—a laughable tough-guy attempt. “Men kill for their women all the time.”
