“And then you could—” she suddenly freezes, then turns to look at me. “You were never going to put the high rollers up here, were you?”
I grin back at her. “Nope.”
She scowls at me, which does nothing to disguise the flush of her cheeks. “So what, you’re tricking people into free business advice now?”
“I thought you weren’t qualified to give me advice on my next big empire,” I retort.
“What is this about, Teo? Really?”
I consider her for a moment. The teenager who had once made my life a living hell was now grown, capable of making her own decisions about her life.
Yet her father’s words have stuck with me. There is no doubt that Marco Chiavari would have a heart attack if he knew what I was about to ask. But he can’t protect her forever, and Mia has been flirting with this life for too long now.
She needs to make a choice or risk being forced into the Guild against her will.
“I want you to run this place,” I say simply, letting the words settle between us.
Mia bites her bottom lip. “As like, a bartender?”
I give her a long look. “No, Mia.”
“But I’m not a part of the Guild,” she argues, suddenly seeming very small in that oversized jacket.
“Your father is?—”
“I’m not my father!”
I can see this going further south every time I open my mouth, but I can’t stop it.
“You know too much, Mia. You’ve worked for your father, and you’ve overseen dealings at the Candelabra.If I don’t give you a position in the Guild, people are going to think you’re a liability.”
“Doyouthink I’m a liability, Teo?”
“I—”
“Teo Vitale!”
We both turn around in alarm as the newcomer approaches. Whatever argument I was about to make disappears on my tongue, and whatever animosity was building between Mia and me vanishes in the blink of an eye.
There is no doubt in my mind that we are a united force as we face down Leon Natali.
He’s alone. His shirt and trousers are rumpled from whatever flight he’s just gotten off. Behind him, a construction worker gives chase, clutching the mandatory protection gear. And behindhimcomes Martino, gesturing wildly at his phone.
As I feel my empty pockets, I remember that I left my phone downstairs in a cubby. Whatever warnings Martino might have sent me will reach me too late.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Mia croons at my side, back straightening as she takes in the man before us.
His hair is a darker blonde than Isabella’s, but it’s almost frightening how similar their eyes are. Deep chocolate and glowering with rage, made all the more intimidating with his broad shoulders and excessive height.
“You BASTARD!” he roars at me. “You think you’re going to get away with this?”
I tilt my head. “You’re going to have to be a little bit more specific.”
Beneath the sarcasm of my words lies a quite terrifying truth. There are several things I’ve done these last few weeks that could warrant the don of an enemy Mafia cornering me on my own turf.
Most of them involve his sister.
Leon makes a large, sweeping gesture. “A casino?”
