Ah. Right. Well, at least that one is slightly less complicated to explain.
“What of it?” I reply dryly.
“The Prince’s Hand has an iron grip on gambling, and we’re not in the business of sharing the limelight.”
I regard him for a moment. “In Manhattan, maybe. But you’re on the wrong side of the river now, Natali.”
Leon steps forward. “Casinos are our territory, Vitale. You can mess around with your handbags and little clubs all you like, but you do this, and you’re crossing a line.”
“Oh, this is your line, is it? You don’t lift a finger when your sister is taken hostage, but I open one measly casino, and suddenly, you’re threatening a call to arms?”
“She can handle herself,” he bites back.
“Unlike you, it seems.” I step forward, too, just as Martino appears at his back. “You want a fight? You’re outnumbered.”
Leon scoffs. “You think I couldn’t take the two of you?”
“Three,” Mia chimes in sweetly.
Leon regards her with something akin to disgust. “Stay in your lane, little lady.”
I bite back a smile, as does Martino. Both of us know that Leon may as well have signed his own death warrant.
“Teo?” Mia says my name like it’s a question.
“By all means.”
There’s a surge of movement at my side, and suddenly, Mia has launched herself onto Leon, wrapping herself around his back and using her legs to choke him out. In less than ten seconds, the brute is on his knees.
“Wha’ tha fuh!” he gasps as he desperately tries to drag the woman off his back.
“What was it he said, Martino?” Mia has the audacity to not even be out of breath. “Stay in my lane?”
Martino chuckles lightly. “His mistake.”
Leon slowly begins to turn an uncomfortable shade of gray, and I can’t help but think that Mia would be perfectly happy letting the don choke to death between her legs.
“Enough,” I step in finally, and Mia thankfully obeys.
Leon’s breath bursts out of him with a sickening choke, and I courteously wait a moment for him to gather himself.
“I’m only going to say this once, Leon,” I begin, crouching down to observe his recovery. “You and I? We’re not on the same level. You don’t get to come into my territory and make demands. You sit, and you wait for me to grace you with my presence.”
“You b?—”
I cut him off. “You think your little Mafia will back you up? We both know that mine ismuchbigger than yours. So don’t give me another excuse to remove you from the face of the earth.”
Leon lets out an almighty roar as he launches himself at me, only to be pulled back a beat later by Martino and Mia.
I tut a little at the display. “You know I could make you an offer, if you really took such an issue with this place.”
“I’m not giving you my mother,” he growls back.
“Such a shame,” I sigh. “Well, I really have very little use for you. Martino, kindly show Mister Natali the window. I’d like him to enjoy the view on his way down.”
Martino and Mia manage to drag him a whole step before—in a display of annoyingly impressive strength—Leon manages to wrench himself free, throwing Mia into Martino in the process and sending them tumbling to the floor.
He doesn’t give me a second to reach out and stop him before he takes off to the staircase.
