I pinched the bridge of my nose as I sighed. “Sicily.”
“What?”
Judging her behavior this early into the game suggested I was on track to lose a significant sum of money and the Bonafede alliance.
She pointed one finger at her cards as if I could not see them. “Sevens are lucky, right?”
Tommaso stared at her, his jaw agape. I did not blame him for his expression. The mute Consigliere began to chuckle, but I was focused on the Don’s son. He was staring at her with wide eyes, barely noticing his own cards, and she was staring back, unblinking.
My jaw ached, and I realized I was clenching it, grinding my teeth even.
Matteo leaned forward, and I felt an unfamiliar lurch in my chest cavity as his fingers barely brushed hers and appeared to adjust the pot. Even Adriano saw the second Queen being removed from his sleeve and appear in her hand.
He was not discreet for somebody who was supposed to be the strategy king of New York.
“You see that?” Adriano muttered under his breath, not taking his focus away from his cards.
“Yes,” I replied quietly, turning away from my wife. “Did they engage in sexual contact before our marriage?”
My Consigliere snorted. “No, Milan. Which fucker is idiotic enough to date a girl not promised to him?”
I did not mentiondating, but I did not correct him.
It was crucial that I discovered more of this relationship; I had given Sicily permission to seek sexual gratification outsideof our marriage, butMatteowas not on the approved list, and this was therefore infidelity.
That was strictly off-limits. I had seen the damage it caused.
“Keep your head, asshole,” Adriano mumbled. “Don’t assume they’re fucking when she hasn’t given you any indication of that.”
The betting began the moment I turned my body back toward Sicily, our knees colliding again, my arm resting around the back of her seat. I had observed that was what people did to ensure other males knew that a female was his wife.
Sicily gave me an unreadable glance over her shoulder, refusing to settle into my arm. “You’re touching me?”
“So is everybody else,” I muttered, not paying attention to what Tommaso raised.
Adriano called, and in some evident display of disapproval, Sicily shoved her entire stack forward.
One-hundredthousanddollars.
It was pocket change for me, but by analyzing her behavior, I could tell she thought this was damaging, and she was doing it to be troublesome.
“I raise…all of it?” she said sheepishly.
“That’s anall-in,principessa. That’s how I like to play.” Matteo’s voice was low, but his smirk was sharp. Disrespectful.
I matched to interrupt him. “Call.”
Matteo folded immediately.
Adriano’s limbs stiffened beside me.
The fourth card was meaningless. Two of Clubs. It changed nothing, yet Sicily was staring at it like it would have all the answers. She did not understand what that meant.
There were two sevens and two queens on the board. She had the third queen and a nonsense card.She had a full house. It was unbeatable.
Tommaso folded dramatically, lighting a cigarette and pouring another drink swiftly after.
The mute Consigliere folded too.
