Page 121 of Unraveled

Inside, Gian was surprised to find the place mostly devoid of people. No patrons sat at tables, and no employees served the few men sitting at tables.

“Gian.” Edmond stood from his seat at a center table, facing the windows. Lucky. “I’m pleased to see you show up today.”

Gian crossed the space, ignoring the looks of the men waiting to see what he would do. Only a couple were men that Edmond had asked to come along, others were ones Gian told to be there because of the boss’s request. Apparently, Edmond thought having a few men witness their meeting would be better than a larger group.

Let word travel, Edmond had said.

Standing toe to toe with the man, Gian finally spoke. “I took care of the problem on my end, the one you let me know about.”

Edmond nodded, seeming pleased. “And come to your senses at the same time about the rest of this fighting and nonsense, I assume?”

No, not really.

He had decided enough was enough, though.

“Grudges tend to kill a lot of people in this business,” Gian said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I need to learn to let bygones be bygones.”

“Good, good.”

Then, Edmond held out his hand, the one with a ring that was all too familiar to Gian. It had belonged to his grandfather for years, and while Corrado should have been buried with it, someone had removed it from his home before it could be collected for the funeral home. Constantino might have been the one to pull the trigger where Corrado’s death was concerned, but Edmond had not been an honorable man in his intentions after the fact.

Gian could never, and would never, forget that.

He would not forget a shooting intended to keep him in line that nearly killed Cara, either.

Things like those were unforgiveable.

The bygones.

“Well?” Edmond asked, still holding his hand out for Gian to take. “Are we going to settle this like proper made men and move on as your grandfather would have wanted us to do, Gian?”

The man intended for Gian to bend down, and kiss his ring. Had it been his grandfather, Gian would have done it without question. Because it was Edmond, the significance made him hesitate.

Still, he bent down, grabbing Edmond’s hand and bringing it close to his mouth. Gian didn’t kiss the ring, though, he simply held it there for a moment.

“You have no idea what Corrado would have wanted,” Gian murmured low enough for only Edmond to hear. “But I certainly do.”

Gian dropped Edmond’s hand, without having kissed the ring, as glass shattered. He straightened to his full height, getting the brief chance to stare Edmond in the eyes for only a second before the man’s body began to sway.

A perfect sniper shot had hit Edmond square between his eyes. Blood trickled down from the wound. Death already stared back from his eyes.

This was appropriate, considering …

Gian let the body fall as one of the men inside the restaurant shouted, a panicked realization starting to take over about what had just happened. He paid the men no mind as he bent down and removed his grandfather’s ring from Edmond’s slack, lifeless hand, only to slide it down his own finger.

Standing once more, Gian turned to face the men with a smile. Shocked faces stared back at him, unmoving and frozen in time.

Chris was one hell of a shot.

Word would certainly be traveling now.

“I’ll answer to Don or Boss, only, and anything else will cost you a body part of your choice,” Gian said quietly. “Now, I need someone to move this body.”

Cara missed her bed—or better yet, Gian’s—the moment she opened her eyes and looked around. The unfamiliar bedroom staring back at her wasn’t necessarily off-putting. The big bed, earthy tones, and soft bedding were comforting enough, as far as that went. But it wasn’t home.

Her body knew it instantly.

She’d already been back in Chicago for a week, and no matter how many times she woke up in the guest bedroom of the Trentini mansion, it was still startling. It only reinforced her desire to go back to Toronto; the need to be home in familiar spaces thrummed deep.