Page 213 of Fall Before Her Throne

Drink it, asshole. That poison in his glass was the key to capturing him.

“We can still,” I offered. “I really did come here to apologize.”

He set the glass down and turned his stony gaze toward me. I struggled to sit still. As much as I despised this man and what he had done to my guys, he was still an incredibly opposing figure. Power oozed from him. The dozens of men watching our conversation while waiting in the restaurant only added to the pressure of his persona.

But I could do this.

“Go on then,” he instructed.

I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry. Mi dispiace. You were right. I was prideful. I didn’t listen to your wisdom and experience, and it backfired. I should have realized from the very beginning how much I have to learn from you. We never should have been enemies.”

His eyes twitched, and he looked like he was about to reply, but I pressed forward.

“You’ve always steered my father and his associates in the right direction. It was my hubris that ignored you and believed that I could run New York on my own. I’m sorry. Sincerely. Please forgive me for my mistakes.”

He was quiet for a moment. I couldn’t read one thought going through his head. Eventually, he gestured to my glass.

“You’re not enjoying your wine.”

I looked at the glass, untouched in front of me. “I was waiting for you.”

He glanced over his shoulder, but Rossi had disappeared back into the kitchen. Using both hands, he switched our glasses.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Rossi was supposed to poison his glass, and now it was mine.

“Please, I insist. Ladies first.”

I reached for the stem and lifted it to my lips. He observed me while I ingested a sip of the liquid. “It’s delicious.”

He nodded, and then he took his own drink. Rossi popped his head back into the dining room, and it took every ounce of control in my body not to look at him. Which glass did he poison? Mine or Greco’s?

“This is excellent, Rossi,” Greco said. “Thank you.”

Across the room, Rossi nodded his acknowledgement.

“I imagine you want me to free your men from jail,” he mused to me.

“Yes. There’s no point in denying it.”

“Volpe disobeyed me and disrespected me. Even if I let your other men go, I would still have to kill him.”

My lips thinned. He would expect me to throw Max under the bus, but I couldn’t do that. Not even here, not even now. “I’m not trying to negotiate. I’m just trying to make right my errors.”

“It’s hard to believe you’re serious, signorina, when all you’ve ever shown me in the past was your insubordination.” Greco took another drink from his glass of wine. “Your disrespect has been continual.”

His eyes lingered on my wine, and I took another large sip. “I know. A product of my upbringing, I’m afraid.”

Greco snorted into his glass. “Now that I believe. I could always tell Luciano was two-faced. In front of me, he did as he was told and paid me the respect I was due. But behind my back, he was a weasel. Look at the way he treated the Five Families here.”

You have no idea, Greco.

“Neither of us has a good opinion of my father,” I replied. Keep him talking. “I swear that if you let me live, I would be a much better subordinate than he was.”

Greco tsk’d his tongue. “Unfortunately, I cannot accept your apology. You’ve done far too much damage. You’ve made me look like a fool, and you’ve flagrantly disobeyed and disregarded my authority.”

Keep talking.

Please keep talking.