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He cleared his throat to announce our presence, and the laughter and chatter died down. Angelo’s brothers sat to the left of his father at the head of the table with Angelo on his right.
Angelo, as always, looked impeccable in a dark suit, with his wavy black hair styled, some of it brushing along his forehead. All of the men in his family looked like the Don and were incredibly attractive. But Angelo, with his big blue eyes which popped against his olive skin, was beyond words.
Surrounding the Don, like courtiers waiting to kiss the ring, were Paulie and a few dark-haired men who I knew from holidays and family functions. They were Made men, soldiers in Angelo Sr.’s army. His people loved him, unlike his predecessor
, Joe “Scags” Scaglione, who the Don had forced out of the organization when we were kids.
Over the years, my dad had told me a few stories about the Mafia wars that had occurred before Angelo Sr. took over as the head of the Philadelphia crime family. He’d mentioned their beef with the Irish had started over drug trafficking which had settled down once he worked out their issues. Despite his need for revenge, the Don was a good boss, a good businessman.
Among Angelo’s brothers were cousins from his father’s side of the family. Closest to me, a few of Angelo’s aunts rose to their feet and kissed each of my cheeks. Their husbands and children greeted me in the same fashion. It was hard to keep track of everyone with all the hugging and kissing I did by the time I reached the end of the table.
Angelo got up from his seat next to his father and laced his fingers through my hair. Holding the side of my head, he whispered in my ear, his breath warming my face, “You look beautiful, Gia.”
I smiled. “And you look handsome. In a bad boy rough-around-the-edges kind of way.”
He laughed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his sexy mouth. I wanted to taste him. Our lips were so close I struggled with not kissing him in front of everyone.
I glanced over at Ma, who was coming out of the kitchen with a smile and a baking dish in her hands. She waved to us once she set the dish on the table and welcomed us into her home, speaking to us in Italian.
Mr. Morelli, the Don himself, stood when he saw us and stepped out from the table. Despite the aura that surrounded a Mafia boss, he was quite pleasant even though I could tell there was a quiet storm behind those deep brown eyes.
He took me in his arms, embraced me, and kissed each of my cheeks. I wasn’t a fan of Angelo Sr., but I could tolerate my soon-to-be father-in-law. As he released me, I glanced over at his brothers who were now standing next to him.
“Hey, Gia,” Marco said to me. He had his black hair gelled into short spikes that looked cute on him. When he hugged me, Marco smelled spicy and manly. He was the nicest of Angelo’s older brothers.
Pete was a downright asshole. I cringed when I had to greet Pete in the same fashion as the rest of his family. Knowing how sick and twisted he was made my skin crawl.
Don Morelli clamped a hand down on my dad’s shoulder, pulling him close. They spoke in hushed tones I couldn’t make out. My family had shared meals with the Morellis more times than I could count. I grew up sitting next to Made men. We were even at their house when a few of their guys were arrested. Whether I liked it or not, these people were my family.
Angelo steered me toward my chair, and Sonny was there to pull it out for me to sit. Angelo held my hand on his lap until dinner was served. Something was off in his body language. Sonny spoke to Angelo in a manner that suggested they were worried about something. I felt their unease around the family. They knew something, and they didn’t want to tell me. Whatever Angelo was hiding made me nervous.
I wasn’t marrying the man.
I was marrying the family.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Angelo
The entire night was a sham, a rouse to lure Lorenzo out of hiding and into our home. My father gave the toast to welcome Gia officially into our family. Her father gave one, too. She was already my family, whether he’d wanted to accept it before or not. There was talk about friendship and family. I had no idea what to make of the fucking show our fathers had put on for everyone. Lorenzo asked my father to let him go, and he did. But that lasted for all of a few months before he was pulled back in.
After dessert, the house slowly cleared out. A few of my father’s closest friends stayed behind to get some extra face time with the boss. I sat with Sonny on one side of Gia and me on the other. She looked uncomfortable, maybe even sensed it in my demeanor, but she never spoke a word of it.
A while later, my father disappeared along with Lorenzo. It made me anxious. I had no idea who to believe after that night in the alleyway. Information was hard to find when someone was willing to pay enough to hide it.
Paulie came up from behind me, his thick cologne filling my nostrils. He bent down to speak into my ear. “Come with me, kid.”
I pushed my chair out from the table, and Gia gave me a worried look. Sonny began to follow suit, until Paulie held out his hand, telling him to stay. I shot Sonny a pained look. He knew to take her home. Something was off about the night. We both felt it.
For most of our lives, Sonny had loved Gia. I was almost certain he was ‘in love’ with her. If anyone would die to protect Gia, it was Sonny. I trusted him more than any man I knew.
I kissed Gia on the forehead. “Go with Sonny. Don’t argue. Just do it.”
She stilled in her chair, her body growing rigid. I saw the complaint on her lips, though she kept it at bay.
“I love you,” she whispered, and I mouthed it back to her.
I tapped Sonny on the shoulder and walked away, wondering what my father was up to.
