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I looked down at Faith and smiled. “I just fed her. She’s already dozing off again.”
“She’s a good baby.”
“I wish Mom could have met her,” I confessed, getting choked up. Her death was something I would never get over. She would always be a part of me, as she was a part of Faith.
Dad let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “Me, too. She would have loved Faith. I wish I could say this is a social call, but I could use your help, sweetie.”
“What do you need?”
I was still working for Carlini Construction since I was the CEO of the company and hadn’t found a suitable replacement. My dreams of becoming a legitimate lawyer went out the window the day my dad decided to run for Philadelphia City Council and later for mayor.
“I agreed to sell a few plots of land to Angelo. The files are in the locked cabinet in my office. They have sticky notes on them with Angelo’s name.”
“Are they plots owned by Carlini Construction?”
He sighed, frustrated. “Yes, I bought them a long time ago. I was holding onto them for something special, but…” his voice trailed off as if he’d said too much.
With Angelo Sr., one favor was never enough. I had no doubt my father was selling the land to Angelo for next to nothing because he paid the asking price for my freedom. Over the past year, we had liquidated a lot of land and stock owned by my company, all at my father’s request.
“You need me to grab the files from your office?”
“Yes, if you can run upstairs and messenger them over to Paulie. But I need you to sign them. They’re in the company’s name, and as the chief officer, they require your signature.”
“Dad, please tell me this is legal.”
He laughed but didn’t answer my question. “I have to get off here. My other line is buzzing. Let me know if you have any issues. Ask Angie to check my calendar. We should do dinner later in the week.”
“Sounds good, Dad.”
I shook my head, irritated, and then hung up the phone. Angelo was keeping secrets from me along with my father. The only thing both of them had in common was their debt to Angelo Sr. I gritted my teeth in anger, wishing all of us could get away from this corrupt world we lived in.
By the time I gathered a few things for Faith and threw them into the bag I slung over my shoulder, Sonny was back in my office. He looked good in his expensive suit, with his wavy hair slicked back off his forehead. The second he laid eyes on Faith, his entire face lit up. Angelo reacted in the same fashion whenever Faith was in the room. Other than me, she was the only girl in both of their lives who made their black hearts less dark.
Sonny came over to us and took Faith from my arms. “There’s my favorite girl,” he said in his baby voice, holding her out in front of him. He kissed her on the forehead and pulled her back enough to make a funny face that made her giggle.
I smiled so wide my jaw hurt. They we
re a sight together. Sonny hugged Faith against his chest, cradling her at his hip. Even if I didn’t want or feel the need to have a protection detail, at least Sonny was a good babysitter. He took excellent care of Faith when I had to leave her with him for meetings.
“Perfect timing,” I told Sonny. “I have to run upstairs for a few minutes. Can you watch Faith for me?”
“We could come with you. Angelo doesn’t like it when I leave you alone.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I thought the same thing last year, Gia, and look where you ended up.”
“You couldn’t have predicted that, Sonny. Stop blaming yourself. Between you and Angelo, I don’t know who’s worse. I don’t blame either of you for what happened to me. I survived because that’s what I do. That’s how you make it in this family. No one is going to steal me from this building.”
“I thought the same thing about your house,” he countered, with more force behind his words. “We are coming with you. End of story.”
I blew out a breath of air, annoyed. “Fine. Whatever. Suit yourself. I’m running up to my dad’s office to grab a few files. It’s not a big deal.”
“You always have to fight, even when one isn’t required.”
I shrugged. “It’s in my nature.”
He smirked, extending his arm out in front of him and holding Faith in the other. “Let’s go, princess.”
