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Nonna’s shoulders rise and fall. She turns, tips up her chin at me. Her features are flushed. She seems to compose herself, then nods at me, "See that you do." My grandmother pivots and walks out the way she came, through the side entrance of the church where, no doubt, her bodyguards are waiting for her.
"Take her to the basement." I jerk my chin at Luca.
Around me, my brothers stiffen, but none of them say anything. They wouldn’t. They know better than to question my authority in front of the Don.
Beauty stares at me over her shoulder as Luca guides her away, Adrian in tow.
I don’t take my attention off of her, until she’s out of sight, out of the main door. My chest twinges, but I dismiss it. I glance down to find the front of my shirt sodden with blood.
I shrug off my jacket, then my tear off my shirt and press it into the wound.
"You need stitches." Christian murmurs, "I am calling for the doctor."
I am tempted to say I don’t need to see a doctor, but I know better than taking foolish risks. I nod, as my father prowls over to me. "I hope you are not going to let this go unpunished." He looks me up and down, "She spilled the blood of a Capo; you know what that means."
I stiffen, "She’s my wife. I decide how I am going to make her pay for what she did."
He chuckles, "No doubt, you can turn the consummation of the marriage into something that she will never forget."
I whip my chin up, glare at him. "Mind how you speak about her," I say through gritted teeth. "She’s still mine."
"Not questioning that, son," he says in a soothing voice. "Just making sure you realize that this cannot be overlooked. When word of what happened gets out…" He shakes his head, "It will seriously undermine your position as being in the running as successor of the Don."
"And who will let news of this leak out?"
My father glances at the priest. I pull out the gun from the back of my waistband and shoot him in the forehead. The man collapses to the floor.
I turn to the Don, "That only leaves you as the weak point in this entire proceeding."
"You threatening me, son?" he asks in a mild tone. "Not even you would be foolish enough to do that."
"It was merely an observation." I tilt my head.
"As long as that's all it was." He bares his lips in the semblance of a smile, which is almost as sharklike as mine. Apparently there is more of him in me than I'd like.
He glances around at the faces of my brothers, "I’ll see the lot of you at our next meeting then."
Turning, he begins to walk away, then stops, "By the way, Michelangelo." He glances at me over his shoulder, "Congratulations."
He leaves by the side entrance. The door slams shut, the sound echoing around the space.
"Fucking fuck," I growl as I pull the shirt away from my chest. I glance down to where the blood flow seems to have lessened, then ball up my shirt and throw it on the floor. "What a fucking mess."
"Was that necessary?" Xander glances sideways at the priest’s body, "Did you have to kill a man of god."
"I didn’t have a choice."
"The man would have taken what happened here to the grave with him," he protests.
"And I made sure he did."
Xander grimaces, "And her... Did you have to send her to the basement?"
"It’s where anyone who commits a crime against any of thefamigliais sent." I tilt my head.
"She’s part of thefamiglianow," Xander argues.
"She needs to prove herself first." Christian jerks his chin in my direction, "I agree withfratellone,here."
