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“Then why am I even here?”
“Because I need you to be.” She tossed Elenora a jacket and tugged her purse up over her shoulder. Elenora looked at me with a worried expression, but I looked away. I hated that woman.
I did nothing but wonder about what was going on. I tried to watch TV but couldn’t concentrate and ended up staring out the window. I began to get angry and pulled on my sweater and stepped out the door, but a man blocked my exit. The old bat always planned ahead.
“Inside,” he ordered, and I never tried to leave after that.
When the door finally opened hours later, I turned over on the bed to look at the time. It was seven p.m. I clicked on the light and saw Elenora dabbing at tears.
“What happened to you?” I rolled my eyes; she was always such a drama queen. She didn’t say a word, just headed for the washroom.
“I’m hungry,” I protested. “Can I at least go down to the restaurant and eat something?”
“Fine.” Nonna nodded and opened the door to say a few quiet words to the guy outside. He would escort me.Oh, great, my company is Mr. Friendly.
As I took my time and admired the artwork on the wall next to the front desk, I heard a man ask for Rosa Coppola.
“She left this at the office today. I want to make sure she has it before she returns home.”
“Excuse me. I’m traveling with Rosa.” I looked at the receptionist. “Room 407.” She clicked away on her keyboard and nodded that I was who I said I was. “Would you like me to make sure she gets it?”
“That would be lovely.” He handed me the sweater. “Please let her know that Dr. Finley values her business and that we hope to see her again soon.”
“I’ll be sure to pass along the message.” I smiled warmly and repeated his name in my head.
After my dinner, I went into the business center of the hotel and researched who Dr. Finley was. Rosa’s soldier made a few annoyed sounds, but I ignored him. After all, he got to eat, too. It only took me a few clicks to figure out who he was.
“Oh.” I dug a little deeper, and everything suddenly clicked. “Oh, wow.”
I leaned back and thought what perfect timing it was that I’d run into that man.
“How much longer?” Mr. Friendly grunted from his post by the door
“I’m ready.” I had an extra pop in my step. “It’s okay, you know, to crack a smile occasionally, like this. Watch.” I smiled widely, and he looked away, unamused at my sudden happiness.
I opened the door to the hotel room and handed Nonna the sweater. Though I couldn’t care less about what happened here, I could only imagine what the repercussions of it would be if the other parties ever found out. Nonna’s life would be taken in the worst of ways, and that excited me.
“Dr. Finley sends his warmest regards.” I watched as her face slipped and her eyes widened.
That’s right, Nonna, I know what you did.
I sat at the end of the table and watched my family laugh and enjoy one another’s company. Becoming the Don was something I had waited patiently for since I was a child. Even after my initiation at twenty, when I watched the life drain out of Marcello Angelo then tossed him in the river to join the rest of his friends, I knew this was the life for me. Killing had become an art for me, not a sport. I wasn’t a total monster, but I made sure I kept up a certain level of finesse. Presenting a soul to the afterlife should be done for the right reason. That was why, when I killed, I made it count.
I strummed my fingers on the wooden arm and let my mind sink deeper into my thoughts. Tonight would be grand. I’d made sure of it, not just because of my new position, but because the world would know what was coming.
“Everything all right?” Sienna’s soft touch drew me back, and I smiled lovingly down at the one woman I’d give up everything for.
“Actually, we should talk.” I excused us and led her down toward the rows and rows of vineyards. We didn’t have much time, so I dove right in.
“If we’re going to make tonight count, we need to pull out all the stops.”
“I agree.”
“Good, because I’m going to come at this backwards, and I really hope you can see why.”
* * *
“I’d say sex looks good on you, but damn, Si, you were only gone ten minutes,” Wyatt joked as he matched his steps to ours as we walked toward the front of the house. “I’m all about a quickie, but—” He stopped talking when he caught my unamused expression.
