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“I struggled to believe it myself. You’ve been to him what family should be.” Vinny had no idea just how lucky he was, yet he tossed his brother aside as if he were nothing. “All the undermining and backstabbing, part of me thought he was just being juvenile. Now, it’s obvious he wants to be head of the family without waiting his turn.” Why hadn’t I pushed this issue sooner? Maybe deep down, I’d feared Donato would side with Vinny, blood thicker than water and all that. And yet, over and over Donato had proven his loyalty to me. I should’ve trusted that. If I had, we might not be in this hell of a mess.
“Vinny will never be head of this family. When I’m gone, it’s over.” I’d rarely heard Donato sound more resolute.
I clutched the armrests of the chair and leaned forward to look right in his eyes. “I know this might be hard to accept, but after what happened tonight, we can’t let it go any longer. This ends. Now.”
“He’s waiting to find out the cost of what he did to Vivian and Muriella, amongst other things.”
“I know about some of it. What the hell else has he done?” My irritation soared as my mind turned over the possibilities.
“Aside from being generally incompetent, he’s been skimming money for years from the deals I’ve sent him to do on his own.” Donato finally met my gaze. His was impassive, though there was an edge in his tone.
This news was no surprise. “Speaking of screwing up deals, do you have anything on what he did with the jaune?”
“It’s in your apartment.”
The fucker. Vinny was setting me up, just as we suspected. “It’s lovely to have options,” I said wryly. “Door one, I go to federal prison for a minimum of twenty years. Door two, I’m assassinated for stealing a diamond. Even when the owner finds out it was a setup, she’ll kill me just to prove a point.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked toward the fireplace.
“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t disagree.”
I made myself at home, flicking the switch on the wall, a whoosh sounding before flames appeared. “And these are abnormal?” I asked as I stepped closer to the fire to heat my chilled bones.
“I had my guys hack into her security system and sent her video that very clearly proves you did not lift her precious diamond. I’ve spoken with her, and we’ve settled the misunderstanding.” I spun and stared at him expectantly. “Vinny was truthful with you for once. He stole the diamond.”
“I have no idea why that doesn’t make me feel any better.”
Donato’s lip twisted up, but it didn’t really resemble a smile. “Actually, he’s been truthful with you twice.”
I narrowed my gaze. “What do you mean?”
“He does know something about your father’s murder and my connection to it,” he said, far too calmly.
“I don’t care to hear it.” I turned away. I’d known the truth the second Vivian told me about that autopsy.
“Vinny was there.”
“He killed him?” That made no sense. Unless he’d been ordered to do it.
“No,” Donato scoffed. “He was with me when you called that day. I had one thing on my mind, and that was ending your suffering. Vinny sat in the car while I took care of the problem.”
I collapsed in the chair behind me and stared up at the ceiling. I’d heard enough. “What now?”
He inhaled deeply. “You’re still in a heap of shit. There’s not much evidence left, so it’s going to be hard to exonerate you. For now, your confession will have to stand.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“Wewill.” He slapped the wood surface of the desk and stood. “Shall we go see to my dear brother?”
The promise of retribution lit like fire in my veins. “I’m surprised you haven’t seen to him already.”
Donato shrugged on his jacket. “I couldn’t deny him time to stew as he considers all the possible ways I could make him pay for his transgressions.” He checked his watch. “It’s been long enough.”
* * *
Half an hourlater as the sun rose higher in the sky, Donato pulled up to the curb down the street from my warehouse. I shot him a sideways look as he shifted the SUV into park.
“Should I have asked permission?” he asked, a wry smile on his lips.
