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“No matter what, he fucks up,” I muttered.
Donato didn’t disagree, leaning forward and bracing his forearms on his knees. He dropped his head for a moment before looking back at me. “I was hoping Vinny would step up, do things the right way. It would free you. Get you out of this world. There will come a day when I won’t be here, and I don’t want you to be stuck.” He spoke as if that were in the distant future when we both knew otherwise.
“I’m only in it because of you,” I confessed.
Donato’s eyes softened at the admission. “I know that,” he said. Guess I was more transparent than I thought. Donato’s gaze sharpened, his mouth turning hard. “The authorities have me shackled, especially with this new development. They’ll use whatever leverage they can to get what they want. It’s always money, and sometimes blood.”
“What more could they possibly want now?” I asked bitterly. My businesses operated on the wrong side of the law at times, but I managed to stay on the good side of the authorities. Thanks to Donato, they pretty much left me alone.
“They want to know who owned the Cézanne. Where we got it,” Donato said, running his hand through his hair once again. That painting had been stolen over twenty years ago from a museum in Prague and had been hiding in a private collection ever since. Owning it was a serious crime, selling it a great risk. Brokering the sale of stolen goods on the black market could be dodgy, especially when the authorities wanted to use it as leverage.
“Why would the feds put you in that position?”
“Because they fucking can. No matter what I do, how many years I’ve fed them whatever they want to know, it’s never enough,” he grumbled, his face turning dark. “That’s one reason I let Vinny handle the deal, to keep you out of it. They’ve been breathing down my neck about it.” Donato’s eyes met mine, his jaw set the way it did when he was forced into a decision he didn’t like but had resolved to see through. “When the owners go down, Vinny will look like the rat.”
I digested the implication of what Donato had said. To think I’d doubted his decision to let Vinny take the lead on such a big deal. He’d chosen me over his brother, protecting me over blood, which only reinforced the tough decisions I’d had to make. The people we’d gotten that painting from would kill anyone who betrayed them. Donato had made sure they didn’t know I existed.
“That must have been a difficult decision,” I said carefully. How do you thank a man who has saved your life on more than one occasion? Not with words. For once I was going to protect him, by doing what was necessary.
He reached over and covered the hand resting on my knee. “Actually, it wasn’t at all.” Donato asked me with his eyes to see what he wanted me to hear. That he cared about me. But I couldn’t do it. Breakers began to flip inside me, shutting me down. He saw my protective shield rise into place, disappointment and hurt in his eyes. Donato never pushed me, not when it came to letting him in. I simply could not acknowledge how I felt about him, and I couldn’t stand to hear his feelings about me.
“I need to go,” I said, standing abruptly.
Donato stood with me. “Stay for dinner. Teresa is coming over and bringing the kids.” She was his youngest daughter. The “kids” he referred to were his grown grandchildren.
“Enjoy your time with them.” The man made it difficult to say no to him, so I avoided uttering the actual words as often as possible.
“Daniel.” The way he said my name made me uncomfortable. We stood at the top of the stairs that led to the interior of his apartment. “I can tell something other than Vinny is eating at you. I’m guessing it’s Vivian. I don’t know her, but I’ve had a lot of experience with relationships. I’d be more than happy to discuss how to fix the mistake you’re making. Because I’m sure I’ve made it. At least twice.” He said it lightly, so I could tolerate it. Before I could answer, he held up both hands. “I know. I know. Just reminding you I’m here.”
“Thanks,” I said tersely. No amount of advice could fix my problems. I preferred to spend valuable time getting answers about a subject we’d been avoiding for days. “How much time have we got?”
He narrowed his gaze as if I’d insulted him. “I’m not sure,” he bit out, knowing exactly what I was referring to.
“Any idea who’s stirred up this shit again?”
“Not yet.” The unspoken in that statement was that he would find out. And when he did find out who was framing him, I almost pitied the person. Almost. Except they were dredging up my shit too.
I shifted the tennis racquet from one hand to the other. “I’m at a dead end. I haven’t heard from them again.” I looked toward the sky. “All the fucked up shit my dear old dad was into is really coming back to bite us.” I swallowed thickly and cleared my throat as I tried to clear my mind. “This would be a lot less complicated if the feds had let NYPD keep the case.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“It’s my problem too.”
Donato’s brows rose. Arguing with the man was useless, but I wouldn’t back down on this. He placed his hands on my shoulders. “You will leave this alone. Stay away from it.”
“I shouldn’t have told you.” I clenched my fists at my sides.
He squeezed my shoulders. “Yes, you absolutely should have. Stop fretting over things we can’t control.”
I couldn’t stop worrying, but I knew I wouldn’t dissuade him, so I let it go. I unballed my fists and released a long breath. “I’ll speak to you soon.”
He nodded, disappointed I wouldn’t relent to his demand I stay away from the most pressing fire we had burning. Disappointed I wouldn’t stay for dinner. He’d be pissed when I took matters into my own hands, but that’s where this was headed. And as much as I didn’t like it, I’d already accepted the reality of the past finally catching up.
A pit formedin my stomach as I rolled into the garage at the apartment. I had no idea what to expect. Each day, the pile of Vivian’s belongings in the foyer remained in place, barely touched.
My heart pumped a little faster as I rode the elevator to the top floor.Will she be here?I’d wondered on more than one occasion if she would really leave.
When the elevator doors slid open to our private lobby, I stepped out and stopped, craning my neck.What is that?It sounded as if someone were having a party. There was music at a high volume coming muffled through the walls.
