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He nods at me without looking up from his phone. “Okay, I’ll be here.”
“Do me a favor and call Duke for me. Let him know we’re all clear to vacate the club with heavy security at all exits, and I’ll touch base later.”
“Will do, bro.”
I knock lightly on the door in case she’s asleep, and I open it a crack to see her smiling face.
“How was my dad with you?” Shaye lets out a deep sigh, lacing her fingers through mine once I settle onto the gurney next to her.
I laugh. “Did you think he was going to beat me with a bat?”
“A little part of me was afraid of that very thing.” She giggles, licking her dry lips. But they’re still so plump and kissable, enough that I can’t resist the urge to lean over her and brush my mouth against hers. “Mmm, that was nice,” she murmurs when I pull away. “I’m glad he didn’t beat you into the ground. I’d be really upset if I couldn’t have your kisses on demand.”
“That good, huh?” I brush the hair away from her bruised face.
“Better.” She smiles. “Hey, by the way, Happy New Year.”
“I think we’re going to have to do a replay of the ball dropping when you’re feeling stronger. I have some ideas, but they require you to be in tip-top condition.”
“Tell me more,” she whispers, her fingers dancing up and down my arm.
“Let’s just say we’re going to make that last ten seconds last and last and last.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Me either.”
“Nico…”
“Yeah, baby? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, I guess I’m just wondering what comes next for us. Is this feud finally going to be over? Are our dads going to actually resolve this now?”
I take a deep breath. If Tony knows what’s good for him, he’ll figure out how to bury his issues once and for all. Any sign of dissention from the family won’t bode well for the Orianis, and I can only do so much damage control if Tony decides to air his grievances to others outside of the family.
For his sake, and the sake of his family, I hope he thinks long and hard before shooting off his big mouth to the wrong people. They won’t see him as an ally. They’ll see him as the weak link of our family, and the weak link is always the first to break.
Nobody wants to take on a liability like Tony, but they’ll use him to infiltrate our organization. And that would cripple us, causing complete anarchy within the ranks.
I know what comes next, and now is the time to tighten our security, not plug leaky holes.
“I think there’s a good chance of that,” I lie. Dad may get Tony’s ear for a while, but it won’t be enough, not when Tony has his own ideas about how the family needs to be run. The problem is that they’re shitty ideas, which is how he got us into this situation with Cappodamo in the first place. He’s not a leader or a visionary. He’s always been the muscle. But he fights it because he knows muscle doesn’t equate to power and respect.
He wants it all, but in the face of opposition, he acts rashly and doesn’t think about longer-term consequences.
Very bad for business.
“I’m transferring.”
My brow furrows. “You’re what?”
“Transferring. Up here. I’ll start applying for next fall.”
“No way.” I shake my head. “You love school. Besides, I like having you far away from this world. The farther away you are, the safer you are.”
“Too bad. I can’t be that far anymore, Nico. I’d be freaking out constantly, wondering where you are, if anyone attacks the club, if anyone tries to—"
I place a finger over her lips. “Hey, you don’t ever have to worry about me. I’ll be fine. The club will be fine. I have plenty of guys who have a vested interest in keeping me alive.”
