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“I feel underdressed.”
I shake my head. “You fit in perfectly.”
“Should we put masks on?”
“I get the feeling we won’t be here long. Let’s get a drink.”
We’ve barely made it to the bar before I notice my father. He’s got his mask on but I can tell it’s him. He’s talking to someone as they weave their way across the dance floor toward us.
“I remember the last time I was here,” Natalie says, holding her beer bottle and staring at it like it’s a crystal ball. “I was drinking this when you got that guy away from me.”
“Are you all right about this?” I ask, seeing her face set hard, like she’s trying to hide her real emotions. “I mean, are you coping?”
“I don’t know. In some ways, it’s probably a good thing to come here again, try and put the demons to rest. Not going to lie, it feels strange knowing what happened on the drive.” She manages a smile. “I’ll be all right.”
My father has reached us. He raises his mask to show his face. “We need to talk,” he says. “My study, now.”
We step forward, but he blocks Natalie from coming with us. “The two of us need to talk. Not her.”
“She’s with me,” I tell him.
Natalie touches my arm. “I’ll be all right. I won’t go anywhere.”
I give her a nod. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
“I won’t be long.”
“We’ll see about that,” Father says, turning and walking over to the door that leads into the study. I look around it as I follow him in. The desk where me and Natalie fucked five years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday.
“Sit down,” he says as behind me, Flavio appears, slipping his mask off his face. “Hey, cuz,” he says, taking a chair from the side of the room and dragging it over. “How are you?”
“What’s this about?” I ask.
My father steeples his fingertips, leaning on his hands as he stares at me. “How long have you been fucking Natalie Mason?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Flavio tells me you have a child with her. Is that right?”
“He’s been paying attention, hasn’t he? What is he, your new errand boy?”
He slaps his hand on the desk. “Don’t get smart with me. You have a child with a Mason? You are not married. Andrea wants to wed you to bond the Genovese and Marino empires and you do something like this? What were you thinking?”
“Get to the point.”
“In less than forty-eight hours, the vault seals and the entire contents burn. I want the contents of that vault here tomorrow morning or you are no longer a part of this family.”
“If you’re lucky,” Flavio adds. “He’s been talking about shooting you the last couple of days.”
I turn to look at him. “Say another word and I’ll break your fucking neck.”
He looks like he’s about to protest, but then his mouth closes. I turn back to my father. “How am I supposed to get into the vault?”
“I’ve told Flavio how to get in. It seems I can trust him more than I can trust you. Take the box to the vault tomorrow at nine and he will open it. He’ll watch to make sure you don’t steal the contents. You bring it all back here and then we’ll talk about your relationship with a Mason.”
“I’m not abandoning her.”
