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I gesture to the chair in front of me and don’t bother getting up. A small part of me wonders what he’d do if I pulled some Romano shit and offered my ring for him to kiss.
He sits with a slight groan, his knees popping, and he sets his clasped hands on his knee. “Mr. Walsh.”
Ah. So we’re doing it this way. I give him a nod. “It’s high time we have a conversation about your son. As far as he’s been willing to divulge, you don’t know anything about his connection with Leo Ricci.”
Aldis flinches. “I know now.”
I study his face, but I don’t see anything there apart from worry. “This isn’t how I wanted this to happen. I like to think I would have shown Rhys mercy if he’d just come to me and told me what was going on.”
“You think you’d have shown himmercy?” Aldis asks, his eyes wide. He flicks his gaze up to Phoenix and stares just long enough to piss me off.
“I like to think,” I snap, smiling unkindly when he looks back at me, “that considering I’m marrying into the Romano family, we could have at least had a discussion with one of my most trusted confidants.”
Aldis’ jaw works, but he says nothing for a good, long while. “You’re marrying that—”
“Careful,” I warn. “She is soon to be my wife.”
He looks almost startled and glances at Phoenix again, maybe to see if he’s bothered. After a beat, he sighs. “This is a political move.”
“Yes,” I say. There’s no point in denying it. “But she’s also precious to me. And it’s a bit more complicated now.”
“Now that you know she’s a Ricci,” Aldis says.
I raise a brow at him, not betraying my gut- punch of surprise.
“Leo Ricci came to see me just after you took Rhys into custody,” he says. “He was desperate and afraid.”
“As he should be. He likely knows about the guards. Or…what was left of them.”
Aldis, to his credit, doesn’t react. “But my son is still alive.”
“He’s currently with James,” I say, and I see the relief in his eyes when I don’t say Ari. “We’re coming to an…agreement.”
“Will he walk out of there?”
“I don’t know,” I confess. I haven’t been the one to work him over or check up on him. And hehassuffered. “I have no plans to kill him, provided he’s telling me the truth about Marco and about Leo’s desire to take down the Romano family and leave.”
Aldis hesitates, then leans forward. “You realize my son will go with him, right? You’ve destroyed any chance of him ever being loyal to you again.”
I laugh, unable to stop myself, and I turn my face, placing a kiss on Phoenix’s hand. I don’t know why I do that. It’s not a power move. I just needed to remind myself he was there. “I don’t want his sorry excuse for loyalty, Aldis. If he wants to run with the Romanos, he can do it elsewhere. They can fuck off to Italy and do whatever they want in a place they have real power. The only thing I care about is Guido Romano’s head on a fucking pike and for every bit of their bloodline purged from my city.”
“Except hers,” Aldis says.
I fix him with a hard stare. “She is not his daughter.”
He wisely keeps his mouth shut this time.
Phoenix clears his throat, and I wait for him to speak. “You’re needed at home.”
I sigh and meet Aldis’ gaze again. “What will your choice be?”
He gives it actual thought, which I appreciate, and then he works his jaw before he speaks again. “I’m an old man, Kane, and I’ve given my life to this family. I’ve chosen it over spouses, lovers, and children. Nothing about that has changed. But I would like you to spare my son.”
I believe him. It might be foolish, but I can’t help myself. This isn’t his war, and he’s not wrong—he’s old. He likely won’t live to see the next one that falls at our feet.
“I can’t promise you anything, but provided your son cooperates, I’ll let you know where he can be collected.”
“And Leo…”
