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A new head of the UFCW union has been appointed, Brent Carmichael. Valentino is working with him to strike up a similar deal to the one we had with his predecessor. It’s all good and necessary information, but my mind keeps wandering back to Cambria and her insistence on me seeing my father.
She’s been working for me for nearly a year and a half, but only in the last two months has she started on the father/son reunion kick. Why now? Does my old man want to see me? I’m guessing not since he’s not the one texting me. How awkward would it be to show up and have my father kick me out? Once was enough for me, thank you.
“Dante,” Romeo says, bringing me back to the present moment.
I blink a few times, suddenly aware that everyone else has exited the room.
“Yes, boss,” I answer, standing to meet him face to face.
“Where were you today?”
“I got up at six, my normal time, and made a breakfast of eggs and toast. Then I did some work from my home office before hitting the gym. I had that lunch meeting in Manhattan, then–”
“Not literally,” Romeo grunts, cutting me off.
I furrow my brow, wondering what else he could mean. He asked where I was, and I listed the places I’d been.
“What I mean,” Romeo continues, “is that your head was somewhere else during our meeting. What has you so distracted? It’s not like you, Dante.”
Sighing, my shoulders drop slightly as I think of what to tell the Boss. My phone buzzes again, and Romeo gives me a pointed look.
“Go ahead,” he says with a nod. “Answer it. Then tell me who it is and why they have more of your attention than I do.”
Swallowing thickly, I pull out my phone and glance at the two texts she sent. Then I take time to really look at them, each word sinking into my stomach like a lead weight.
Cambria:Your father would kill me for telling you this, but he’s had several strokes in the last few months. He likes to think he’s invincible, and part of me wonders if you think that, too.
Cambria:I don’t know anything about your relationship, only that it’s obviously complicated. I just feel like you need to know the stakes. Raul’s health has taken a turn, and I know you don’t want to deal with that, but here we are. Please, please consider visiting your father before it’s too late.
“Well?” Romeo asks.
Taking a deep breath, I decide to get it all out there and ask for his advice. I consider Romeo my closest friend, though I’d never tell him that. Neither of us talks about it, but we both know. That’s enough for me.
“My father has been ill for quite some time,” I start. Romeo nods, encouraging me to continue. “He’s back in Chicago being taken care of by the best of the best. But I guess things have… escalated recently. The nurse thinks I should come for a visit.”
“Ah, the nurse who does yoga and meditation?”
I roll my eyes. “Yes.”
My friend gets a knowing look in his eyes, though I have no idea about what. It’s gone before I can decipher it.
“You should go.”
My eyebrows shoot up my forehead, and I blink a few times, wondering if Romeo is kidding. The Don never jokes, though, so he must be… serious?
“I… I can’t,” I stutter. “What about everything I need to do here? Things with the UFCW union are heating up, not to mention the retribution we’re sure to get from the Colombos. I can’t leave now.”
Romeo studies me carefully for a few moments, then clears his throat. “Dante, I’m temporarily relieving you of your duties to the Di Salvo family.”
“What? No, I–”
Romeo holds his hand out, palm up, cutting me off.
“Temporarily,” he emphasizes. “Just long enough for you to fly to Chicago, see your father, and come back.”
“What about the–”
“Colombos won’t strike back so soon. They need time to regroup, recover, and replan. In the meantime, I have my Capos working on gathering intel.”
