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“I’m not a nice man.”
She rolls her eyes, a grin on her lips before she opens the door and steps outside.
We make our way to the door and are let inside just a couple moments later. This time, Donati escorts us to his living room.
“Where’s your wife?”
He shrugs. “She’s out with friends.” His attention turns to Mariella. “Do you need anything?”
She shakes her head. “I’m okay.”
“Okay, well let’s get to the point,” I say. “Mariella and I are together, and that will not change for you or anybody else. We don’t have to let anyone know she’s your daughter if that’s still a concern for you, but you should know I’ll do absolutely everything to make sure she remains safe.”
I stop there and stare at him, allowing him time to argue or agree.
He looks at me with frustration but his gaze moves to Mariella and his expression softens slightly. “If this is your decision, then I can’t say much about it. You’ve already been subjected to what this way of life can lead to. You survived and you’re still at his side. I imagine that means you haven’t been scared away.”
“No,” she states simply. “I wasn’t scared away. I feel safest with him,” she says, touching my arm. “And I’m here because I want to be.”
Donati gives a single nod, though he doesn’t look happy. “I want you to know I’ll always be available to you if you need anything. I’ll give you my number, and I want you to reach out anytime you want. Whenever you’re comfortable.”
Mariella nods. “Thank you.”
“As far as business goes,” he starts.
“Yes. I think it might be best to come to an agreement. We have a business in Briton. I’ve talked to Khalid, and we can allow you to open one in Clover to even things up. We will want to know exactly what it is before it goes forward, and we will have stipulations.”
Donati scratches his chin as he watches me. After a minute, he says, “I’ll talk to my guys about it.”
“You have to stop trying to intercept our routes. I know you want business with Gonzales and you’re pissed he gave us a percentage, but it would seem you’re not the only ones trying to get their hands on the coke. This is going to turn into a huge problem. Blood in the streets, you know?”
“What do I get for leaving it alone?”
“You got my fucking warning,” I answer with a bite. “You’re gonna do what you want, but I’m telling you now’s not the time. Push may come to shove, and I promise you’ll want to be on our side when shit goes down. You never know, you might get something out of it.”
He grunts, but I know he’s interested in what he could get. Everyone wants part of Gonzales’s business. Since we’re the only ones with a piece, only we can split some of the work and profit.
“Fine.” He stands up. “I’ll be in touch.”
Mariella and I get to our feet. She offers him a small smile before I rest my hand on her lower back and escort her to the front door.
It takes several minutes of us driving before she speaks up.
“Is there really going to be a war because of drugs?” she asks.
“Those drugs are worth millions of dollars. People kill for a lot less.”
She gives one solemn nod. “As long as you’re not one of the ones getting killed.”
“You know I’ll try my hardest to always come home to you.”
Her lips attempt to form a smile, but I can see the worry behind her eyes. She swallows and takes a breath. “Speaking of home. I miss Cannon Grove.”
“Let’s go there then,” I say, reaching for her hand.
Epilogue
Mariella
