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“We’ll discuss it later,” Lorenzo says, fists and jaw clenched.
Dante glares at his older brother. “I’d rather we discuss it now.”
Lorenzo glares back at him. “It’s handled.”
Dante’s hand balls into a fist on the table. “Why are the cops acting on tip-offs about our casino instead of speaking to us about it?”
“Because it came from a source they deemed reliable.”
Dante seems to take Lorenzo’s tone as a signal to stop asking questions, but my heart sinks through my stomach. “It was Brad, wasn’t it? He’s been making trouble for you?”
“It’s handled,” Lorenzo repeats sternly.
Dante’s nostrils flare. “Did it have anything to do with that fucker?”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, wishing I’d never come here at all. The last thing I wanted was to cause trouble. I should have known Brad would try something underhand.
Joey squeezes my left hand. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Mia. We dealt with the cops and Max and Loz are looking into Brad’s connection to the deputy superintendent.”
“He’s connected to the deputy?” Dante asks with a frown.
Max speaks up. “It seems so, but we don’t know how yet. We’re looking into it.”
Dante growls. “This is all we need.”
Oh, god. “I’m so sorry,” I say again.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Mia,” Kat assures me. However, her husband looks like he’s about to start foaming at the mouth.
“I do. I’m so sorry I brought this trouble to you all. I’ll leave first thing in the morning. I’ll find somewhere to go. I’m so sorry. I had no idea that Brad had any connection to anyone high up in the Chicago PD, because if I had—”
“Mia!” Lorenzo’s deep voice cuts through my breathless chatter and a deafening silence falls over the room, broken only by me sucking in air. My blood thunders in my ears. “None of this is your fault,” he says, his tone calm and reassuring.
“He’s right, Mia.” Dante sighs. “Please don’t think my anger at your ex-husband is in any way directed at you.”
“B-but I—”
“Enough,” Lorenzo barks, and this time his tone slices through me like a hot knife through butter, rendering me speechless, but not in an unpleasant way. I can’t explain the feeling that settles over me, but I sit back in my chair and shut my mouth, content not to speak for the moment.
“I’ll have some information by tomorrow,” Max says.
Dante nods approvingly. “And last night, Joey? Max told me there was some trouble?”
Joey takes a sip of her wine before she replies. “Iman and his crew turned up, which isn’t a big deal. But they got pretty wasted on the complimentary drinks at the high rollers’ table and insulted two of our biggest female investors. Security dealt with them, and the ladies said they were fine, but I don’t like women getting hassled in our casinos.”
I listen to the ongoing discussions about the casino and the Moretti business empire, thankful for a distraction from Brad even if the amount of drama this family deals with on a daily basis sounds exhausting. Still conscious of Lorenzo’s earlier command, I refrain from apologizing again about adding to their stress.
“Max and I will pay Iman a visit tomorrow,” Lorenzo says, which earns him a grin from Max.
Dante raises his eyebrows at the two of them. “Just try not to kill anyone, eh?”
Before either of them can answer, two housekeepers walk into the room carrying dinner and all talk of murder and mayhem is put on ice.
ChapterTen
LORENZO
Max stretches his neck, his dark eyes fixed on the man currently lying on the floor at my feet with blood running from his ears and a piss stain on the crotch of his pants.
