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“Did you get what you wanted for your birthday?” I asked, noticing the huge table that was full of colorful presents. I’d been forced to use the help of my assistant after all, the girl a godsend. The riding outfit was complete with frilly cowboy boots and a stunning little Stetson.
“Not yet. I want a puppy. I don’t see a puppy.” My niece had the best pout in the business. “Mama said I could have anything I wanted.”
I noticed both Raleigh and Max heading in our direction hand in hand, Cayman following closely behind as well as Gio, Maxwell’s Capo. He was a man who’d risen through the ranks under my father’s regime, seeing the family through births, deaths, and far too many battles. While Viper had his men with him as well, they were busy helping keep the perimeter protected.
I had to laugh given it had probably been Raleigh who’d insisted every soldier wear more casual attire, including tropical shirts. She did everything in her power to keep the kids from discovering who their father was. And what he did for a living. I was impressed the soldiers had all been fairly creative in hiding their weapons when working family events, something they’d gotten used to over the years.
“A puppy, huh? I thought you wanted a horse,” I mentioned, grinning when I noticed my sister rolling her eyes.
“Both. Thank you very much,” Meghan said politely. “I think I can get Daddy to agree.”
“Sweetie, it’s time to rally up for the pony rides. Are you ready?” Raleigh gripped her shoulders, giving me the sisterly look to shut up.
“I’m sure you can. Your daddy loves you.” Grinning, I knew Raleigh would smack me later for egging her on.
“Then can I open presents, Mommy? You asked me to wait until everyone arrived and I think you invited the entire neighborhood.”
Maxwell chuckled. “My daughter, the politician. Yes, my beautiful daughter. We’ll have birthday cake and open presents afterwards.”
“I’ll take her down,” Cayman said, giving me a knowing look. The man had been close to Marco, considered his closest friend. I could tell he’d taken the man’s death hard.
“No. I know you gentlemen have some things to talk about, but after this, no more business until after the celebration,” Raleigh ordered.
I noticed my nephew out of the corner of my eye and shook my head. The little boy was growing far too fast. I couldn’t imagine what their futures would bring. Being a child in this world had its share of difficulties.
“Yes, Mother,” Maxwell said as he yanked her against his chest, fisting her hair and bending her head so he could capture her mouth.
“Yuck-y!” Meghan said in her sassy little way.
We all laughed, but a slight ache coursed through me, memories of feeling the kind of joy and passion they had resurfacing. It was ridiculous as usual, but it happened almost every time the two were remotely intimate.
Raleigh finally pulled away, winking before grabbing Meghan’s hand. “Come on, princess.”
“I’m not a princess.”
“Oh, yes, you are,” all of us said at the same time.
In true form, Meghan stamped her foot and gave us all a very haughty look.
Max exhaled and watched his two girls walking away. “That child is going to age me.”
“She already has, boss,” Gio said. Then his eyes opened wide, grinning as much as the rest of us. “I don’t mean any disrespect. Of course.”
My brother-in-law smiled and patted the man on his back. “None taken. Look. This is a party, and you know how I feel about handling business during one. However, we need to come to terms with what happened. What is the word on the street?”
“Definitely the Bianchis,” I told him. “They wanted to make a statement. They wanted to retaliate for years ago. It would seem they refused to give up on coming into New York.”
“Fuck,” Cayman hissed. “They deserve to die for what they did.”
“They wanted to kill our Don,” Gio added.
Max took a deep breath. “We’re all angry about this, but we need to handle the situation with the Bianchis carefully. While I understand that you believe this has to deal with Stefano’s death years ago, from what I just heard, I think it’s more about a power play. Roberto is likely boosting his son’s prestige prior to taking over the helm of the family empire. You need to remember that the family isn’t respected amongst any of his peers after the way things were handled three years ago. If they want any hope of capturing even a small portion of the New York market, they’ll need a few allies and to prove they plan on handling business professionally.”
“Agreed,” Viper said. “And from what I’ve learned, Dante Bianchi is a real piece of work. You know better than we do, Francesco.”
“He’s made some bad decisions over the years, falling into bad habits. Gambling. Underage women. Sadism. Methods of torture that would make a hardened Bratva assassin blush.”
Which translated to the second-born son being a brutal son of a bitch who would sell his mother for power and wealth. I tried to think about the best retort. Max wasn’t a man who liked to dwell on retaliatory needs, something I’d learned from day one.
