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I didn’t need to ask him what he’d seen through the high powered lenses.
There was no reason for my slight hesitation before taking the binoculars from him.
The moment I looked through the lenses, peering inside the restaurant, I tensed. With glasses lifted, it was obvious a toast was being made. And in my mind, there was no doubt the reason why.
A beautiful redhead stood near Dante Bianchi. Although I wasn’t able to see her face, the tingling sensations would have brought me to my knees had I been standing. They were the same. I knew it in my gut.
And this fucking event was an engagement party. I’d bet almost every cent I owned that I was right. The girl who stood next to him was tense, her stance highlighting just how uncomfortable she was. I was an observant man, easily able to sense her discord. Plus, an older man stood behind her, close enough to keep her from skittering away like a little bird.
She had gorgeous long, red hair, the shimmer of the copper appearing like gold in the glimmering lights of the restaurant. Even without seeing what she looked like, my cock twitched, which hadn’t occurred in one hell of a long time.
“Is it her?” Cayman asked. I’d told him about the girl from the church, at least what little I knew.
“I can’t be certain.”
“The coincidence is too brutally weird.”
Exhaling, I shot him a look. “There is no such thing as a coincidence in the world of monsters, Cay. You should know that.”
“Did I ever tell you what my mother said about karma?”
“Later, my friend. Later.”
When she briefly turned, I took a deep breath, allowed to see the curve of her aristocratic jaw and lush lips. I shifted the binoculars down by a few inches, basking in her glorious hourglass figure, the stunning emerald green dress highlighting everything God had given her. Dear God. I still wasn’t certain, but my stomach churned at the possibility. I hadn’t intended on crashing the party but there was no fucking way I’d let her go this time. None.
Shit. Maybe I’d listened too closely to what Dominick had said. There was a faraway look in her eyes as she continued smiling and I couldn’t help but wonder what she’d been threatened with to keep such a pretense on her face. Still, I had to sort this out with utter precision, or I’d place my entire family into a dangerous position.
“What do you think?” Cayman asked.
“I think we found a partial reason behind why the Bianchis attacked when they did.”
“Meaning what?”
I continued to study the couple, noticing just how happy Dante seemed as he shook hands with a judge I knew pretty well. It would seem the syndicate was pulling out all the stops to convince the powers that be that they would soon make their presence known in the Big Apple. I could only imagine how the other mafia families were taking the news.
“Meaning it would seem Dante is about to be married.”
Max had been right. The fucker was trying to maneuver his way into being the darling couple of New York. If I had to guess, I’d say he’d shortly, if not tonight, donate a ton of money to the mayor. I had to give the Bianchis credit. They’d watched our techniques over the years, going from being thugs to pretending they had class. I’d also bet the wedding would be the event of the season.
My laughter came easily. Whereas I’d wanted to return to the old methods of doing business as my father had used, they’d learned from Maxwell Powers from a distance. Fuck me. Max would laugh his ass off.
“What if that’s the girl?”
I glanced at Cay, taking a deep breath. “Then I assure you they won’t be exchanging vows.”
“He won’t take kindly to your intervention.”
“I don’t give a shit.”
Suddenly, a conversation my father had had with me only two months prior to his murder came to mind. I’d cornered him about wanting the Underboss position in his organization, demanding that he give it to me as it was my birthright. That had been the single time he’d hit me like a man, something I’d never forgot.
He’d called me the king of the hill in distaste, glowering at me as if I’d broken some code. I’d never seen such disappointment in his eyes, daring me to react after I’d been pitched to the floor. It had been the single time my sister had screamed at a man she adored, worshipping the ground he walked on.
After she’d left the room in tears, he’d told me that he had plans to remarry within a few months, which had nearly torn me apart. I’d believed for a long time afterward that he’d been unfaithful to our mother and she’d died of a broken heart. I’d kept the conversation from Raleigh and would carry it with me to my grave. There was no sense in rocking her world even if I finally understood the reason behind his decision. It hadn’t been about love or passion. He’d experienced the greatest joy of his life, suffering more than most men after our mother’s death. He’d lived alone for almost eighteen years, grieving while also losing snippets of respect every year that passed. The decision had been based on business alone.
And heightening his waning respect amongst his peers. The old school methods of garnering and keeping honor and respect were still in play, even if Maxwell chose to ignore the unwritten syndicate rules that had begun with the Cosa Nostra in Sicily. My father had refused to live by them as well. That had cost him his life.
On that night, he’d been angrier than I’d ever seen him, shaking to the point I was certain he was having a seizure. I’d learned later that he’d been receiving threats from an unknown source, something Maxwell had discovered after his friend’s death. It had taken me until recently to comprehend that he’d made the necessary decisions too little, too late.
