Page 7 of His Sinful Need

I clear my throat to play for a little time. “I’m not sure how much help I could be with something like that, Maestra.”

“But old dogs still know old tricks, yes? I know this because we are of a similar age, I think, Signor Pedretti. And there’s plenty of life in this old bitch yet.” She gives a soft laugh at my startled reaction, then goes on. “Fabrizio Soldano will be your new Capo while you work with us. They call him Bricker, I believe?” She glances at the Shadow, who gives a nod that I catch from the side of my eye. “You may have seen him while you waited. But you seem perturbed, Signor Pedretti. I trust this won’t be a problem, working for someone younger than yourself?”

If only it was his age that was the problem.

Bricker Soldano. Fabi’s son. No wonder his face looked familiar.

I stare at Anna-Vittoria, willing myself to remain impassive while my mind reels. I abandoned that world and everyone in it by choice.

Including Fabi, my heist partner, rotting in prison to this day thanks to a job gone wrong.

Now his son is to be my new partner in crime? Fate has a twisted sense of humor.

But this isn’t fate, clearly. Not after Barone’s crack in the car, and Anna-Vittoria’s plans for me.

The heists Fabi and I pulled off, the money we made, the risks we took…it feels like a lifetime ago. And now I have to work with his son, who grew up fatherless while Fabi languished in prison.

“No problem at all, Maestra,” I say steadily. No point making a fuss while Barone and Falco are still hanging around. If I decide to object, I’ll do it in private. “I’m committed to fulfilling my role and serving the interests of both our Families.”

Anna-Vittoria’s gaze sharpens, assessing. “I’m glad to hear it.” She turns to her two men and says, “Give us the room. Yes, you too, Stefano,” she adds, when the Shadow doesn’t budge. Then and only then does he follow Barone, but he gives me a long stare as he closes the doors to the salon behind him.

With a smile, Anna-Vittoria says, “I hear you are a clever man. So you must have realized by now why I called for you, specifically.”

She wants to play, I can play. “So what’s the story? You an old friend of Fabi’s, hoping to get me killed?”

With a pitying smile, she shakes her head. “This isn’t about past contacts. I need this job done and I need it doneright.”

“I don’t run other people’s jobs. I need to have control.”

“Unfortunately,” she says softly, “it doesn’t matter what you need. You are here at your Don’s request, yes?”

I change tack. “I don’t run jobs where innocents are likely to get hurt.”

“Good. Because I don’t want any innocents hurt, either. That is why I want you on this crew. In all your jobs, no one was ever killed. Not even hurt. I want you embedded with my people to be the voice of experience, of reason. To keep them in line.”

I’ve about had it now. “I’m some outsider from a different Family. Theyhavea Capo, this Bricker guy. Tell him to keep them in line.”

“Are you refusing to comply?” She doesn’t shift her tone of voice at all, but there’s a warning there nonetheless.

“No, ma’am,” I say at last. “I’m here to make friends.”

“Good. Then you will join this crew led by Soldano and you will teach them how to be better at what they are attempting to do. The rest of the details will be given to you by your new Capo, when he decides it is important for you to know.”

I contemplate throwing in the towel right here. Telling her thanks for the fun car ride with her Consigliere and the peek inside the Villa, but I’ll head back to Redwood now. And there’s one thing that could actually make me do that. “Does he know? This Capo, Soldano. Does he know I worked with his father, too?”

She gets serious then, like I finally touched on something important. “No. And I do not want you to tell him, Signor Pedretti. There is no need for him to know.”

I’m not keen on lying, but I’m less keen on revisiting my past. Still, I do wonder if this is a setup. “Can I ask why?”

“It won’t do anything but make him more suspicious of you. As you say, you are an outsider. I want him totrustyou. And I want you to make sure he and his crew are kept safe. Any more questions?”

“A thousand. But I guess they’ll wait.”

“Then I’ll have Soldano join us.” She leans over to press a discreet button on the table next to her, and Barone and the Shadow return moments later with the man from the waiting room.

Oh, yes. It’s him. Unmistakably Fabi’s boy, though his hair’s a little lighter than Fabi’s, but he has the same eyes. And even from our brief and non-verbal acquaintance, I can tell he inherited his old man’s charm, too.

A sense of responsibility washes over me. I owe it to Fabi to look out for his son, even if it means diving headfirst back into a world I’d rather leave behind. Bricker’s father won’t see daylight until he’s a much older man, after all.

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