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“Nothing.”
I ran my finger around the rim of my drink glass. “Don’t ever lie to me, Giada. Unlike my father, when it comes to you, I won’t be forgiving.”
“Maybe you’re more like your father than you know, because the Ruthless King never forgave anyone, including me.”
I stood from my chair and glanced out the window. “What do you want?”
She lifted from the chair and slithered in close to me. “When your father needed to think, he used to stand here and watch out the window. He belonged here, letting his underboss command his capos, and letting his capos control their soldiers.”
“I know chain of command, Giada.”
“Yes, but you need to let Stefano take over for you. He’s your underboss. You belong here as the head of this family.” She rested her hand on my arm. “Orlando and Emilio are leaving. Stefano should go with them, not you.”
“If I need advice, I’ll ask my consigliere.”
“Ant won’t tell you what you need to hear.” She braced her hands on her hips. “The American will make you weak. If you want the other dons to respect you, and your enemies to fear you, then you need to show them The Enforcer is a brutal leader. A ruthless king stands on the backs of those beneath him.”
“I’m not my father.”
“No? Like him, you’re keeping a whore in your bed while your fiancé waits for you. Like him, you slay your enemies. You want their blood on your hands. And like him, you’ll do what’s right for this family.”
“You can leave.”
She strode toward the door. “You owe Francesca an apology. She’s been loyal to you. Oh, right.” She tapped her lip with her long, red fingernail. “You’re like Roberto. He never apologized either.”
I stood at the window, drinking his brandy, smoking his cigars, but finding the collar on my shirt too tight and the footsteps I’m supposed to walk in too small. Because I wasn’t my father. I didn’t need to demand respect or take power. I’d already earned it.
I set the glass down and went to find Ant and Stefano. They sat near the pool on the patio. I slid my hands into my pockets and stared out over the luxurious estate. The vineyards, the mansions, the airstrip. This had always been my home, rooting the Bruno family to the past.
My future was here, with Allegra. But first, I had unfinished business in the U.S.
“Boss?” Ant asked.
I’d been standing quietly beside them for several minutes. “The plane leaves in an hour.”
Ant rolled his cigarette in the glass ashtray. “And will we be on it?”
I smiled. “I have a wedding to attend.”
***
While on the plane, I glanced through estate listings. Anna had found several along the eastern seaboard, but only one option that fit most of my needs. The twenty-acre estate was small in comparison to my home in Italy, but we would be isolated and near the coast. Thank fuck, far enough away from Allegra’s family to avoid their interference.
“Emilio?”
He stood from the couch and came around my chair. “Yeah, boss?”
“Can you secure it?” I slid out of my seat. Emilio clicked through the aerial photos of the property.
He smiled. “I can secure anything.”
“Good. Make it happen.”
“We’ve got to acquire the property first.”
I snorted. “Do I need Stefano to provide the proper motivation to the sellers?”
“For the type of motivation we’ll need, I’m going to need to tap your resources. Listing is twenty-two-five.” Emilio’s fingers clicked across the screen.
