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“Can we pick out something this weekend? I’d feel better in case we’re together and something happens. If I can’t get to your alert, I want to set mine.”
I kiss her, and it’s too short and too chaste. But it’s all I can manage right now if we’re ever going to get out of here.
“Will you come to Uncle Salvatore’s, or would you rather go home?”
“I’d like to meet more of your family.”
“All right. I’ll ask Lorenzo to pick you up. I’ll take you to your office, and Afonso will be your guard while you’re there. When you’re ready to go, text Lorenzo. Let me have your phone, please.”
I enter his number and ask her to wait for me. I wind my way back to where I know people are working.
“Enzo, can I talk to you for a minute?”
He looks up and nods. We step away from everyone else.
“Uncle Sal wants me to come over. I’m going after I drop Sinead at her office. When you’re done here, or if she texts, could you pick her up and bring her over?”
His brow furrows for a second as his gaze darts in her direction.
“You love her, don’t you?”
“Can you let me sort out how I feel and tell her before I tell you or anyone else?”
I could knock his smug look off his face. I inhale, and it makes me even bigger than him. He laughs and rolls his eyes. I don’t intimidate him in the least.
“Yeah. I’ll bring her over.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
I return to Sinead, and we head out. It takes an hour to drop her off and get to Uncle Salvatore’s place in Queens. I don’t need to knock to enter the house. I just enter the code, but I knock when I get to his office door. Pia and Natalia are still at school, and Aunt Sylvia is probably at her office in a meeting. She works from home most days since she can do plenty of tasks as corporate lawyer from here.
“Entrare.” Enter.
Fuck. Uncle Salvatore’s not in the same mood as he was when he left our meeting. I step into the converted den and look around. The gang’s all here except for Lorenzo and Carmine’s dad, Cesare. He’s in insurance and prefers not to get involved with the inner workings. He’s saved us and made us millions. But he’s been happy to stay at arm’s length since he and Auntie Paola aren’t together anymore. His father-in-law made it obvious he wasn’t welcome when the older man was still don. Uncle Salvatore’s told him he doesn’t share the same belief as his dead father. Cesare politely declined.
So, I’m looking at Uncle Salvatore, Uncle Massimo, Uncle Domenico, Luca, Marco, Matteo, and Carmine. It’s a good thing this office is a converted den, or we wouldn’t all fit in here.
“What happened?”
Uncle Salvatore taps his fingers on his arm rest. It’s an unusual pattern. He says it came from his mother making him play the piano for hours. It’s more like an arpeggio than a scale.
“A little birdie with red hair and freckles called.”
An O’Rourke.
“Oh?”
“Yes. Turns out O’Toole’s been talking to a few cops, but Morris is the one feeding him the most shit. Finn did some looking at Duffy’s files, and there’re a series of exposés he plans to release when the case gets dismissed. He’s going to allege we coerced the judge. Apparently, Hutchens drinks a little too much and got in an accident a year ago. Duffy’s sources told him, but he’s been holding onto that little nugget. He’s going to blame Hutchens, and he’ll blackmail the woman not to disagree. Either way, her career’s over.”
“What else?”
“He has photos of you with your gun out as you went in Sinead’s apartment. She’s not in the photo, so he’s going to allege you threatened her. He also has a photo of you holding hands the other day as you got into your elevator. He’s going to claim you’re forcing her into a sexual relationship with you.”
I listen, and I fight the urge to react. I need to hear everything with a clear head. I can’t go apeshit yet.
“Has he sent those photos to anyone?”
