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The powder room door whips open, and I nearly slam into the pale white oak. “Cazzo,” I growl.
“Dante!” Mamma peers out from behind the door, and I snap my jaw shut.
“Scusi, Ma.”Dio, I’m twenty-nine years old, and one glare from my mother has me shrinking back like a beaten dog. I clear my throat, force a smile and glance down at the feisty Italian woman who raised us on her own after Papà passed. “Are you enjoying the party?”
“Certo, si. It’s just lovely, Dante.” She rises to her toes and scans the packed living room. “I thought Caroline would be here.”
Ugh. My meddlesome mother. “Ma, things with Caroline aren’t serious.”
“Grazie a Dio,” she mumbles under her breath. Thank God?
My brows shoot up to my hairline. Mamma is always after Luca and me to settle down. “You don’t like her?”
She cups my scruffy cheek and offers a warm smile. “She’s not for you,figlio mio. But I’m certain you’ll find the right woman soon, just like Luca.” She stares past me to my brother and his fiancée who are dancing again. Or rather fucking with their clothes on. Those two are like animals.
“Sure, Ma,” I finally answer. “Anyway, go enjoy the music while you can. The singer is on his last set.”
With a smile, she releases me and hurries back to the great room. I watch her for a long minute before I tear my gaze away. She’ll be angry too, but she’ll have to get over it.
I heave out a breath and continue my march down the hallway. The further I move, the faster my pulse pounds. The soothing sounds of Frank Sinatra grow fainter beneath the roar of my thundering heartbeat across my eardrums.
By the time I reach the library, sweat coats my skin and I’m a second away from ripping my jacket off. I whip the door open and find Tony in the corner. He’s flipping through an old copy ofJack the Ripper.
“You good?” I ask as soon as the door shuts behind me.
“I don’t know if I can do this, Dante. Luca’s going to be furious.”
I stalk closer and level my brother’s old friend with a steely glare. “We’re doing this for him, remember?”
“He’s not going to see it that way.” He shakes his head, wrenching his hands.
“It’s not like he’s going to kill you for this.”
Tony scoffs. “You don’t think so? He’ll see this as a fucking betrayal, and you know it.”
I close the distance between us and jab my finger into his barrel chest. “What would you rather have: Luca pissed or dead?”
His lips press into a tight line.
“And what about Stella? If anything happens to her, Luca would be devastated. Everything we’ve all worked for would crumble. This is the only answer, Tony.”
He nods slowly and releases a frustrated breath. “It just feels wrong.”
“I know.” That pang of guilt returns, spearing me in the chest. I will it back and focus on what comes next. “Trust me, it’s for the best.”
“Right.” His head dips, and he thumbs through the worn pages of the book again.
“Keep your phone handy. I’ll text you when it’s time.”
“Got it,capo.”
My lips twist at the title. It’s belonged to my brother for five long years. He’s been the boss, he’s called all the shots of our underground dealings, and as C.E.O., he’s made King Industries the powerhouse it is today.
A seed of doubt wiggles its way into my gut. What if I can’t do this? I growl and squash it down before it takes root. This is my birthright, and I will claim it.
* * *
Running my hand through my wild, dark locks, I heave in a breath as I attempt a casual stroll back into the thick of the party. Scanning the crowd, I search for my brother and his fiancée. They’re gone.
