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She surprises me when she says, “Because I didn’t want to leave you in the lurch. If I go home, I’m going to want to go for a few weeks at minimum, and this place will probably fall apart.”
I stared down at her, and then I order her, “You will be taking a vacation, Sofia. I won’t have your father thinking I work you to the bone. Find and train someone to handle shit while you’re gone.”
That is the moment they arrive, so I dismiss the conversation, but I’m sure she’s going to bring it up again. I focus my attention on the men in front of me. “Signore Caruso,” I greet, stepping forward to shake his hand when he sees me.
He smirks at me, and I know he’s expecting me to say I wasn’t expecting him, but I don’t. “We figured why waste time in getting here,” he says when he pulls his hand away.
“We already have rooms made up for you,” I tell him, and I note the slightly disappointed glint in his eyes that he can’t bust my balls.
“Nice place you got here,” Alessio says as he looks around. “A bit over the top, but I suppose you have to compensate somehow.” His jab is accompanied with a smug smile.
I don’t get the chance to reply when Sofia steps forward and says, “He’s packing more than you,cazzo.” Of course, that statement earns a whole lot of scowls and glares my way. “Don’t worry, I don’t know that up close and personal, but I’ve gotten a good eyeful when he’s walking around in those gray sweats of his.” Then she starts hugging them all, kissing their cheeks, and them doing the same to her.
I can hear Dante grinding his molars as he holds back whatever he wants to say. Yeah, I’m definitely rethinking Gia spending any more time with her.
Before anyone can say anything, I hear a voice boom, “What the fuck are you all doing standing in the damn doorway? Get the hell out of the way.” The Caruso men all snicker, and then in walk ten men, whom I figure are their soldiers. But then I notice the four that step forward first, and I instantly know that this is Sofia’s family. And damn, she comes from giant-ass motherfuckers.
Unlike the Caruso men, who are a normal heights, these men are six-five to six-seven and built like fucking bricks. Muscles on muscles, with thick heads of dark hair, and nearly busting out of the suits they’re wearing. I have some big men that work for me, and they would still be dwarfed by them. I glance at Dante, who’s looking at them in surprise but quickly hides it when he catches me looking. Yeah, I can all but see him figuring out how he’s going to take them down if they find out he’s been sleeping with Sofia.
“Where is myPrincipessa?” the oldest of the men demands loudly. His hair is starting to get some of the salt and pepper look, but he can’t be more than his late fifties.
Sofia rushes for him, laughing when he lifts her up and spins her around. “Papa, put me down,” she scolds.
He does as she orders, but she’s immediately snatched up by one of her brothers and then tossed between them all. “She’s too fucking skinny,” one of them remarks.
“You’d think she’d be less ugly, but America hasn’t helped her any,” another snickers.
“Spoiled, lounging around on her ass all day,” the final one taunts. He dodges her elbow that should have landed in his nose, before setting her down and grinning at her.
“Fuck off, all of you,” she growls at them. “And guests of Nico or not, I’ll still put you on your ass.”
“Before you ask, yes, this is what it always is like,” Massimo tells me with a chuckle, drawing my attention. “And I hope you hid away anything old or valuable because shit is going to get broken before we leave.”
I shrug. “Nothing here that can’t be replaced.” I look at Pietro and say, “I’ll have Sofia show you to your rooms once she’s finished putting her family in their places.”
Pietro chuckles. “That will be a while, son, so how about we get to work? I’m not here to waste time, and we have some information you will find interesting.”
I nod. “We’ll head to my office then,” I say, nodding at Dante, who steps forward. Then I look past him and call out to Sofia. “You’ll show the men to their rooms?” I ask her.
“Yes,” she says with a large grin. “Though I don’t promise they’ll make it there in one piece if they piss me off.”
I don’t bother trying to say anything because I have a feeling it will fall on deaf ears. So, instead, I turn away and lead the way to my office. When we reach it, I take my seat behind my desk. Some might see it as a power move, but I see it as this is my space, and I have a feeling I need to be comfortable for this discussion. Pietro takes Dante’s desk, while his sons spread around the room, with Dante and one of their men on either side of the door, and I’m sure more men outside it.
“Where is Ms. De Luca?” Pietro asks me curiously, arching a brow at me expectantly.
“Sleeping,” I say calmly. “It is the middle of the night, Signore Caruso. And she and Sofia were up late making sure everything was ready for your stay.”
“You have them running around doing that?” Alessio asks, though the expression on his face says he’s not happy at that little tidbit.
“Sofia is my housekeeper, and she takes her job seriously. There is no stopping her when she gets her mind on something, as you well know. And it turns out Gia is of the same mindset and told me to leave them be, despite me telling her it’s not her job.”
Zeno chuckles. “Yeah, that sounds like Sofia, and it seems she’s already exerting her influence on your guest.”
“Don’t remind me,” I mutter darkly.
“Well, since she’s sleeping and I’ll have to meet her later, let’s get down to business,” Pietro says briskly, turning the topic of conversation abruptly. The room immediately goes sober as I look at him expectantly. “Once Aurelio comes down, he’ll have more information for us, but for now, we’ll tell you what we do know,” Pietro replies.
I don’t know which one Aurelio is, but I’m sure it’s one of Sofia’s family. I turn and look at Alessio when he says, “Our contacts say it’s the Parisi family that are on their way here right now. Mean bastards, and they have a good hold on their territory, but they’re hot heads and don’t always think before they jump. The eldest son, Rafaele, just took over for his father, who’s sick with terminal cancer. And he’s looking to make a name for himself by trying to expand his territory and also make connections on this side of the pond.”
