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I’m dreading having to tell her about the meeting. Chances are something is going to go wrong. I can feel it in my gut. Something isn’t right, but I need to finish this thing. The Donnelleys have been a pain to everyone since they got here, and it’s high time someone took them out.
I am also praying that we will have Brockman by tomorrow night. Rico and I had words after I said that.
“The Donnelleys will be expecting him, so if you want to keep your hand, you’ll find him.”
Those were my final words before I went shopping and got all these gifts for Serenity. It was good to have that time to calm down before coming back.
“What’s wrong?” she asks softly, knowing me so well at this point.
I lean over, kiss her head, and inhale her scent.
“I have a meeting tomorrow. With the Donnelleys.”
She grips my hand tight.
“It’s okay, Bambola. I’ll be fine. I’ve got my men with me. You’re returning to the house where others will be protecting you.”
She turns in my arms.
“Promise me you’re coming home.” Her voice shakes with fear as she runs her hand down my face.
“I promise, Serenity. Nothing can keep me from you.”
Our kiss is nothing but passion and need. A lot of need. To get closer and feel each other. My body remembers her taste, and I’ll bring it with me when I go to the meeting. Remind me about who I’m fighting for. Not only for my business but most of all for Serenity.
My wife.
I pull back and press my forehead against hers. We’re both panting, and I say, “Of course I’ll come back. I still need to knock you up. Or have you forgotten about your debt to me, Mrs. Salvatore?”
She chuckles and smiles. I open my eyes, see her lip pull up, and I take a mental picture.
I can’t predict how tomorrow night will go. All I can do is what I’ve done for 35 years. Calculate. Execute. And now I’ll show them how the devil runs shit around here.
Chapter 17
Serenity
Ipaceacrosstheliving room, wringing my hands. It’s been two hours since Dante left for the meeting with the Donnelleys, and I’m a flurry of nerves. Something about last night's kiss felt so final, even though he promised he’d be back.
And the kiss he gave me just before he left didn’t help.
Dante left with five of his men, including Massimo and Rico. He left me with Mateo and a few other guys, including Vance. Vance makes me uncomfortable, but Mateo said he was harmless, that he was just a cocky hothead but would do as he’s told or suffer the wrath of Dante.
I shake out my hands, the need for something to do driving me crazy. I head to the kitchen to make dinner. That’ll be good. If I’m making dinner, a soup for Dante and me, maybe that will reassure me that he will come back in some way.
I open the fridge, piling up carrots and celery in my arms. I shut the door, gasp and drop all the vegetables onto the ground when I see Vance on the other side of the door.
Fuck. Not this guy.
“Sorry,” he says, not sounding sorry at all. He just stares at me with a cocky grin as he leans down to help me pick up the food.
I mutter a “thanks” and then circle the counter so I’m as far away as possible from him.
I turn on the sink and go back to cooking. Starting with washing the vegetables. Vance walks over to the right of the counter and turns on the radio on a shelf on the wall. Rock music plays out, and he turns it up to his liking.
Then, placing his hands behind him, he shuffles to where he was standing.
We both keep our eyes on each other. I watch his movements and try to gauge him. Something about him has always been off. Unlike Mateo, who feels like he knows his place in the hierarchy of this family, Vance is like the new kid who wants to mess with the rules.
