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“Catarina,” Maximo’s deep voice greets. It’s scratchy. Like he smokes one too many cigarettes a day.
“Maximo. It’s nice to see you.”
“Likewise.” Beady brown eyes peer into mine. I fight the urge to fidget. Glancing at my father, I see him still holding his cell phone, seemingly unaware of the stilted conversation occurring right in front of him.
“How have you been?” I ask. “How’s Chicago.”
He lifts a dark brow. “You know about Chicago.”
“I mean, not really.” I offer a weak laugh. “I just know that’s where you’ve been working.”
“Been keeping tabs on me?”
I see the glimmer of interest in his eye and immediately shut it down. “No.”
Unfortunately, my short reply doesn’t have the desired effect. His attention has been on me this entire time, but now there’s an undertone of awareness that puts me on edge. Mostly because I don’t know what that awareness entails.
“Get it done,” my father barks into the phone, interrupting whatever is occurring between me and Maximo.
I look at the head of the table just as he ends the call and slides his phone into his coat pocket. “You’re late,” he tells me.
“Actually, I’m ten minutes early.”
“Not arriving fifteen minutes early means you’re late,” he replies.
I don’t bother arguing. There’s no point. “Well, I’m here now.”
The only sign my father registers the annoyance in my reply is how his lips tilt down in disapproval. I expect him to reprimand me for my attitude, but he surprises me. “You remember Maximo.”
“Of course.” I glance at my second cousin before returning my attention to my father.
“He’s been smoothing over matters with the Giovannis,” Father tells me. “We have him to thank for there being no retribution from their leader for their unexpected loss.”
I stiffen at the subtle reprimand in his words. As if I’m somehow responsible for what happened. “Joey Giovanni was searching for someone to kill me,” I remind him in a low voice, all too aware there’s another pair of ears listening to this conversation. Maximo is family, but I’m not sure what details he knows about my personal life and what’s happened lately.
Father waves a dismissive hand. “According to your fiancé.”
My eyes narrow. “You know how Joey behaved when we broke up. Surely, it’s not that much of a stretch for you to believe him capable of hiring an assassin to murder me.”
Father doesn’t reply. Instead, he just stares at me with an unnervingly blank expression.
It irritates me.
“Would you rather Joey have succeeded, Father? Would you rather Declan stood on the sidelines and allowed my ex-boyfriend to murder your only daughter?” Despite everything, the desire to have Declan’s back is strong. I might not approve ofhowhe went about it, but he protected me from Joey.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffs, letting emotion back into his expression. The thought of losing me makes him look a little panicked, as well as angry, but there’s still a stubborn glint in his gaze that tells me he resents the fact Declan is the one who handled Joey. Why? I’m not sure. But I imagine pride has something to do with it.
“Perhaps we should change the subject?” Maximo speaks.
I expect Father to tell him to remember his place, but I’m shocked when I see him press his lips together and nod. “You’re right, Maximo. Have a seat. I’ll ring Mrs. Vincent to bring in lunch.”
My head spins as I watch Maximo take the seat to the right of my father. I cannot remember the last time Father listened to anyone so quickly. Who is Maximo to him that he so readily allowed his interruption in our conversation without reprimand? Not even his closest confidants get away with that sort of thing.
“Take a seat, Catarina.”
Wordlessly, I move and take the seat to my father’s left, making a point not to look at the man across from me. Neither Maximo nor my father seems to notice. The two begin discussing a business arrangement Maximo’s been working on with the Capella family out in Chicago. Something about their city contact holding back liquor licenses for businesses that don’t agree to pay their “provider’s fee”. Also known as extortion.
I don’t know why the Capellas would want to work with our family when my understanding is they have perfect control of their territory, but I don’t care enough to ask. I sit back and let them speak while I try to figure out why Maximo is here in the first place.
