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Taking the deed from his hands, I fold it and slip it inside the breast pocket of my coat. Don Valencia swallows visibly, his body trembling with fury.
“You should be happy, Aldo,” I say more amicably, straightening my suit and drawing up to my full height as I bring our meeting to a close. “I’m letting you keep twenty-five percent of the profits in your company. That makes me pretty magnanimous, don’t you think?”
Not many of the dons in Piovosa have received as generous of offers. But the Valencia family is too prominent to exterminate completely, so I have to make concessions if I’m going to maintain my hold. The smaller families have been easy to trap under my thumb. But I’ll have to be more clever if I want to overthrow the last few in my sights.
“Magnanimous. Just the word I was looking for,” Don Valencia growls.
I give a curt nod. “I’ll be in touch.”
Then I turn, striding from his warehouse as my men fall into step around me.
The workers busy themselves as we pass, keeping their eyes focused intently on the tasks at hand. When I step out into the brilliant late afternoon sun, I take a deep breath and look out across the trucking yard I now own. This is a big move toward running this town.
With a few choice law enforcers in my pocket and the Guerra family out of my way, I’ll be unstoppable.
Time to head home and deliver the good news.
The house is quiet as I enter, our butler Luigi holding the door open as I step inside.
“Where is he?” I ask, scanning the open space.
I don’t need to clarify who “he” is. Luigi knows.
“In his study.”
With a curt nod of thanks, I turn in that direction.
“Signor Leo,” Luigi says, making me pause.
I turn to face the loyal servant, one eyebrow rising in silent question.
“Prepare yourself.”
It’s a subtle warning, one that tells me my good news about the Valencia warehouse is not going to be met with a good mood.
“Thank you, Luigi,” is all I say before turning toward the study once more.
The door is open, and my father is staring out the picture window to the wooded mountains that serve as a backdrop to our estate.
“Valencia Transport is ours,” I state, opening with the good news.
My father turns, his expression one of poised disdain. “Come in and shut the door.”
Fighting the irritation that rises in me at his commanding tone, I do as he says, closing the door behind me before coming to a stand in the center of the richly furnished room.
“I just finished a meeting with Don Guerra.” His steely tone highlights his fury as my father levels me with a cold gaze. “It would appear you got their oldest daughter pregnant.”
I’d all but forgotten about Tia and our night together over a month ago. I’ve been so busy crushing the families they had once hoped to become allies with that I haven’t had time to reflect on my abuse of the girl beyond how it nearly hamstrung her family.
I snort. “They can’t possibly know that already.”
“You idiot. You think he would come to me if it weren’t verifiable? He wants the truth about her reputation swept under the rug. Now you’ve gone and knocked up a girl from the very family we’re trying to take down!”
Bristling at the insult, I grind my teeth and force my temper back under control. “You weren’t so upset about me sending the Guerras a message in the first place,” I point out.
He’d laughed when I told him the story. A very different tune than he’s singing now.
“Fucking her weakened their position and took away their best tool to form an alliance against us. But getting her pregnant just gave them power over us. How could you be so careless?”
