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“I’ll have her brought down after we talk. I haven’t been able to let her roam free. It might have escaped your notice Victor, but Angie can be… difficult.”
I smirk as I take in the black eye. I need to teach my woman how to hit harder and maybe wear rings… “I don’t have that issue. Shewantsto be with me.”
“Before you get too cocky, there’s no way you can convince me that you agreed to let her go to dinner with me while you were out of town. The woman is too headstrong for her own good.”
I frown. The bastard does have a point. I shrug. Samuil stays seated at his desk, so I go to the chair across from him. I need to know exactly what is in this bastard’s mind and give Antonio and Niko a heads up. I’ve already called them on the way this morning with an update.
“Are you just going to stare at me all day? Is that why you invited me?”
Samuil lets out an annoyed breath. “I was hoping to convince Angelina to marry me to make a statement to my father and his cohorts that Angelina was now a Levkin and protected by me and my uncles. It’s a well-known fact that our family is divided. We have our allies, and my father has his. It can’t go on. A house divided is bound to fall. My father is too evil to take control. It’s our job to stop him.”
“Angie, won't do anything with you,” I snap, taking him in. His eye is black, but otherwise he looks polished. I’m strangely surprised to see that when he talks about Gia, there is real fear present. He truly is worried about her. That makes me more alert than ever about the threat of Abram Levkin. I haven’t forgotten my conversation on the phone with Samuil and the anger is there—deep inside of me—simmering.
Samuil holds his hand up and shakes his head. “That’s why I called. Angie has already made that point abundantly clear.”
“Then, I’ll take Angie home and I’ll protect her.”
“That won’t work. I’ve had men close to you ever since Angie has been brought into the DeLuca fold. We’ve foiled two attempts already. My father won’t give up. He knows my only weakness is her. I may not be in love with her?—”
Just hearing him say those words, unleashes a growl filled with anger. He is nothing to my woman and he needs to get that through his fucking head.
“But I do love her,” he continues. “I wouldn’t have survived my childhood without her. I failed her once, not knowing how truly despicable my father was. I won’t do that again. You’re here because I need your help to ensure that she’s always safe.”
“What do you propose?”
“I’d like to make a public announcement that the DeLuca organization is putting their weight behind mine and my uncle’s bid to overthrow my father. I want it fed through the channels so it will get back to him immediately. Word will spread that a DeLuca Capo will be marrying a Levkin. We will invite our joined allies and those of my father here, where I can control the landscape and the narrative with your help. We can plan a big wedding. Whether it is real or fake, is up to you. Although, if you opt for fake, the paperwork must be above board. Even after we take out my father, his more unscrupulous allies, who would like nothing more than to take over our organization, will search for any lies—any weaknesses. If they find anything concerning Angie, we will be back to square one all over again.”
I study him. It’s a sound plan. I do think he’s going overboard. Samuil is carrying heavy guilt when it comes to Gia, making him go overboard to protect her now. I could tell him that, but since my ultimate endgame is to be married to Gia, have her pregnant with my baby and tied to me forever, I’m willing to go along. It would seem Samuil is doing me a favor—even if he doesn’t know it.
“We should conference call Antonio and Niko. They’re standing by. That way we can set up the logistics,” I announce.
For a minute, I see surprise flash over his face. “So, you agree?”
“I do. I’ll be the one to talk to Gia about it.”
“Do you think you can get her to agree?”
He seems worried about that point. I suppose he has a right. My Kitten is stubborn. She won’t agree to marry me easily. I’ll just play my cards close to my chest and give her the truth as much as I can.
“She’ll agree. She loves me and she knows that she is my heart. I would be lying if I didn’t think it’s going overboard, however. I don’t see why we don’t do away with the bullshit and just kill your father. If ever a man deserved killing, it would be him.”
“I couldn’t agree more about my father. Still, it won’t work. There are a lot of factions in our circles that follow Abram closely. They despise me, because I know their secrets and that means my uncles also know the things they never want to let out into the light of day. Thanks to my father, they know the only attachment—my sole weakness—is Angelina. They were there when my father used her to get me under his thumb. They know how he got to her, and they won’t hesitate to go after her.”
I rub my temple. My Gia deserves a wedding and a proposal not filled with this shit. “She deserves better,” I complain.
“I agree, but these assholes will use her, just the same. They also hate the DeLuca name as much as they hate me. The fact she’ll be under the DeLuca umbrella won’t make her safer. It will put a bigger target on her back. That’s why I was trying to bypass you to begin with.”
“That’s a mistake that almost got you killed—it still might,” I warn.
“I did what I had to do. You need to understand that we need to make this public showing and draw my father out to end his life publicly. We need a united front and to make his death hurt in such a way that it’s a statement that if anyone fucks with us—any of us—they die. We can also use the opportunity to make sure my father’s allies are aware we know who they are. This will work, Victorio.”
“Easy for you to say. It’s not your woman out in the open that could get hurt,” I argue.
“I never want anything to happen to Angie. She’s the reason I’m doing all of this. We can do it all here. This place is like Fort Knox. We will put all of my father’s allies in one section and surround them with our men. They will be negated from the beginning. The DeLuca representation, and hell even the Titans if you want them, will be here, too. You can even invite your allies. My father will make his move not knowing his allies are useless.”
“Are you sure Abram is so cocky as to make a move with all of us together? Even a dumb man has to know that’s suicide.”
“My father believes he is a king. Mostly, he is the king of underestimating me. That will be his downfall.”
