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Aldo will wish he’d never left the hole he crawled out of.
Chapter 36
Vice
Two days later, I stand with Nova beside me, her hand wrapped tightly in mine, as my father is buried in the family plot. Have to keep up appearances, after all.
I look down at my wife, glad she has some color back in her cheeks. With Alessio settled in Seattle, she’s finally been able to take a breath. He’s not out of the woods yet. Internal bleeding and a multitude of broken bones mean there will be a long road to recovery, but he’s stable. And for now, it’s enough.
The other heads of the families all turned out, including Aldo and Gia. I ignore them as the coffin is lowered into the ground, sending my father back to hell. Once the priest is done, I turn and lead Nova away, stopping only to make small talk with the other dons.
“Sorry for your loss, though I have to say you’ve done a remarkable job for only just stepping up,” Mattia comments. “Your father wouldbe so proud.”
I hold back a snort. My father will be turning in his grave. It’s enough to put a smile on my face. Mattia frowns.
“Thank you for coming.” I shake his hand before continuing on. Nova chuckles quietly just as Aldo and Gia step into our path.
“A great man was buried today. My condolences.” Aldo grins, looking at me.
“When will Vigo’s funeral be?” Nova asks while Gia glares at her.
“That bastard didn’t deserve a funeral. Not after what he did. Not that there was anything left to bury.” Gia giggles.
“What’s done is done. It’s time to move on,” Aldo states.
He doesn’t notice Leone and Gian behind him, who look at him with sheer disgust. We have traditions. That’s the only reason I’m here today, and Aldo is making a mockery of them again.
“Sorry, Nova. Did you not get to say goodbye to your daddy?” Gia mocks.
“He was never my father, Gia. What you do with him is up to you.”
“Ah yes, you were raised by another, weren’t you? Tell me, how is dear old Alessio? Have you heard from him lately?” Aldo taunts.
I squeeze her hand in warning so that she doesn’t give too much away.
“Alessio is a busy man. He’s also my dad, not my husband. He doesn’t need to check in every five minutes.”
Aldo looks positively gleeful. “Well, I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon. We should go. We have a meeting with our lawyers. It seems Vigo was sick at the end with cancer. He might not have been of sound mind when he made the will after all.”
“I’ve read it. It was updated two weeks after the massacrethat took Nova’s mother and brother, leaving everything to Nova. It was updated yet again two years ago to include Gia and six months ago to include the other dons. His illness had nothing to do with his will. Get over it, Aldo. The money was never yours.”
He steps closer to me, which is when Gian interrupts. “Do you really think this is the time and place? Show some goddamn respect.”
I nod to Gian and lead Nova away from them. Her grip on my hand is so tight I know if I don’t get her out of here, she’ll pull her gun and shoot the motherfucker. As much as I’d love that, everything right now is a game of chess, and we’re all just trying to find the best space on the board before our defensive moves become aggressive.
We head toward the limo, where Miles is waiting for us, and as we pass Aldo’s car, I do a double take because sitting in the back window is a large, crocheted purple dick.
I laugh loudly, drawing onlookers who are probably wondering why I’m laughing in a cemetery, but that shit is just too funny.
“How the fuck did you pull that off?”
“I know a guy.” She winks at me as Miles pulls the door open for us, and I watch her ass as she climbs in. I slide in beside Nova, and Miles closes the door before getting behind the wheel and pulling away.
“I went to that bakery downtown this morning with Conner, and I heard a couple of women talking about the restaurant you’re building at the docks. They seemed really excited about it. Not just because it will be awesome, but because it will mean more jobs.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been hearing too. I’ve hired a localcompany to get the work done both there and at the other sites that need it, but I’m looking at other businesses that we could set up.”
“Well, while you figure it out, why don’t you invest in what’s already there?”
