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"I’m Italian."
He makes a gagging sound. "I expected whiskey. Vodka.Realliquor."
"Great," I snap. "So, limoncello isn’t arealdrink in your eyes. What will you say next? I’m not areal man?"
"Yes."
I grab my flask. "I’m stewing with rage. You can commiserate with me or get out."
Uncle Romeo snarls as he kicks a rock. "We can stew together."
In the cloudy, hazy light—the blue, sunny sky of this morning died a painful death around noon—I see anger swirling through his veins. Something’s giving him grief—or someone.
I know what’s ticking him off.
I slam my fist on his shoulder. "I already know what’s going on with you. You don't even need to tell me."
"I wasn’t planning to." Romeo’s voice drops a notch. "Except now that you instructed me not to, I want to."
Reverse psychology is my best friend. It doesn’t matter who you use it on—it always works. In the joint, I used it to trick my mates into giving me their extra coffee and dessert.
I’m a pro.
I shrug. "It’s up to you."
Romeo pushes out a grunt. "Don’t use reverse psychology on me. I’m aware of what you’re doing."
I look him dead in the eye. "If you don't want to spill your guts, do me a favor—and leave."
"Dino."
One word. No explanation. No qualifiers.
That’s all it takes.In an instant, my suspicions are confirmed.
I crack a smirk. "Trouble in paradise?"
"That’s my problem." Romeo slams his palm on the log. "I haven’t seen him yet."
I furrow my brow. "I don't know how that’s possible."
"Me, neither. I came here to discover if he was still interested in me. That’s why Isabella and I took a bedroom hiatus."
"A hiatus?"
My uncle gnashes his teeth. "Anindefinitehiatus."
"Ahhhh." I waggle my eyebrows. "That’s what I heard."
Romeo glares at me. "Someone’s spreading rumors. I knew it—can’t trust a goddamn person in this family. You tell someone something in confidence, and the next second, the cat’s out of the bag."
I place my hand on his. "Don’t worry, Uncle Romeo. I have it onexcellentauthority that Dino’s still into you."
"Doesn’t seem like it."
It takes everything in me not to laugh. This would be adorable if it weren’t so comedic.
Romeo Luciano is a brutal mob boss. A killer. Whereas I was locked up on bullshit murder charges,he’skilled more men than there are grains of sand on Bondi Beach.
