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Vito sat up straight, cupping the side of his face as he did.
I tsked. “Brenna, what did I tell you about wearing those shoes?”
She let out a dramatic sigh. “I know. I hope it doesn’t happen again. It would be unfortunate if I ended uppullingsomething.”
“Yes, that would be unfortunate.” I locked eyes with Vito. “Don’t you agree, Mr. Romano?”
He glared at me defiantly, as if he knew with certainty that he was untouchable.
“I’m about to squelch that confidence you have.” I leaned forward and rested my arms on the table. “I could draw a clover on your chest and drop your body on Dominik’s front lawn and he still wouldn’t go to war with me. Do you want to know why?”
Vito didn’t ask, but Nicoli answered anyway. “Because if he did, he would be taking on the De Lucas as well. And that didn’t end so well last time for your family.”
It was very satisfying to watch the surety in his eyes disappear. Vito looked from Nicoli to me. “When did the De Lucas and Quinns become allies?”
We didn’t get a chance to answer, not that we had any intention of answering to begin with, because Sasha, four of his goons, and the table’s dealer rushed over.
“What’s going on here?” Sasha demanded.
“Whatever do you mean, Sasha?” I asked.
Sasha approached Brenna. “I was told that the girl you brought with you was threatening another guest with a weapon.”
Smirking, Brenna took a step back from Vito and held out an empty beer bottle to Sasha. “If this is considered a weapon, then I might suggest you start serving cans instead.”
He took the bottle from her and watched as she strutted back over to me.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Nicoli said, calling out the fact that Sasha not only had been staring, but it was obvious he liked what he saw.
Sasha ignored the don and looked directly at me. “She is also young. Why did you bring someone underage to a place like this?”
“Do you really want to argue what is legal?” I asked.
He nodded. “Point made. There isn’t any fighting allowed here, Maura.”
“We weren’t fighting. We were just having a conversation about ignorance, which Vito here was just about to apologize for. Weren’t you, Vito?” It hadn’t escaped my notice that the entire room had gone quiet and there were many eyes watching us—waiting to see how Vito would respond. I tilted my head slightly as I took in the sweat that beaded across his brow. “Or would you prefer to give me that apology in private? Outside by your car, perhaps?”
If looks could kill, I’d have been dead ten times over with the glare he was giving me. “I apologize,” he forced out in a low voice.
I was tempted to drag out his humiliation, but I refrained out of respect for Sasha. “To answer your earlier question, Vito, no, you may not join us.”
Stiffly and angrily, Vito stood. Even though his jacket didn’t need to be straightened, he pulled on the lapels anyway before storming through a quiet room of criminals, heading straight toward the elevator.
Sasha and his goons left after that and our table’s dealer returned to his post. I looked at Hector and Conrad, who were staring at me with a little more respect than they had when I’d first sat down. “Would you like to play another round, gentlemen?”
They both agreed.
As the dealer began passing out cards, Nicoli chuckled. This time it was genuine. “And here I thought tonight would be full of boring posturing.”
I scooped up my drink. “It has.”
“Yes, but I should have known that you would find a way to make it fun,” he said and glanced around the room. “I think you achieved what we came here to do.”
“Wedid, Nicky,” I said in a low voice. “Alone, I would’ve had to kill him to set an example, which would have started a war between the Quinns and Romanos.”
Nicoli picked up his own drink and took a sip. “Taking out the Romano family would be child’s play for you, Maura.”
Maybe, but I’d rather focus on finding Stefan than killing Romanos.
