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One of these days, I’m going to make him regret calling me Little D’Angelo. “Let’s be reasonable, Romano.”
“Ten percent,” he throws out.
“Eight percent or there’s no deal.”
He knew from the start his request was unreasonable. This is the best he’s going to get. Romano’s not an idiot.
“Fine,” he finally says.
“Tell your capos to stay away from my brother.”
“You got it, Christian. You’re lucky the capo your brother offended isn’t one that’s too keen on revenge.”
I translate what he’s saying. Topher slept with the wife of a man that’s barely in the gang so there was never any threat of violence or danger. Romano saw an easy way to make money off us and he took it. I should have called his bluff. My jaw grinds.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Romano,” I say.
He hangs up right before the door to my office flies open. I’m about to rail into the person that dared to walk in without any invitation but my eyes meet light brown ones. My mom stands at the door, a mass of curly dark hair and a light blue suitcase behind her. I quickly get to my feet.
“Mom,” I say in greeting, walking over to her. “You could have called to say you were coming back.”
“My baby,” she cries in her overly dramatic way. She reaches over for my face, “Lascia che ti veda.”
A sigh escapes me as she runs her hand over my face and my hair. I let her because there’s no arguing or stopping Martina D’Angelo when she wants to do something. She’s in her fifties but doesn’t look a day over thirty-five. She always says the secret to her youth is the love of a good man. And now that Dad’s gone, I can actually see how much she has aged in a year.
“Missed you too, Mother,” I say dryly. “You shouldn’t be here.”
She takes a step back, her eyes still continuing their critical assessment. “When your father was alive, I came and went as I pleased. You can’t stop me,cara.”
A migraine starts to form in my head. I’m sure with every moment I spend in my mother’s presence, it will increase.
“Did you at least take the back door and not the front?”
The pub has strict rules, one of which is no women allowed, especially not women in the family. The rule is to keep them safe. Business meetings happen at the pub—that, coupled with the number of dangerous men and women flitting in and out of here daily, and it’s no wonder the rule was made. It’s to ensure our women are less recognizable. Of course, my mom likes to pretend she’s above the rules and my dad pretty much let her do anything when he was alive.
“Non sono stupido,Christian,” she says with narrowed eyes. I take that to mean she took the necessary precautions. I hope. “Now, where are your brothers?”
I lean against my desk and take her in for a second. I wasn’t kidding when I said I missed her. Topher tends not to act as crazy when Mom is around and even Carlo loosens up around her. She makes everything better, despite the fact that I’m sure Topher inherited most of his infuriating personality from her.
“Your youngest is causing trouble again. Your oldest is probably somewhere spreading terror and doom.”
“And my middle child?” she asks, arching an eyebrow. “How’s mynuora?”
“She’s fine,” I reply, my answer clipped.
I look away because my mother has the uncanny ability to tell and understand whatever expression is flitting across my face. She makes a low, humming noise in the back of her throat, her eyes roaming my office.
“Cara, see, what I’ve been able to get from what you’ve told me is that Toph needs me. And you apparently need me as well.”
I stiffen. “I don’t need you.”
She groans. “You and your father are one and the same. Always refusing to accept that they need help. So what is it? The problem with you and Daniella?”
She says Daniella’s name fondly, with warmth. They’ve never even met but my mom already likes her. That’s how she always is, ready to give someone a chance without knowing a thing about them. On the other hand, you don’t want to be on the other side of that kindness. It never ends well for the people who cross Martina D’Angelo.
“There’s no problem,Mamma.Go meet Toph. He’s at his condo,” I tell her.
She gives me a look before sighing. “Call Carlo here first. I’ll leave after I speak to him.”
