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“No, you already have a lot on your plate. I need you to focus on Bianchi. I’ll take care of Romano. And while I hate to bring Topher into this, he and Kat are going to have to help us with her dad. He needs to lay off us. It’s time we made peace.”
“James Malone is a stubborn, prideful man with an overinflated ego and a strong sense of justice. We’re a mafia organization. I doubt he has any plans to make peace.”
“Sure, but we’re going to use his daughter and granddaughter to get to him. Emotional blackmail,” Christina says, a glint in his eyes.
I shrug. I’m sure he’ll handle it. Like he said, I need to focus on the Bianchis. I get a text from Astoria a few minutes after leaving the office, asking if I’m on my way. A part of me isn’t ready to face her yet, but like my brother said, I need to focus on getting the building. So I head over to the hospital, hoping whatever it is that’s fucking with my head will eventually go away.
CHAPTER9
Astoria
Imust have run over the kiss a million times in my head—the way it felt, the way I reacted to it, the feeling of his hands on mine. But eventually, I’ve reached a point where I berate myself for even thinking about it at all. He kissed me because my parents were there. To make our relationship seem real. That’s all it was. The fact that I liked it—a lot—is inconsequential.
My mind returns to the present and I try to concentrate on the book in front of me. But a sharp knock at the door to my office causes me to immediately sit upright. I call for the person to come in and the door opens.
Carlo’s standing there.
I get to my feet, slowly taking in his outfit—a crisp black button-down and dark jeans. I stand in front of him for a moment, torn about how to greet him.
Should we hug? Then again, there’s no one else here and everything we do is for show. Right?
He doesn’t make a move toward me so I stay put and I stare at him.
“You look different,” I state for a lack of anything better to say.
He makes a small noise of agreement. “I don’t always look like… what did you call it? A sulky mafia boss?”
I smile. “Unfortunately, you still look like one. It’s your aura.”
“Might need to work on that,” he muses.
The air between us is a little awkward but since he seems intent on ignoring it, I roll with it. After all, he decided to cut off the lines of communication for a week in order to draw a clear line. I’m perfectly capable of taking a hint.
I clear my throat. “So…”
Carlo arches an amused eyebrow. “So? What’s up with you, Tori?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“Alright. Are you going to take me to the kid or not?”
I inwardly sigh. He’s perfectly composed. I wish I was half as adept at compartmentalizing my emotions. You never know what he’s thinking. It’s such a nice ability to have.
“Sure, let’s go meet her. Although she might not be completely receptive.”
“Why not?”
I look away. “I might have spent the week complaining about what an ass you are.”
He rolls his eyes. “I am not an ass.” I shrug. He sighs. “Fine. Hopefully the gift makes up for it.”
My eyes widen. “You brought something? That’s so…” I cut myself off because I have a feeling Carlo D’Angelo would not like being referred to as sweet.
For the first time, I notice he’s holding a small bag. He holds it out and reaches inside for a box of chocolates. My heart melts.
“Oh,” I manage.
“Yeah. I figured I’d bring the kid a present. You think chocolates are okay? I wasn’t really sure what to get for her.” He looks a little out of place.
