“Please, have a seat. I’m sure you’ve met Giovanni and Dominic before.”
I greet the two men with a polite nod and do as theCaposays and sit down in front of him, knowing damn well I’m on his turf and need to act accordingly.
“I must say, my curiosity is piqued about this meeting,” Vincent begins. “Especially since our two families suffered a bit of a fracture the last time we had to deal with yours.”
“My apologies for my hand in that,” I say evenly. “It was never my intention to harm either of your children.”
“Was it only your intention to kidnap them?” he asks, one brow arched.
“They were treated with the utmost respect in my home,” I counter. “I’m sure they can back me up on that.”
Vincent leans back in his chair, clasping his hands together in front of him. “My Stella tells me that because of you, I still have a daughter. That it was your quick thinking that saved her life.”
I can’t help but smile at that.
“But my son tells me her life wouldn’t have been in danger at all if your men hadn’t shot her in the first place.”
My jaw tightens.
Leave it to Lucky to break my balls even when he’s not in the room. If I didn’t love my niece so much, I’d have a word or two with the kid. And by word, I mean punch.
“Petrov also killed the man who hurt Stella,” Dominic adds from beside his boss, unexpectedly coming to my defense.
“I would have expected nothing less from him,” Vincent says, still studying me carefully. “Though it was my own son who dealt with the other man, the one you left to walk away from the kidnapping without a scratch.”
“Which son are we talking about? Do you mean Lucky, who shot mysoldat,” I ask, feigning ignorance, “or Marcello, who all but flayed Lev alive?”
Vincent’s lips dip into a scowl, and I mentally kick myself.
Blyad.
This is not why I’m here. Ego needs to take a back seat to ensure this deal goes according to plan, which means pissing Vincent off by reminding him of his unhinged son is not on the menu today.
No. I need to backpaddle if I’m going to get what I want out of this meeting.
My plan has to go through. It just fucking has to.
Sure, Misha might think the plan was for us to expand our influence and grow roots in Chicago, while also strengthening our alliance with the Outfit, but there was always a hidden agenda I kept close to the vest and refused to tell my brother about.
If the Outfit and theBratvacan work harmoniously together, side by side, then a union between Stella and me wouldn’t be that far-fetched. Our love wouldn’t be questioned or viewed as a problem. It would no longer be seen as a betrayal. Vincent would accept me as one of his own, and Misha would finally abandon this ridiculous idea of marrying me off to some stranger out West.
“Apologies, Vincent,” I say in earnest. “I didn’t mean to speak out of turn. That’s not why I’m here.”
“And why are you here, exactly?”
“A business proposition.”
I rise from my chair and lay out the blueprints and paperwork I’ve spent the last few months working on tirelessly.
Vincent’s brows knit. “What is this?”
“This,” I say, tapping the documents, “is how we repair the fracture I caused between our families… and unite as a more formidable force.”
Vincent’s eyes skim the papers at a rapid pace, Giovanni leaning in behind him and reading just as efficiently. The only one not moving is Dominic since his piercing blue eyes remain fixed on me the entire time.
“This is impressive,” Vincent finally says. “How did you manage such a feat?”
“Honestly? You inspired me.”
