“Maybe. Just tread carefully, Allegra. You’re not the named Donna of this house just yet.”
“I understand. And thank you, Rosa. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Our impromptu conversation has a pit of vipers curling around my stomach. I feel like I’m battling on all sides right now. Surely Lorenzo won’t fight me on this? Not when he’s already so tired and ready to retire. He has to see there is no future for the family if we stay on this road. One day the Mafiosi will be taken out, and I don’t want us anywhere near it when it happens.
I need some air. The Arellos, Lorenzo, and the shipment tomorrow, follow me like a black cloud. I’d like to tick one thing off my list so it isn’t weighing me down. The shipment tomorrow is the only thing I can really control right now. I’ll reach out to our guy inside the feds to make sure we’re not on anyone’s radar. It’s not a surefire way to make sure we’re not under surveillance. The law knows we have people in their ranks and are usually extremely guarded about any plans they have against us. Our guy is solid, though. No one would suspect him, so I have faith I can trust him if he tells us everything is quiet.
The sea air fills my lungs and I feel the darkness clear. I may not like doing this job very much, but I’m damn good at it. I’ll work out a way to convince Lorenzo we need to permanently step away from the Mafiosi. I’ll deal with the Arellos. I’ll do it all, because I’m heiress Allegra Malgeri, soon to be named Donna Malgeri of the Ferrante family.
I’ll do it, because it’s the only way I could possibly have a real chance with Bonnie Moorside.
23
Bonnie
SleepingwithAllegrahasadded a hundred pounds of confusion to my already weighed-down brain cells. But it was so worth it, even with Dad staring at me like I’ve lost my mind as soon as he spots me coming down the stairs. Ideally, I’d like a few more hours to bask in the afterglow of the best night of my sexual life, to date. Clearly, that’s a pipe dream.
“Honey,” he begins in a tone I don’t like.
“Dad. Good morning.”
“Will you sit with me a moment?” It’s not really a question.
“Sure.” We make our way to the kitchen breakfast bar. My stomach rumbles. Not surprising, really, after the workout Allegra put me through. “I’m going to grab a yoghurt. Do you want anything?”
I’m trying to act as normally as possible, hoping it magically stops the conversation I’m about to have from happening.
“So,” he says, letting his word hang there. I’m not going to make it that easy on him. Finishing the yoghurt, I reach for an orange. “Bonnie?”
“Dad?”
He huffs in frustration. “Bonnie, what are you thinking? Didn’t we talk about this?”
“Define ‘this’,” I reply.
“Lorenzo and Allegra. Who they are. Who they will always be.”
“We did, and I took on board what you said.”
“Really?” He laughs mirthlessly. “Interesting, considering you spent the night with her.”
“I did. It’s complicated with her. And it was a one-time thing. I listened to you, Dad, but you’re forgetting I’m a grown woman who can make her own decisions. And someone who will own their mistakes. Which, for the record, I don’t think being with Allegra was.”
“She’s a career criminal,” he stresses.
“I know who she is. Better than you, I’d wager.”
“Do you hear yourself? Honey, you slept with a mob boss.”
Okay, I’m done with this. “Enough, Dad. You’ve said your piece, and I’ve given you my reply. I’m not your patient. I’m your grown daughter, who you raised to be independent. You may not like my choices, but you don’t get to sit there and judge me for them.”
“I’m not judging you, sweetheart.”
“Ha! That’s exactly what you’re doing. Are you telling me after all the time you’ve spent talking with Lorenzo, you still only see him as the Don of a Mob family?”
“No, but—”
“But nothing. Lorenzo and Allegra are complicated. Their lives are complicated. I judged them from the beginning, and rightly so, but things have changed. I understand their lives aren’t something I want to be a part of. Allegra knows that, which is why it was a one-night deal. And something I shouldn’t have to explain to you, because it’s none of your business, Dad.”
