Ah, so I’m not the only member of this family needing a change.
“And what did you decide?”
Rubbing his forehead, he chuckles, “I thought I could have the best of both worlds. I could leave the family here in your capable hands and take time away to get to know my daughter.”
“No, Lorenzo. It doesn’t work like that. If your name is still associated with the mob, she will always be in danger. The pact only holds so much weight. There are families across the globe that could come calling for a power grab or revenge. The list is endless. We’ve done well up to now, keeping ourselves on the right side of things. Forgetting Giani, we don’t have any foes. But the longer we stay in this business, the greater the chance of us developing one. That’s not even taking in the fact the police could use her for their own gains. She’d never be free.”
“Keeping the family legacy alive is all I’ve ever known, Allegra.”
“Your family legacy will mean nothing if we let her down again. Bonnie is the only legacy you should be concerned with.”
“And the rest of the family?”
“I’ll deal with them,” I say. It might take a bit of time, but I will get them to see reason. “Most of them are off travelling around the world, living a life of luxury. They have no idea how to run this family and deal with the consequences of it. It’s time to educate them. I’m sure there will be no arguments after that.”
“You really want this? What will you do? What will any of us do?”
I smile. “Lorenzo, nothing will change in the day to day. Everyone has a job to do. They’ll just have less shitty ones.”
He gets up and pours us both another drink. “It’s going to take time. There will be a lot of pissed off and confused people to deal with on the outside. If we’re going to do this, we do it right. A clean break from it all, with no backlash.”
“Absolutely. There’s no point otherwise.”
“I didn’t think we’d end up here,” he says.
I nod in agreement. “Neither did I, but then again, I wasn’t expecting Bonnie.”
“She really got to you, huh?”
I can feel myself getting hot. “She has, and I don’t want to mess it up. She’s the only woman I’ve seen myself having a real future with.”
It’s true, and it scares me to death.
Lorenzo’s eyes well with tears. “Those Poletti women will get you every time. Maria had me under her spell from the first time I saw her. Bonnie did the same to you, I think.”
I laugh. “Well, she did…after all the arguing and bitching.”
“No, that was all part of the attraction, I’m sure. If it means anything to you, Allegra, I’m happy for you both.”
I finish my second drink. “She hasn’t said she wants more with me yet.”
“She will. You’re Allegra Malgeri,” he says with a wink. “Don’t waste time wondering. Talk to her now. Get it all out there. I would give anything for a few more seconds with Maria. Don’t let another minute pass by without pouring out your heart to her if she’s the one,bella.”
In an unusual display of affection, Lorenzo pulls me into a hug. He’s warm and feels like home.
“Thank you,papà,” I whisper. He kisses my head.
I leave him to his own thoughts. Mine are entirely on Bonnie. I need to see her again and reassure myself she is okay. The kitchen is empty. Maybe I should wait until the morning, because I’m sure her dads are making a fuss over her right now. What if she doesn’t want to see me? It wouldn’t be a complete surprise if she blamed me for all this craziness.
I’m totally lost in thought when I round the corner and run straight into her. We both fall backwards and hit the ground with a thud.
“Crap,” she mumbles.
I scramble to get to her. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
Her hair is a mess, and her eyes are red-rimmed from crying. I’m sure it’s been an emotional few hours. A knot tightens in my stomach. I’m the reason she’s gone through so much. I’m being selfish wanting more from her.
“Stop,” she says. Her fingers brush my cheek. “I was on my way to find you. Can we talk?”
