“Vinny, what are you doing here?”I asked, dishing right back to him a nickname he hated.
His pale-gray eyes flared as he blew out a thick cloud of smoke.“Just came to see why you haven’t responded to my lawyers.”He took another drag off the cigarette, then flicked some of the ash into the gravel as he sauntered away from the house and me toward the trail that led down to the beach.“God, this is a beautiful chunk of property.Isn’t it?So much untapped potential.So much possibility ignored.”
Portia grunted and trotted down the stairs, then over to me, where I still stood beside my truck.She practically sat on my feet, then glanced up at me, basically to say, “Papa, are you okay?”
She was a princess all right, but she was also very in tune with my emotional state and, much like an emotional support dog, she knew when I was getting anxious and brought me comfort exactly when I needed it most.I reached down and scratched her ears, needing that physical connection, that reassurance that I could handle this.I had two lawyers who said they could help me, not to mention the truth on my side.And the truth was, this land belonged to my son.His name was on the deed.
I wouldn’t let this cheap suit wearingbastardotake it from him.
“You came all the way to the island to ask me a question?”I asked.
He shrugged and turned back to face me.“I mean, I came over to take some pictures, get the idea juices flowing, you know?”
I bunched my fists at my sides and clenched my molars.“This is private property.We will do this through the lawyers, Vinny.Please leave.”
Vincent scoffed and rolled his eyes.His black hair was so heavily gelled that I doubted a hurricane would move a strand.The poor breeze coming off the water didn’t stand a chance against his Dippity Douchebag wax.“You really want to drag this out?Spend all that money on lawyers?”
I smirked.“Which one of us is the retired professional footballer with millions of dollars in their bank account?”
Unease crept into his eyes, but it wasn’t there for long.“Exactly.Go somewhere else.Tahiti.Hawaii.Uzbekistan.You can buy anything anywhere.Why do you,a millionaire, needfreeland?Why not take care of the little guy for once, huh?We’re family.Everyone deserves a home, don’t you think, Tommy?”
Why was he speaking to me like some New Jersey Italian low-level gangster?He was from Vancouver, Washington.
“How about you one percenter, help out me and my ma?The other ninety-nine, you know?”
Was he mocking me?Did he think appealing to me—a real Italian—with his put-on East Coast Jersey Italian accent was going to help his cause?How many brain cells remained in his skull?Was the gel eating them?
“I don’t know what you are saying with that accent,” I finally said.“So let’s let the lawyers handle this.”
“Accent?”
I pointed to his car just as he dropped the cigarette into the gravel and crushed it with the toe of his cheap wingtip.“Your car, Vinny.Get into it and drive away, please.”
His top lip curled into an angry sneer, then he glanced over at the barn.“Be a shame if something happened to that barn, huh?”He flicked the lighter in his hand until a little flame emerged on the tip, then shook his head.“A real shame.”
This guy watched way too many mob movies.
Not moving away from Portia, I just stood my ground and waited until the cousin from Hell completely vacated my property.
I glanced down at Portia, who looked up at me with those soulful, knowing eyes.“You heard that too, right?”
She snorted.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and brought up Michelle Price’s number.Normally, I didn’t call people if I could help it, but I didn’t know what else to do at this point.
She answered it on the third ring.“Hello?”
“Ms.Price, this is Tommaso Barone.”
“Mr.Barone, so nice to hear from you.”
“I need your help.I need all the help I can get.”Portia rested one of her feet on mine for support.“My wife’s cousin just threatened to burn down my barn.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Danica
“I’veneverbeenona date,” I whined to my cousins.We were in Gabrielle’s bedroom, since it was the biggest, and I was trying on different outfits.Naomi and Raina brought some of their clothes that they thought I might like, and I brought the three dresses to my name.They lounged on Gabrielle’s bed while I criticized every lump, bump, and roll as I stared at myself in the mirror.“How do I even do this?”
