“Yeah,” he replied in a deep voice. “That’s how that works.”
“Be nice,” Illiana barked. She waited while I settled into the chair next to Cherri and then held out a hand toward the food. “Help yourself, dear. There’s plenty.”
“I’m okay. It’s been a long few days. I’m not really hungry,” I responded.
“Okay.” She folded her hands in front of her face. “Then why don’t you explain what’s happened?”
“In short,” I said, “the Binachis and the Varassos are gone.”
“Gone?” Illiana asked with wide eyes. “How?”
“They just kept at each other until they were down to a man each. They killed each other.” I hadn’t planned to lie about the Varassos when I walked into the house, but at the very last second, I decided I didn’t want Illiana to know that Gabriel was off living a happy life somewhere. I had a feeling she’d never let him be. “I may have put the final bullet in Dario’s back.”
An evil grin curled across Illiana’s face. “Well, that’s marvelous. Those markets are up for grabs.”
“Well,” I said, realizing the glaring error in the lie I’d just told. “The Varasso markets aren’t. They shut them down.”
Illiana’s head tilted, and her eyes scanned up my face in an action I distinctly recognized as her trying to discern whether I was telling the truth or not. “They shut them down?”
“Yeah.” Hoping that it would help Illiana believe what I was telling her, I locked my eyes into hers. “They were planning on getting out of the game but couldn’t let go of the need to get revenge for Angelo. Of course, Dario also wanted revenge for Donovan and Dante, and it turned into an all-out war. Dario was barely hanging on, so I just ended it and hopped the first plane back here.”
“So California is unmanned?” Illiana asked, and then her eyes shifted to Sid. “You’ll have to go back to Texas. I need that market under your control.”
Sid nodded. “Yeah, of course.”
My heart sank. It was what I was hoping to avoid, more of my siblings being used as tools in a crazy total takeover. Illiana returned to her breakfast with a satisfied grin. “This is great work, Denise. I’ll admit, I expected you to take more of an active role, but why get between two fighting pit bulls, right?”
“Right.” My head was pounding, and all I wanted was to get out of the room. “I’m sorry, but is it okay if I dismiss myself? I left the Binachi household right away and camped out at the airport until I could get a flight, so I’m gross.”
Illiana looked up at me with her eyes wide in a doe-like expression. “You should have called me, dear. I would have sent the jet.”
Oh, I earned a plane ride by being useful. “I just didn’t want to bother you.”
She nodded. “Of course. Well, yes. You may go and get cleaned up. We’ll have a total debrief later.”
“Thanks.”
In the time elapsed, all of my siblings’ shocked expressions had faded into welcome smiles, apart from Carmine, who was still watching me confusedly. I didn’t give it the time of day. I grinned back at everyone and then stood up from the table. As quickly as I could, I made my way up the grand staircase in the foyer to the second floor where my and all of my siblings’ rooms were situated. Two doors always remained closed and had two gold-plated names next to the doors, readingCallistaandGabriel. The two Costas that Illiana had never recovered. I wondered how long it would take for her to get rid of Gabriel’s room now that she thought he was dead.
The room at the end of the hallway was for me. I opened it, and the four-poster bed with the velvet, burgundy overhang was a welcome sight. I pulled off my clothes and sifted through my dresser for one of my sets of pajama shirts and shorts. From my big walk-in closet, I grabbed a robe and wrapped it around myself, which was a good thing because, when I walked back out into the main part of my room, the door was open, and Carmine was leaning against the doorframe.
“Hey, sis,” he greeted.
“Hi,” I replied. When I first came to the Costa household over fifteen years ago, Carmine was the first sibling I met. “It’s been a while.”
“It has, it has,” Carmine said. “Quick question?”
“Yeah?”
He smiled. “What are you lying about?”
Chapter Six:Denise
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I didn’t even look in Carmine’s direction as I moved from my closet over to the door to my bathroom. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Nah, nah, nah,” Carmine said. “I’d know that look anywhere.” He crossed his arms. “Is there a guy?”
No amount of preparing myself for every possible eventuality when I interacted with anyone in the organized crime lifestyle could have prepared me for that question. “What?” I asked.
