But, for the time being, I had to focus on my father and the business at hand.
“Gio took a copy of this picture to our investigators. Assuming he’s in the system, they’ll have a better chance atidentifying him with their computer software than we can with simple legwork.”
“If it’s the Lombardis, then we need to consider how to repay them.”
“Agreed, but have you noticed they’ve stopped their attacks? There were two back-to-back, and now nothing.”
“Don’t say it out loud and curse it,” Dad grumbled.
I just shook my head. “We’ve also brought most of our deals to a screeching halt, which might have been their plan all along. If they can hamstring us for long enough, then we’re out of the game.”
“Perhaps.” Dad poured a bourbon, handing it to me before pouring another. “Or perhaps they’re biding their time until we’re exposed again.”
“Well, they’re right about the fact that we can’t remain in hiding forever. So either they’re waiting to pounce or they’re hoping we'll end up broke without any deals to make.”
Though he casually sipped his drink, he watched me like a hawk. “How did it go when you walked Sailor down?”
“That’s what you have on your mind when we’re trying to figure out who’s after us and how to save our asses?”
“They both have to do with the future of this family.”
The bourbon soured in my gut, and I set the glass down extremely carefully so I didn't break anything. “You’re already thinking about marriage.”
Coming closer, Dad narrowed his eyes on my face. “I could have forced your hand eons ago, but I didn't. The truth is, I’ve let you throw yourself into the business long enough without insisting you find a wife to help further the family line.”
“Vittoria can further the family line just fine,” I said with irritation.
“Wrong,” he snapped, and I knew his patience was stretched thin. “She’ll carry on the Bianchi line, not the Costa line. Evenshe took her sweet fucking time deciding Giovanni was good enough for her. I tried very hard not to arrange marriages for you both because your mother was against it.”
“And yet, now that she’s long cold in the ground, you’re trying damn hard to do just that with me.”
When he gripped my shoulder, I saw the underlying strength he’d been missing for a while. Only now, he was using it against me and not our enemies. “What I’m saying is that the clock is ticking. Pick someone yourself, or I’ll have to do it for you.”
“And you’re convinced this woman is the one?” My laugh was bitter. “After you chose her over me and berated me for wanting to see your healthcare provided by someone older than twelve?”
He shook his head sharply. “You’ve seen her for who she is now. You know you were wrong in the beginning. Build on that, or I’ll pick someone from one of the rival families to make an alliance.”
“You wouldn't.”
The hand on my shoulder tightened. “I would.”
That fucking incessant headache came back with a vengeance, and I grit my teeth. He’d gone from gently pushing us together like a benevolent grandpa to threatening me with someone I didn't know and would hate on instinct.
“Sailor is under the impression you still don’t like her. That all you want to do is fuck her and forget to call her. Show her differently.”
“How the hell did we get to this point?” My breathing had accelerated, and I had to fight not to gasp. I liked Sailor, sure, and she was gorgeous. But marriage?
“It was only because you were working so hard to keep our enemies in line and our pockets full that I didn't insist on this when you were younger. Maria would be disappointed not to have grandbabies by now.”
“Stop invoking her name,” I said through gritted teeth, shrugging his hand off to pick up my drink and swallow it in one go. Pouring another, I downed that too and went to stare out the window.
“She’s part of the reason you haven’t married. Her death rocked us all, and we took the time to grieve properly, but it stole years from your life. We threw ourselves into work and let the rest slip by.”
“If your condition is Sailor or a goddamn Lombardi traitor, I’ll choose Sailor. But how the fuck do I convince her?”
“The same way you convince any other woman into your bed.”
I barked out a laugh. “In case you haven't noticed, she’d sooner run and hide than let me woo her. The other women I’ve been with were in it for the gifts and the infamy.”
