Dad set his hand on my shoulder. “We’ve stepped away from that.”
“Have we?” I snorted. “We’re here to discuss the hit on Alex Lombardi.”
“It’s my name on the letterhead, so to speak. My orders.”
“That doesn't make me any less your accomplice.”
“They tried to kill us,” he said in a steely voice. “We fight fire with fire, returning what we get tenfold.”
Giving in to the temptation, I made myself a drink and offered him one. “We need the name of the unknown man. Our only intel is that he’s not a family member of any of the current mafia generation.”
“He’s an outsider, thinking he can ingratiate himself and no one will bat an eye.” Sipping the drink I handed him, Dad added, “He’s wrong, and so are the Lombardis.”
“So, our plan is to follow them until they’re alone and clip them both?”
It was the best solution anyone had come up with so far, especially since we didn't want to go the route of bombs.
“We have snipers. We’ll use them.”
“Normally, I’d have Lorenzo do the tailing.” It still bothered me that he’d been taken out for no reason other than an asshole wanting to make a move on our territory.
“We have plenty of men who can follow them discreetly.”
“They have to have their radar up. They targeted us intentionally and then started crowing about it.”
“As I said, discreetly.”
It felt unsettling to know that was our master plan. We hadn't needed to go guns blazing in years, preferring to keep a low profile instead.
“Are you taking Sailor out this evening?”
Somehow, he always brought the conversation back around to my girlfriend. “Yes, I’m having the personal shopper take her to the boutique after her massage and facial to pick a dress. I have reservations atScalini Fedeli.”
And I hoped she’d enjoy herself. She was more the fast casual type than the fancy Italian restaurant type, but once in a while, I wanted to do something nice for her.
“How marvelous. When do you think you’ll ask her to marry you?”
I growled, feeling a headache pounding into my eyes like an ice pick. “What the fuck? You said there was no timer, and we’ve only been together a few fucking minutes.”
He put his hands up. “I’m just asking. You’ve never had such deep feelings for a woman before, and we both know that’s where this is headed.”
Jesus, he wouldn't even let me breathe. “I’m not trying to scare her off, for fuck’s sake.”
“Still, you know she wants this too. The permanence. The family.”
“Stop twisting the knife! We’ll get there when we get there! Jesus Christ, go bother your other child if you’re in need of a wedding fix.”
“Fine, fine.” Muttering the entire time, Dad left me alone.
Since Sailor wouldn't be finished any time soon, I got some other work done while I waited for her. We were tentatively setting up another sale, mostly because we couldn't hide likecowards, but also because the money had to keep flowing. We had too much on the line to watch our bank account slowly dwindle.
The men had sent in their reports for the month, and we were doing well on that front. Extortion wasn't really our thing, but every soldier paid up the line. Every penny they earned was split between us, their capo, and then themselves.
How did I explain to Sailor that I was my father’s underboss? Or even that I was a member of the mafia? Did she realize that sweet old Benito Costa was actually a stone-cold killer? Every day, he put on a persona for her, and she bought it. Yes, he liked her and was nice, but he was not that man for everybody. More often, he was harsh, unforgiving, and sometimes savage.
The same could be said about me.
I had a good relationship example to go by, and though it had been cut relatively short, it was mostly long and happy. My parents had been married for thirty-two years, and obviously, they’d have gone the distance if given the chance. They talked everything out, and she knew more about Dad’s business than he tried to make me believe. She advised him countless times, especially when he wanted to push me in a certain direction. Mom tempered Dad’s impulsivity, and he worshipped her.
