I rise from the couch and walk toward the window, needing space from him. The folder is still in my hand as I stop before the floor-to-ceiling glass.
“I knowit may not seem like it now, but I hope, in time, this grows into love. We could be formidable together.”
I should be terrified. Maybe I am. But I’d be stupid to let it show.
I turn to him. “Then let’s make this work, Giacomo. I’d hate to see your investment go to waste.”
A slow smile climbs his lips.
He kisses my cheek, a gesture I accept without moving.
Because I have no choice but to play along with the man who holds all the power… for now.
5
MATTEO
“You have to be shitting me,” Valerio mutters as he settles into the booth. “Why did it suddenly decide to ice over?”
I roll my eyes. “You’re acting like you haven’t lived in this city your whole life. Welcome to New York fall.”
“I hate the cold, you know this.” He glares at the window like it’s personally offended him. “You’d think we were in the Arctic with how cold it is.”
I’ve seen this man take on four armed men with nothing but a knife and his fists, never once flinching. But drop him in the middle of a New York fall, and he’s ready to pack it all up.
It’s been almost two weeks since I finalized my deal with the Irish mobs. I managed to do what my father couldn’t his entire reign. Now that we’ve secured peace with the Irish, we can expand our territory even further.
“Did you hear Giacomo’s making a debut with his bride-to-be at the upcoming gala?” Valerio says. “Honestly, I’m excited to see who she is. The curiosity is killing me.”
The streets are buzzing with rumors and theories.
If Giacomo’s end goal was to make noise with his new relationship, he’s succeeded.
Months ago, no one cared what Giacomo did. He was nothing more than a roach crawling through the crevices of the mafia world.
But now? He’s all anyone can talk about.
And whenever Giacomo is involved, nothing good follows.
His new operations aren’t guns or gambling anymore; he’s expanded far beyond that. And now he’s crossed lines the rest of us wouldn’t even consider approaching.
Human trafficking.
The brotherhood tolerates a lot—violence, power plays, territory wars. It’s practically in our DNA.
But what he’s doing? Hunting the vulnerable. That’s a different breed of filth.
“What happened with the meeting?” Valerio asks.
I sigh. “No one wants to start anything with him. They say he promised to back off targeting people who can’t defend themselves. But you and I both know the profits are too tempting. If he can’t find vulnerable souls here, he’ll bring them in from somewhere else.”
“Your father should’ve put a bullet in the middle of his head when he had the chance.”
I’d sat with several heads of family to discuss putting an end to Giacomo’s operation. Apparently, he claimed he would stop, and there was “no need to interfere any further.”
“Our history with Giacomo is a volatile one. He slandered my father’s name only days after he was assassinated.” The memory still makes my blood boil. “He’ll answer for that in time. But for now, we can’t dwell on it. What’s the status report on the recent bust downtown?”
“Chang Han’s crew was spotted in Hell’s Kitchen again,” Valerio says. “Two cars. No plates. But unlike last time, theydidn’t shoot up the place. They did gun down one of the busboys, though. As of right now, we don’t know why.”
