Some might argue that a child needed a parent’s love and affection to thrive, but I had been raised without either of those, and I’d turned out just fine.
When it came to raising a future mafia leader, you couldn’t afford to comfort them after bad dreams or make a big deal out of kissing their scraped knees. Those were valuable experiences meant to teach them that pain was a part of life, and that there were indeed monsters lurking in the shadows.
“Can I get you anything to drink before we take off?” Amanda asked.
“Just water. I plan to work for most of the flight.”
She ducked her head. “I’ll make sure you’re not disturbed.”
After securing Rory’s seatbelt, I moved to the back of the plane, dropping onto one of the plush, leather captain’s chairs there. Then I pulled out a cellphone I hadn’t turned on in almost four years to the day and inserted the SIM card. With the press of a button, the screen came to life.
Immediately, I typed out a text.
Initiate the return identification protocol. I’ll be landing in Chicago at 4 PM.
Before setting off on my mission to locate Rory and secure my heir, I had vaguely explained to my capos that I would look like a stranger upon my return. To set their minds at ease and confirm my identity when the time came, we’d established a verification protocol. Only once that was completed would they accept me not only as Gio, but as their don.
Enzo:For fuck’s sake, give a guy more than a few hours’ warning.
I rolled my eyes at his dramatic response. My older cousin had served as my second-in-command since the day I took over as Don. We’d been raised together in the same household, so we were more like brothers. Knowing him as well as I did, he was probably annoyed that doing his damn job required him to pull out of whichever supermodel he’d conned into warming his bed today.
Should be more than enough time to meet me on the tarmac.
Enzo:Sure, if I were in Chicago. Which I am not.
Where the fuck are you?
Enzo:I would love to tell you, but unfortunately, there was a security breach while you were gone. We’ve all gotten new phones, but yours is unsecured. Do me a favor and don’t share any sensitive information until I can meet with you in person.
What kind of security breach?
Enzo:What part of I CAN’T TELL YOU don’t you understand?
How soon can you get back to Chicago?
Enzo:I was planning to be gone through the weekend, but since our supreme leader has arisen from the dead, I guess I’ll be cutting my trip short. If you can forgive the absence of a parade in your honor, I might be able to stop by your place this evening.
I forgot how much of a sarcastic little shit you can be sometimes.
Enzo:Don’t be jealous that God broke the mold when he made me.
There’s no question he broke something while making you, but I’m pretty sure it was your brain.
I was bracing for him to clap back, maybe something along the lines of how he hoped that my new face was better than my old one, which was so ugly it’s the reason my mother left—since he loved to walk the line between making me laugh and making me want to shoot him. But as the engines of the aircraft roared to life, signaling that takeoff was imminent, no response came from my cousin. There weren’t even those three flashing dots to indicate he was typing.
Strange.
It was just as well. There wasn’t time to waste sparring with him. Not when I only had a little over two hours to prepare to step back into my position as the ruler of Chicago’s underworld.
Damn, I couldn’t fucking wait.
When we landed at the private airstrip in Chicago, there were three blacked-out SUVs waiting for us. My brother leaned against the exterior of the one in the middle, arms crossed. Oncethe crew disembarked, he shoved off the vehicle and jogged up the staircase to board the jet.
The first thing he saw was Rory’s slumped, pregnant form, and he hissed, “Jesus Christ.” Then his gaze lifted to me, and he did a double-take. “Holy shit. Gio? Is that really you?”
I rose from my seat, closing the distance between us. “Who the fuck else claiming to be me would have the means to charter a private flight and be in possession of my knocked-up wife?”
He cringed. “These days? You’d be surprised.”
