"Personal," I said carefully, hating how the word tasted. "A woman I was involved with years ago works at the club where we met. She's friends with Leo's sister-in-law."
The silence stretched long enough that I wondered if he'd hung up. "How close are they?"
"Close enough that this could look like I was using her to gain access to the family." The possibility made me sick. Everything I'd touched, everything I'd tried to protect, I'd managed to corrupt.
"Were you?"
"No." The word came out defensive. "I didn't even know about the connection until tonight."
"But you've renewed your involvement with her?"
I closed my eyes, seeing Ivy's face again, the exact moment trust had shattered into betrayal. "Yes."
"Then you need to decide what's more important," he said, and I could hear the disappointment already forming. "This woman or the alliance. Because if the Donatis think you're playing games, everything we've worked for will collapse."
"I know." But knowing didn't make it easier. Four years ago, I'd walked away to protect her. Now I'd dragged her right back into the nightmare I'd tried to shield her from.
"Do you?" His voice sharpened. "Because from where I'm sitting, it sounds like you're letting sentiment cloud your judgment. Again."
The subtle reference to Ivy, to my decision to leave her years ago, telling him how I hadn't wanted to, was not missed. He'd called it weakness then too.
"I'm handling it."
"See that you do. The family has invested significant resources into this expansion. Don't make me regret putting you in charge of it."
The line went dead.
I set the phone on the nightstand and closed my eyes. The alliance was secure, or at least it had been before my moment with Ivy. Now I'd have to prove to the Donatis that my relationship with Ivy wasn't some calculated move, that I hadn't spent four years planning this elaborate manipulation.
And I'd have to prove to Ivy that what we had was real, that every kiss, every whispered word, every moment of tenderness hadn't been a lie.
Both tasks felt impossible. I'd hurt her again, exactly what I'd sworn I'd never do.
My phone buzzed with a text. For a moment, desperate hope flared that it might be Ivy, but the name on the screen belonged to one of the guys I had keeping tabs on the Malatesta family.
Malatesta situation developing, potentially aware of new plans. No movement yet.
I typed back.
Keep monitoring.
The Malatestas were a separate problem, another thread that could unravel everything. Leo had been clear about the friction this alliance would cause with them, about the potential need to push them out entirely if they didn't fall in line. And now Ivy was caught in the crossfire of that too.
I'd dealt with territorial disputes before. Had negotiated, threatened, and when necessary, eliminated obstacles to my family's business interests. Violence was a tool I wielded well when diplomacy failed.
But this felt different. Because now Ivy was in the middle of it, whether she wanted to be or not. The thought of her becoming collateral damage in our war made my blood run cold.
I thought about her face in the alley, the way she'd looked at me when she realized what I was. The betrayal in her eyes had gutted me more than any violence I'd experienced in my years with the family. She would've looked at me the same way if I'd given her a chance when I'd left her the first time, and knowing I'd put it there again made me want to put my fist through the window. At least this time I'd hurt her face-to-face, not over text. I wasn't sure which hurt more.
She'd trusted me, tentatively, cautiously. And I'd broken that trust by keeping things from her, just like before.
My phone buzzed again. This time it was a number I didn't recognize.
This is Sofia Savoca-Donati. We need to talk. Tomorrow, 10 AM, Café Nero on Fifth Street. Come alone.
My pulse quickened. Sofia reaching out directly meant she was either trying to assess me separately from Leo and Grayson, or she was about to deliver a warning on Ivy's behalf. Probably both. The Donati were known for their protective instincts, and despite being a Savoca, I'd not underestimate her, and I'd just given Sofia every reason to see me as a threat.
I'll be there.
