Orlaith froze when he saw me, and after a moment the surprise on his ridiculously handsome face warped to eagerness. Like Sloan, he was a man from my past, but he had more of a connection to me than I would’ve liked—we’d shared men a few times. Like me, Orlaith had been a manwhore who enjoyed his cock in a different hole every night, and from what I’d heard, he hadn’t changed.
“Fucking hell. GianfuckingSabbatini, as I live and breathe. I thought you were dead or worse.” Orlaith laughed loudly and made his way toward me. He’d always been a handsome man, with ink-black hair, a year-round tan, and vibrant green eyes that had men and women swooning. He had bulk I’d never been able to achieve, but he always put that down to living in Texas, and even though it had been quite a few years since I’d last seen him, he was as gorgeous as always. The scar that started below his ear and made it halfway across his neck was new, but being a boss didn’t come without trials. It was rarer to see a mob boss without scars. “Who pulled you out of the pits of that hell you call a church to come join us?”
I stiffened when he got closer, but he didn’t hug me like I expected. Either he understood I didn’t want to be touched or he’d matured since I’d last seen him. “My faith is not a crutch.”
“Religion is a fairy tale.” Orlaith snickered, while Sloan grunted.
“Watch yourself, Orlaith. The men in this room aren’t faithless.” Sloan winked at him when Orlaith turned in his direction, but Orlaith just shrugged with a laugh and went to sit on the other side of Conall. I didn’t miss the way Sloan dragged his pet closer, as though having another man so close to his property irritated him. Sloan had always been possessive.
“Never let my mamma hear you say anything bad about her religion,” Ric said with a snort, and even though I was angry at him, I couldn’t help a small smile. My aunt Sofia was one of my most loyal parishioners. She’d started coming to my church every Sunday in a show of support and never missed a day. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or if she doesn’t know you, she’ll swat your ear.”
“He’s not lying,” I piped up, a warmth for my aunt spreading in my chest. “She’s more likely to drag you to church, though.”
Ric gave me a long look and smiled, nodding. “That’s true.”
Elio walked over to me and held out his hand, and I didn’t want to be rude, so I reached for it and shook with him. His palm was smooth, a sign of a man who didn’t do much of his own dirty work. Even though he looked like his father and the rest of the Follieros, with his dark hair and blue eyes, he was too soft for this business. “Elio.”
While we hadn’t officially met, I knew him. Right after Jericho broke up with Toma three years ago, Toma and Elio had... relations. It didn’t end well, what with Toma still being in love with Jericho, and as a result, from what I’d heard, he’d torn Elio’s heart in half. It made sense that Toma wasn’t here, then.
“Father Sabbatini.”
Ric rolled his eyes. “Call him Gian.”
I glared at Ric after Elio and I parted. Elio walked over to the right side of Sloan, his second-in-command, Matteo, following him. Shaking my head once the bosses were in conversations of their own, I sidled up closer to Ric.
“It seems you’re busy, so I’ll see myself out, but I want to talk about what happened, Ric.” I went to leave, but he grabbed my arm, his hold tight and commanding. I froze and glanced from the hand that held me captive to his face, studying the tightness in his expression. It wasn’t often Ric showed annoyance, and him appearing like this meant he wasveryirritated about something. I had a feeling it wasn’t me, though.
“I want you to stay for this meeting.”
The room went quiet; the bosses and their men were listening now. “What? I am not in the family business anymore. I will not be involved—”
“You will—” He leaned closer. “—if you want Phoenix to stay alive and kicking.”
I tensed, anger exploding inside my gut to the point that I stepped forward, tempted to smash him in the face, but I stopped.
Ric grinned as if he knew exactly what I wanted to do. “Having a partner is a risk you chose to take, Gian. Now reap the consequences.”
I gritted my teeth hard, my hands curling at my sides.
He shook his head. “I need a second-in-charge here with me. Domenic is in California sorting out business, and Toma.... Well, you know why he’s not allowed in this room.” His gaze slid to Elio, who frowned at us, but Ric spoke too softly for him to hear.
I laughed. “We have plenty of relatives to choose from. Last I remember, you have five brothers, other than Toma.”
“Four and a half,” Ric said dryly, and I winced at his mockery of Paolo, his youngest brother. Paolo was a bastard child, an indiscretion from my uncle. He’d never been treated equally by his siblings, even though Aunt Sofia welcomed him like another son.
“What about Santino?” I asked, referring to his brother who was the same age as me.
He shrugged. “Off fucking his latest woman. You don’t get a choice in this.”
“Ric, if you think—”
“If you stay, I will make sure the Lords don’t come anywhere near your church again without warning you first,” he interrupted, and it gave me reason to pause. He smirked. “I’ll be doing a lot more business with them in the future.”
“And you’ll stop threatening Phoenix?” I asked, raising my chin. “Because I won’t have you constantly belittling him and blackmailing me with his life, Ric.”
His expression turned thoughtful, and he pursed his lips before he nodded. “As long as he stays far from our business, you have a deal, cousin. No more blackmailing you about his life.”
I sighed and nodded in the direction of the couch. Ric smiled, and my chest squeezed as we made our way over to take our seats. I’d left this behind, and here I was again, sitting in a room full of murderers and sinners. But I’d been that person once, hadn’t I? I’d repented, but I couldn’t see any of these men doing the same.
