“What has Gino done?” I ask, already knowing my husband has tried to throw a wrench in the works.
“He double-crossed us. He went to Don Greco and told him everything. Maximo called me this morning and insisted I meet him at Greenhaven.” Ben rubs at his temples. “Maximo intends on raising a vote of no confidence in me as president of The Commission.”
“He can’t do that! You haven’t done anything wrong, and you weren’t even around when Carlo was killed. This is ridiculous.”
“It is, but it all comes down to honor. The way he will paint it is the Mazzone heir took out the Greco heir in a cold calculated act that is against our code. There was no honor in the way Carlo died.” Ben glances at Leo, and there is no denying the pride on his face. “He demands repayment.”
“Mateo is dead! And Greco killed Juliet. He has already had his retribution, and the price has been paid.”
“In his eyes, I haven’t been punished.” Leo hauls me around to his front. He pulls my back to his chest and snakes his arms around me. I hold on to his strong arms, letting his warmth and comfort soothe the edges of my frayed nerves. Ben nods. “What does he want?”
“For you to marry his eighteen-year-old granddaughter.”
“What?” I splutter.
“It’s that or he will kill you and have me removed from my position with The Commission.”
It’s a shrewd move. Bringing Leo into his family guarantees his loyalty and his silence, and it avoids war. But it’s not happening. Not in my lifetime. “I thought we have Maltese and DiPietro on our side?” I say, repeating what Leo had told me last night when we were talking in bed after copious rounds of hot sex.
“We do, but it’s a tied vote in a situation like this. That means it has to go to a wider vote and our business becomes known among otherfamiglia, and it would discredit me. Discredit you and Leo.”
I wriggle out of Leo’s arms. “This is such bullshit, and I’m fucking done.” My mind whirls as ideas form in my head. “Gino is not getting away with this.” I chew on my lips as I think while my brother and my lover watch me pacing. I lift my head up. “Agree to it for now, and I want extra protection on Leo. Me and the twins too.”
“Already done,” Ben says. “What exactly is your plan?”
I shoot them a wry smile. “Sit down, and I’ll explain.”
* * *
When Gino returnsto New York a week later to attend the meeting with The Commission, I wait patiently outside in the car, ready to accost him as soon as it’s over. I run through my prepared speech in my head again while checking the contents of the file I intend to use when I pay a visit to Don Greco in due course, once this goes down the way I hope it does. Playing them off against one another is risky, and it could backfire if they trade notes, but that’s a risk we are willing to take.
A half hour later, Gino emerges from the building, looking like the cat that got the cream. The Commission has just told him they are ratifying his nomination for don of The Outfit, provided the heads of the other families agree at a meeting that is being convened in Chicago in two weeks. Ben got Maltese and DiPietro to agree to it before the vote, and it’s not like Greco or Gino could argue without showing their hands. They don’t know Ben has brought Maltese and DiPietro into his confidence or that they are in for a rude awakening soon.
Brando opens my car door, and I step out, holding the large white envelope in my hand. “Gino,” I call out.
He lifts his head, startled to see me here. I walk toward him with a scowl, not having to act this part. Brando and Nario flank me. “I need to speak to you.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
Wow. He doesn’t even want to ask after his children, and there are no words for that. I waited until he had returned to Chicago to talk to him over the phone about Caleb. At least he couldn’t inflict physical damage from hundreds of miles away. He blew a gasket. Predictably blamed me. Poo-pooed my counselor proposal—not that I care. I already frog-marched Caleb to a session a few days ago, and I’m keeping a very close eye on him now. Gino hasn’t even called to check on his progress since, and I’m disgusted with him.
His new fiancée is undoubtedly a distraction, which should work in our favor.
“Well, I have plenty I want to say.” I had planned on having this conversation in the car, but I can easily do it out here. I thrust the divorce papers into his chest. “I’m not signing them. Not after the stunt you pulled. Your whore will have to be content with being your bit on the side, not your wife. How long do you think she’ll tolerate that?”
He laughs. “Marcella will be my wife, and she’ll be a far better one than you ever were. You couldn’t even bear me a child. You’re defective in every way.”
Beside me, Brando bristles. I grin. “I had an IUD implanted years ago, you dumb prick. Why the hell would I ever want to have a child with you?”
He raises his hand to hit me, and Nario grabs his wrist. “Touch her, and it’ll be the last thing you ever do,” he snarls.
“Get your hands off me.”
Nario lets him go, grinning savagely as he cracks his knuckles. His reputation is well-known in New York, so Gino knows to give him a wide berth.
“All you had to do was stick to the agreement, but you couldn’t even do that. Now you’ll be the one to suffer.” I prod him in the chest, smirking, because I know it will piss him off. “I will never divorce you, and don’t even think about having me killed. Joshua and Caleb are fully aware of everything that is going on and what you have done. In time, they will probably forgive you. But not if you murder me.” Leaning in, I press a traitorous kiss to his cheek. “Enjoy your whore, Gino, because that is all she will ever be.”
Now that the trap is set, I turn on my heel and leave for my meeting with the PI.
