There is much bad blood between my husband and my brother-in-law too. I don’t relish revealing that news. Massimo will not be pleased to discover he’s connected to his rival via marriage now. “I don’t know how to resolve this issue.” I rub a hand along the back of my neck, unknotting the kinks I find there. “My Colombian contact doesn’t have the resources to supply the quantities I need. I can locate other suppliers, but it’ll take time. I don’t see how I can secure a new partner on short notice before supplies dwindle, drawing the attention of Don Mazzone and the others. They still don’t fully trust me, and this won’t go down well when they find out.”
“I have the perfect solution.” Massimo peers into my eyes, drilling down deep, though I’m unsure what he is looking for.
I hold his stare, shielding nothing in my gaze, and I’m curious to hear what he has to suggest.
His chest heaves and his features soften as he says, “Fiero and I have a production plant in Colombia and a shipping hub on Staten Island. Our long-term aim is to become the main supplier to all Italian American families, ending reliance on outsiders for this part of the business.”
My mouth hangs open as I stare at him in shock. “What?” I splutter, sure I must have misheard him.
Pride gleams in his eyes. “Our fathers didn’t believe in us, but we always believed in ourselves. We planned all this as naïve seventeen-year-olds from my bedroom, and everything we have done from the time we left the US has been working toward this goal.”
“Jesus, Massimo. That’s incredible. I had no idea. Even Rinascita doesn’t lead back to you. Dario went digging after we discovered the waterfront property, and he couldn’t find any direct links to you or Maltese, but I’m guessing you own both?” He nods, and I’m so impressed. “However you set it up, you are well hidden.”
“It was the only way to do this. Fiero studied business. I studied IT. Both of us trained with the mercenaries. We wanted to ensure we had all the skills necessary to pull this off.”
“What’s the end goal?”
“To be the most powerful dons in the whole of the US. To control The Commission after Bennett steps down. To truly bring our organization into the twenty-first century. To modernize it and make it a formidable force.”
“Ben has done a lot, but it’s not enough.”
“It’s not, but he has paved the way for us.” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “My father may be dead, but I like to think he will see what I’ve become. I like to think of him burning in the flames of hell regretting the day he turned his back on me. Fiero’s father is refusing to agree to a timeline for when he will succeed him as heir. When we reveal everything, he’ll have no choice but to concede. I can’t wait for Fiero to stick it to his asshole old man.”
“Please make sure I’m there to witness it.”
“Of course,mia amata. You won’t be excluded from anything.” He cocks his head to one side. “I suspect Fiero and I aren’t alone in our goals. Am I right?” His fingers sweep across my cheeks.
“I want to be the first female president of The Commission,” I truthfully reply because there is no holding back now.
“We can rule together. We will be the most powerful couple in the entire US.”
Adrenaline courses through my veins as butterflies swoop into my belly in nervous anticipation, but I’m excited too. I can alter my plans and still come out on top.
If you’d asked me a few months ago if I would ever give up my plans or share my crown, I would have shot you for daring to ask. Now, I can’t think of anything I would like more than reigning with Massimo at my side. But we are a long way from achieving that goal, and there is much depending on it. “Only if we can cover my tracks and rewrite history.”
“We will make this work to our advantage.” He lifts my fingers to his lips. He dots kisses across the back of my hand. “In a way, the Russians have done us a favor. If this hadn’t happened, our goals wouldn’t have aligned. It feels like this is meant to be.”
“Are you always this philosophical?”
“I like to call it romantic.” He nuzzles his face in my neck, and my body instantly comes alive.
“I like it whatever label is applied,” I admit, reluctantly forcing his head up. “But there is more you don’t know, Massimo.” Smothering my fear, I stare him straight in the face, hoping he will still feel the same way about me after I fess up. “I need to tell you everything.”
ChapterThirty-Two
Catarina
Nerves fire at me from all directions, and I gulp over the painful lump in my throat as I summon the courage I require to tell him the truth.
“You’re shaking,” he says in a gentle tone, immediately pulling me into his chest and wrapping his arms around me.
“I’m scared,” I whisper.
“Don’t be.”
Lifting my head, I swim in his gorgeous forest-green eyes. “I’m scared you won’t want anything to do with me when you know it all.”
“Mia amata.” He plants a feather-soft kiss on my lips. “I know you have lied to me about who you are. Like I know you didn’t partner with the Russians for no reason. I know you came to New York with powerful ambitions. I have already accepted these things. The details won’t change how I feel about you.”
