“I feel…like the next round has just begun.”
He laughed. Everything was always a joke to him, even seven years later.
“Where’s Vinny?”
“The board of investors demanded a meeting that couldn’t be rescheduled.”
He waved one of the two Iannelli guards forward to grab my duffel bag and shoulder it. I let it go, my jaw tightening. Years of letters hid beneath a blanket, a razor, and my old suit. I hadn’t had the heart to get rid of them. I should have.
“It’s good to see you again, boss,” one guard said. It took me a moment to match the voice to the face. My eyes widened when I realized who it was.
“You’ve grown up.”
Ricco Nerin wasn’t so lanky anymore. His shoulders and build had filled out, transforming that weak kid I knew into a decently imposing young man. His face had lengthened a little. His features were sharper, almost severe, even though his golden eyes remained kind. His responding half smile, however, demonstrated some restraint and maturity he previously lacked.
“Here’s your new phone, sir,” Ricco said. “Everything’s been programmed and set up already.”
The sleek, ultrathin piece of tech weighed less in my hand than a chunk of hard prison bread. It felt odd to hold one again. Before prison, it had been an extension of myself, an addiction I never went more than a few minutes without. Now, it was as unfamiliar to me as decent food. Uneasy, I pocketed the thing without turning it on.
“How much did my freedom cost us?” I asked Tore, ready to jump back into business and keep busy.
“Why? Would you rather be back inside?” Tore’s brows rose. Side by side, we walked. Bits of gravel on the asphalt crunched underfoot.
“You’ve gotten cockier.”
“You made me step in for you and carry out your demands. What did you expect?”
“Don’t tell me you expect to keep the position.”
“Not for a second. It’s yours. Don, boss,capo di tutti capiis all yours.” Boss of all bosses. He held up his hands and shivered for effect. “I’ve had enough of that shit and responsibility. I’ve enough of that at home. Massimo will make some noise about his demotion though. Better expect it.”
“Like I give a shit. He did decent work, but he was never meant for anything higher than capo. How are the kids?”
“Nuh-uh, nope, you can’t have them.”
I cocked my head. “Didn’t ask. Wouldn’t want them.”
Sevenyears ago, maybe, when I was young and foolish, but not anymore. I had no intention of being a father, not unless I had kids of my own.
He sighed and smiled with a nod. “Good.”
“Don’t tell me you like fatherhood.”
Tore shrugged. “It grew on me. They’re good kids. Notmykids. More like my little brother and sisters, even through the headaches. I’m the fun brother. Lou just celebrated her fourteenth birthday and is getting far too much attention from boys.” We reached the car, Ricco opening the back door for me. “And Boyan, I swear that kid finds trouble on purpose. Thank the saints for Anzy. She handles them better than I ever could.”
I frowned, not recognizing the name. “Anzy?”
“Yeah, Ainsley. You remember her, don’t you?”
At the mention of her name, my eyes flicked to my bag as Ricco placed it in the trunk, without the slightest hesitation or curiosity about its contents. My shoulders loosened. Good, it was best it remained that way. Ainsley was supposed to be a stranger to me. She had to be. No one could ever know any different.
“That woman is something,” Tore continued. Yes, she really was…persistent, hardheaded, obstinate, caring, sweet, beautiful, sexy…I climbed into the SUV, trying to expel that last thought from my brain, as he rounded the car. Too many times, on lonely nights, I’d taken out that photo of her at the beach. “She’s not the kid she used to be when you knew her. You know, she’s on a fast track to a medical degree. Can’t believe you called it seven years ago.”
I kept my smile to myself. It was hard not to be proud of her.
“She and her hacker friend’s help was crucial in getting you out. I know you two had your differences before, and you haven’t had much of a chance to talk”—that he knew of—“but she’s become an asset, just like youpredicted.”
He slammed his door, and I followed. So mypiccola rompiscatolereally managed to do it, just as she planned all those years ago.
