“Do you now?” Mr. Bianchi asks.
“Yes,” January says, her voice gaining in strength. “And it would be my pleasure to restore La Vita è Bella and make it a place where the Italian community could visit regularly again. Also, you’re going to get billions from Mr. Parker so it shouldn’t matter to you. And you owe me.”
A new crease appears on Bianchi’s already wrinkled brow and my heart starts going double time. I know how much the old hotel means to Eli, how it’s a cornerstone of the old New York Italian community, but Bianchi’s been crowing about owning the place for years. He’ll never give it to January; he might even get pissed and—
“Fine.” Mr. Bianchi says airily. “You want the place, it’s yours.”
Eli’s jaw hits the table.
“Really?” January asks suspiciously. “You’ll put it in writing?”
“As soon as I get back to my office,” Bianchi says, hand to his heart again. “Is there anything else, my young beauty?”
“Ummm?” January’s gaze flicks to the four of us. We stare back at her, totally useless. Eli might be having a brain hemorrhage.
“No. That’s all,” January says. “Um, thank you?”
“Of course.” Bianchi claps his hands together and stands, his bodyguards pulling in closer. Automatically, we get to our feet too.
“You’re going?” Eli asks, in a daze.
“I see no reason to stay. My men will continue removing everything owed to me—and Velvet House,” he adds with a small nod to January. “We’ll meet in two days’ time at my tower?”
“Okay,” January says. “But I want updates about Emilia today.”
Again, I freeze, waiting for repercussions. She can’t talk to the head of a major crime family like this, he’ll—
“Of course,” Bianchi says with a wide smile. “Would you like us to arrange a car for you?”
January looks to Eli who shakes his head. “We’ve called our team.”
“On that note, I’ll leave you young people to it. Remember, we’ve seized this property but believe us when we say I don’t care about a thing that’s left here.” He holds out a hand to January who puts her small white one in his.
“Thank you,” she says, gracing him with a small smile as he seems genuinely delighted. He shuffles out of the room, just a little old man with two bodyguards who could snap his neck without blinking.
Doc gives a long, low whistle. “Tesorina, you bad bitch.”
January doesn’t smile. She’s still watching the door as though Bianchi’s going to pop back in and say,Just kidding, Emilia dies!“I don’t trust him.”
“Then trust me.” Doc takes her chin and turns her face to him. “I’ve never seen anything hotter than you bossing around that old prick. I think I have a new kink. I want you to sit me down and demand I give you an old fuckin’ hotel.”
January looks away. “This isn’t the time for jokes.”
“How do you feel about leather and like…some kind of dog collar with spikes on it? Not for you, for me?”
“Domenico,” Eli warns, rubbing a shaky hand over his face. “Leave our wife alone.”
“No.” Doc takes a step back, shoving both fists under his chin and blinking at January like a bashful cat. “Come on, sexy mama. I’ve been a bad mafioso and I need to be put in my place. Tell me how much your low-life boyfriends are entitled to. Make me bleed.”
January’s furious expression melts and she smiles a wide beautiful smile. “You’re impossible.”
Doc beams back at her. “Just improbable.”
He wraps his arms around her, and I watch them make out with a mix of exasperation and growing horniness. The adrenaline that’s flooded my body a billion times wants somewhere to go and that place appears to be my dick.
“Where’s Gretzky and the chopper?” Adriano asks.
Eli walks behind the counter of the corner bar and starts pulling open drawers. “Around. I’ll call him to get us soon, but I want about five minutes to process not being dead, January not being dead, Parker actually being dead and…La Vita è Bella.” His face contracts and he hangs his head, shoulders shaking.
