She spins, laughing, then frowns. “You’re sure I’m not needed for the meeting? I can take notes.”
I grin at her innocence, at how blissfully unaware she is of the bloodline she’s just walked into. “No, Little Dove. Relax. Explore.”
Her shoulders drop with relief, her smile returning as she studies the view.
Toni stands the moment I enter the courtyard.
Men circle a large round table, hunched over battered playing cards, their fingers stained yellow from too many cigarettes. They glance up as I step inside, quick, assessing looks, the kind you give a stranger who might be a threat.
Anthony stays at the gate, eyes fixed outward on the street, hand close to his jacket in case things turn.
Toni smiles wide, like I’m the long-lost relative he’s been aching to see. I know better. His smiles are currency—given, spent, or withdrawn depending on what he wants.
“Warren,” he says, voice warm and booming. “It’s been too long.”
He pulls me into a hug, slapping my back twice. Men pretending affection, masking suspicion.
“Uncle Toni,” I greet, watching a few of the card players exchange looks at the worduncle.
His arm drapes around my shoulder as he turns us toward the table, rolling with my subtle announcement. “Meet my eldest nephew—Warren.”A few nods. A couple of narrowed eyes. They all file away the information, committing my face to memory.
Toni guides me through an archway into a small stone building off the courtyard. The kitchen looks older than thetown itself, thick stone walls, cramped space, and an ancient aga radiating enough heat to choke the room.
I loosen my collar. He gestures to a wooden chair. I take it. He folds himself into the seat opposite, smile fading like a light switched off.
“What brings you here, nipote?”
“Business,” I say, not blinking.
“You told me my brother doesn’t know you’re here?” he asks. I shake my head. “Why?”
“Things are…strained,” I say, keeping my voice even. “I don’t think he’s fit to run Baxter Corporation much longer. But to overpower him, I need you.”
A smirk ghosts across his lips. “And what makes you think I’d deal with a man who goes behind his father’s back?”
“You and I are the same,” I say calmly, locking eyes with him. “We both like to win. We both prefer our operations quiet. My father doesn’t. His business is bleeding into the real world, spilling where it doesn’t belong. And I’m done cleaning up behind him. The best solution is to cut him loose.”
Toni leans closer, his elbows on the table, and his gaze sharp as a blade. “What sort of business are we talking about?” he asks.
“The old route,” I say. His eyes flash with surprise. “The one you and my father built together,” I continue. “The one that made the Baxter name what it is. Italy to the UK. Boats to trucks. Clean on the surface. Untouchable underneath.”
Toni sits back like I’ve hit him with a memory he wasn’t prepared for. “That route is dead,” he mutters. “Your father killed it.”
“No,” I say. “He killed it because he couldn’t run it without you. He got sloppy. Got greedy. Started pushing product through the wrong channels and put a target on our entire operation.” His jaw tics. “I’m not my father,” I add.
A slow smirk curves Toni’s lips. He’s hooked. He tries to hide it but fails. “You want to resurrect the route,” he says. “Without him.”
“Yes,” I answer. “But I can’t do it without you. You know every harbour, every captain, every customs officer who still owes you a favour. And I know every warehouse, every route, every contact in the UK that will run forme, not my father.”
Silence stretches. He drums his fingers on the old wooden table.
“If we bring it back,” he says, “we control both ends of the empire.”
“We rebuild it,” I correct, “with us at the helm. No more bleeding into the public eye. No more messy alliances. No more of my father risking everything because he refuses to step down.”
Toni studies me, the heat of the aga beating against both of us. “Why now?”
I keep my expression even. “Property is my passion. I want to expand, go out on my own. To do that, I need a steady flow from the other side, I can’t get that only dealing in the UK.”
