“I had my reasons to be concerned about her houseguest. You all know why.”
He eyed the bandage on my forehead. “A ballet dancer with excellent aim. Perfect for you. Yes, I can understand your initial concern about her, but I know from being with Catherine that sometimes coincidences do exist.”
“Does this have a point with regard to Russo?” I was shocked to hear Montgomery make the suggestion. He was going soft and that wasn’t a good thing for our family’s security.
Alexander nodded. “It does. Anna went to college with Emme. They’ve known each other for years. You already know she’s a dancer and is confirmed with the New Orleans Ballet as a new principal dancer. The street you mentioned where she was trying to go when you met her yesterday morning is where the practice studio is located. Don’t fixate on what you believe to be an issue.You should ask your Capo about Italians. They’re not all our enemies. This situation must be handled methodically.”
“What if she isn’t who she purports herself to be?”
“I suggest you discover the truth, but not in the way you’re thinking. If the Russos are intentional about destroying our alliance, making any attempts at derailing even a small piece of our business, we’ll handle it. Torching your relationship with your sister in the process isn’t good for anyone. Especially you.”
“I’ll have Donatello run a full dossier on Anna Scavo.” I nodded toward my Capo.
“No, you will not. If you want answers to your questions about the ballet dancer, you’ll need to find out the old-fashioned way. Get to know her. Allow your instincts to guide you instead of your insistence that our enemies are out there every step of the way.”
Sinclair choked on purpose. “Is Catherine handling you again?”
Alexander took a deep breath. “Catherine is smarter than all of us put together. Besides, if Anna is here under false pretenses, we will discover the truth. I doubt she’s a Cosa Nostra agent.”
“Good idea,” Sinclair added. “And think about it. Maybe our baby brother will finally begin to settle down.”
“Hilarious. All of you,” I growled, hating aspects of my life and the world I’d been born into.
I’d grown up around a father who’d refused to allow anyone to disrespect a family member in front of anyone, especially our soldiers. Yes, the organization was entirely different with Alexander leading. He was more personable at first, allowing for a more jovial operation than our father would ever have allowed.
Given at times we’d all been the butt of each other’s jokes, harmless in variety, I’d gone along with the flow. This was personal and I hated it.
Especially when my Capo was doing everything to keep from laughing. Yeah, I’d told him what had gone down when he’d dropped Zorro off.
“He’s already gotten the dog. He’s ready for a big family now.” Montgomery was enjoying himself.
I’d be damned if the boys weren’t going to continue with this. I glanced at Donatello, baring my teeth. There was no one else who could have mentioned my affinity for the pup but my second-in-command.
“Good. Then it’s settled.” Alexander returned to his desk, sitting down and propping his feet up. “In the meantime, make amends with our sister.”
“If she’ll allow it,” I threw back. Emme was her own woman now, something she’d reminded me of dozens of times over the last two years. Our father’s death had been difficult for her. She’d been Daddy’s little princess.
“What about Carmine?” Sinclair asked.
Alexander adjusted his cuffs. “I’ll schedule a lunch with the man. If he comes willingly, we’ll know Sergio is acting on his own. At this point we’ll kill two birds with one stone so to speak.”
“There’s one small problem with your suggestion,” I had to admit.
“What’s that?”
“The woman hates me much more than our sister does. I doubt the lovely ballerina will ever talk to me again.”
The room grew quiet.
Alexander drummed his fingers on the desk. For all the kidding, when an order was given, people were to act on it accordingly. Without any pushback. The smile he’d been wearing slowly faded. “Then I suggest you don’t waste any time. If the ballet dancer is here under false pretenses, I need to know immediately. If not, then perhaps you’ve finally met your match with a woman. Think of it this way. Our mother will be happy.”
CHAPTER 15
Anna
“Why are all men assholes?”
A better question was why could I not get the man off my mind? Maybe two reasons and I didn’t like either of them. One was that every time I moved, I was reminded of the harsh round of discipline. The other was that I’d spent the night with my pussy throbbing, unable to stop thinking about either the orgasm or the promise he’d stated as if signing a contract in blood.
