Like a duckling, Blair trailed me as I searched the cathedral for my father and Benny. I found them on the other side, having an in-depth conversation with New York City’s mayor. Same as me, they both wore black suits with black ties.
It didn’t surprise me that my mother wasn’t here. My father hated her attending events that could put her in danger. Political gatherings were always risky.
When Benny glanced up, seeing us, he signaled for me to come over. They walked away from the mayor moments before we reached them.
“Who’s this?” my father asked, his cold stare fixed on Blair.
I hadn’t given them a heads-up that I was bringing her with me, for this very reason. He’d warned me not to.
Blair scooted closer to me, as if I was suddenly her protector.
That’s right, sweet Fawn.
See me as that.
See me as all you have.
Because then it’ll prove just how much I own you.
I didn’t blame her. My father was fucking terrifying.
It was why I admired him so much.
His name instilled fear in people.
Even looking at him made them cower.
Benny carried that same stature, and when people looked at me when I entered the cathedral, I felt it too. The Marchettis were feared, no matter what age bracket you were in.
“Blair,” I answered, offering no further explanation.
I wouldn’t with Blair present or in public.
He nodded, but the displeasure was clear on his face.
Heat crept onto Blair’s cheeks as she started to raise her hand to shake my father’s, but quickly caught on that it wasn’t a goodidea. Her arm collapsed to her side as my father looked away from her. He left us and walked toward the New York governor, pulling him into the conversation that needed to be had.
We were trying to make a deal here.
Word was, the new city sheriff wanted to make trouble for us.
That meant the sheriff would be dead soon, and we needed to make sure no trace of evidence led back to us.
Benny, having some kind of fucking manners, nodded at Blair.
She tipped her head toward him timidly, bowing almost.
I led us to the end of the back pew. We sat there silently as I took in my surroundings. Brooks and Adelina stood at the nave of the cathedral with their parents, speaking to the senator and his wife.
Nothing in Brooks’s demeanor suggested that he was responsible for Hedgeford lying cold inside that casket. Well, what was left of him.
Unfortunately, the family had chosen a closed casket. I’d already texted Brooks to ask because I wanted to see what they’d managed to do with the body. It turned out that piecing him back together had been too gruesome for public viewing.
I couldn’t stop myself from smirking as I remembered the night we’d planted the bomb under the current corpse’s car. While I usually preferred to stay and watch my work in action, we couldn’t be caught in that area.
It seemed we hadn’t been careful enough. Being caught on camera was embarrassing, and I’d never let it happen again. It wasn’t only the Sons at risk if we were caught. My family was also on the line.
My gaze drifted to Adelina and the First Lady. Adelina hugged the senator’s wife, who was weeping uncontrollably.
