Who am I kidding? Itdidwork. I fell for it. I fell for the lie.
I want to believe a part of it isn’t true, but I saw the tape. She took the money. She looked at our books. They’re coded, but if her family really worked for us the way Danny says, she might know our system. A system built on secrets. She could have figured it out. She could have planned to take us all down.
We don’t keep everything in the books, but we keep more in them than in digital files. Files can be hacked. Books are locked away. We only keep a little in them, so only one family member can be compromised if the worst happens. But she had mine. And she might have had Bobby’s if the courts took evidence from her, if she has any, or whatever her parents gave her or told her. They could have figured it all out and implicated the entire family.
The police, those not on our payroll, have already figured that out, but it would be the proof they need to finally lock us away. And without a Leone at the helm, the syndicate would crumble till a new power rose. Maybe from within, or maybe an enemy. But it wouldn’t be one of us on top. A seat that’s been our family’s for years. We might have just taken on a large section with Vinny in charge, but it would fall. Crumble to ash. Our legacy along with it.
Our family worked hard to get where we are today. We started as nothing and worked our way up. We earned the right to have a seat at the table. Became one of the four families to take on the city under Granddad. Dad held it up, and Vinny took it on when he fell. But then Vinny took on more, taking the other families under his wing till onlyourfamily was ruling everyone. It took time and determination, dedication and trust. We treat people fairly and rule others with fear. But we never betray someone.
We don’t kill for the joy of it or just to increase our reputation. Everything is calculated. And it could all fall because I got stupid for a pretty dancer.
I pour myself another drink and down it in one gulp. I’ve been standing by the bar since Danny escorted Payton out of the room. That was well over an hour ago. I’ve had one drink after another, thinking each one will be the last. But then I think about all that’s happened and figure the numbness is better than the pain in my chest. A pain centered in my heart. As if it’s breaking.
I knew I felt something for her. That it happened quickly. That I might have forced the feeling more than anything. But I still never thought I would have a broken heart.
I also never thought this was going to happen. That the girl I finally care for, who I bring inside and introduce to my family for more than appearance’s sake, is the same one my family says is a traitor.
One last pour, a double this time, and I leave the bar behind to take a seat in one of the wingback chairs, sinking in as I lower my elbows to my knees and look at the floor with the glass between my hands.
“Do we really think she’s the mastermind behind all of this?” I look up at my brothers. Men I respect more than anything. Dad died when I was young, and each of them became more than just a brother. They stepped in and protected me while teaching me to become a man. I trust them and their opinions. But I still question this.
“When did Carl start stealing from the club? Noticeable, I mean. Not just the one-offs but the big numbers we could actually track.” I continue. “January? She didn’t even get hired till late February, early March.” I shake my head. It doesn’t make sense, not when broken down.
“So?” Danny says, drawing my attention as he shrugs and sits on the small desk we have in the corner. Vinny calls it a writer’s desk, apparently used by someone famous once. It just looks like a small table to me, but Vinny was all about the class of it, and apparently he bought it simply to make sure those who wanted it couldn’t have it. “She started on the outside and came in to help get more when that wasn’t enough.”
“Or—” Bobby unbuttons his jacket before he sits on the couch opposite me. “—she just saw an opportunity and took it. She has an enormous debt to pay off. People do desperate things when that much money is on the line.”
“But she knew that money was going to come to me,” I reply. “That we were working it out together.”
“How?” Vinny asks with a tilt of his head. He doesn’t sit, remaining standing and keeping in charge of the entire scene. “With sex? Were you trading sex for money, little brother?”
There’s a harsh tone on the wordlittle. We all might have our sanity questioned, as well as our reputation, but none of us are okay with a forced woman. We’ve seen too many issues in thefamigliaand outside of it to be okay with it. Especially with what happened to Milly’s friend and how my sister became a mom. We deal with that quicker than anything else—a single bullet and no questions asked, like it was done with Carl. Right now, my brother is trying to determine if he needs to do the same with me.
“No.” I rub my face hard enough to feel the burn after I let my hands fall to my sides. “The sex just happened. She was going to dance in the private rooms. She pulls in a lot of money with her flying, and there’s always at least half a dozen guys asking for a private room with her.”
“Why hasn’t she already been doing that?” Bobby asks with a glint in his eye. One I glare at as I answer.
“She can’t dance. Or she couldn’t. I told her to get lessons.”
“Lessons… right.” Bobby’s smile makes me grit my teeth.
“It’s true.”
“Right… and your slight obsession with her had nothing to do with you turning down potential income.” This from Danny. Seems everyone figured out how I felt without meeven having to say anything. I’m sure Danny had help, though. His team tells him everything. I know I pulled more men in to watch us, and my routine changed. Which would have been shared with Danny as soon as it happened.
“Doesn’t matter anymore now, does it?” I mumble into my glass as I take a small sip, choosing to savor this last one.
“You’re really going to sit there and tell me you didn’t fall for the girl, that you were okay with having her rub her sweet little body over some random guy to get money she owed thefamiglia?” Vinny raises an eyebrow, and I shake my head as I look away.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? I’m only stating the obvious. You might have had that thought at the beginning, but we all know you weren’t going to follow through. At the most, she would have danced, but only for you. And that means you were just paying yourself.”
“So? If we get the money—from me or another client—it’s still money to thefamiglia.”
“Little brother…,” Bobby says with a shake of his head, the other two joining him.
Fuck. They all know how screwed I am.
