“But it won’t be you,” I say confidently.
We stare at each other for a while, not looking away, just assessing the other’s next move. I have several thoughts, but I don’t act on them.
I want more answers.
“Why?”
“You already asked that.”
“And you gave me bullshit. The money might have been there for the taking in your mind, but it wasn’t always. If that was the case, that it was easy, why involve anyone else? Why start before you gained closer access to this club’s money? Why bring in Carl of all people? You knew we’d suspect him.”
He shrugs as if the answer is obvious. “He was easy to manipulate. And if you suspected him, then you would be quick to pull the trigger and end this.”
“Vinny knew he was just a pawn.”
Dante snorts. “Yeah, andperfectVinny never gets shit wrong, right? Nothing ever passes by him?” He snorts again, this time with a smile.
“I’m assuming you’re the one who got past him, huh?”
“Obviously.”
“Tell me. You want to gloat, so tell me. How did Dante, a twice-removed cousin, get something past the almighty don of the syndicate?” I intentionally gloat about my brother, knowing Dante better than he thinks. He hates whensomeone thinks they’re better than him. His natural flaw. Just like mine was to trust someone who shared my blood.
“Twice removed. Ha. What a joke. Better call it what it is—a bastard child who no one wanted. But because thisfamigliais old-fashioned enough not to let their bloodline go, they welcomed me into the fold. After I proved myself, of course.”
“Of course.” I dip my head in agreement. We might come from old traditions and be ruled by some out-of-date ideologies, but we still don’t let just anyone in who’s claiming to be part of us. We have rules in place. Tests to confirm a person is who they say they are. We even run background checks.
“It was easier to cover a lot of shit up when I was young. Helped that the asshole who fucked my mother never wanted it to get out. He was a faceless john till I tracked him down after some interesting DNA results. Turns out I’m not just a Leone. I’m also a Maranzetti.”
Shit.
The Maranzettis went after Dad when he first tried to bring everyone under one leader. They took him out. It was in the middle of the shit going down with Milly, and when she left, we thought they’d killed her too. But with the help of Carl, oddly enough, we wiped out the entire family.
Or so we thought.
“So that’s what this is about? Trying to get your family back?” Because he’s no longer part of mine.
“I actually don’t give a fuck about either group. I just want what’s owed to me.”
“Owed?”
“If one of them had just fucking claimed me instead of putting me up for adoption, I’d be where you are by now. Higher, actually. I’d have the money, the territory. No one questioning my name. Not making the same mistakes. Not fucking up in Russia like you did.”
Ouch. The guy knows where to stab with his words. But too bad for him, I already learned how to accept my past. Mistakes and all.
Last night, along with learning about what happened with Payton and the other shit Danny found, I realized I was happy. I was truly happy. I was in love. A love I never saw coming but fully supported. Till I fucked it up.
I regret nothing that happened. I have to let her go, though. I can’t keep her. Her family stole from us. There has to be a punishment in there for that. But because of what we had, I learned to accept what happened in Russia for what it was: a wake-up call to get to her. To have her in my life. To eventually lead me here and find out who Dante really is.
Everything has a reason, apparently. Russia, Payton… even this.
“I get why you’re pissed at my family. I even understand that you think you’d be running the city by now.” I take a moment to stare at him with a smirk of my own. “You wouldn’t. You’d fail miserably at it, actually. You can’t see past your own greed. To run an empire, you need to see others for what they are. Help where you can. Crush when you have to. It’s not about how far you can build yourself, but how you can build others to lift you up.”
He rolls his eyes, proving my point without saying anything.
“Why bring Payton into this?”
He looks away.
