“What?”
I cut into the short rib. “It’s good.”
Her mouth curves. “That sounded almost surprised.”
“I’ve known you a long time. Surprise felt fair.”
She gives me a look. “I didn’t make it.”
“That explains it,” I say.
Vito’s mouth shifts again, more noticeable this time.
Teresa points her fork at me. “You flew across the country to insult me in my own dining room?”
“I flew across the country because you asked me to,” I say. “The insults are just extra.”
“That’s reassuring,” Teresa says dryly. “I’d hate to think you were getting soft.”
“You don't have to worry about that.” I tell her.
I take another bite, then set the fork down.
“All right,” I say. “Give me the real version.”
The mood in the room dampens a little, but they had to know it was coming.
Teresa’s expression changes first, the warmth still there but dimming just a little. Vito sets down his glass and leans back slightly in his chair.
The easy catching-up part of the night is over.
He gets right to it.
“There was a threat against the family.”
No dramatic lead-in. No careful phrasing. Just the facts.
That I can appreciate.
I nod once. “How specific?”
“Specific enough.”
I wait.
Vito looks at me steadily. “Names weren’t listed one by one, but the meaning was clear. It was directed at my father’s children. Not the business. Not the clubs. Not the casino. His heirs.”
I glance once at Teresa, then back to him.
“How did you receive the threat?
“A written message delivered to one of our businesses.”
A message that close means access. Access means eyes. Eyes mean somebody inside is either compromised, or too stupid to notice that the person standing next to them is.
“You think there's been a leak in your ranks.” It’s a statement, not a question.
“That’s our concern,” Vito says.
