Andrea steps into the doorway, tilting his head to catch Vittoria swaying down the hall. He hooks his thumb. “Do you have a pet play fetish I don’t know about?”
“Do you have something to tell me?” I stare up from the contracts on my desk in need of a signature.
“I’ll ask you the same question.” Ziu’s tenor slips under the weight of his gaze. His walk is a slow stroll, unhurried and calculated. He slides a hand into his two-piece suit, the glimpse of his gold watch the only hint of color in my all-black office.
“Mind telling me what you were doing in Eden?”
I settle into my office chair. “Ensuring there are no additional liabilities.”
His mouth tightens as he spears me with the same look he gave me when I was a boy who stepped out of line. “Eden is not an issue.”
“No? The same club rival organizations attend, including the one that took my family. Renata has no loyalty to anyone except herself and the highest bidder.”
“Careful, niputi,” my uncle says, palms pressed into the edge of my lacquered desk. “You’re stepping out of line.”
“And you’re losing your touch,” I counter.
Renata earned an in-person visit when she stopped taking my calls. History and her familiarity with Ziu don’t grant her immunity from my wrath. She’s a siren who uses the pillows of her lips and her full curves to enchant while men submit control. I’ve tasted the edge of her melody, as my uncle has. I learned years ago about the dangers of falling for a temptress since first entering the lifestyle club Ziu financed to get off the ground. His attachment to her is what keeps a bullet out of her skull. For now.
“Tino went to Eden twice recently.” I inform him about the woman he’s determined to keep safe. “If I find out she’s working with the Preda, I will not hesitate to do what you should’ve decades ago.”
Black curls aged in gray from years raising me catch in the light. Ziu lowers his head. “Sometimes I wish you lived with your nonna and never got involved in this life. Maybe you would be the man your father wanted you to become.”
“I’m who I needed to be.”
My innocence died with my parents thirty-one years ago. When I told my uncle I wanted to make the people responsible for their deaths pay, I did. I took my first life that year, at eleven. Within months, one body became ten. I felt as numb then as Ido now, with an appetite for murder and vengeance that’s waned over the years.
A little.
Ziu sighs, his disappointment at the man he helped create set into his glower. “Just tell me before you make a move next time. I’m too old for another fucking war.”
I stand and adjust my suit. “Keep a tighter leash on Renata. I’ll take care of Tino.”
“Renata is never to be touched. Find another way with Tino. No wars.” My uncle’s tone is final.
Andrea whistles lowly once Ziu leaves. “The Americans have a show calledFamily Feud. You two should set your differences aside. There’s a cash prize.”
“Our differences are our differences,” I say, focused on the contracts still in need of my attention. “Is it set up?”
“My team hacked Eden’s surveillance. I also had additional cameras installed in Renata’s office. We’ll receive alerts when Tino or other Preda members enter. Your uncle will get mad if you move around him.”
“Does it look like I give a fuck?” I lift my head for Andrea to guess the answer. “He’s hiding something.” What, I don’t know. It’s not like him to be so carefree about the Preda getting comfortable at Eden or with a woman he cares more about than he should. “He’s retired, which means staying out of business that no longer involves him.”
“That’s cold,” Andrea says.
“I learned from the best.”
Every operation I’ve set into motion relies on me being ruthless. Ziu taught me pain over mercy, iron above emotions. None of that changes because he did.
“Is Spinneli at the location?” I ask.
“Arrived two minutes ago,” Andrea confirms.
I don’t bother glancing up when I say,“ Take the shot.”
Andrea follows me out of my office.
“You should be less cranky after a fuck.” He checks his watch. “Didn’t last three minutes after that woman with the horse spirit left.”
