Page 24 of Love & Power

Bert: Truly that’s all this is. If I wanted to keep this a secret, I wouldn’t have hopped on with Mr. Boykov. It took all the skill I had to convince him not to call her right away and ruin my whole surprise. Who knows, he might still, he’s not known for being fun.

Liu: Fine I won’t bring it up, but if she asks, I won’t lie.

Bert: Thank you, Liu, I know it’s asking a lot, but I appreciate it. If the plan gets spoiled then so be it. I won’t ask you to compromise your relationship for my silly needs.

The whole interaction made me smile. How many people could count themselves so lucky to have a friend this thoughtful and willing to respect a boyfriend’s boundaries even if it might ruin the surprise. As for Liu, that man earned himself a night with me all to himself and the title of being the favorite.

“So I’m guessing from the happy smile that Domenico isn’t planning on double-crossing you?” Luca questioned.

“Actually, I’m not sure if he planned to, but I know for a fact he isn’t now,” I said, handing Liu back his phone. “The second she heard my concerns, Ivy called Dom and threatened to make him a new pair of heels.”

The guys all flinched, grimacing at the mental image.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’d risk that fate when a woman like Ivy makes the threat,” Ryker commented, shivering at the thought.

“I’m guessing she didn’t wait for an answer. Which is why you don’t know one way or the other if it was true,” Luca concluded.

“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner,” I cheered, feeling my panic dissipating. “Holy shit, that was a reality check. Fuck, how did that not cross my mind even to consider? Gramps, you weren’t kidding when you said this fight was going to take everything I’ve got to stay ahead.”

Frediano chuckled. “It’s age and experience, my girl. Don’t beat yourself up. There is a lot left for you to learn that can’t be taught. Some things you have to experience firsthand. I know your father was supposed to have you learning alongside him, but life took you down a different path. It would be my honor if you’d accept me as your adviser, allowing me to share my knowledge and experiences to help you avoid such situations in the future.”

It felt odd to tell him no when I didn’t have a good reason not to accept, but the part of me that still mourned my father didn’t want him replaced.

“Can I think on that?” I requested. “Today has been full of surprises, and I think it would be smart to take some time.”

“Of course, there is no pressure to accept either, Astin. However, I just want to make it clear that while your father and I had our differences, there was always one thing we could agree on…” Frediano paused for a moment and cleared his throat as emotions rose to the surface, “… that, my dear girl, was how proud we were of you and the woman you’ve become. We both put you through hell by keeping you isolated, forcing brutal training on you, and putting our need for revenge on your shoulders. A lesser person would have cracked under the pressure, but like a diamond, it made you stronger.”

There were no words I could grasp to respond to that confession. I teetered on the brink of tears, overwhelmed by the words I’ve been longing to hear for a long time. Yet I could feel Darkness stirring, reminding me that words were just words. If Frediano truly felt this way, then I would wait to see if his actions reflected his sentiment.

“Thank you for saying that,” I murmured, reaching out to run my fingers through Braxton’s hair, using the action to soothe my emotions. “Once I’ve had time to mentally adjust to the reality of being the new head of the Raffa Family and see how things are run here, I’ll consider your request to be an adviser.”

“I know we still have a lot of trust to build between us, Astin, but it was made glaringly obvious to me that you are all I have left that means anything in this world. Take all the time you need,” Frediano reassured me as he stood. “I’m at your disposal day or night, just say the word.”

Nodding, I dropped my gaze to focus on Braxton as he tilted his head back to look at me and smiled. There was something infectious about Braxton’s smile—it was mischievous, and you couldn’t help but smile back.

“Ah, yes,” Frediano called, pausing at the door. “If you would like to join me for dinner, I usually eat at five thirty. Just let Gemma or Beatrice know one way or the other so enough food is prepared. Otherwise, there is a slightly bigger town twenty minutes away that I believe has a few restaurants and a bar. My one request should you go out is to keep in mind that the longer we can keep your presence here quiet, the better it is for us all.”

eleven

There was no question we were going out.

Astin had been put through the wringer today by her damn grandpa, and I felt they needed a little space. I waited until I was sure he had left the room before twisting around to face my Mistress with a grin.

“As your lieutenant charged with managing your nightlife businesses, I feel it would be to our benefit to check out what the locals in Nepreea enjoy for a night out,” I suggested, taking her hand and tracing the lines of her palm. “Who knows what we could stumble upon? Maybe we can have our fortunes read, and they will tell us how to bring down two of the biggest crime families.”

She raised a brow at that, trying to keep a straight face.

“Hey, I’m only trying to help,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender. “If you want to hang out here with its warm, inviting atmosphere and super comfy couches, then that’s what we’ll do. All I’m saying is if you’re tired of the old and want a little fun to blow off steam, I can make that happen.”

Jace rose and walked behind the couch to rest his hands on Astin’s shoulders. “He’s right, babe. I think we should go out. People around here are loyal to the old man, and if they know that’s where we came from, I doubt we’ll have any trouble.”

The moment she let out a moan, I knew he was using those magic fingers to soften her up to the idea. None of us appreciated how things went down at breakfast, and it took both Jace and Luca to hold back Ryker from going after Astin. Liu was right, though—those two needed to figure shit out between themselves, but it didn’t mean I had to like it.

Astin’s gramps, as she called him, went from hot to cold in seconds, which made it really fucking hard to know how he’d react to anything. How he’d let a man like Renato dig his claws into him made no sense. It was clear as day to me that asshole was only as invested in the relationship for as much as he could get out of it. I should know—I’d been that leech, taking all I could get before moving on to the next sucker.

Until Jace came into the picture.

That sexy bastard clocked me and my games from the moment I decided he was my next target. Three years together and that man had reformed me, loved me, and showed me there was far more value in a relationship than monetary benefits. Now, not only did I have a man who I loved and absolutely didn’t deserve, but a woman who filled in all the missing pieces of my soul. If it weren’t for Jace picking me all those years ago, I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be alive now. People like Renato become hooked on the perks. Junkies, if you will, always needing more until you cross the wrong person, and instead of dumping your ass, they’ll kill you.