Page 49 of Mafia Darling

“You’ll work with him until you get up to speed, then relieve him.”

“Why?”

I smothered the urge to sigh. I didn’t like explaining myself, but he was my son. “Because it’s time you took a larger role, more than just working with Gratteri. And it’s too much for Marco to handle security alone with his duties as consigliere.”

“I would like to see my family every now and again,” Marco put in.

“But!” I pointed at my son. “No more excessive drinking, no more weed. No more sitting outside Paulo’s house. From now on, you work with me and Marco on finding out how Enzo was able to get his hands on my woman as well as thirty million of my Euros.”

“You suspect someone who works for us?”

“I suspect everyone,” I said. “I want you to start with Benito, Vic, and some of the younger crew. Get close to them, see if you can get them to talk. In the meantime, we’ll look at their families and expenditures. Anything that seems out of the ordinary.”

“As well, we need to lean on Enzo,” Marco said. “I suspect Mommo is involved somehow. Why else would he come and plead Enzo’s case?”

Giulio’s eyebrows climbed toward the ceiling. “Minchia! Anything else?”

“Yes, the GDF,” I said dryly. “It’s time you learn what being the don means. You’ll sit in this chair one day.”

His frown deepened. “I don’t like to think about that.”

“Not one of us escapes our destiny.” I leaned forward and rested my forearms on the desk. He was going to like this news even less. “You should know that I’ve sent Paulo away.”

His face lost all its color. “Did you . . . ?” He swallowed. “No, please. Please tell me you did not have him killed. I will do anything, just do not hurt him. I will not survive it.”

“He is alive and unharmed, but he is no longer in Siderno.” Paulo had boarded a flight for Belgium an hour ago. He would work for the ’ndrina there.

Giulio sucked in a sharp breath. “Where?”

“I’m not telling you.” Giulio’s eyes began to fill, his expression one of both profound relief and utter devastation. I added, “You have Francesca to thank for that. She begged me to send him away.”

“You were going to have him killed.”

I didn’t answer. We both knew it was the truth. “I plan on inviting potential wives to dinner and you will consider one. But we’ll wait until things calm down first.”

“You’re giving me time?”

“A little, yes. We have enough happening right now. This doesn’t mean I have changed my mind about your need for marriage, however.”

He sat forward and buried his face in his hands, saying nothing, and my stomach ached. I didn’t like making Giulio miserable but what choice did I have? I wouldn’t risk his life, his future, by letting him come out as openly gay.

“It won’t be so terrible,” I promised. “You’ll forget about this boy and soon settle down with a nice girl who will give you babies.”

Giulio’s shoulders hunched. “Right. Not so terrible,” he mumbled into his palms. “I can’t wait. Is that all?”

“Yes. Go and see Zia, get an espresso.”

He pushed out of the chair and moved slowly toward the door, his spine curved as if crushed under the weight of his unhappiness. It tore at my heart.

“Wait.” I followed until we were face to face, except he stared at the wall. So I cupped his jaw and made him look at me. “I love you. You’re a good son and you will make a great don one day.” I kissed both his cheeks. “Chi si volta, e chi si gira, sempre a casa va finire.”

An old Italian proverb, it meant no matter where you go or where you turn, you will always end up at home.

“Especially true for me because there is no escape,” he said before disappearing into the corridor.

When I didn’t move, Marco said, “You have no choice, Rav, and the work will take his mind off the boy.” Then Marco’s mouth hitched, like when we were young and gave each other shit all the time. I knew what was coming. He said, “You let her talk you out of eliminating Paulo. That must have been some negotiation.”

Yes, it had been. My eyes drifted to the couch. It felt amazing to fuck her again after so long, but she hadn’t given me everything. I was a selfish man when it came to Francesca. I wanted her, body and soul.

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