Page 38 of His to Break

“Yeah, he’s got some crazy idea about going to Scotland and bagging some Munros.”

“What?”

“There are these big hills all across Scotland. They call them Munros. Fuck knows why. Anyway, people climb them and then brag about how many they’ve done. They call it Munro-bagging or some shit.”

This has come completely out of left field. I’ve never heard Gio mention wanting to do anything like this.

“What does he know about climbing hills, or Scotland, for that matter?”

“Who the fuck knows? He says it’s a lifelong ambition.”

He’s twenty-three, so it’s not as if he’s been harboring this desire for a lifetime. “Is this like when he wanted to go rescue capybaras in Brazil?”

“He was a kid then.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “He’s a fucking kid now.”

Antonio’s shoulders slump. It’s not often I see my older brother looking defeated, but Gio’s dissatisfaction with this life has been wearing on all of us. “What do you want me to do, Leo? Force him to stay in this life? He’s fucking miserable. Says it will be the death of him.”

It’s difficult. Once in this life, people rarely get to leave, especially if they’re as closely tied to it as Gio is. “Would he be safe in Scotland? Who runs things over there?”

“Niamh Donnelly’s a big player. She’s in bed with the Lenkov Bratva and she’s dating Antonio Morganti. Then there’s the Shaws and the Drummonds, but they’re probably too busy killing each other to care what anyone else is doing.” Antonio rubs his chin thoughtfully. “I could reach out to the Morgantis and ask them to watch out for Gio, ask them to put the word out he’s off limits.”

As if that would stop anyone who decides to kill our brother to strike a blow at us. I don’t need to point that out to Antonio because he’s already well aware of the risks.

“He could go incognito. He wants to climb hills, not deal guns on the streets of Edinburgh. If he keeps his head down, nobody needs to know he’s there.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Antonio flips open the lid of his laptop. “I’ll think it over.”

I nod and get up from my seat, understanding I’m being dismissed.

“Tomorrow night, seven-thirty,” I remind him as I leave. His grunt of confirmation tells me he’ll handle it.

As I walk along the corridor, past the administrative assistants who keep the legitimate side of the business running, my cellphone buzzes in my pocket. I take it out and see that it’s Dino calling. Since he’s guarding Vinnie today, I swipe to answer it.

“Hey, boss,” Dino says. “Thought you’d want to know your wife’s in a coffee shop.”

If he called me to report that she’s eating donuts or some shit, I am going to reassign him.

“And?”

“And she told us to wait outside.”

She probably got sick of being shadowed and wants a bit of peace. “So?”

“So Daniele Bianchi just sat down at her table.”

My blood chills at the thought the trust I’ve shown her may have been misplaced. Did she arrange to meet him, or is it a coincidence that they’re in the coffee shop at the same time? No, I don’t believe they’ve run into each other accidentally. This is New York, not some tiny village where something like that might be possible.

“Do you want us to go in there, boss?” Dino asks.

“No, stay where you are, but keep an eye on them. I’ll talk to you later.”

I end the call and put my phone back in my pants pocket. Frustration surges in me and I get an overwhelming urge to hit something. I decide to head for the gym to work off some of the anger I feel. When I get home, I’ll say nothing to Vinnie about her meeting with Daniele. If she brings it up and explains what it was about, that will set my mind at ease. If she doesn’t and I have to force the truth from her, she’s going to end up with a very sore bottom and a whole lot of regret.

CHAPTER 16

Vinnie

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