Page 56 of His to Break

Emilia leans closer to whisper conspiratorially, “He likes her too.”

“You think they’re… you know?”

Ava can’t be much older than fifty, and she’s an attractive woman.

Emilia shakes her head. “She has five overprotective sons. They wouldn’t allow it.”

She’s probably right. I heave a sigh as I pull open the door, my hopes for Ava’s love life crumbling into dust. Gio walks ahead of us once more as we retrace our steps toward the ballroom. As we pass the glass-fronted door leading into the hotel, I spot someone who definitely shouldn’t be here, remonstrating with two of Leo’s men who won’t let him in.

“Shit.” Gio stops dead, clearly spotting him, too. “What’s your father doing here?”

“I don’t know. I’ll tell him to leave.”

Gio doesn’t seem comfortable with the idea. He rubs the back of his neck and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “I’m not letting you speak to him alone. Emilia, go and get Leo.”

My husband and father within a hundred yards of each other? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. As Emilia nods and goes to do as Gio asked, I march toward my father. Seeing me coming, he grins. He’s aged since I last saw him, his hair whiter, the lines around his eyes deeper. There’s little sign of the illness Daniele told me is eating at his insides.

“What are you doing here?” I demand as Leo’s soldiers step away and Gio falls in behind me.

“I came to wish my daughter well. It is your wedding celebration, is it not?”

I won’t bother asking how he knows that. The world of organized crime is a whirling cesspool of gossip. It’s hard to keep anything secret for long.

“It is, and you’re not welcome here.”

Carlo pushes his thin lips into a petulant pout. “Such harsh words for an old man.”

“I have harsher if you want to hear them.”

He throws back his head and laughs. “You’re the one who should succeed me, Venezia. Bigger balls than that brother of yours.”

“Daniele will make a better leader than you ever did.”

“Ah, but you and Daniele are not my only potential heirs.”

My heart kicks violently against my chest. “What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean, Venezia? They tell me you’re a clever girl. Work it out.”

“You have another son?” My mind races as he gives an affirmative nod. “But what about Daniele?”

My father shrugs. “Don’t get me wrong, I am fond of the boy, as one is of a favored pet, but he isn’t fit to lead.”

“But you arranged his marriage to Serena Gallo.”

The old man waves a hand dismissively. “Another disappointment. Her grandfather will be glad to be rid of her.”

My jaw clenches. “Why did you come here? Why tell me this?”

An evil grin passes across his face that actually makes me shudder. “It’s my wedding gift to you, to let you know your brother is already in Chicago, about to take his first and last dance as a husband. If you’d only done what I asked and married Umberto, you might have been in a position to plead for his life.”

An icy chill passes through me. How can he stand there and tell me his son is about to be murdered?

“You bastard!” Screeching like a banshee, I lash out, trying to claw his face, but Gio pulls me back.

“Not in public,” Gio hisses in my ear.

Ah, of course. Volantes don’t let their emotions get the best of them in front of witnesses. I breathe in deep, steadying myself as my father gives a cocky bow, turns and walks away. Damn him. Tears sting my eyes. My vision blurs. I turn so Leo’s men won’t see me crying, as the man himself storms toward me. I go to reach into my purse for a tissue and realize I’ve left the black velvet bag in the restroom.

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