Page 105 of Isabella

Nicco nods even though it wasn’t a question. Teo knew exactly what he was getting at.

“The fact that your father would come up with such an idiotic plan?—”

“It actually ended up being a fucking fantastic plan,” Nicco interrupts.

My brother sits back in his seat, narrowing his gaze on Nicco with a slight quirk in his brow. A few silent beats pass between them before he nods for him to continue.

My brother can be intimidating. Knowing he’d have to take over for my dad as the don of the DiMaggio family, it’s always been in his blood. But Nicco can hold his own when it comes to Matteo. He’s not afraid to stand up to him, and I think that’s something my brother can quickly grow to respect.

“I love your sister, and when I had to break up with her and leave, I did it for her, fully knowing I would be back one day to make her my wife. No matter what.” He looks at me, giving me a small smile.

One thing I’ve always loved about Nicco is how expressive his eyes are. I can see the sincerity in them by the softening of his gaze. If I had just given him the chance to explain everything to me sooner, had I just opened not only my ears but also my eyes to his explanation, I would’ve known. I would’ve seen the honesty in his eyes.

Bringing his attention back to my brother, he continues. “It just so happens you sped up that process by taking over Mancini’s port. My dad is greedy—we all know that—so when he lost his primary source of income, he became desperate to get it back. I knew I’d be able to use that against him, so I took advantage of the situation when he came to me with the idea to get Isabella to fall for me, and in turn, marry me.”

“So what exactly is your plan, Niccolò?” Teo asks.

“I plan on taking over for my dad sooner than he thinks… with or without his permission.”

“And how the hell do you plan on doing that?” Teo asks.

“I’ve already gained the support from all of his capos except one. If you can even call his newest capo a capo. Mauricio is loyal to a fault to my dad, so I have no qualms with losing him.”

“Mauricio is his capo now?” Teo asks. “When the fuck did that happen?”

“Last week when I killed Alessandro Castello.”

Teo nods slowly. “So what’s your plan?” he asks, but I see the wheels turning in his brain. He already knows what Nicco is offering, he just wants him to say it out loud.

“I plan on killing my dad if he doesn’t step down respectfully from his position.” Nicco’s voice is steady as he lays out the threat against his dad on the table. “And I think we all know my dad well enough to know how that will pan out.”

“Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting,” Enzo says, sitting up in his seat.

“That’s not going to happen,” Teo says. “Your dad is mine to kill. I want to feel his throat constrict while I squeeze his airway closed and he takes his last breath.”

A chill creeps through me at the darkness of my brother’s words. I’ve always known the world we live in, but my parents and my brothers have always shielded me from the worst of it. It’s something I wish they never did, but I respected it. Hearing my brother go into detail about how he plans on killing Nicco’s dad is dark and scary.

Nicco considers Teo for a moment. “You want to kill him? Fine. But since I’m giving you what you want, you’re going to give me what I want.”

“Oh, is that how this is going to work?” Teo scoffs, a slight shock in his tone at the brazenness of Nicco’s words.

“Yes. You want something from me, and I want something from you.”

“Yeah, my sister, I get it.”

“That’s not it.”

“What else?” Teo grinds out.

“You want to dismantle my family’s organization, but I want a truce. I think you’d be wise to consider my family’s name as an ally.”

“What makes you think I need an ally, especially yours?”

“You know how our world is. You never know when another group is going to try to come in and take over. Strength is in numbers, Matteo. Take a moment and think with your brain and not your emotions.”

My breath hitches at the way Nicco is speaking to my brother, and I hold my breath, waiting for his reaction. He could get pissed at how direct Nicco’s being, or he could respect it. It could go either way.

“I’ll help you get your revenge on my dad, but let the ones who weren’t involved with his shit-ass decisions go. Don’t take down their livelihoods because of him,” Nicco says.

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