Page 383 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

He shrugs. “I figured I needed a little break.”

“When does the boss ever take a break?” I say with a mock look of shock on my face.

“This place is Sergio’s baby,” he says. “Not mine,” he says, nuzzling Aisling’s cheek.

It’s true. Sergio, one of my other brothers, runs the Excelsior. But Matteo is still the boss, and he never lets any of us forget it.

He also never comes out to the pool. It’s his wife Heaven’s grand plan to stay out here in Vegas. Matteo hates the heat — dry or otherwise.

“You know, I am so fucking tired of hearing how people say dry heat isn’t as hot,” he grumbles, almost on cue. He says some variation of this every time he comes outside, and only seconds later, he finds some excuse to dart back in the air conditioning.

But today, he’s in board shorts.

That tells me he’s sticking around, something that makes my gut knot a bit. I see a cocktail waitress walk toward us and I flash her a big smile.

She grins back and leans down next to me so that I can get a clear view of her tits popping out of her bikini top. “What can I get you, Mr. Villani?”

“I’d love a Tito’s and soda. Actually, make it three.”

“Three?” Matteo asks, his eyebrow lifted.

“Yeah,” I say with a snicker. “One for you and two for me. If you’re out here, I figure I’m gonna need to be double-fisting.”

“And a water, too, please,” Matteo says with a smile. “Thanks.” He rolls his eyes at me. “Why do you insist on coming out here? It is so fucking brutally hot, you can’t breathe!”

“I think you can breathe just fine,” I say. “You just don’t like to sweat because you think it makes your hair frizz.” I waggle a finger in front of Aisling’s face and she grabs it, stuffing it into her mouth, getting it nice and wet with baby drool. I tickle her under her chin with my free hand and flash a bright smile at her. “Tell Daddy that Uncle D is right, because he’s so vain about his hair.”

“My hair doesn’t frizz,” he grumbles. “I just hate being outside in the fucking desert. It’s hot and I’m sweating, even sitting here in the damn pool.”

“Just let the tension go,” I say, dragging my fingers through the water past Aisling.

“She shouldn’t be out here. Look, she’s already getting red.”

“She’s fine. You can’t keep her in a plastic bubble. She needs to get exposed to the elements and be like a normal kid, especially since nothing else about her life will be even remotely close to normal.”

Aisling smashes her fist into the water, splashing Matteo, and sure enough, the first place his hand goes to is his hair.

So fucking vain.

“Okay, so what gives?” I ask. “You’re not out here to tan. What, you don’t trust me with the kid?”

“I trust you more than anyone,” he says. “Or at least, I did until you came back here and told me you couldn’t close the deal in Brooklyn.”

“Isaidsomeone beat me to it.” I smirk. “That deal is most definitely closed.”

“But you didn’t tie up loose ends. Or stuff shit down the throats of loose cannons,” he grumbles.

“No,” I say. “You’re right. Conor is still at large with his wide fucking pie hole open.”

“We need to find out what the hell he’s up to, Dante,” Matteo says, dropping his voice.

“Look, I know you think shit will blow our way, but will it really? I mean, with Vigo dead, maybe the debt will be cleared. Besides everyone knows Heaven has been on the outside for a long time. Why come for her?”

“You of all people should know how these people operate. They go after everything and everyone.” He shakes his head. “I’ve got a hell of a lot to protect, and I don’t want any of Conor’s scams to rain hellfire down on us, especially if Volkov thinks Conor may have been the one to kill Vigo.”

Hellfire.

There’s that word again.

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