Page 31 of I Would Die For You

“What are we playing?”

He hands me a game controller. “Tekken.”

We choose our avatars, and I end up winning.

Giuseppe sighs out his frustration. “You weren’t supposed to know how to fight!”

I can feel no malice behind his words, though, and I laugh. “Dude, I grew up playing these games at the arcade.”

“Not fair,” he mutters.

A laugh comes from the doorway. “Never underestimate a woman, Giuseppe.”

I’ve never seen Don Giacomo in anything but a suit. In his home, he’s wearing a collared blue polo shirt, tailored pants, and soft brown leather house shoes on his feet. He looks relaxed and even younger like this, though the quiet strength in him is still palpable.

“Aren’t you going to be late to Amelia’s birthday party?” he asks his son.

Giuseppe jumps to his feet. “Better run.” He’s already up and racing, then stops and turns my way. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Kaya.” Then he’s off and brushing past his father.

“Don’t forget to take the gift with you,” the Don calls after him.

A reply flies from somewhere inside the house.

He shakes his head as his gaze lands on me. “Children.”

I smile. “He seems like a great kid. So well-mannered.”

“Grazie.”

I get up and face him. “You wanted to see me, Don Giacomo?”

“Let’s go outside. It’s such a beautiful evening.”

He leads me to a terrace at the side. The pool is right there a few steps below, and it is indeed as long as the house is deep. After making sure I’m seated comfortably at the small wrought-iron table, he sits down with a sigh.

“I know in doing this, I run the risk of losing you entirely,” he starts.

My eyebrows raise quizzically.

“Cara, I’m not someone to cross, but I can honestly say I am fair. As such…” He picks up a small tablet lying on the table and activates the screen before handing it to me.

“What is it?”

“Choose a password, one you won’t forget.”

I glance at him then back at the screen. Still having no clue what’s going on, I type in a sequence of letters and numbers I’ll be sure to remember, confirm the password again, then the screen takes me to—

A gasp escapes me. “What the hell?”

“It’s an account I had opened for you,” the Don says. “It’s offshore, so accessible from anywhere in the world. You just need a secure login from a computer.”

I blink, though nothing changes. “Okay, but… What…”

“It’s your due.”

“I don’t understand,” I say, looking up at him.

“Stefano hasn’t been around for you much these last few weeks, and it’s partly my fault, though this is also one of the reasons. You see, there is a woman the likes you helped when you first arrived who came to my men and told them of an underground operation happening on my territory. Stefano and his men have been dismantling it, and like I said, I’m a fair man. This wouldn’t have happened were it not for you, and this is your share.”

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