Page 88 of Mob Princess

He chuckled. “Trust me, that’s going to happen.”

“Do I even want to know?”

He shrugged. “You might as well since the Moretti family’s going to need a leader in your uncle’s absence.”

The weight of that reality settled into my lap. “My aunt is going to take over?”

Israel smiled deviously. “No.”

“Well, Brianna’s not nearly as knowledgeable of Pava’s empire as she is.”

“There’s someone else who’s better suited, though. And since it’s very clear on that recording that your aunt was trying to get him to shut up—which is circumstantial evidence that your aunt knew about his plan—that means she won’t be able to step up in the first place.”

He meant me. “Oh.”

He nodded. “Oh, indeed.”

I pointed to my chest. “You mean…?”

He took my hand. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

“But I—I can’t—you really aren’t—me? Take over the Moretti family?”

“He said it himself. You’re family. He might have tried to backstab you and kill you in the process, but you’re family. And with your aunt’s arrest right behind his along with your admission that Brianna isn’t smart enough to step up to the plate, it leaves only you to resume that role.”

My legs went numb. “Oh, wow.”

“Think of it like this. If you head up one family and I head up another, they won’t have a choice but to work together. The two of us will wield more power than any other family in this game if you step up to the plate and work with me.”

It was a brilliant idea. “You really think we could pull this off?”

“I know we can. All it takes is the same strength I saw back in that house. The same strength that got you out of that basement and enabled you to put a gun to your uncle’s head with a direct order to kill him if I asked it of you. Would you have done it?”

“Done what?”

“Killed him if I asked.”

She swallowed hard. “I actually think I would have.”

He squeezed my hand. “Then, take your rightful place as the head of your family. Show your uncle and the rest of them how strong you really are. Show them that, no matter what they take from you, fate will always find a way to intervene.”

It was a terrifyingly, thrilling idea. “If we do this, that means your family will leave you alone, too. They’ll never be able to go head to head with both of us.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

I leaned toward him. “If I do this, you owe me an explanation for everything. What's going on, what Giovanni did, what your father is wrapped up in. We need to sit down and have an explicit conversation with one another about everything. Front to back for business reasons.”

“And you’ll get that conversation once you agree to the plan.”

How could I resist? “You and me?”

“The both of us.”

“Together?”

He kissed the back of my hand. “Through the whole of it.”

I drew in a deep breath. “Then, I accept.”

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