Page 64 of The Mafia Heir's Obsession

About the same amount as I did before Lucie.

I expected that to change. Better, worse, something.

I married the prick’s kid. And it’s early days, but he hasn’t called, hasn’t asked about her.

That bothers me in ways I don’t examine too closely.

But my instincts are usually spot-on, and while I know I can keep the upper hand with de Rosa, I can’t help returning to the tiny, niggling thought that I’ve missed something.

Which is why it’s good to change things up. I want to meet Butelli and can arrange it without the official introduction with de Rosa and the unified front. But that won’t help, and besides, I want to see them together.

We go way back with Volansky, so he doesn’t worry me. And though he looks like a small player, he’s important. He can open all kinds of doors, more than I’ve needed, but he’ll runsome things past me if something doesn’t ever sit right with de Rosa.

My plan is to just observe de Rosa with old and new relationships and in settings of my choosing. As plans go, it isn’t much on paper. But even I’m surprised by what people give up when their microcosm shifts even a little.

Like Lucie.

She’s bloomed.

But right then, she’s a distraction I don’t need, so I push her from my mind as best I can and work with my brother to set up the day.

We wine and dine on our terms with de Rosa’s man and then bring ours into de Rosa’s domain.

And it’s enlightening.

De Rosa seems out of sorts being on new turf at the Butelli lunch. Until he finds his big man groove and the smaller mafia man simpers.

I already know I won’t use Butelli for much. He’s too much in de Rosa’s pocket. Maybe he’ll handle a shipment, a line to something I might want but not need.

Low maintenance and nothing sensitive.

Butelli’s now firmly in that camp because of how up de Rosa’s ass he is.

But de Rosa’s ego is bigger than I first thought. He’s like the fucking wizard in Oz, playing bigger than he is. Unlike the wizard, he’s dangerous, but so the fuck am I. And seeing the ego unleashed tells me I could, if I wanted, control him.

It tells me I need to watch him, too.

When we meet with Volansky, I watch him, not de Rosa. Volansky doesn’t give a shit about big power and influence. He gives a shit about someone’s word and if he thinks that person is genuine. I don’t think he liked de Rosa, but he’ll work with him the way I’ll work with Butelli. It’s in his expression.

It leaves me close to where I was before, but with a little less trust.

After Volansky leaves the Bayside mansion, I lean against our SUV, smoking a cigarette as Seamus texts with Torin.

“We’re waiting for…” He looks up at me.

I blow out some smoke. “For de Rosa to swoop in and be the man thinking he can own us.”

Seamus just laughs. “You think he’s that stupid?”

“Not stupid.” Exactly. “That arrogant, yeah. But I can play with arrogance.”

His phone buzzes and he glances down. “Fuck, Tor said the lead on O’Sullivan didn’t pan out, but there was an SUV that followed us to Queens.”

“Could be nothing, could be something. Everybody and his mother drives an SUV.”

And it could also be that fuck, Paddy.

He mutters something and glances at me. “If he?—”

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