Page 109 of Empire of Seduction

“It might, if you asked her. If you told her how you feel.”

I wasn’t a coward. I’d faced down any number of enemies, done unspeakable things in the name of the brotherhood. Had tortured, maimed, killed. Took over a goddamn city.

But the idea of opening my heart to Maggie? It terrified me. My instinct told me she would reject me, that she didn’t feel the same about me as I felt about her.

I cleared my throat. “She loves this place. It’s her family’s legacy and she will never leave it.”

“It’s not her family’s legacy any longer. It’s yours. Priorities change, Vito. Maybe you could be her priority, if you gave it a chance.”

“You don’t understand how she feels about the vineyard.” I’d witnessed her panic over the Red Blotch. She wouldn’t even allow me to smoke around the vines, for fuck’s sake.

Paloma pursed her lips. “Have you taken her on a proper date, or just shagged her in this shabby little cottage?” I winced, and a noise of disgust emerged from my sister’s throat. “Vito, mamma mia! Italians are romantic, we flirt like it’s our job. We are lusty and passionate. Use your charm to get her to fall in love with you.”

“There hasn’t been time. I’ve been dealing with a number of headaches, which is why I need youhereto help me.”

“If you do three things for me, I will agree.”

Why did I sense I wouldn’t like this? “What are they?”

“Uno, my own bank account that only I have access to. You will deposit fifty thousand dollars a month in it for me as a salary.”

“Done. What else?”

“Due, you buy me an apartment in your building in the city. The deed goes in my name.”

I waved my hand, rolling it as if to hurry her. “Done.”

“Tre, you take your woman out on a proper date.” She held up a finger. “Andyou tell her how you feel.”

The idea of it sat in my stomach like spoiled milk. I hadn’t wrapped my head around how I felt yet, so how could I communicate it to Maggie? I needed to think about it and decide what I would say. “Fuck. You’re killing me, Lo.”

“It’s good for you. I know you probably had a plan for how this was going to go and I’m ruining that plan. But sometimes you need to invite a little chaos into your life to shake things up. Turn it all upside down every now and again.”

“I don’t like chaos.”

“We’re all aware. But how can you find the best acorns if you don’t rattle the tree every now and again?”

“I did that once. It backfired on me.” At seventeen, I went against my better judgment. Impulsively, I’d asked Simona to marry me without anyone’s approval. I loved her and thought she loved me in return.

“I told that troia I was disowning you,”my father sneered, calling Simona a whore.“I told her you would be a nobody, with no money and no ties to our family if the two of you married. The other option was to take a check and disappear. Can you guess which she chose?”

The humiliation had broken something inside me. Simona hadn’t loved me. The whole time she was after the prestige, the money that came with being my wife. None of it had been real.

“Simona was a long time ago, Vito. You both were so young and Papà was a prick. This winery woman could be very good for you.”

I didn’t say anything and she let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, fratello. I can tell you need to think this over. In the meantime, I want to hear about the trouble you’re mixed up with here. Maz said something about bikers.”

Seizing the chance to set the issue of Maggie aside, I eagerly launched into my past and present issues with the Red Raiders.

nineteen

. . .

Maggie

Mikey went backto bed once we decided to close, and no one else was around. After I ate breakfast alone, I decided to shovel the front walk. There was no reason to do it, considering we were closed, but I liked being outside. And doing something mindless would take my thoughts off Vito and his family.

By the time I finished, it was almost eleven o’clock. Damp with perspiration and thirsty, I went back inside for a drink. I found Mikey at the bar with his laptop.

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