Well, shit. Massimo is head of his famiglia now.
“I’ll ask around,” Dante says. “Find out which fool within the Cosa Nostra dares execute a Grassi.”
I tap my fingers against my thigh. “It doesn’t track. The Cosa Nostra loves theatrics and usually turns assassinations into parades. Why stay silent? You’d think they’d challenge Massimo’s power.”
“True.” My father grunts. “But we won’t take sides, not yet.”
“Right.”
“Renzo.”
“Just checking.”
“I’ll amend. We use discretion. You need me to spell that out for you, you little shit?”
Dante laughs.
“I get it. No neon signs pointing our way.”
My father grumbles something close to affection. “We’ll talk again when we learn more.”
The call ends.
The oppressive air in the room finally lifts, and I exhale.
But two thoughts linger:
Will Massimo retain power?
And why the fuck did Fina choose Rome as her new beginning?
FINA
“He’s here,”Camilla hisses, barreling into the kitchen like she’s outrunning a tsunami.
Bianca freezes midchop. “Che cazzo? He has the nerve to walk into my restaurant and eat my food?” She slams the knife down. “Do I look like second best to you?”
“No,” Camilla and I chorus.
Aunt Teresa shakes her head but keeps stirring her sauce. Tossing Dante Lucchese’s cheating ass out of his restaurant isn’t an option. He’s lucky Bianca’s not cooking tonight, or he’d be choking on clams marinara and regret.
“I refuse to wait on him.”
“Fina and I will cover for you.” Camilla helps clean the freshly chopped vegetables off the cutting board, and wisely moves the knife away from our friend. “You stay in the kitchen until he leaves. He doesn’t get the privilege of your attention, not after whoring around.”
We grab plated orders and head out. But the moment we push onto the floor, I stop dead in my tracks.
“Him again,” Camilla mutters.
Renzo … here?
No, no, no.
He’s laughing at something Dante said, looking like sin in a suit. Clean-shaven, hair cropped short, his tailored jacket molded to his shoulders rather than hanging off his frame.
The world’s most handsome heartache.
God’s clearly still punishing me for stealing in His house. No man who ruins hearts with a smile and walks away like it’s mercy should look that good.