Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Got enough of the frisking in jail, you guys feeling frisky?” No one cracks a smile.
I wonder if he’ll still give me the pat-down when I’m his brother-in-law.
Beyond the lobby and reception area there’s a coat room and another stairway, then the entrance to the Great Hall. Hung with flags and enrobed in stately stones, it’s one of my favorite parts about the house. I’ve only been here once, and it was a while ago, but I remember every detail.
“You guys still have the wine wall?”
Romeo nods. Reserved. He knows, then. I wonder what he’ll try to bargain with. “We do. You’re welcome to take some home.”
To toast my wedding to your sister? Don’t mind if I do.
“Thank you.” I’ll be taking more than a bottle of wine home.
In my peripheral vision, I note two armed guards in the corners of the room we’re entering. Romeo himself is packing a weapon, and when I step through the doorway, four men in suits rise to meet me, all armed, all ready—Ottavio, Orlando, Santo, and Mario. It’s been years, but I don’t forget names.
I nod and smile at them. They don’t return my smile. “Gentlemen.”
“What brings you here, Capo?” Mario asks. The youngest of the Rossi brothers, he’s usually the most genial, known more for his skills with women and cars than with weapons or cunning, but I’ve heard recently he’s newly married so maybe his capers with the female breed have come to a halt. Maybe not.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” I tell him, as I take a seat on a vacant sofa across from them and the door opens. I stand back up when Tosca Rossi enters bearing a tray of espresso cups. She nearly topples on her heels when she sees me, but quickly schools her features.
“If it isn’t Salvatore Capo,” she says, her voice cold as ice, belying the smile she’s plastered on her face. I once knifed someone who’d betrayed me over brunch with the Rossis. She didn’t even flinch, but also didn’t hesitate to send me the bill for the carpet I’d stained with my betrayer’s blood. I paid it, naturally, though it gave me a chuckle. Tosca Rossi’s made of stern stuff. I’m curious how much her daughter’s like her.
I sit back down and take the espresso with a smile and a nod. “Thank you.”
She doesn’t respond but sits opposite me, ignoring Romeo’s frown of disapproval.
“Mama,” Romeo says in a low voice.
“Why is he here?” she asks Romeo, though her eyes are on me. She lowers her voice. “Porta pericolo, figliolo.”
“I’m honored, Tosca, that a woman like you who survived marriage to Narcisso Rossi and raised the most notorious made men in New England finds me dangerous.” I sip the espresso. “It’s delicious.”
Her eyes narrow on me. Did she forget I speak Italian, too?
Romeo stands and places his hand on Tosca’s elbow. He speaks in a hushed tone. Though she clenches her jaw and shakes her head, she allows him to lead her to the exit. She’ll be back.
When Romeo returns, he stands across from me with his arms folded. “Capo.”
I nod and place my espresso cup back on the tray beside me.
Here we go. I wanna crack my knuckles and smoke a cigar.
“Earlier today, I had an errand in town. I trust your guard filled you in?”
A muscle clenches in his jaw. “He did.”
“Your sister Marialena was present as well. Did he tell you that?”
A barely perceptible nod.
“I was betrothed to Castellano’s youngest daughter, Erica. We were to wed last night. She escaped, and my sources found her hiding in Boston. I tracked her to Namaste, and nearly caught her. You see, Rossi, marrying Erica Castellano would’ve been an incredibly beneficial move for my family. However, that did not happen.”
The Rossi men fall silent. Watching. Listening. Waiting.
“And who do you think helped orchestrate her escape, Romeo?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Go on.”
“Marialena helped her escape. She exited by way of a club I didn’t know existed until after she’d left.”
“Did you catch her?” he asks sharply. He knows the consequences for an arranged marriage going sour. He knows the repercussions for interference in a planned joining of two Families.
“Not before she took her own life.” My voice is emotionless. I didn’t care about the woman. I’d never met her before.
Orlando curses. “And how do you know Marialena aided her?”
“I knew who she was when I realized your guard, Amadeo, was in the store. I knew he wouldn’t have been there alone. I managed to persuade management to give me their security footage.” I keep my anger in check. I don’t like when my plans are thwarted, and that little brat knew exactly what she was doing. I also don’t like when people lie to me.
Romeo nods, his face paling. “What do you want, Capo? How much did the deal cost you?”