Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 94048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“Come on. This is my first family dinner. You’d better stick by my side the whole time, okay?” She tugs me away and we walk together to the front door, still holding hands.
I like that she hasn’t let go yet. “I promise, you’ll be fine. Unless Laura corners you with a kitchen knife, then you should probably scream.”
She gives me a look, eyebrows raised. “I can’t tell if you’re joking. Laura does seem a little, uh, you know—”
“Terrifying?” I laugh and open the front door. “Don’t worry about her. She’ll mostly avoid you.”
We walk through a cool summer evening to my parents’ house. All the lights are on and Stefania is sitting on the front porch with Mom, both of them drinking prosecco. They greet us loudly as we get closer, and I assume that’s not their first glass, which makes me smile. Davide’s wife has integrated herself into our little clan, and a part of me hopes that Emily can do the same thing.
Fortunately, Mom can make anyone feel at home, and she immediately takes my wife from my arm and drags her away. Stefania follows, bantering away about how scary and intimidating family dinners can be, especially the first time, and I’m pretty sure she’s not helping.
“Good luck with that,” Elena says once I’m inside. Emily’s stuck in the kitchen with Mom, Stefania, and Davide. “I’m pretty sure Stefania’s going insane with excitement. She’s so happy there’s another wife in the family.”
“Can’t blame her,” I admit. “She’s been stuck with you and Laura. Speaking of which, where is our youngest sister?”
“Out back with Dad. They’re smoking cigars.” She rolls her eyes. “Matty’s with them.”
“Seriously? Matty’s invited?” He’s the head of oasis security, but it’s unusual for him to get dragged into family gatherings.
“I think Dad wanted to talk business.” She sighs and shakes her head. “Even on his night off, he’s still working.”
I head out back, feeling a pang of guilt for leaving Emily alone, which is exactly what I promised I wouldn’t do, but she’s fine. Mom’s pestering her with questions while Stefania keeps plying her with drinks. I’ll rescue her in a bit.
The back yard’s dark with only strings of warm bulbs hanging from a lattice roof. Thick clouds of cigar smoke hang over the table, and Matty is laughing at something my father’s saying. Dad’s got his hand on the young soldier’s shoulder, while Laura’s looking bored.
Their conversation stops as I step out back. Dad looks over and his smile fades and his hand drops from Matty’s shoulder. There’s an awkward moment where nobody speaks, and Matty jumps to his feet, thanks my father for the cigar, and hurries off to the side gate. He disappears out front. Laura’s eyes roll in my direction and she looks vaguely amused.
“It’s probably a bad idea to distract the guards,” I say to my father. It’s the wrong opening; his expression darkens.
“Thank you for the advice, son, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. I know what I’m doing.”
I grind my teeth and force myself to sit down at the table. Dad stares at me, saying nothing. His expression’s closed and hard, and I know what he’s thinking. We haven’t spoken since my attack on the Santoro call center last night, but word in the Famiglia got back to me, and I know he’s not happy.
“Are we going to ignore why you’re angry with me all night?” I press him, too annoyed to let this go.
His lips curl. “Your mother doesn’t want me talking business during family dinner.”
“That’s never stopped you before.” I lean toward him, staring straight into his face. “Come on, Dad. Speak your mind.”
He grunts and puffs his cigar before blowing smoke into the air. “You acted out of turn. You never should have engaged a Santoro operation like that, and you definitely should not have killed anyone. Do you have any idea how many angry calls I’ve had to deal with today?”
I shake my head. “Angry calls are nothing. I’m the one that put myself in danger.”
“Because you wanted to. We both know you’re itching to restart the war with Luciano. But if you’d think for one second—”
“He’s not going to let our feud go, Dad,” I say, cutting him off. His nostrils flare—he’s not used to someone speaking over him. “The man betrayed you. He kidnapped Davide and nearly killed him. He shot you and nearly killed you. At what point do you admit that we can’t live in this city so long as he’s around.”
Dad’s tone is ice and his eyes are hard. “I will handle Luciano.”
“But you’re not. You’ve done nothing but deescalate.”
“We don’t want war. There are other ways to dispose of him. If we’re patient—”
“The time for patience is over,” I say, slamming my hand down on the table. “I’m not going to stop. We need a strong Don if we’re going to survive.”