Page 16 of The Breaker
I dropped my head in frustration and rubbed one of my eyes. “You know how insane you sound?”
“I’m just repeating our agreement because you’ve clearly forgotten.”
“And after all these years, you haven’t realized how ridiculous of a request it is?”
“No.”
“What does your wife think of this?”
“She’s on board.”
I sat back in the chair and gave a frustrated sigh, unable to believe that this agreement made seven years ago was about to haunt me. “It took me nine years to love someone again. I’m not going to meet your daughter and then suddenly forget Aurelia.”
“Just consider it.”
“If I consider it, I’m cheating on my woman. That’s not who I am, and why the fuck would you want a man like that for your daughter?”
“Why is everything so extreme with you?” Now he raised his voice. “All I ask is you have dinner with her. A bottle of wine with a dinner salad and a nice piece of fish in cream sauce. Just an hour of your time.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“You gave me your word, Con. I could have been killed that night. Could have left my girls without a father and a husband. I only stick out my neck for men who deserve my spine, and I never would have extended it for that knucklehead brother of yours, especially if I’d known what he’d done—which you hid from me.”
My eyes flicked away because I still felt guilty for what I’d done. Compromised my own principles just for the chance to save my brother. Told an intentional lie to get what I wanted, despite the damage to my reputation.
“You owe me.”
“Fine.”
When Tommaso finally got the answer he wanted, he relaxed in the chair, even wore a smile.
“I still don’t fucking understand.” I didn’t understand any of it.
“Con, God decided I would have daughters instead of sons, which is fine. They’re the light of my life, especially now that they’re adults andout of the house and not giving me grief every fucking day. But I have to think of the future of Cosa Nostra, how to keep it in the Sirenuse family, and none of my brothers or their kids are up to the task.”
Now I understood. “Should have known it was all political.”
“It’s always political,” he said. “You marry my daughter, and I have a good son-in-law who will keep her safe. Who will keep his dick in his pants when she’s not around. Who will be a good father instead of a neglectful piece of shit. And I’ll have a son to carry on Cosa Nostra when my time comes.”
“Why do you assume I would return to Cosa Nostra?”
He gave a shrug. “What else are you going to do? Go back to making those little fucking rice balls?”
“My great-great-grandparents used to make those little fucking rice balls and feed the homeless soldiers after the war—so fuck off.”
He tensed before he raised his hands in the form of surrender. “Con—”
“Insult me for abandoning Rome, but don’t insult my family or the way we’ve supported ourselves for generations. Don’t for one second think you’re better than us because you’re the one sitting at the table while we’re cooking in the back.”
“Con, I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Yes, you fucking did. Come for me all you want, but come for my family and see what happens.” I had a lot of love for the man across from me, but that love could disappear within the snap of a finger when it came to my family. “You think you’re better than us since people are afraid of you? Because my mom hosts a big dinner every Sunday night and brings everyone together. Not just family, but friends and neighbors, anyone who needs a place to go, and that’s a hell of a lot better of a legacy than threatening and bullying people to get what you want.”
“Look, I apologize, all right? I’m sorry for what I said.”
I still fumed in my seat, but I had nothing more to say.
“I just meant, What are you going to do now?”
