Page 44 of Texting My Mafia Boss

“Are you declining my request? Are you happy for it to be known that Ruggero Calvi stands in the way of a man dealing out his own justice?”

“He disobeyed my uncle,” Bastian snaps. “Besides, nobody at your store was hurt. No family members. No made men. This is a matter of hierarchy, not revenge.”

“My nephew is right,” Ruggero says.

I want to come right out and accuse him. He wants Dante dealt with quickly because he was behind the store bust-up, and he knows we’ll get it out of him. But accusing a fellow Don without proof is a declaration of war. And, annoyingly, they’re right. They’ve got more right to dole out this punishment than I dounder these circumstances. An unfounded accusation like this could even turn our hair-thin alliances against us.

“I’m sorry, Ettore,” Ruggero says. “But tradition must prevail here. One of my men overstepped in the crudest way, threatening an alliance which has served us well for years. You must let us handle this.”

I walk over to him, struggling not to clench my hands into fists. “And your nephew, Ruggero? What is his punishment for attempting to trick me, to arrange a date with your daughter without your permission?”

Ruggero places his hand on his chest. “Bastian knows he did wrong, but you wound me, I must confess. Is the idea of being with Ambra such a bad thing?”

The idea of being with anyone except Mara is a bad thing.

“Even if she doesn’t want it?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mark staring at me. I’m going too far.

“Want,” Ruggero mutters, shaking his head. “In this life? We all have our roles to play.”

I wave a hand at Dante, disgusted. He’s a prick who always goes too far, hurts people just because he can. But I suspect this transgression isn’t as simple as it seems.

“You are right, of course, Ruggero,” I say, before I go too far. “This is your business, to handle as you wish.”

I leave the soundproof room, Mark at my shoulder. A muffled gunshot follows shortly after.

“I fucked up,” I tell Mark when we’re back in the car. “We should’ve found Dante ourselves.”

“If Ruggero got word we’d done that, it would’ve been war. Even if the Calvi were behind this, maybe they realized their mistake. We’ll all pretend we believe Dante acted alone and business will go on as usual.”

“Sure,” I grunt. “Or we just showed them they can cross the line and get away with it.”

“It might be true,” Mark says. “Dante could’ve acted alone. He always was a prick.”

“Can’t argue with that.” I nod. “I want to speak to Dante’s men. Discreetly. Find a way.”

“You got it, Ettore.”

CHAPTER 17

MARA

Sylvie yawns from the back of the car, stretching her arms over her head.

“Tired from practice?” I ask.

“No.” She shakes her head stubbornly. “I’m not tiredat all. I could do a whole other practice again.”

I smile. “Does that mean you want to play thekeep your eyes open all the way home game?”

She pouts at me, then rolls her eyes. Sometimes, she looks so much older than her age. And other times, she acts like the little girl she is. I feel a maternal ache. I’m self-conscious enough to know it isn’t all about her.

My mind winds back to Gideon’s drunken ramblings. But that’s all they are, all they can be. Drunken, incoherent nonsense.

When I pull into the estate, I chew my lip. Is this guy trying to torture me?

Ettore is out front, pulling weeds like any other Joe, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. The staff isn’t here, since it’sSunday. The late-day sun gleams over his muscled body, his contours catching the light. My mind goes back to our dirty texting at light speed.