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I could tell how agitated Emma was. Staying out of family business, unless the situation was extremely dire, was one of the top rules in our world.
“I know how you Made Men think about family business,” Emma muttered, and I couldn’t help but smirk.
“It’s serious. He could be very valuable for the Outfit. He is tall and strong. He can fight, Geno assured me.”
“Geno?” I asked quietly. Leo had mentioned that they’d talked a lot. I doubted Emma was someone who would cheat, but my trust issues were hard to overcome. The person I’d trusted most, my own twin, had betrayed me to save the man who’d kidnapped her and killed my friends. That wasn’t something you just moved on from.
“One of your—”
“Enforcers, I know who he is.” He’d shown admirable perseverance returning to his former position after his injury.
Emma pursed her lips, then continued. “He’s good with computers. He could help the Outfit with hacking and all that stuff.”
“Fiorentino, not Geno, I assume.”
“Yes,” she said, sounding exasperated. It was quite entertaining. “Why won’t you induct him?”
“His father asked us not to induct him.”
I remembered the conversation now. My father and I had talked to him without the son, and he’d assured us that his deafness would be too much of a risk for us and him.
“That doesn’t usually stop you, right? A boy born to a Made Man belongs to the Outfit. Or could I ask you not to induct a future son of ours?”
I regarded Emma curiously. We hadn’t broached the subject of kids yet, and I had no intention of discussing the topic now, nor did Emma from her look of regret over bringing it up. “Of course, our son will be part of the Outfit.”
“Then give Fiorentino the chance to be a Made Man, too.”
I cocked an eyebrow at her demanding voice, though it was more endearing than insulting.
“Please, Samuel. He can hear with hearing aids.”
“Not as well as someone with regular hearing, I assume.”
“Don’t tell me that the older Made Men still have amazing hearing after decades of gunshots and explosions.”
I chuckled. Emma had a point. “They don’t. What about speech? I won’t convince our soldiers to learn sign language.”
“He can talk without a problem.”
I nodded again. I had never met the boy. Maybe I’d passed him at social gatherings, but I had never paid much attention to him. I had simply taken his father’s word on the matter that he couldn’t become a Made Man. Dad too had never doubted it.
“If this was his father’s way to rob us of our rights, then I might have to punish him.”
Emma shook her head, shocked. “Trust me, he thinks his son is incapable. He sees him as a burden. That’s why he’s trying to produce another heir.”
“I’ll talk to my father, and we’ll invite Fiorentino to talk with us. I’ll have him evaluated that day. If he can prove himself, he’ll get his chance to become part of the Outfit.”
“Thank you so much.”
“I know of a way you can thank me,” I murmured over my glass of white wine.
Emma perked up, then flushed when she understood what I meant.
The phone in my pocket, mysecondphone, vibrated. I still hadn’t had the necessary willpower to cut Serafina off completely. Our contact had become less frequent over the years, but in the weeks prior to my wedding and ever since, Serafina had tried to rekindle our bond. She would have loved to be at the wedding.
But she had made her choice.
Feeling Emma’s eyes on me, I ignored the phone and finished our dinner.