Page 67 of Dangerous Intent

“I do too.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “That’s not going to happen, though, so the best thing we can do is honor her. We can make her proud.”

“She wanted me to go to Princeton, and I didn’t even do that.”

“She would understand and accept your choices.” He set his glass on the desk. “She knew how much this business means to me. She always knew that the two of you were meant to stand with me. No Ivy League education is going to teach you what I can.”

“I’m not going either, Marchello.” Milo joined us by the window. “Mom knows that’s not our path.”

“Milo is right.” My father stood in front of the window, turning to face us. “We’ve lost the heart and soul of this family, and the coming days may not be easy for us, but the three of us are going to control this city.”

I clenched my fist, trying to control the ticking time bomb that was embedded deep inside of me. I didn’t know if I would ever get over the loss of my mother, but I would make her proud of me.

Milo downed his drink, muting his rage with the numbing fluid. Vodka had become our drink of choice. We used it as a vice to help us through our darkest days.

“We stand together,” my father said. “We survive together. We will get through this intolerable time, and we’ll come out stronger. I promise.”

I never trusted anyone more than I trusted my father. If he said we would be okay, I believed him.

“To the Accetti Empire,” I said.

“May it always thrive.” My father wrapped his arms around both of his sons, bringing us into a close embrace. Always protecting us, comforting us, and preparing us for the years ahead.

The buzzingof my phone ripped me from the memory. I rubbed my temple before glancing down at the screen.

Thank fuck!I quickly answered the call.“Lissia, where are you?”

“I got your message,” she said. “I’m leaving my dad’s house now.”

“You’re with Dom?” I asked.

“Yes, he’s waiting for me to get in the car.”

“Do not leave his side.”

“Is everything okay? You sound tense.”

“No more tense than usual.” I didn’t want to tell her I’d lost track of Collins. I didn’t need her going off and trying to help. Dom was aware of the situation. All he had to do was get her to me. I would take care of the rest. “How was your meeting with your mother?”

“That went well but…”

“But what?” I wondered how long it would take her to tell me Angelo had paid her a visit.

As if we didn’t have enough problems, now I had to worry about Gian’s worthless men coming at my girl.

“I had a run-in with Angelo today.”

“What did that scum want?”

“I’ll tell you about it when I see you. Can I come to the dealership? We could have lunch together.”

“I’d like that.” Having her with me, knowing I could protect her, was exactly what I needed right now. “Tell Dom to drive safe.”

“He doesn’t listen to me.”

“Tell him I said it.”

“I’ll be there soon. Getting in the car now. I love?—”

A loud blast and muffled screams rattled me before the line went dead.