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“They’d torture you endlessly.Over my dead body.” Now my finger is in his face.

“It’ll be me and Frankie in exchange for Capri. It’s the only way a hothead like Nicky will accept the terms without Rocco. You know it.Iknow it.”

“Fuck no.” I refuse to even entertain this nonsense.

He drops both his hands on my shoulders. I can feel his fingers trembling. “Listen—”

I’m about to shrug myself free, but he presses down, reminding me that there’s still a killer’s strength inside him.

“Hey,” he raises his voice. “I know I can’t control your life.Lordfucking knows, every time I try, you run a hundred miles an hour in the other direction. I’ve come to understand that’sthe nature of things between a kid and his dad.But, that doesn’t mean I can’t nudge you.”

I hear his voice getting hoarse, which in turn makes my eyes dry a bit.

He looks so damn pathetic.

“That day in Rocco’s backyard. By the pool. I saw that same fire Mom and me had. I saw it in you two. Your banter. Her refusal to be intimidated by a six-foot-two stud. You don’t find that every day. She’s special, kid. And now that I see you falling all over yourself—”

I break eye contact, thinking about what they might be doing to her.

“—I know I made the right choice.” He pats me twice and pushes off.

“Yo!” Mikey calls from the front. “Your cousin’s here. He brought friends.”

Chapter 26

Tristano

A gold-wrapped jerkoff struts into my warehouse with two of his closest men. Ten rings, tan suit, tattoos to rival mine. He might as well be using a diamond cane. Flashy idiot.

“I heard my baby cousin needs some help.” Castor breaks away from his crew – who hug Mikey hello. “Jokes aside, is everything alright?”

“It’s not,” my father assures.

Castor ducks his head to better see him emerging from the shadow. “Uncle Stanzo?Whoa, good to see you.” He walks up fast to give him a hug, not daring to comment on his frail frame. Once the embrace is over, he looks my way.

I size him up – he’d be a tough bastard to take down, and a part of me wants to do it. For Capri, I bite back my disdain and extend a disarming hand.

“Thanks for showing,” I growl.

“Of course. I had a feeling you two were involved in this Sonny debacle. The connection runs deep.”

He’s risking his neck by being here. As much as his success annoys me, I’d be a fool not to recognize it. His clout with the dons could go out the window if he was pinned to this mess.

“That it does, my boy.” My father slaps his neck. “How fares Don Shadow from his cell? I hear he’s got half the security staff as his bodyguards.”

Shadow is the old head of the Rigiano crime family, until he got pinched by his own son. Donnythe StallionValentino made nice with him by marrying his daughter. Now we’re one big happy fucking family.

“When you going to get my boy a seat?” My pops says it so casually, like it’s a done deal waiting on Castor’s shiny gold ass to file the paperwork.

“Trino’s got to earn his own.”

My teeth grit at the son of a bitch.

“And he will, soon, I’m sure,” Castor softens the blow. “So, what’s the situation?”

Castor’s crew – Big Ace, the crazy gambler who eats way more than he should, and Tony Hatchet, the weasel who’s more bark than bite – comes strolling up with Mikey Tools.

I motion for everyone to have a seat near a bare-bones circular table with metal chairs. “We have to keep this operation tight-lipped. My crew is already briefed, and one of them took a bullet for the cause. I thank the three of you for joining.”