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“Well, maybe the winery doesn’t need his kinds of improvements,” I grumbled.
“Or maybe you can’t be unbiased to anything he suggests.”
I ripped a piece of bacon in half and threw it across the booth at him.
Vito
I wasn’t used to the quiet.
I stood on the deck, sipping my cappuccino and looking out over the vineyard. There were a few birds up in the early dawn, but there were no other sounds. No traffic, no horns. Just peace and quiet. It was like the yacht in that way, except I wasn’t constantly rocking back and forth.
Maz and I stayed up late last night, drinking and catching up. I was surprised at how much I’d missed my brother. Strange to spend four years trapped together on a boat, then not see him except once or twice a year. Enzo traveled quite a bit with Gia, so I met with him more often. And we frequently touched base on business matters. Maz was more distant, in another world from mine. My sister was the same. She was living her own life in London, though we texted back and forth a lot.
But there was no use in growing sentimental over things I couldn’t change, so I shoved it all aside. I had a lot to get through today before meeting with Carlo and Bruce this afternoon. I didn’t have time to?—
Tommaso suddenly appeared around a group of bushes, his expression grim. He was disheveled, hair wild like he just rolled out of bed, as he hurried toward the cottage. I was instantly on alert. “What is it?”
“Gaetano went out last night.” He climbed the deck steps and paused in front of me, breathing heavily. “He didn’t come back.”
I waved him inside, then closed the door behind us. “What the fuck do you mean, he didn’t come back?”
“He left around ten. Said he was going to a bar just outside of town. We didn’t think anything of it and went to bed. But the car is still gone and he isn’t answering his mobile.”
I picked up my phone off the marble island and unlocked it. I tried to reach Gaetano twice, but each time it went to voicemail. “Maybe he went home with a woman,” I suggested, my mind racing.
“No.” Tommaso shook his head. “Even if he did, he wouldn’t stay out all night. We never do, Don D’Agostino.”
This was true. Men in my world knew better than to fall asleep in a strange woman’s bed. It left you vulnerable. “Why the fuck did you let him go out alone?”
“We didn’t think anyone knew us here. Why would anything bad happen in this tiny town?”
I rubbed my eyes under my glasses. “We need to find this bar. Do you know where it is?”
“I didn’t ask the name or where it was located.”
Fuck me. Immediately, I dialed Michael and he picked up on the fourth ring. “Hey, Vito. Everything okay?”
“Come to the cottage. I need your help.”
nine
. . .
Vito
While we waited on Michael,I went up to shower and dress. I skipped shaving, threw on jeans and a sweater, and was back downstairs just as the older Fiorentino sibling arrived.
Tommaso and Cesare were at the kitchen island, their brows creased with concern, and Michael closed the door behind him. “Hey. What’s going on?”
I tucked a pistol in the back of my jeans and gestured to my men. “Let’s go. I’ll explain on the way.”
“Is something wrong?” Michael hesitated when the rest of us went to the door. “Why are you carrying a gun?”
I held open the door and said nothing. After Michael stepped onto the deck, I locked the cottage door behind us and pocketed the key. “We need to hurry, capisce?”
“Vito—” Michael said, ignoring my orders.
I grabbed his shoulder, squeezed hard to make a point. “Don’t ask questions until we’re in the car,” I repeated. His skin paled but he nodded. I could see why he might be worried, so I added, “This isn’t about you. Let’s go.”