Page 63

Part II

One

Massimo

FIVE YEARS LATER...

Boston's most popular men's club was closed for the evening, but this came as no surprise to virtually any resident of the city.

La Tana, which was Italian for 'the lair', was owned by Potenziana Marchetti, and tomorrow was her grandson Cesare's wedding. Tonight's private function could only be Cesare's bachelor party, but as for what exactly was taking place within La Tana's luxuriously masculine premises...

Thatwas why members of the paparazzi had been hanging outside the club since morning. The only invited guests seemed to be Cesare's brothers...plus a Michelin-starred chef who had flown from Tokyo and headed straight to La Tana from the airport.

The night wore on, and those still waiting outside the club began feeling restless. Any and every attempt to bribe employees into taking photos was completely rejected, and with the club's security armed to the teeth, no one had been foolish or desperate enough to even think of sneaking in.

"Something wonderfully fucked-up must be happening inside," one of the reporters muttered suspiciously, and the others nodded in agreement.

"What do you think it could be?"

The question, albeit absently tossed out by one of the photographers, unexpectedly led to a round of betting.

I'm thinking some of those girls we saw entering the club weren't really employees but strippers in disguise.

Nah, Cesare Marchetti always plays it smart. I'm going to bet they've got strippers performing online, and everything's anonymous.

You all have no fucking imagination. Dude's a billionaire, so strippers are too fucking basic. I'd bet a thousand bucks they're holding a virginity auction inside, and winner gets to do the girl in front of everyone.

The conjectures became increasingly outrageous from that point on, but what no one would ever correctly guess was how all of them were completely wrong.

Rather than being the wildly debauched party that everyone assumed it would be, Cesare's last night was simply a chance for the bridegroom and his half-brothers to talk and catch up, and instead of booze and drugs, the four ruggedly handsome men were seated around ateppanyakitable and enjoying the highest grade ofwagyuthat money could buy.

But as for the most eccentric thing that was currently taking place within the heavily guarded walls of La Tana...

"Just get everything off your chest,fratello..."

A faint grimace touched Massimo's features at Cesare's blunt invitation for him to bare his soul. Tomorrow would be his very first time playing best man at someone's wedding, just like tonight was his first time hosting a bachelor party on his brother's behalf. But be that as it may, even Massimo knewit was not normal at all for the best man - instead of the bridegroom - to get cold fucking feet the night before the wedding.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"There is no one else you can talk to but us," Giancarlo reminded him in his usual mild tone of pragmatism. "It is not as if you can simply book a session with a shrink and tell them things. We arefamiglia,after all."

While their eldest brother made a fairly good point, Massimo was still reluctant to speak of his complicated relationship with Ynez. But since one of the most important rules in theirfamigliawas to never keep secrets from each other, no matter how inconsequential or, in this case, uncomfortable—-

"Ynez has been pressuring me to marry her for some time now."

Cesare frowned. "Do younotwish to marry her?"

"Will you still have chosen to marry Penelope right away," Massimo challenged, "if not for the arrangement between ourfamiglie?"

His soon-to-be-married brother looked at him oddly. "Certo."Of course.

That the groom-to-be answered him so swiftly and without hesitation had Massimo in disbelief."Davvero?" Seriously?He turned to Giancarlo, asking, "And you and Sarica?"

"I would've married her long ago if she were willing," their eldest brother affirmed with a shrug.

"Well, fuck."

Ezio was content to keep quiet, being the only one who had neither a girlfriend nor an arranged bride to disturb his perfectly organized life. He knew his turn to marry forfamigliawould eventually come, but it would not be for any time soon, hopefully. Women were just too much trouble, and it was simply easier all around to only bed those who were openly after his money.