Page 6

"Good afternoon, sir. You told me to inform you when Miss Guiliana reached the half-million-dollar point."

A smile cracks at the corners of my lips. "And how has she managed that?"

Vito looks questioningly at me, and I mouthGigi. His face lights up, but Alfonso distracts me. "She has been to several places: Bergdorf, Saks, and Krigler. Do you want me to put a stop on the credit card?"

It would be the sensible thing to do, but like me, Gigi is still hurting over the sudden loss of our father. If shopping gives my sister some relief, then I won't stand in her way. "No, it's all good. Just call me back if she reaches a million."

Now, that would be a feat, even for my little sister. I grin and hang up.

"Shopping spree," I fill Vito in, who suddenly looks a little guilty.

"What?"

"We may have had a small altercation this morning," Vito admits.

"Small altercation?" If he’s hurt my sister, I'll skin him alive. It won’t matter that he’s my second-in-command or my friend.

"Easy, boss. She still doesn't want me to tell you about our relationship. I tried again to get her to marry me, but…" he drifts off. He refills his glass and hands me a new drink.

A chuckle escapes me. Vito and Gigi have been secretly dating for months now. When Vito came to me, asking my blessing for Gigi's hand, I surprised him by saying no. Well, that didn't really surprise him, but the reasonwhydid. In our circle, women, sisters, and daughters are used as bargaining chips, trade-offs, to broker peace, and so on, but I would have never agreed for my sister to be used that way. I wanted Gigi to be happy, not stuck in an arranged marriage like our mother had been. It was the only point Dad and I disagreed on. He was old-fashioned, whereas I wanted Gigi to experience life. I even talked Dad into allowing her to go to college. In time, I might have talked him into giving his blessing to Vito and Gigi as well, but we never had that chance.

I told Vitoit’s not a no, it’s a not yet. And that I wanted them to date and get to know each other first. If they marry, I want it to be her choice, not mine. I’m not an idiot; I’m pretty sure the two of them do things that they aren’t supposed to be doing beforea mafia princess is married, but my sister's virginity is not my business.

Vito told her he would talk to me, but according to him, she had a minor meltdown and panic attack. For some reason, she's too scared of me to let him ask me. She's worried that now that I'm capo, I'll forbid them to see each other altogether—or even kill Vito.

The devil rode me when I told Vito he's not allowed to tell her I know. I want her to come to me and ask for my blessing. So they've been dating in secret ever since. Much to my amusement and Vito's frustration. He wants to make an honest woman out of her and marry her. One of these days, I might have mercy on him, but for now, I'm getting entertainment from the tangled web.

"She still doesn't know?" I ask, drinking the whiskey down and enjoying the burn.

Vito shakes his head. "Every time I bring it up, she shoots me down. She's petrified you will stop our relationship." He looks at me pleadingly. "Please let me tell her."

I swirl the whiskey in the glass. I might be a bit more free-thinking than my peers, but I still enjoy watching Gigi squirm, and nobody is going to cheat me out of seeing her squirm when she finally decides to share her little secret with me.

"Boss," Vito huffs.

I chuckle. "Nope."

He shakes his head. He owes me. He knows he owes me. I'm enjoying this way too much, but in my life, there is little to bring me joy, so the two will have to pay the price until my little sistergrows some balls and fills me in on her sordid affair with my second-in-command.

"How much longer will you have me wait?" Vito sinks back in his chair in the corner.

"If she were anyone else's sister, you wouldn’t wait for her to come around," I say, swirling the whiskey in my glass. "You’d make her yours."

Vito exhales slowly, his jaw tightening. "She’s not just anyone’s sister. She’s yours."

"Damn right," I smirk, throwing back my drink. "And if you want her, you better prove you can handle her, because Gigi doesn’t need a man who will fold every time she bats her lashes."

He shakes his head, muttering something under his breath. He knows I’m fucking with him, but the truth is, I need to be sure. If he can't handle Gigi now, he sure as hell won’t survive marrying her. We get interrupted by Vito's phone vibrating with an incoming text.

"Judge Lambert is here. He wants to talk to you." He says, looking up.

"Good," I tried to call him earlier, but theputodidn't pick up.

Judge Lambert is one of the few judges in this city whose record is spotless. He is one of the fewrighteousmen, which is why I bribed the clerk at the courthouse in charge of assigning judges to cases. I wanted him to oversee Carlos's trial. He's the only man I know with the guts to send the fucker to prison, where I can finally lay my hands on him. Figuratively. Unfortunately, I won't be the one doing the deed, but the hit has been set in motion. Enrico's words echo in my head;I’d tell you to be smartabout it. And to make sure there’s no blood on your hands when it’s done. He's right. To prevent a bloody vendetta, it has to look like a prison hit. Carlos's death cannot be traced back to me.

And with Lambert being the hardass he is, I'm having a hard time understanding what could have possibly possessed him to grant Carlos bail. Unless…

My last conversation with Lambert was…unpleasant. I've never met a more stubborn man than him. I might have admired the old bastard for it had he not been my enemy; on some level, despite of it. There are few people I would hesitate to have killed, but he is one of them. Don't get me wrong; I’d order it done if absolutely necessary, but luckily, the same clerk I've bribed in this case also ensures Lambert handles no trials involving my employees. It's an expense Vito has counseled me on many times, but even before shit hit the fan, I knew that a man like him would come in handy one day, and I was right.