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“Good morning, Dante,” Cassie greets him and he offers her a short nod.

“Cognata, stunning as always.”

There’s no bite in his voice though. I think we’re past his bitterness. He looks at her like he would a sister-in-law and I’m glad for it. His antics would not be met well if he tried anything else.

“Thanks,” Cassie murmurs, taking a seat beside me.

Renata’s made waffles, pancakes and a host of other delicious things that we don’t hesitate to dive into. The family dinner turns out to be more light hearted than I expected. It seems my brother and I’s troubles are behind us. He’s his usual jovial self, albeit annoying and Sofia’s feeding off his energy as well, if only it wasn’t at my expense.

“You’re not going to believe how much of a nerd he was, Cassie,” he’s telling my wife, through laughs, “And he also didn’t have those muscles yet, scrawny little thing in high school my brother.”

“Dante,” I grit out.

Cassie grins at me widely, her expression full of mirth.

“Can I see pictures?”

“Absolutely not,” I quickly reply.

“Of course you can,” Sofia counters. I glare at her but she ignores me, winking at Cassie, “I’ll sneak you an album, Cass.”

Cassie shoots me a victorious look and I can’t help a smile. It’s been a while since I felt so full. It seems despite all what I’ve been able to achieve, nothing will ever compare to the comfort of family. We sit, the four of us, sharing a table that doesn’t feel heavy with tension for once.

Soon enough, Dante and I need to leave. Cassie follows us towards the front door.

“See you later,mi vida,” I tell her.

She leans up to press a kiss to my cheek, “Be safe, okay?”

I nod and she walks away after a wave towards my brother. I turn to Dante, already expecting the look on his face.

“The two of you are disgustingly sweet. What’s it going to do for your rep when people find out how down bad you are for your wife?”

“Nothing, because they understand it doesn’t make weak. In fact, it makes me all the more lethal. I’ll destroy anyone that tries to hurt her. Anyone that stands in my path.”

“Which brings me to my next question,” Dante says, his expression sobering, “You’re planning something, aren’t you? Who are you going to kill?”

“No one yet. I need to find them first.”

He frowns, eyebrows crinkling. I wrap an arm around his shoulders, leading him outside.

“Let’s head over to the meeting. You got that dirt on Moretti?”

“Yeah. Cristian’s a cool guy though, he’d never do anything to jeopardize our alliance,” he informs me.

“I know that. I have no plans to hurt him. I just want information only him seems privy too. And we both know he won’t talk without some incentive.”

“Okay. But you’ve got to let me in on the plan.”

“The plan is simple, little brother. I’m going to smoke out some rats,” I tell him with a grin.

Although to be honest, I might not need to. Rats have a way of scurrying about with a belief that they’re getting close to their achievements. I’ll be waiting though, ready to squash them without any fuss.

Now, all I need to do is lie in wait for them to make their move.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CASSIE