Page 61 of Criminal Business
“Don’t touch that dessert!” Maria yelled from somewhere in the house.
She had a special sense about her, able to tell when anyone might cause trouble, me included.
I left Frankie and shook my head, not wanting to admit out loud she’d caught him. That would only confirm her suspicions.
Frankie froze with a frown but closed the fridge door and shook his head. “I know family life is not what you had in mind for our children, but I have worked hard to make it safe for him in Pelican Bay. We have alliances and partnerships all across the state and the East Coast. Plus, if he ever finds himself in too much trouble, he can always go to his uncle, the Grandmaster, for help. But he won’t need to because we’ll always be here.”
His reassuring words calmed my fears, at least for the moment. I had so many other things to worry about. Would he be a good leader? Would his men respect him? Things were calm in the world and had been for years, but we still lived in Pelican Bay, and someone was always waiting in the wings, ready to start a war right outside your doorsteps.
“I just hope your father doesn’t talk him into anything illegal,” I spoke the most concerning fear. We still had many years until the family transferred hands. I only had to hope Frankie guided our son well, so when he took over, he would make good choices.
“He will because we’ve made the right choices easy,” he said.
I finished my MBA in Chicago and accepted a permanent residence in Pelican Bay but only recently agreed to work with Frankie as he legitimized the last few pieces of his business. It’d been my number one task after coming into the fold. Still, I never forgot what the rest of the family did in New York.
“Thanks to you, most of my businesses are legit.”
“Yes, it’s the mostly I have issues with.” Frankie still refused to let go of a few things, like under-the-table gambling and helping Ridge occasionally.
Frankie took my face in his hand and kissed me until my toes curled.
“Moooooom,” came a sweet yet harrowing scream from our daughter as she fled down the stairs. “Dante said that women aren’t allowed to run the Zanetti family. And that it doesn’t matter what I do, I can never be a made man.”
She stopped at my feet, almost out of breath as her older brother, our middle child, calmly made his way down the steps. “Sometimes the truth hurts, Sophie.”
I left Frankie to take care of his son and walked Sophie into the living room, fixing the hem of her dress. “You can do whatever you want, Sophie. The world is yours for the taking.”
I had no doubt that one day she’d give us all a run for our money.
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