Page 47

DIAMANTES

Alessandro

“Breathtaking,” I mutter, staring out over the crystalline waters of the Mediterranean.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Isabella sidles up to me, curling her arms around my bicep.

“I was talking about you.”

“Ugh. Why does that work on me so well?”

“Because you know what you really do to me in our private chamber, and how it really does leave me breathless…” I chuckle, inhaling the scent of her hair, her skin. Out here in the warm, humid air, it’s accentuated. More heady.

She was made to live in a place like this. The mother of my children. My wife.

“I can’t believe you have a house in Corsica. We. We have a house in Corsica.”

“Now that we have some access to our hidden assets, there are a lot of things you’ll soon discover about what we have.”

“All legal and above board?” Isa makes a face, her lips pressing together.

“All paid for and completely off the books. So, kind of?”

“I may never get used to being a Diamante.”

Leaning over the rail of the beachside terrace, I frown slightly. Unsure of how to frame the feelings I’ve been wrestling with.

“Aless? I was only teasing…”

“It’s not that. I?—”

“You wonder what to do about the family.”

“It’s my responsibility. Always has been.”

“I’m not sure your brothers would agree. To the rest of the world, you died six years ago, Aless.”

“The weight of our empire did not die with me.” I growl, itching for a cigarette. It was bad enough the way she guilted me after Nico was born. Then little Giancarlo comes along and she doubles down, says I’m getting older and?—

“Papa! Mamma!” Our youngest’s voice trills ahead of him as his sandaled feet clap across the tiles.

Go figure. My worries find somewhere else to be for a minute. Isabella bends down, pressing her hands to her knees as he bolts toward her, leaping into her arms. She catches the three-year-old boy at the last second, making monster sounds and sending him into fits of giggles.

I’m so caught up in the ordeal that I almost miss Nico’s sneak attack.

“ Difenditi , Pa!” he shouts, leaping onto my back.

Whipping around and away from Isa and Gi-co, I spin into a frenzy, whirling Nico’s legs out behind me. In a quick twist of my body, I flip around with his hands still around my neck, swimming him around and around.

“Dad, I’m gonna puuuuke!” he wails, tears forming in his eyes from laughing so hard.

“The circus called, they need their monkeys back,” Adriano opens his arms as he steps out of the house, catching Nico as I tug his arms loose from my neck and release him.

“Ugh. Quit being so precious, would you? Makes me so baby crazy I could puke too!” Gloria pops her lips as she steps onto the patio, shaking out the braids from her hair.

“Ay! Zio Ano !” Nico squeals as he wiggles out of his uncle’s grip.

“Doesn’t ‘ano’ mean—” Gloria’s eyes narrow.

“Jesus…” Adriano clenches his teeth. “Ciro taught him to call me that, didn’t he?”

“And could you maybe be a little less rough with our son…” Isa chides.

“But he’s unbreakable, just like his old man.” Adriano, winks at me, nodding for me to join him down on the next level of the terrace.

Kissing my wife on the cheek, I pinch her just hard enough to let her know what to expect later, eliciting a sharp little yelp. Hm. She must still be sore from last night’s escapades.

Isabella

I set Gi-co down, sending him to chase after his older brother in the playroom. My face cools slowly, unlike the blushing glow of my tender ass.

“Hm…I noticed you haven’t sat down a single time today…” Gloria mutters slyly, miming like she’s going to spank me.

I flinch.

Dammit.

Her honey sweet laugh is contagious. It’s one of my favorite things about her, this woman who has become like a real sister to me.

“I could go grab you an icepack?—”

“And shove it up your?—”

“Isabella! And you get on us for cussing in front of the kids? If they wind up with sailor mouths, it’s going to be your fault.”

“Please, it’s only when I get angry.”

“Or irritated, or sassy, or?—”

“Or teased by my cunt best friend!”

“Gotta be tough to keep up with our boys.”

“Speaking of the boys, and I mean the little ones, are you…?”

“We…” Gloria looks put out, then sighs. “Are trying.”

“Oh my Dio ! Finally!” I shout, earning a real slap on the behind from the amber-haired witch. Tears spring to my eyes, warded off by a little dance and wringing hands. “You bitch.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” she lowers her voice snidely, “Adriano’s swimmers might be slowing down.”

“Quit talking about my sper—” Adriano starts, cutting himself off with wide eyes and clamping his mouth shut. He immediately goes back to chatting with Aless.

I grin, bumping against Gloria’s shoulder as she hands me a glass of wine. How does she always know?

Could be that she is always drinking wine.

“What are you grinning about?”

“I just love him for you. He’s so much different than the introverted, brooding observer I met at the lodge all those years ago. Who knew that a bumbling nerd was hiding in there all along?”

“That’s the man I met on a train headed to Paris way before I walked into my father’s office and learned I’d be marrying him.” Her expression could sour milk.

“Well, you blew it. Did exactly what your papa wanted you to do.”

“The only good thing he ever did,” she sighs.

“He made you. And speaking of Dom, we haven’t had a chance to go over the prospects we discussed?”

“Oh yeah. Your news ‘leaks’ were spectacularly timed and received. Pretty much blew up the remaining factions affiliated with Pantheon. Set the US and European government agencies scrambling to explain their alleged involvement in international espionage, theft, murder, etc. From what Vanya’s said, the big players still in the game want to play nice too.

They’re worried that a certain family is back on the board. ”

“Not sure about that, honestly. I mean, regaining access to Dom’s hidden accounts was a godsend, financially speaking. But Aless is losing sleep over what to do.”

“Why? You two have everything you need and then some. We padded the accounts with all the liquidation of the New York businesses, and?—”

“That’s just it. He feels responsible to the people he left behind. Unprotected, easy picking for someone else to prey on.”

“Well, that’s something we weren’t sure how to bring up?—”

Adriano

“You pretty much stay with your foot in your mouth all the time now, huh?” Alessandro mocks, swinging at my arm.

“It’s actually good for my arches. Ancient orthopedic technique.”

“The fuck are you talking about?”

“Uh. Nothing.” I feel a flood of blood rushing to my face. Fucking hell. I get so used to babbling with Gloria all the time that it comes blubbering out at the worst times.

Namely when I’m trying to talk shop with my brother.

“You know, I like this side of you. You always tried to play it cool as my second. I’ll let you in on a secret, you never were. That pacing and pep talking yourself thing you do is not as subtle as you think.”

“You’re a rat bastard.”

“I’m a great older brother! You know what kind of ammunition that is? I could have wrecked your entire childhood with embarrassing stories.”

“Nah, growing up in the mafia ruined our childhood.” I open my hands, shrugging.

“I thought it really brought out the best in me,” Ciro’s cackle rains down on us from above.

“Get the fuck off my roof, you jackass!” Aless barely dodges Ciro’s dangling foot.

“It’s pronounced Shakal , as in, Shaq All-Star, Boom-Shakalaka, or Love Shakal.”

“You blew it,” I say disapprovingly, jerking his leg hard enough to pull him from his seat.

“I can neither confirm nor deny that allegation. He was just so damn pretty.”

“The Gulag really broke your brain, didn’t it?” Aless grumbles, smirking.

“It unlocked my true potential. Who would have thought I’d be the head of the Bratva?!”

“No one in their right mind.” I cringe.

“And no one who knows who is real leader of Volk. Hm?” Vanya joins us the normal way, walking around the house sidewalk, holding hands with little Myka. “Go find your cousins, shchenok .”

“They will make me their queen and then bring me cookies,” Myka says very seriously, nodding to herself. As usual, her eyes are wide, almost surprised looking. Ciro’s kid. Fucking wild.

“She is terrifying.” Aless nods solemnly.

“Takes after her mom for sure.” Ciro shrugs.

“And her mom takes her leave to go speak with the better halves of this family.”

“The audacity…” Ciro pouts.

“See? Always ungrateful. Just like you, Adri.” Aless fidgets with the pack in his pocket, glancing at the gals.

“You’re one to talk. What’s this I hear about you coming out of retirement?”

Gloria

“Oy, sisters. Tell me something intelligent before my brain dies.” Vanya runs her hands through her hair, flopping into one of the patio chairs.

“I can’t help you. Gi-co told me today that he found an olive in his pants and proceeded to shake his willy at me and run naked through the house.”

“Highbrow stuff,” I comment, stifling a giggle.

“Myka finishes every picture book we give, will not reread them. I found her today, sitting on Bol’shoy Borya’s lap while he napped in living room, reading Dostoevsky.”

“Pretending … ?” Isa makes a face.

“ Net . She reads first sentence of chapter out loud, slowly. I turn around and leave room.”

“She takes after her father…” I snort.

“If by this you mean she is crazy and smart? Da .” Vanya smiles, taking it in stride and apparently as a compliment. “I hope the next one will be a bit more energetic.”

“Next one…?” I raise my brows.

“No one is surprised. Ciro and I, we fuck nonstop. Destroy the house. Only surprise is that it didn’t happen sooner.”

Isa and I both erupt in peals of laughter, leaving Vanya a bit baffled and smirking. I swear to God, she knows exactly how funny she is.

“So, how’s life at top of the food chain?” Isa segues into part of the reason we’re all here.