Page 56 of Empire of Seduction (New York State of Mafia #2)

twenty-four

. . .

Maggie

A knock sounded on my bedroom door. Ignoring it, I continued to scroll on my phone, looking at vacation homes in Scotland and Ireland. The south of France. Anywhere that wasn’t here.

Though it was now afternoon, I hadn’t been able to get out of bed today. My life imploded yesterday, so I felt justified in telling the entire world to fuck off.

“Maggie?”

I expected Massimo, who’d stopped by no less than five times between last night and today, but it was my brother. “Go away,” I mumbled and bookmarked an old crumbling French castle with a small vineyard in the back.

The knob turned and the door opened. I glared at Mikey from over my shoulder. “Do you mind? I didn’t say you could come in.”

My brother shut the door and shoved his hands into his jeans. “Maz said you haven’t eaten all day. And you’re supposed to meet with me and Carlo in an hour.”

I faced away from him, giving him my back. “Yeah, don’t really feel like it. Maybe tomorrow.”

The mattress dipped as he sat on my bed. “Mags, come on. Talk to me.”

I couldn’t. I needed time away from everyone to process what happened in the last twenty-four hours.

No more vines.

No more Fiorentino Winery.

No more Vito.

I wasn’t sorry about the last one. He’d lied and then tried to buy me as his kept woman. God, I’d been so stupid. But there were bigger problems than my horrible taste in men.

My grandfather’s vines, my father’s vines . . . all gone. I fell in love with a monster and my lack of judgment destroyed everything my family had created over the last sixty years.

How could I ever forgive myself?

“I’m sorry,” I croaked, shutting my phone off.

“ You’re sorry?” Mikey’s voice practically squeaked in disbelief. “I’m the reason Vito is here. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”

“Yeah, but I’m the reason he stayed. If I hadn’t antagonized him, fought with him, slept with him, then he would’ve left immediately after signing the contracts. None of this would’ve happened.” A tear escaped one eye and trickled into my hairline.

Mikey bumped my foot with his knee. “Maybe we should stop blaming ourselves. I’m not mad at you. Are you mad at me anymore?”

“No. But I hate myself. Don’t get me wrong, I still hate Vito. But I also hate myself.”

“You shouldn’t. What the Red Raiders did isn’t our fault. That’s squarely on Vito.”

I knew this was true, but it didn’t make me feel any less shitty. Rolling over to face him, I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me, Mike?”

My brother winced and stared down at his shoes. “I’ve never seen a dead body before, not like that. Mom was . . . peaceful. This guy? It was something straight out of a horror movie. I freaked out. Almost hyperventilated. Vito kept me calm and ordered me not to tell anyone, not even you.”

“Did you know what they were planning in retaliation? Against Jimmy and the other bikers?”

“No. I doubt they talked about it in front of me, but if they did, I was too freaked out to register it. Listen, don’t feel bad for Jimmy. That guy fell in with some bad people. He was no angel.”

“Well, neither is Vito.” And I’d fallen in with him, hard.

“No, he’s not.” He crooked his knee and propped his leg on my bed, settling more comfortably. “All I keep thinking about is what would’ve happened if you and Vito were in the cottage the other night. Someone tried to kill him—and you might’ve died because of it.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. This had definitely crossed my mind. “But I didn’t.”

“I know, but I can’t lose you, Mags. You’re all I have left.”

Reaching out, I squeezed his arm. “You won’t. Nothing is going to happen to me. Vito and I are done.”

“Good.”

I peered up at him, surprised. “I thought you liked him.”

“I do, just not for you. Anyone close to him is in danger at all times. I don’t want that for you. For us.”

The silence stretched. Softly, I said, “He broke my heart.”

“I figured, based on what I overheard when the two of you were fighting. I’m sorry, Mags, but it’s for the best. And now he’s going back to Toronto so we can focus on things here, like rebuilding the vineyard and the cottage.”

“He’s leaving?”

Mikey’s dark eyebrows rose dramatically. “You didn’t know?”

No, I didn’t. I’d told him to lose my number, though, so why was my stomach sinking? Why was I reeling at the idea of never seeing him again? It was for the best, even if my heart didn’t quite believe it yet. That stupid bitch was holding out for a miracle, but my head knew better.

Whatever Mikey saw in my face caused him to blurt, “There was a death in the family. A funeral, he said.”

“Oh.”

“He said he’ll be back.”

“I don’t care,” I said with utter conviction. “We have bigger things to worry about. Like, how are we going to fix this?”

“That’s why we need to talk to Carlo. He has experience with vineyard fires.”

“He does?”

“Out in California a few years ago.”

Finally! A tiny piece of good news. I pushed myself to a sitting position, still clutching my phone. “Any updates from the police or the fire inspector?”

“No, not since last night. They’re still investigating. Vito might know more, but I haven’t asked him. He did send a bunch of guards over, so we’re safe for now.” He studied me carefully. “You ready to get up and help me fix this mess?”

A sharp knock sounded on the door a second before Maz’s face appeared. “Ciao, amici. I don’t want to interrupt, but I heard you talking. Is it okay to come in?”

“You can come in,” I said.

Maz walked in and regarded me carefully, cautiously. Like he wasn’t sure if we were still cool or not. “I made something called a chicken pot pie. I’m told it’s your favorite.”

My jaw dropped open. “It is. How did you—?” Then I remembered. The pub in Toronto. Vito told him.

My heart attempted to flutter in happiness, but I shut it down quickly. Vito would receive zero credit for anything from now on. “Thanks, Maz. I really appreciate it.”

“I don’t understand the biscuits on top, but . . . ” He shrugged.

“Dude, those are the best part,” my brother said.

Maz didn’t leave right away. Instead, he shifted on his feet and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Maggie, my brother, he means well. He can’t help but?—”

“Let me stop you right there,” I said. “Please don’t try to defend Vito. No offense, but I don’t want to hear it. We’re through and I hear he’s going home. So, let’s all just leave it at that, okay? What matters is getting this place up and running again.”

Maz grimaced, but nodded. “I understand. I will also understand if you’d like me to leave.”

I exchanged a glance with Mikey, who seemed equally baffled. “Why would we want you to leave?” my brother asked. “The dining room will stay open throughout the renovations. We’ll still host events here.”

“No, not that. Because of my last name. I may not be in the business now, but I’m still a D’Agostino.”

“Maz, no,” I said. “We don’t want you to go. You didn’t have anything to do with this. And you came to help us at a moment’s notice. We’re so thankful to have you here.”

“Definitely,” my brother added. “You saved our ass and your food is amazing. The kitchen staff loves you. You can’t leave.”

“Do you have to go to this funeral?” I asked.

Maz shook his head. “No, it’s mostly a business thing. My sister-in-law wasn’t close to her father. The only reason I would go is to see my niece and nephew, and I visited them a few months ago. Allora . . . thank you for letting me stay. I like it here.”

“Good,” Mikey said, getting to his feet and clapping Maz on the shoulder. “Bring your girlfriend for a visit. I’d like to meet her.”

“Me too! It would be nice to see a healthy relationship for once.”

Maz cocked his head and studied me. “He loves you. Do not doubt it. He thinks he is protecting you by keeping his life separate. It’s all he knows based on how we were raised.”

No, I didn’t believe it. Vito never once hinted that he loved me. Lusted for me, yes. But other than gifting me a penthouse in Toronto and providing access to his jet, there was no plan for a future together.

And what did it matter? He lied to me. He wanted to keep me as a convenience, not a true partner.

My parents had trusted each other, talked and argued, and lived side-by-side ever since they met and married.

They died together. I didn’t want a man who shoved me aside, lied to me, evaded and dodged. I was tired of Vito Speak.

And this was why I’d avoided relationships since freshman year of high school. They hurt .

Lesson learned. Stick to one-night stands, just as I’d been doing for almost eight years.

I stood up and straightened my hoodie. “Maz, let’s agree to never raise the subject of your brother again, okay? Because we won’t see eye-to-eye on this.”

He held up his palms. “I promise to try. Though it might be difficult.”

“You can’t avoid him,” Mikey told me. “He’s our principal owner.”

“But that’s what I have you for. To deal with Vito so that I don’t have to.” I came over to where they were standing. “Now, let’s go stuff ourselves with chicken pot pie.”

“I am not eating that,” Maz grumbled and walked out the door.

Mikey put his hands on my shoulders, stopping me. “You okay?”

“No, but I will be. We’ve dealt with worse, right?” When our parents died and both of us were thrust into owning a winery business.

“Yes, we have. Listen, I’m going to skip lunch and go to a meeting. But I’ll be back in time to sit down with you and Carlo.”

“Okay. I’m proud of you, bro.”

He pulled me in for a hug. “And I’m proud of you, sis. We’ll get through this together, I promise.”

“Thanks, Mikey. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d have to learn accounting, for starters.”

I eased away from him and started for the door. “You know I break out in hives when I see a spreadsheet.”

He followed me into the hallway and down the steps. “Hey, you almost had a boyfriend. I think you can be taught about pivot tables.”

“Knock it off about the boyfriend—or I won’t save you any chicken pot pie.”