Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 88326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“But what if it takes years to defeat Icarus?”
“Then it takes years.”
She studied me for a moment across the table. “It almost feels like…you’re one of them again.”
“For the short term, I suppose that’s true.”
She stared at me for a while, her shoulders dropping from an invisible weight. “I don’t want this. This is not the situation I wanted us to be in.”
“It’s best not to play that game, baby.”
“I know you don’t want to work with them again.”
I gave a shrug. “When Warren’s men were looking for me, Cosa Nostra could have snitched, but they didn’t. They covered for me like I was still one of them. Don Russo put his money where his mouth is.”
She continued to stare at me.
“I didn’t know who the snitch was, but Leo was the last person I expected. When I look back on everything, I realize it’s pretty obvious. So it’s nice to feel some real loyalty for once.”
She still had some food on her plate, but she set down her fork like she was full or her appetite was gone. “What was obvious?”
“Well, when your father confronted Luigi at his warehouse, it was a setup, and they put a gun to Leo’s head to get your father to comply. Leo didn’t flinch, showed a stiffer spine than I thought he possessed, and I had a higher opinion of him after that. But now, I wonder if that whole thing was an act.”
Her face had already been pale, but now it started to blanch to the color of snow.
“If he originally worked with the Lombardis to overthrow your father, but then I complicated that for him.”
She took in a slow breath and released it as a quick sigh, her eyes wide in horror.
“And then when I killed them, he went to Warren next. That was why Warren confronted us at the wedding. He had the upper hand, and he wanted to gloat—even though we didn’t know what he was gloating about at the time. But then Warren took one look at you and got sidetracked…and hit your house unexpectedly. I think Leo didn’t know that was on the agenda.”
“Leo seemed genuinely horrified when Warren shot my father,” she whispered. “And he did help me escape.”
“I think sometime before I joined the syndicate, your father told him that you were going to take over, and that’s when the seeds of betrayal were planted. He didn’t anticipate how much of a deterrent I would be.”
“It makes me so sad,” she said with a heavy breath. “My father distrusted you all this time, and you were the only one who had his back.” She gave a shake of her head. “You literally saved his life…my life…the vineyard.”
“Until I didn’t.” Because I’d been at her villa when she’d called, and I hadn’t had my weapons or gear to save her. Her house had been emptied of the guns she’d stored there, and I’d even broken in to Leo’s house but couldn’t find his stash. So I’d had to drive all the way back to my place and get everything I needed before I could come back to help. If I’d just been at my house in the first place, it might have been different.
“It’s not your fault, Wolfe.” Her eyes showed her pain and her sincerity, looking at me with the same affection she always possessed. “There’s only one person to blame here—and I want his head on a platter.”
“And I’ll bring it to you.”
I sat on the terrace around the fountain by tall olive trees in planters with red geraniums overflowing from little pots on the brightly colored tile. It was an indoor-outdoor courtyard, a place where you could sit outside without a sniper able to pick you off.
I was there alone for a while before someone joined me.
“Wolfe.” He approached me with a slight smile on his face, his hand outstretched.
I stared at him for a while before I rose to my feet. “Uncle Marco.” I gripped his hand and shook it.
“You look good.”
“I always look good,” I said with a smirk.
“Still the same arrogant son of a bitch, I see.”
“Some things never change.”
He gave another smirk before he sat in one of the other cushioned armchairs. He wore a black bowler hat with a buttoned-up linen shirt and brown jeans. “So, you’re back in the game, huh?”
“I never left the game—just changed teams.”
He gave a slight nod. “You’re on the right team now.”
“It’s a temporary position. When Icarus is gone, so am I.”
He grabbed his pipe and lit up before he got the smoke going. “We’ll see.”
“You don’t believe me.” I cocked my head as I looked at him.
He crossed one ankle on the opposite knee before he looked back at me. He drew in the smoke before he released it as a cloud. “I’ve heard this story a hundred times.”