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)
I released a quiet chuckle. “They say third time’s the charm, right?”
“In this case, I hope so.” She dropped her arms and moved into me, wrapping her arms around me and resting her head against my chest.
I held her, my chin resting on her head.
She took a slow breath before she let me go. “I’m going to head over.”
“I’ll come by when I’m done.”
“Okay.” She gave me a weak smile before she turned away and started to leave.
“Baby?”
“Hmm?” She turned back to me.
“Love you.” My nose was broken and I had a cut in my back that would take weeks to heal, but nothing hurt more than watching her walk away. The love I had for her in my heart was so deep, it actually pained me. I had something I never wanted to lose, and that somehow felt riskier than all the battles and fights I’d survived.
Her eyes smiled as she looked at me. “Love you too.”
“How’s Rosaria?” I asked when I sat across from Don Russo on the couch in his office.
“Pretty shaken up,” he said. “Took the girls with her. She went to stay with her sister.”
“You’re in the doghouse, then, huh?” I asked with a slight cringe.
His cigar rested between his limp fingertips while his arm was propped on his knee. “I told her nothing would ever happen to her or the girls.”
“Nothing did.”
“But not because of me.” He stared at the burning cigar for a moment before he looked at me again. “It was because of you and Francesca…and Leo.”
“Either way, it all worked out okay.”
He brought the cigar to his lips and took a drag before he released a heavy cloud. “She said it’s either them or Cosa Nostra. I have to decide.”
“I think that’s a little unfair.”
“Really?” he asked with slight bewilderment. “They were almost hanged.”
“Almost. And they’ve gone their entire lives without a single instance of danger. You’ve done a remarkable job keeping them safe, Don Russo. Pretty phenomenal in this line of work.”
He took another puff of the cigar. “She won’t change her mind.”
“It’s been a couple hours. Maybe in a couple weeks, she’ll come around.”
He released a quiet scoff. “You don’t know my wife, Wolfe. When she decides something, that’s it.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
He’d barely released the smoke before he took another puff then smashed it into the black ashtray in the center of the table. “My family means everything to me, Wolfe. Cosa Nostra has been my life, but they’re my world.”
I nodded in understanding.
“I’ve done this a long time, and within the blink of an eye, I became an old man. It’s time to move on anyway.”
“You aren’t an old man. Fifty is the new thirty-five.”
He released a quiet chuckle as he shook his head. “Trust me, when you turn fifty, you won’t feel that way.”
“I think you’re being a little dramatic.”
He ignored what I said and gave me a hard stare.
I knew what was coming. Could tell by the energy and the look of assumption. “My answer hasn’t changed, Don.”
“Even after everything that’s happened?”
I gave a slow shake of my head.
“Because Francesca doesn’t have to be the wife who stays upstairs and raises your children. She can be a donna beside you. You could rule together—and that sounds a lot more exciting than running a vineyard.”
I shook my head again. “Doing anything with Francesca is exciting. I consider it a privilege to help her with her family business. Her family are descendants of the original Mafia, and that’s pretty fucking cool.”
“Well, we’re the actual Mafia.”
“Don, you know Cosa Nostra will always be an ally and a friend, but I’m ready to move on with my life. Have a nice change of pace, take things a little slower for once.”
“And you won’t get bored?”
“Have you seen my wife?” I asked with a laugh. “Nope, definitely won’t get bored.”
He gave a quiet chuckle. “She’s a tough cookie. I like her. And I like her for you.”
“She’s my one and only.”
“A little bummed we missed the wedding.”
“It was just the two of us. Even her brother wasn’t there.”
He nodded. “Still. You’re family to us, Wolfe. Why don’t we do a reception here in Palermo?”
“Don, I’m not coming back—”
“Yes, I heard you,” he said. “And I accept that answer. I’d still like to celebrate with you.”
I was relieved this matter was finally put to rest. “I’ll talk to Francesca about it. Depends on how things go with her brother.”
“Have you heard anything?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have high hopes, though. He was shot in the chest at such close range…”
“If God wants him to live, he’ll live.”
I hated hearing that kind of stuff. Because if that were true, then why didn’t my mother get to live? Why did she have to be shot in the head and left to die while her son had to witness the whole thing? “Who will you choose instead?”