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Yannis crouched down to talk to him face to face. “You live just because she’s alright. No one touches Fiori and goes unpunished.”
After that, everything became a blur. I was pulled away and stuffed in a car, my hotel room was cleared, and faster than I thought it was possible, Yannis and I were on a private flight going back to Palermo.
When our plane started to lose altitude and I could see we were a few minutes away from being home, my heart started to beat with fervid intensity. Salvatore and I didn’t exchange one word since our call that first day in Milano. Before we boarded, I overheard Yannis talking to him on the phone and I could tell by the look on his face that Salvatore was fuming at the other end of the phone, but I didn’t care. All I wanted was to see him. If he didn’t want to talk to me, fine, but I needed to see him in the room, to believe I was finally fine. That I was finally safe.
Chapter 27
“You did it, cousin.” Pietro shook my hand and pulled me into a bear hug. He was waiting in front of the restaurant for me.
“We did it.”
“I thought this power-plant idea was shit. You’re the one who saw it through. Good move,Don.”
“How are our guests?”
“Almost everyone is here already. They’re all waiting for you.”
I glanced toward the restaurant’s terrace and saw people already rubbing elbows. The event planner did good making this place look regal.
There was a lot of power at this party – the mayor, officials from Rome, Capos from all over the country and some from overseas, allies, friends, associates, and Aziz and Dilovar, the two Tajiki investors that just sold me their business.
Pietro did good and spread the word to all of our associates around the country about this move I was doing and everyone was looking in my direction. There were some voices in thefamigliathat said it was a bad thing for a man in my position to be so carefully watched, but I wasn’t afraid of any spotlight. A Fiori never hides in the shadows.
“How are our guests of honor, Pietro?”
“Dilovar is drunk and Aziz is having the time of his life fondling one of the girls I got for them. All good.”
Instead of going towards the entrance, I stepped to the side and lit a cigarette. I needed a fucking moment before facing all of that.
“You can go ahead.” I told my cousin, but he didn’t move.
“They’re waiting to see you, not me.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
“You good?”
“Sure.” But I didn’t feel good. I felt next to nothing.
“It’s about Grazia, isn’t it?” Pietro scoffed. “That wife of yours makes it really hard for me to not get angry.”
I raised my eyebrow and threw a threatening look his way. “Say that again.”
“You married her too fast.”
“I married her after twenty years of waiting for her to become my wife.” The irritation was obvious in my voice.
“When Fabiano and Adrian arranged your marriage, Uncle was told that she’d be raised as a mafia princess. You were promised a wife fit for aDon, but you got a woman who is acting like a teenager rebelling against God knows what. I know you love her, brother, I do, but I wish you wouldn’t.” The coldness settled in my bones. “She messes with your head. You should be in there drowning yourself in whisky after what you just pulled off. You’re about to be the richest man in this country and all your money is clean. No one can touch you. But instead of joining the celebration, you’re going to spend your day finding excuses for Grazia because she’s not here.”
“Pietro.” The warning flew right past him.
“She’s hurting your business. There’s aDonin there who flew from New York to meet you. He can transport anything across the ocean, owns every port and every ship in New York and New Jersey. He is impressed with what you did and wants to work with ourfamiglia, but he respects family men. If you don’t get that alliance today, it’s because Grazia screwed you over to go dance in Milano.”
I reacted before I could think and grabbed Pietro by the throat, pulling him closer to my face to make sure he heard every word I had to say to him.
“I let you say your piece because you’re my cousin and that earned you the privilege of talking freely, but make no mistake, you ever talk about my wife with that look on your face again, I will skin you from head to toe.Capisce[58]?”
“Someone has to tell you the truth.”
