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That gets me laughing. "I'd be a horrible spy. Well, not horrible, but I don't do well with authority and they have to follow too many orders. The Family business suits me just fine. Now, look, the same code opens this door from inside because it's always locked."
The keypad mostly blends in and lets us out in the back of an abandoned dry cleaning shop. I pull out a set of keys, leading her out the front door where Lorenzo is waiting beside the car.
"Does he have a tracking device on you or something?" she asks.
"You're too wrapped up in the idea of my being a spy, mio dolce."
"Good morning, Lorenzo." Evelyn greets him with a smile as he holds the door open for her to slide into the back seat.
"Good morning, Evelyn." He tips his head to her with a smile.
When he closes it, I notice the slightest raise of his eyebrows.
"What is it, Ren?" I ask him.
He sighs. "Forty-eight hours."
"What about it?"
He takes a step away from the car. Surely, to make certain Evelyn's out of earshot.
"The tunnel, Less?"
"Relax. She doesn't have the key to my safety deposit boxes, and she doesn't know anything that's not easily accessible. Anyone can go to the Department of Buildings and see the building plans for that tunnel and the house. But I get it, and I'm in the middle of pulling back."
"More like you should pull out. Figuratively and literally."
That angers me as I grab him by the collar, spinning the man who's been my longest friend to pin him against the car. The fucked up part is he's letting me do this. On days where the heavy bag isn't enough, Lorenzo and I will go round for round. He has it in his power to stop me and any other man from tossing him around, but for appearances, sometimes, he'll let my temper flare.
"This is exactly what I mean," he says. "Look at you. Look at us. It's been forty-eight fucking hours. I'm not telling you not to fall for her. She's lovely and can cook her ass off. Just don't let it knock you off your game. We got plenty of other shit to worry about."
I let him go because he's right. Lorenzo's the only man outside of my father I'll let call me on my bullshit. Loving Evelyn is dangerous.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I need to clear my head. I'm going to grab a car and get some work done. Take her to her father or wherever she needs to go today," I tell Lorenzo. I knock on the window of the back door, which Evelyn rolls down with a touch of worry on her face. "Mio dolce, tell Lorenzo wherever you need to go. Get ready for Sunday dinner."
"Alessandro, it's only Thursday," she says.
"I know, but those cookies and all the fancy desserts, I figured you'd need a few days to prepare. If not, it's fine, go shopping, whatever."
"Alessandro, don't just pass me off. I'm more useful than cooking and baking like a happy little wife. I can still stop by those businesses."
"Hold off on that. Let's get this Family treaty established and we'll come back to that. I want everybody in line by the time we have you involved in business decisions."
"Okay," she concedes. "Whatever you say, Alessandro."
"Good girl."
I lean into the window, stealing a kiss before I step away from the car. Talking to Lorenzo lets me clear my head.
"So, the treaty's in place," Lorenzo says intuitively. "You're keeping up appearances very well."
"I mean, I should since we've been married a solid forty-eight hours. I want to get a list of the businesses from the De Luca and Rossi properties that were torched. If it's less than ten, I'll leave that to you and Evelyn."
Lorenzo grunts. "Okay."
I sigh. "We need everyone to see she's more than a trophy, that she's useful to the business. If she's completely tied to me as my wife, that means I'm open. We're exposed, and then, so is she. Her sister's in Top Gott."
Lorenzo's frustration is audibly loud. "Fuck. I don't give a fuck how nice they say the island is. Shit's like the Ryker's for women, except it's clean. We got people in there for her? She fed me, Less."
