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Her throat closed, and she refused to look at him. Instead she remained near a tipsy Montrell during the group’s planning of a safe exit back to their respective estates. She should have stayed beside Montrell all along.
Not that she regretted the sex. She wasn’t going to allow herself to regret sex again.
When Antonio tried to catch her to say whatever his overthinking mind wanted him to say, Vespa cut him off. “Let’s just take care of our people right now.” Her eyes shifted to Giovanni and Nera, and she let herself soften when she looked back at Antonio. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, and this is a Coronella problem. We’ve relied on the Di Salvos enough.” She added a smile and a pat to his good arm before shifting closer to Montrell. Right where she belonged.
Chapter 25
For the first time, the walls of the Di Salvo estate closed in on Antonio as he walked through the door. He’d had some shitty experiences as a child, but he’d never doubted that his place was among the Di Salvos. He’d fought for the position that he’d wanted, disappointing both of his parents with his lack of motivation to be anything but Giovanni’s support.
Vespa wasn’t wrong to urge him to focus on taking care of his people, as much as he wanted her to be. It only made him love her more.
The thought made his heartbeat erratic. Loving her was the worst realization he could have come to. He forced the truth of it away, welcoming the coldness that came slithering inside to replace it.
More Di Salvos than normal lingered around the entry of the estate. It was Enzo’s doing, after all the commotion of the day, and it made sense.
Nera took his arm. “Let’s talk in the office,” she said, leading the way.
Antonio knew they needed to have the talk, but he had wanted to delay it. When the office door clicked shut behind them, his face felt like it was carved out of marble. The room was overcrowded with not just him and Nera and Giovanni, but Enzo too. Tommaso waited out in the hall to provide privacy.
Antonio refused to pace. He went to unbutton his jacket to sit and only then remembered he wasn’t wearing one. He settled into one of the chairs in front of the desk as if his skin wasn’t stretching in all directions. “Let’s face it. This alliance with the Coronellas has served them a lot better than it has us,” he forced himself to say aloud. “We should back off and see how it shakes out.”
Nera frowned at him, her arms wrapping around her middle. “Is that what you really want, Antonio?”
“It’s the smart move. Hell, just providing Montrell with the information was enough to instigate the shakeup I was looking for.” Antonio tilted his head, maintaining his smile as he met Nera’s gaze. “Two potential enemies have been eliminated. With the current Rossi situation, that’ll likely end up being three. If the Di Salvos hang back, we’ll be in a better position to fortify our territory while the Coronellas draw attention.”
“It’s not a bad plan,” Enzo agreed. He crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall near the door. “Sounds like what Vittore would recommend in this situation.”
Antonio’s smile faded as he returned his uncle’s stare.
Giovanni’s voice fell between them. “Vittore was a traitor. I don’t want to hear his name.”
Enzo opened his mouth to argue, but grimaced when Giovanni took a step toward him. “I’m sorry, padrino,” Enzo murmured, letting his gaze drop.
The silence in the room was strained. It was the first time it had felt that way since Nera shot their father.
Antonio forced out his next words. “We should withdraw from any alliance with the Coronellas. It’s what’s best for the family.”
Giovanni nodded. “Agreed. You’re a good consigliere, Antonio. Your job is to steer us to what’s best for the Di Salvos.”
“What’s best can also be wrong,” Nera snapped. “I don’t agree with this. We’ve promised—”
“Nothing,” Antonio cut in. When she glared at him, he sighed. “We’ve promised them nothing, and we’ve already gifted them with more resources than they ever asked for. That’s my fault. I lost perspective.”
“Just as I did when Luka was in danger,” Giovanni said.
Antonio controlled his wince. He’d fought hard to keep his brother from running after the assassin. He still didn’t believe he’d been wrong, and it settled some of his own resolve now, despite the way his chest felt scraped raw.
Guilt replaced the anger on Nera’s face. “You still regret that.”
Giovanni’s arms wrapped around her, his hand resting on her stomach. “I do. It was the wrong choice for me, even if it was right for the Di Salvos.”
Antonio’s decision to abandon the Coronellas was right for the family. Everything pointed to it.
Already it felt like something inside him was withering.
“I was wrong to delay you when Luka was in trouble,” Nera argued. “We should have helped. Alina is family.”
Giovanni grimaced. “Our intention was to keep her safe. I never expected her to sneak out on her own.”
