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“And what better way to guard you than to know what the fuck is going on around you,” I countered. “No matter how much fear you instill in these people, there’s still half of them that can’t be trusted, Nero. You know this better than anyone.”
“Which is why I need you around long enough to help me teach those lessons to my son,” he replied smoothly, the manipulating sonofabitch.
When Nero had announced me as his son’s future godfather, no one had argued against it. Even though Elio should have been the obvious choice, Elio had exercised enough wisdom to realize that he wasn’t the person for the job. Yeah, he was maturing more and more, but the heir to the Sartori Crime Family couldn’t be left in the hands of a man that was still a child in a lot of ways. He’d proven as much by marrying Condie on the fly, and his complete disregard for her was also proof that he had a long way to go. Now, don’t get me wrong here; Condie was a complete fruit loop. Nonetheless, Elio had married her, and it was his responsibility to make that shit work.
“You’re an asshole.”
“So my wife tells me,” he retorted, not missing a beat. “Often.”
“Look, it’s not like I try not to sleep,” I said, half-ass lying, and he knew it. “So, even if I don’t go to the docks tonight, I’ll still be working somewhere else.”
“It’s been three years,” he remarked quietly.
I arched a brow, shooting him a look of my own. “Says the man that orchestrated an elaborate plot for the wife that he has now.” Nero’s lips twitched as I leaned forward on the couch. “Tell me, Nero. What would you do if Kasen walked away from you?”
“She wouldn’t,” he answered swiftly, not even wanting to entertain the idea.
“You sure about that?” I asked, turning the tables just to be an asshole.
His dark brown eyes practically turned black at the thought. “Yes, I am,” he said, a little bite in his voice. “I know it like I know my own name.”
I leaned back, smirking. “That’s what I thought.”
Nero let out a calming breath before saying, “Fine, you made your point.”
“I’ll meet the guys at the dock,” I said. “Let Elio deal with whatever Condie’s got going on.”
“If Marco’s got any sense, he’ll put her in check at dinner,” Nero huffed. “She has to see that Elio is fourth in line to take over this family.”
I scowled. “Fourth?”
Nero eyed me again. “Do you honestly believe that I would put him in charge of this family over you?”
“I’m not a Sartori,” I pointed out.
“That’s debatable,” he muttered back.
Getting back to the real world, I asked, “What all do I need to know about the shipment that I already don’t?”
“Nothing,” he answered. “I just want to make sure that it’s firearms only. Smuggling of anything else, and I’ll want heads.”
I gave him a terse nod as I stood up from the couch. “Duly noted.”
“I also want a full report on Manny,” he added like I knew that he would. “If he’s bringing trouble to my doorstep, then I want to know about it.”
“It’s always a woman that ends up being a man’s downfall,” I smirked.
“And yet we still can’t help ourselves,” he agreed.
I walked out of Nero’s office, already thinking about what all was going to be needed for tonight. In all actuality, I didn’t know how not to work. Even if I’d had a wife and kids, I’d still be running at this same speed. In fact, it was actually a good thing that my heart had stopped working three years ago.
Chapter 4
Savina~
My fingers were gripping the steering wheel tight enough to make them ache. It was almost five-thirty, and I had no idea if Cooper Donaldson was still at the house or not, but I did know that Ashton was going to be upset about my tardiness. While I had a solid reason for being late, Ashton wouldn’t care about any of that. Appearances were everything when you had a political career, and Ashton and his family had been deep into politics from when Ashton’s great-grandfather had been a US Senator.
When I finally pulled up to the house, I saw a black sedan park nearby, the windows tinted dark, the make and model making it obvious that the occupant of that car was important. I let out a shaky breath, not sure if I should be thankful or worried that Cooper was still here. Yeah, I was only late by half an hour, but that simple fact could easily make Cooper feel as if he wasn’t a priority, and I didn’t know the man well enough to know if he was that type of person.
