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The Don didn’t weep when he saw his dead son’s body. He was already plotting his revenge. But I don’t care about the Don. I care about my brothers. But still?—
“You need something to keep your mind busy, Steph. This existence, where you go all Fight Club for two, three hours a day, overseeing our clubs at night, running some of the online stuff, draining yourself to a point of no return… I can’t watch you do this anymore.”
I crunch my empty beer can in my hand, not wanting to go there. I know he’s right, but it’s this mindless routine that keeps me in control.
“I need to eliminate another target in Sicily first,” Matteo says. “That will need planning, too.”
“Who?”
“The Sicilian.”
“Don Emilio Randazzo?” I repeat, stunned. “You have to take him out? For real?”
“Yes.”
He sighs, and I grunt. Our old man is losing his mind.
“This auction will happen offshore, and it will involve a lot of planning. All I need for you to do is go through the motions as if she’s signed your usual contract,” he continues. “We can work both missions together. It will take your mind off Tatiana and everything that’s happened.”
I dip my head, not wanting my brother to see the red flush heating my face. It doesn’t help when he reminds me ofwhat happened to Tatiana. How the woman I deeply cared for was brutally raped and left for dead. Yes, she was a prostitute and went willingly with Greg Fucking Martinez, but no woman deserves that.
“It’s as if she’s already gone,” I say, not wanting to take this conversation any further.
“She was never yours, Stephano.”
I lean back and slap my hands down on the counter. Does he really want to go there right now? “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to kill the fucker that did this to her.”
“Yes. You will. We will make it happen. But Steph?—”
“No. No more.” I stand. “Now you’re just trying to pick a fucking fight, Matteo. Let me warn you, I’m still pumped from earlier at the gym.” And I’ll beat him to a pulp. Matteo is in shape, but he doesn’t war with himself every day like I do. He has his own battles, plus he is going to be the Don ofIl Consigliosoon. I’m his brother, and he will always have my loyalty. Now’s the time to show it to him. “I’ll do this virgin auction for you, provided she is one. But understand this clearly: I’m doing it becauseyouasked, and not for the Don.”
“Thank you. Teamwork makes the fucking dream work.” He picks up his phone from the counter as he stands. “I’ll keep you posted.”
3
GIGI
Monte Carlo is packed, and although I love it here, I prefer it less congested with tourists. It’s the beginning of summer peak season, and the taxi is battling to get ahead to the restaurant where I’m meeting Carla. I don’t know what the hold-up is but as a last resort, I make the driver stop. I tap my card to pay and hop out, bracing myself to walk the last two hundred meters in heels not made for walking.
By the time I get there, I’m wilted. Thank God for air conditioning. Carla waves to me from where she’s already seated, and I spot her bodyguard sitting unobtrusively at the bar, nursing an espresso. We make eye contact, but he doesn’t acknowledge me.
“Hey.” I lean in to kiss my sister on the cheeks. She’s in a white strapless top, tight around her breasts. Her skin is sun-bronzed, and with her long mahogany tresses framing her face and brown eyes, my little sister looks seriously grown up.
“Traffic’s a bitch, isn’t it,” Carla says as she stands to hug me, but I wave her to sit down.
I’m too hot for hugs.
“Yes. Don’t use that word.”
She rolls her eyes but reaches for the carafe and pours me some water. “How long are you here for?”
“Three days. I have an auction in Cannes tomorrow, and I’m meeting a client in Nice later this week.”
“Don’t you ever get tired of it?”
“What? The art? I’ll never get tired of the art, or the auctions.” There’s the thrill of the chase, the buzz when I find a real treasure. The happiness when I make a deal for my clients. My work is a bit of a trip without the nasty addiction that comes with drugs.
“No, I mean the travel. You’re forever flying from one corner of Europe to the other, never standing still. Even that bolt hole in London isn’t much, and it isn’t as if you spend a lot of time there.”
