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“We’ll see about that.”
Rocco gives me the rundown. I don’t take notes, even though I want to—Rocco’s old school and doesn’t want anything on paper. I commit enough to memory and when the meeting’s over, I tap it out onto my phone and make sure it’s encrypted when I’m done. Another skill I learned from Marcus. A little good OPSEC never hurt anyone.
I’m bothered by what he said as I head back to Ronan’s place. I’ve got the name for it, and I was my father’s shadow, but there’sa reason they didn’t back me for leader when Dad was first killed.
Even if I’m his daughter, I’m not hisblood. And in a world like ours, that sort of thing matters.
Dad never treated me like anything other than his own, but there were always tells. The way some of the other Capos looked at me. The way I didn’t have any of Dad’s features. People sometimes remarked on how much I was like my father, but that was only because we were around each other a lot—not because we shared any genetic material.
I don’t deserve to take on the Famiglia. Even if that were feasible, Rocco’s wrong. I’m my father’s daughter, but I’ve never been enough of his daughter.
It’s strange, how much I miss everything I’ve lost, but in a lot of ways I was always at a remove. Being the Don’s daughter meant I couldn’t be like any of the other kids in the Famiglia, and being adopted meant I was just an extra step outside of what everyone considerednormal. It didn’t bother me back then. And it didn’t bother me until I started thinking about bringing back the Famiglia.
Now though, it’s like all these questions about my identity that I’ve been struggling to keep hidden over the years are back and swirling all around me, and I don’t even know what to believe about myself anymore.
Chapter 28
Valentina
“Idon’t usually do business in bed,” Ronan says, stretched out and naked under the sheets.
I kiss his chest. “Me neither, but here we are.” I’m floating and happy post-orgasm with that incredible ache between my legs. “But we should go over what Rocco told me before I lose it all.”
“All right, fine, if you want to waste a perfectly good postcoital moment on work, be my guest.”
I pat his softening dick gently and kiss his cheek. “That’s my boy.”
“Oh, you better fucking not,” he says, grinning, and I squirm away before he can grab me.
“Matteo Ricci’s business model is pretty simple.” I pull on my clothes and enjoy the way Ronan watches me. He’s always looking at me, staring at me, like when I’m in the room he can’t take his eyes off my body. I love it, that attention. It’s intense and seductive, being wanted so badly. “He robs drug dealers.”
Ronan’s lips press together. “Like that guy fromThe Wire?”
“Just like that, but Matteo works with a little crew. From what Rocco told me, there are eight to ten of them, depending on who’s in town, and they’ve got a bunch of safehouses scattered all over the South Side. They’ve been banging up dealers for about a year now and haven’t been caught yet, and from what I hear, they’ve got one hell of a stash at this point.”
“Cash?” Ronan asks, looking interested.
“Plus product. I can’t say exactly what, but I’m sure it’s whatever they could get their hands on. Weird part is they haven’t been selling.”
“Hard to move stolen product,” Ronan says, sounding thoughtful. “Could be they’re holding on until they’ve got enough to do one big deal.”
“Whatever their plan is, Rocco thinks he can point us in the right direction.” I sit at the end of the bed. Ronan stretches with a sigh. God, that man, he is one beautiful specimen. “They’re really nasty, but nobody would be upset if we knocked him over and took him down.”
“There’s a thought.” He smiles to himself and closes his eyes. “Italians killing Italians. That’s every Irishman’s dream.”
“You’re too hung up on the weird nationality stuff.”
“Nah, love, it’s all just part of the game.” He opens his eyes again. “All right, I think I can sell this to the boys, but it’s going to be dangerous.”
“Not if we’re smart about it, which I definitely am.” He leans forward and tries to pull me close to him again, but I resistand glare at him. “No trying to make him our friend. Do you understand me?”
“You don’t try to tame a rabid dog, love, you just put him down.”
“You think that’s what Matteo’s become?” I reluctantly crawl back into bed and curl up next to him. “I remember what he was like before the Famiglia fell apart. Smart guy, motivated, always at the center of stuff. One of the younger men to make Capo.”
“He’s been in the wild for a while now. Can’t really compare what he was like to now.”
I kiss Ronan’s neck and close my eyes, breathing deep and slow. “Rocco mentioned putting the Famiglia back together. He said I have the name for it.”
