Page 54 of My Sunfall

“What can I say?” I shoot back with a cocky grin. “We eloped and my wife wanted to keep it a surprise. But then her father passed and we had to cut our honeymoon short.”

Lorenzo must feel that he is losing ground, he turns to D, fury clouding his face. “This will mean war. The other families will stand behind me, because who would support a bunch of liars and cheats?”

“The other families won’t support you,” comes Teo’s lethal voice from behind our boss. “You failed to make the head of the famiglia aware when you signed the agreement. The other families will see that the marriage contract takes precedence.” He pauses for a beat, then drops his voice to that cold register I know means he’s closing in for the kill. “And there is another reason they won’t support you.”

“Which one?” Lorenzo seethes.

“There is…talk about your position. How unstable it is and that there might be dissidence from the inside. Since your position is…unstable, no sane family will openly support you without the guarantee of your success,” Teo goes on, the threat unmistakable.

“That’s nothing of your concern, I am the head of the Chicago Outfit, as my brother was before me—”

“Yet people question your legitimacy.” Teo cuts him off.

“I am the legitimate Don!” Lorenzo shouts as he bolts out of his chair.

“Are you now?” D asks calmly. I wonder what dirty secret Teo has unearthed, but I’ll ask him later.

Sensing that he is fighting a losing battle, Lorenzo straightens. “This is not over, I will petition the other families. Let’s see what they think about this.”

“Do that,” I say lightly, “but keep your distance from my wife. I’d rather not turn this into something…unpleasant.”

If looks could kill, I would be lying dead on the floor. He whirls around and stomps out through the door after his two goons, slamming the door shut.

After a beat of silence, Teo goes to the door, peeking out to make sure no one lingers in the hallway, then he shuts and locks it. As he lowers himself into the empty chair, D turns to me with a low growl. “Care to explain?”

I shrug. “What’s to explain? Chiara and I got married, end of story.”

He curses profusely under his breath. “Does she have grounds to contest the validity of the marriage?”

I gnash my teeth so hard he must hear it. “None of your business.”

“I’m married to her sister, and we’re risking war, motherfucker. So let me repeat. Can. She. Contest?”

“She won’t,” I snap, knowing full well I avoided a direct answer to his question.

He curses again. “And you’re saying that you both returned to Boston last month? To get married? Secretly?”

I narrow my eyes, challenging him to call bullshit. “Yeah. Got a problem?”

We glare at each other for several beats, none of us willing to back down. After what feels like hours, he chuckles slowly and leans back in his chair with a smirk. “Guess congratulations are in order?”

“Appreciated,” I reply slowly, grinning back.

Teo grumbles next to me. “I can’t believe she agreed to marry your sorry ass.”

I send him a dirty look, but he only chuckles.

Fuckers, they are messing with me.

“Have you looked that bastard up?” I ask Teo.

He nods and his smile fades. “He took over the Chicago Outfit ten years ago when his brother died in questionable circumstances during a street shooting. Thing is, the man had a son who should have taken over, but he was only fifteen then, so Lorenzo acted as his legal tutor and mentor. But now the kid is twenty-five and he never gave him the seat back. There are rumors of dissidence between the older generations standing behind the uncle and the younger blood supporting the nephew, although the kid seems more interested in partying and women than taking over.”

I nod. This is good for us, we could reach out to the other faction. My mind is already mapping out opportunities.

He steps closer and hands me his phone. I take it and swipe through the pictures. Each one showing the same young man in various states of intoxication, a different girl draped over his arm in every shot. I snort. Typical rich party kid.

“But that’s not all,” D falls in.