Page 27 of Disgrace

Lucian chuckled at the tone of John’s voice. “You sound just like Antony when you do that. Your grandfather would be proud as hell.”

“I bet. What aren’t you telling me?”

“A lot, and nothing at all. Where do you want to start?”

John looked over his shoulder, and noted a freshly pressed tux resting in a see-through garment bag. A peach-colored vest, tie, and pocket square was also inside the bag. “Let’s start with why there’s a tux in the back.”

“It’s for you to wear.”

John’s brow dipped low. “With a vest and tie that looks like it belongs in a wedding?”

“That’s because it does.” Lucian reached over, and pulled out a small box from the glove compartment, and handed it over to John. A ring box, it seemed. He opened it up to find a set of rings inside—one female, and one male. “You’re going to need this, too. Keep a hold of it, and don’t lose it. It’s really your only job today.”

John blinked. “What the fuck?”

Lucian laughed darkly. “Yeah, that’s a good start. You’re Andino’s best man. You need a tux, and it’s your job to keep an eye on the rings, and hand them over when the priest asks for them. You’ll stand at the altar where you’re told to stand, and leave when you’re told to leave. There’s really not much else to it—Andino and Haven did not want a lot of fanfare for this day, and we didn’t exactly have a lot of time to work with.”

His father passed him a look, quickly adding, “They are being married at Antony and Cecelia’s estate, and the dinner and party will follow at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. You see, we’re having trouble keeping out of sight lately. We don’t want to stay gathered—at least, not the whole family—in one place for too long where we might be attacked in some way. And so, we are having the wedding with a very limited amount of guests in our private home, and the larger party where people are less likely to attack in a very public setting.”

Lucian ticked a finger into the air, saying, “Of course, still highly protected.”

“Wait, Andi’s getting married today?”

“I said that, yes.”

“Today.”

“Yes, John.”

“He didn’t tell me—”

Lucian’s gaze cut to John’s, quieting him instantly. “He asked her the day they came to visit you, and only announced it to us a couple of days later. They did not want to wait to be married, and everyone has agreed to this. Andino did, however, want to wait for you.”

John looked down at the rings again. “A best man, huh?”

“You’re not really surprised, are you?”

“Fuck no.”

Lucian let out another one of his hard laughs, and then reached for his son again. John let his father bring him close, touch their temples together, and pat his neck with affection he had denied his father for years.

Then, John had another thought.

His mind had been so caught up in the revelation about Andino getting married today that he hadn’t stopped to think at all about the other information his father offered to him. The mention of moving the family from place to place because of protection. How they were planning in order to prevent an attack that they believed might come.

“It’s the Calabrese, isn’t it?” John asked quietly.

“How about today, we—”

“How about you just answer me, Papa?”

Lucian nodded with a dry chuckle. “All right. Yes, it is the Calabrese.”

“How bad is it?”

Sure, Siena had given John a bit to go on, but that’s all it had been. A little bit of info—a tease, if you will. Something to make him stay up at night and ponder, but not enough to chew on and really understand what was happening.

He needed more.