Page 125 of Cara & Gian: The Guzzi Duet

No, not really.

He had decided enough was enough, though.

“Grudges tend to kill a lot of people in this business,” Gian said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I need to learn to let bygones be bygones.”

“Good, good.”

Then, Edmond held out his hand, the one with a ring that was all too familiar to Gian. It had belonged to his grandfather for years, and while Corrado should have been buried with it, someone had removed it from his home before it could be collected for the funeral home. Constantino might have been the one to pull the trigger where Corrado’s death was concerned, but Edmond had not been an honorable man in his intentions after the fact.

Gian could never, and would never, forget that.

He would not forget a shooting intended to keep him in line that nearly killed Cara, either.

Things like those were unforgiveable.

The bygones.

“Well?” Edmond asked, still holding his hand out for Gian to take. “Are we going to settle this like proper made men and move on as your grandfather would have wanted us to do, Gian?”

The man intended for Gian to bend down, and kiss his ring. Had it been his grandfather, Gian would have done it without question. Because it was Edmond, the significance made him hesitate.

Still, he bent down, grabbing Edmond’s hand and bringing it close to his mouth. Gian didn’t kiss the ring, though, he simply held it there for a moment.

“You have no idea what Corrado would have wanted,” Gian murmured low enough for only Edmond to hear. “But I certainly do.”

Gian dropped Edmond’s hand, without having kissed the ring, as glass shattered. He straightened to his full height, getting the brief chance to stare Edmond in the eyes for only a second before the man’s body began to sway.

A perfect sniper shot had hit Edmond square between his eyes. Blood trickled down from the wound. Death already stared back from his eyes.

This was appropriate, considering …

Gian let the body fall as one of the men inside the restaurant shouted, a panicked realization starting to take over about what had just happened. He paid the men no mind as he bent down and removed his grandfather’s ring from Edmond’s slack, lifeless hand, only to slide it down his own finger.

Standing once more, Gian turned to face the men with a smile. Shocked faces stared back at him, unmoving and frozen in time.

Chris was one hell of a shot.

Word would certainly be traveling now.

“I’ll answer to Don or Boss, only, and anything else will cost you a body part of your choice,” Gian said quietly. “Now, I need someone to move this body.”