Page 24 of Mafia Mistress

“Understandable, considering. Whatever happens, we’ll keep it quiet.”

“Yes, we fucking will—and the sooner he gets married, the better. Then he’ll settle down and begin to fulfill his obligations as my heir.”

Marco smirked. “I cannot picture you as nonno.”

I couldn’t see myself as a grandfather, either, but it didn’t matter. “You won’t be far behind me, not with Fabrizio’s reputation.” Marco’s oldest son was sixteen and slept with anything with a pair of tits.

“Bite your tongue. I am not ready to be so old.”

“Just wait. I’ll be a nonno and still get more pussy than you.”

“Go to hell.” Marco rose out of his chair. “Let me know when the lovebirds are ready to go out.”

The knot in my stomach twisted. “I will.”

“Oh, and did you hear? D'Agostino died.”

I leaned back in my chair and considered this news. D'Agostino had been the head of the Avellinos, a ’ndrina we’d warred with in the past. My father brokered peace with them when I was a boy, but not until after two of my uncles and six cousins had been killed.

Enzo, the eldest D'Agostino son, was known for his unpredictability. Some said he wasn’t right in the head. This would require careful navigation. We had to get along without giving up any of our power, a balance that seemed more and more difficult these days.

“We’ll have to arrange a meeting on neutral territory,” I said. “Make it appear as if we’re willing to work with them.”

“Want me to set it up?”

“No. Wait until they contact us. The Avellinos need us more than we need them.”

“That is certainly true. With our lock on the southern ports, only the Sicilians come close to doing our business.”

“I’ll let you know the time for tonight later.”

“Are you going to ask Giulio about the coke before he leaves for dinner?”

I thought about it. I needed Francesca to fall for Giulio, to accept this marriage, which meant I needed him charming and happy. If we argued, the evening might be ruined for everyone. “I’ll wait until the morning. Tell Gratteri I am looking into it. Let Giulio and his fiancée have fun tonight.”

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