Page 78 of Gilded Princess

It fucking burns knowing that she’s not at my home right now, that she’s off doing whatever with Leo.

I flex my hand underneath the table at the sudden surge of jealousy that shoots through my muscles, clenching them involuntarily.

I did the right thing, right?

I can’t divulge these kinds of secrets to her, and pulling her into my web, even just a little bit, will only be her ruin. It’s good that she wants to go back to her place. Fuck, it was stupid to even bring her to my place to begin with.

So why does it feel like I’m having a fucking panic attack at the thought of her leaving? I rub at the spot that aches inside my chest without conscious thought.

“Something wrong, son?”

The quiet of the room after Dominic Vitale’s question settles around us like a hundred-pound boulder.

I turn to face him, taking my time to tilt my head. “What did you call me?”

My voice is low and measured. Rossis don’t raise their voices—we don’t need to. When we talk, people fucking listen.

Vitale finally shows the first sign of self-preservation. He licks his lips and drums his fingers against the table. “You were touching your chest, so I asked if something was wrong.” He shrugs both shoulders high up toward his ears and tips his chin up. All three of his sons mimic his stance.

I nod my head twice, the movement sarcastic. “Tell me something, Ralph.”

“What’s that?”

“Who am I?”

His bushy eyebrows bunch together as he stares at me for a moment too long. “Matteo Rossi.”

I hold his gaze and say, “Exactly. I’m not your fucking son. And the next time you forget, I’m going to break three of your fingers to remind you.”

I see the wheels turning inside his mind, and when it all clicks, he explodes out of his chair. His sons follow suit, all four of them yelling nonsense while waving their arms around.

Dad holds up his hand, palm up, and they quiet down. I don’t move. I’m not worried about Ralph Vitale. That fat fuck couldn’t hit a target if it was hogtied on the ground two feet in front of him. And even though his sons are slimy scumbags, they idolize my dad more than their own. They’d never step against us.

“You gonna let him disrespect me like that, Angelo?” Ralph asks, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

Dad shrugs with his hands in the air. “You disrespected him. He’s a made man just as much as you. Besides, he didn’t even break your fingers yet.”

I’m not the only one who hears the pride in his voice when he talks of me breaking fingers. It’s one of his signature moves, after all. Do you know how easy it is to lie about broken fingers? It can happen doing the most mundane of things. I’m lucky Dante knew enough about first-aid from his ma to properly splint my fingers when I was younger, otherwise, I have no doubt that mine would be a gnarly mess.

“Now that everyone’s done acting like a bunch of pussies, let’s move on. Who the fuck is torching our interests and leaving bodies? Does anyone know?” Dominic Marino asks around puffs of his cigar.

“Could be Russian. Tommy caught some guys of Russian descent snooping around the docks two days ago,” Tony Romano, my friend, offers.

“Russian descent? What the fuck do I look like, some genealogy test? The fuck does that mean? Was he one of Alexei’s guys or not?” Dad raises his voice by the end, nearly yelling.

“Said he didn’t give up his boss, just said ‘my employer’ over and over,” Tony replies without missing a beat.

Nah, there’s no way it’s not tied to this shit somehow.

It’s either them or those New Jersey fucks. Those assholes are always looking to slide into our business. They’d love to cut us out completely and assume our holding in the city.

We’re holding on by a thread, which is exactly why we need a change.

“Okay. Could be Alexei’s making a play for the city. What else?”

“Heard a new cartel is in town trying to rally some hands behind them for a hostile takeover. We sent a suitable message to the cartel to show our loyalty to him. Omar Villa now has the head of the new cartel in a donut box.”

Dad smiles and chuckles. “I do love a good jelly donut.”

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