Page 71 of Corrupted Heart

Dad nods slowly. “Yeah. Tony’s got a hot temper, and he wasn’t backing down after the attack. The problem is, as you know, his son Gio just got engaged to Ciara Marchetti. So now Don Marchetti’s obliged to side with the Paganos if they were to go to war with the Greeks over the restaurant fire. My guess is, when any shooting started, Nero De Luca would have joined in, because he’s got too much to prove, being new to the table. And if he jumped in, you could bet Don Amato would have, too.”

There’s something about his wording that suddenly makes me frown.

“You just used were and would have a lot.” My brow furrows. “So is this war officially not happening now?”

My dad doesn’t meet my eye. Instead, he turns to Aldo again.

“Got a smoke, Aldo?”

Wordlessly, Aldo pulls a silver cigarette case out of his jacket pocket, pops it, and offers one to Vito. He lights it and my dad takes a deep puff as he nods a thanks.

“I’ve struck a deal.”

The words come out sounding rough, like he’s having a hard time forcing them over his lips.

Carmine frowns. “What sort of ‘deal’?”

“One that the other Commission families are in complete agreement with, and one that will smooth things over with both the Greeks and the Albanians.”

“Pop,” Carmy growls quietly. “What’s the deal.”

Dad turns his head slowly, leveling a sad, deeply remorseful look at me. “Bianca…”

There’s a knock at the study door. It opens, and Leo pokes his head in.

“They’re here, Don Barone,” he grunts.

Dad nods slowly. “Send them in, Leo.”

Nico frowns. “Send who?—”

Instantly, he, Carmine, and Dante spring to their feet, reaching for guns tucked into waistbands and inside jackets as Ares Drakos strides into the room.

“Put them down!” Vito barks with the full authority of his crown. “All of you,” he growls, shooting dark looks at my brothers as Hades Drakos walks into the room behind Ares, followed by Deimos, and then Callie. “They’re our guests here,” Dad mutters, standing.

For a brief second, I almost visibly exhale in relief. When Ares stepped in just now, especially when his siblings began to follow him in, obviously, my thoughts went to one place.

One man.

Kratos.

So far, my…“interactions” with him have been happening in almost a dream state. We meet in the darkness of his crumbling church. He wears a mask, for God’s sake. The point being, what we’ve done and where we’ve met up is in the shadows, away from the light.

Like a dirty little secret.

For a second, I was terrified to think that he was going to be here too, forcing me to confront those dark, dirty parts of my psyche right here in the open, in front of my family. But it seems only his four siblings have?—

I freeze as a massive shape fills the doorway. My heart clenches as my eyes lock with his icy blue ones. A small, almost invisible smile curls the corners of his mouth.

Hungrily.

Dangerously.

The man literally has to duck his head a little as he steps through the door into the study. His eyes lock on mine, and even though his face is blank and emotionless, when he tilts his head to the side slightly, I can feel the tingles rippling over my skin.

Mask or not, I know that look.

And it does something to me.

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