Page 56 of Forbidden Girl

“El, I’m…” No. I’m sorry isn’t good enough. She deserves an explanation. “Sometimes you meet someone you didn’t see coming and the draw is undeniable, too powerful to walk away from, no matter what’s at stake. That’s what happened between Juliet Calloway and me.”

“I’m not upset that you’re with someone else. I’m upset that you didn’t respect me enough to be honest about it. You let me have more-than-friendly feelings for you when you never felt the same for me.”

“I care about you, I do. But you’re right, that isn’t how you treat someone you care about.”

“No, it’s not.” She shifts her focus to the waiter, gives him her order, and mine. “I get it, though. Love is like shit—it happens.”

I bite down on my lip to keep from laughing. “You should put that on a t-shirt. It’ll sell like hotcakes, I’m telling ya.”

She gives me a wink. I’m happy to receive it.

“Everything cleared up between you?” Alfonso asks his daughter.

“Yeah. We’re good.”

“Good.” He picks up his glass of wine, swills it, and takes a sip. After he swallows, he raises an eyebrow at me. “It would’ve been a real shame if I had to whack you. We’ll sort out the rest after dinner.”

The meal is finished; the plates are cleared away. Alfonso orders each of us a shot of sambuca and a serving of tiramisu. I sure as fuck am not going to tell him that I can’t stomach the black licorice flavor of anise, so I shoot the shot as God intended—faster than a racehorse that has to take a piss. It’s awful, but it’s alcohol, and I could use the liquid courage for the gamble I’m about to take.

“Impressive. Would you like another one?” Elisa slides her shot closer to me.

“No, thanks. What I’d like to do is pitch you a business proposal, Alfonso.”

He throws his hands up. “Why not? Hit me with it.”

“You and my father have an alliance you wanted to solidify via a marriage between Elisa and me. A nice, easy arrangement for the two of you, but this isn’t medieval times. Women have agency. We make our own money, we own property, we can inherit wealth, we choose who we marry, and most of us do it for love. I’m not in love with Elisa. I wish I were, she’s smart and funny and beautiful, it’s that something extra that’s missing. We’ve been friends since we were kids and that’s always how it was gonna go for us. I think she might tell you the same thing.” I consult her.

She nods. “I’d say that’s about right.”

“There it is. So, no, I’m sorry, we can’t consolidate power through marriage. I have something better to offer you. Total control of Boston.”

Elisa goes, “What?”

Alfonso leans closer, rests his elbows on the table, and folds his hands. “Total control? How?”

“It’s simple, really. I want out. For good. When I take over the family business from my father, I’m taking it strictly legit. I’m going to keep the marina and the yacht club, but everything else my father possesses has to go—the import, export, and domestic businesses, and the service provider contacts for those businesses. If you want them, I’ll sell them to you for a reasonable price. Then you’ll have all of his assets, none of the competition.”

“This is going to happen in my lifetime? And what about Pat Calloway? He’s a pain in the ass.”

“It’s going to happen sooner than you imagine. And Patrick Calloway is not going to continue to be a problem for anyone much longer.”

“Mmm. The way things have gone to shit so quickly I figured your father would be getting rid of him soon.”

Or they’ll be getting rid of one another. “I don’t know what he has in store for Calloway. I told him I have no interest in any more violence, only the money side of things. In the meantime, until the business changes hands, all you have to do is continue to be our ally. You can’t tell me you don’t like the idea of being the King of Boston. There’s never been an Italian running the underground here. I’m offering you the opportunity to be the first.”

Pandering to his vanity and his proud heritage, he’s almost sold. I know what’s coming out of his mouth next. “How much is it going to cost me?”

“I went over the books this morning. The total value of our current inventory is twenty mil. I’ll give it to you for ten. And when the time comes, I’ll make sure our service providers are aware of the change in regime.”

“Callum knows about all this?”

“He knows I’m going to steer the ship in a different direction, and since I’m his only heir he doesn’t have much choice. As far as I’m concerned, I’m being considerate of him by informing him of the future plans for my business. You tell me, once he steps down and I’m the admiral, will it matter what my father thinks?”

“No, it won’t.”

“Then I take it we have a deal?”

“You’re a savvy businesswoman. Your dad taught you well. Yeah, we have a deal.” We shake on it, which is as close to a written contract as we dare to get in our trade. No tangible evidence. I can’t wait for the day when I can leave a paper trail and not worry about getting thrown in jail for it.

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