Page 98 of Mafia Star

“Just wait until you hear Mama and Auntie Carlotta go after Papa and Uncle Dom. You’ll see where we all learned it from. They’ll serve you a slice a pie while cutting you down at the knees. You won’t even see it coming.”

Carmine rolls his eyes.

“My aunts will never pick on Liz like they do us. They think all our wives are angels sent down from above because they agreed to shackle themselves to us for life. And Natalia might get a little of it from Aunt Sylvia, but most of it came from Mama. Aunt genetics are real. Mama is Auntie Nicoletta and Auntie Carlotta on roids. You all know I’m right. Right, Papa?”

Carmine looks over at Cesare, and I’m not sure what the man will say since he and Paola are separated. Is this going to open the door for Cesare to show how much he’s estranged from his wife?

“Your mama runs circles around her brothers in heels with a smile. If she’d been a man, it wouldn’t have mattered that she was the youngest. She’d be sitting in Massi’s seat, and her big brother would have offered it to her. She’s far smarter than either of these two gaguzzes put together, and they both went to Harvard Law.”

“Gaguzz?”

I whisper to Marco because I’m certain I’ve never heard that one before. He’s not so subtle when he answers.

“Meathead.”

Watching Massimo, I’m pretty sure he would have given his brother-in-law an obscene gesture. But it would have been out of love. Cesare and Paola’s marriage might be a disaster, but it’s obvious Cesare is as much a part of this family as Salvatore and Massimo.

“If you Jabronis are?—”

The room erupts in laughter as Domenico chimes in. Luca speaks first.

“Okay, Hulk Hogan. You gonna flex those twenty-two-inch pythons?”

“He’d have to hit the gym more than he hits his wife’s manicotti.”

For a moment, I thought Massimo was insinuating something way different. But when Domenico smirks and pats his stomach, I realize he really does mean food.

“Don’t blame me that your wife forgot how to cook once your kids left home. My wife still likes me.”

“Is that what you tell yourself? The woman has a kind heart. She couldn’t stand to see you waste away. You can’t even boil water. And you call yourself Sicilian.”

Massimo dishes it right back at him. It’s obvious these men grew up together as close as Marco and his brothers and cousins did. Toss Matteo and Gabe in there, and there’re ten Frick or Fracks. I know Cesare came into the picture later, and it wasn’t under good circumstances since he got Paola pregnant at nineteen, but it’s clear the other men consider him one of them.

Marco pulls his arm away from me and stands. I follow him when he offers me his hand.

“You’re all worse than old women at a fish market. Can you stop cackling long enough for Beth and me to say goodnight? I can barely keep my eyes open after all the food Mama cooked for me, Papa.”

“Really? You want to throw down, scimmietta. Meet me at the gym tomorrow, and we’ll see who walks out and who crawls out. I could bench Gabe if I wanted. You might be lucky to lift Pia.”

I know firsthand Marco can lift a lot more than just Pia. My mind flashes an image of us in the shower not so long ago. He squeezes my fingers, and I know he’s thinking about the same thing. Marco turns toward the door just as someone knocks. Massimo answers.

“Entra.” Come in.

It surprises me to see my brother open the door and step inside. He looks around as he approaches Marco and me. I can tell he’s checking on me. He knows I’m okay, but he still worries. How do I know? Because I’m doing the same thing to him.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I think all of you need to hear this. I got a call this afternoon, but since we were busy, it went to voicemail.”

He pulls out a phone that isn’t his and taps the screen a few times. It rings once before his voicemail answers, and he enters his code. He puts it on speaker.

“Hey, Steve. This is Shane O’Rourke. I’m giving you a heads up that you and your sister need to stay away from the Mancinellis today. Michelle’s already made a shit choice, but she’s protected as Enzo’s wife. Elizabeth needs to get far, far away from Marco. Shits been in the works for months that Tres J's almost fucked-up with their bottom feeder connections. Now that it’s started, the feds won’t back off. This is the only courtesy call you’ll get, and it’s for your grandfather’s sake. We promised to watch out for your family, but there’s nothing we can do if you side with the Mancinellis. You can call if you want, but I won’t say more than this. You’ve been warned. If your family’s in the crosshairs, we won’t rescue you.”

The message ends, and I stare at the phone in my brother’s hand. What the fuck?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Marco

I listen as Steve’s voicemail asks what he wants to do with the message. He saves it while all eyes are on him. He’s watching me. Our gazes meet, and we come to a meeting of the minds. Beth comes first. If that means destroying everything connected to the O’Rourkes, Steve will do what he can. He shifts his gaze to Enzo.

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