Page 98 of Forced Vows

"Just for the fraction of a second it takes for your retina to be scanned."

"Complicated."

"Give it a try."

I pick up the phone, my thumb pressing against the screen and it lights up. Then I lift it toward my face.

It opens to a screen set up almost identically to my current one.

There's an app I don't recognize. "What's this?"

"It's like social media, but it's a private app for my family."

I click into it. There's a newsfeed like I've seen on my friends' phones. It has pictures, and comments by different people in his family.

The latest picture is a little boy scowling at the camera. The caption says, "Like father, like son."

"That's my nephew, Neri."

"In Las Vegas?" His sister married the underboss to the Vegas Cosa Nostra.

"Yes. Tap the other feed."

I see what he means and do it. Suddenly the feed is filled with celebrity gossip and news out of Hollywood.

"You can personalize that with keywords and you'll get the most popular posts and videos curated from public social media. Your comments on them are only seen by the family but it allows you to stay current with the topics that interest you."

I can't believe he's serious. "You mean I can watch funny cat videos for hours if I want to?"

"If that's how you want to spend your time, but I think Pusheen might get jealous."

"She has too much self-confidence to be worried about video cats when she's here in person," I say loftily and then ask with little hope, of hearing a yes, "Could my cousins be on here?"

When Miceli nods, I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him.

After an interlude that leaves me breathless, he says, "We have a secure version of the app with limited access they can use."

"But my access is unlimited?" How am I any more trustworthy than Kara and Fiona as far as the De Lucas are concerned?

Is it because I put my bloody thumbprint on that contract in Don De Luca's office?

"All the features are accessible on your phone."

When he says I'm family already, Miceli really means that. Why does that make me feel warm and gooey inside?

Chapter 32: MICELI

Róise's eyes glow with eagerness.

Zoey is right. She says that the cousins all want access to social media, but it's strictly forbidden.

To be fair, no one high ranking in the Genovese Family, or related closely to them, is allowed to use social media either.

The PR team keeps accounts for the businesses and the fronts and even dummy accounts for our family. But nothing gets posted without their security approval. And it never gets posted by one of us.

Caution keeps us safe.

"Before the…" Róise breaks off. Shakes her head and then continues. "When she was a freshman in high school, Kara created a secret account and we all used it."

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