Page 68 of Mafia Don's Secret Baby

“We’ve got everything ready for you,” she said, moving toward the back of the shop.

The smell of herbs came from a smoking pot beside the register, and I crinkled my nose.

She opened a back door that read “employees only” and guided us inside. It looked like an ordinary stockroom with boxes piled to the ceiling on one side and a desk that was likely used for appraisals on the other wall. Documents cluttered the desk, and I saw nothing amiss.

I considered asking what we were here for, but I didn’t have the chance.

The woman’s long black braid shifted as she reached for a candle sconce on the wall and tugged it downward. A panel on the wall slid to the side, revealing a compartment that hadn’t been noticeable to the naked eye. The seams had blended into the wall, and I followed Matteo inside.

Three boxes sat alone in the room, and Matteo strode forward, opening the top one. Small bags of white powder sat stacked inside the boxes, and he pulled them out, inspecting them carefully, one box at a time.

“Cocaine?” I asked as he sealed the third box.

“Yes.”

I licked my lips as I considered this heinous side of the mafia—the side that I had never wanted to involve myself in. The Italian mafia was the number one supplier of cocaine and heroin in the northeastern United States. Matteo handled most of the cocaine, and my father had been a large dealer of heroin. Different Dons controlled different substances.

“Do you ever… sample the merchandise?” I asked.

My father had. He hadn’t been an addict, but I’d seen him high a handful of times over the years. Sometimes I’d see the needle marks in his arms days later, and I knew what he’d done. But it had never come as a surprise.

“It’s not good business practice,” Matteo scoffed, placing a hand atop the boxes and looking at the woman. “Have the driver load this into the car.”

She nodded and left the room, giving me one last glance.

“Does this have to do with the Russians?” I asked.

He looked me up and down. “You took over for your father. We’re working together on more than just the Russians’ assassinations.” He paused, raising his brows. “Or was I wrong to assume that you’re taking on more responsibility now? Did you lie to the men who swore themselves to you, too?”

“Matteo—”

He didn’t wait around as he turned and left me behind in the room.

I hadn’t read through the files on my partnership with Matteo. It had been last on my mental to-do list.

The driver moved into the room, giving me a nod as he grabbed one of the boxes and moved from the room. I followed, scanning the store for Matteo. He stood at a side door and held it open for the driver.

I didn’t bother looking at him as I strode past and followed the driver back to the car. I supposed that talking wouldn’t be on the table today. Even as I felt Matteo’s gaze on my back, I continued walking away, using the driver as a guide to the car. When he popped the trunk and loaded the first box, I slid into the backseat and made myself comfortable.

I waited, lost in thought, as I slouched in the seat and lifted my knees to rest on the seat before me. I closed my eyes and leaned back with a deep sigh.

The disconnect between us only grew as we spent more time together today. I could understand the separation between work and his private life. He didn’t have to show me affection, but we were supposed to be working together. Nobody would see us as cooperative leaders if he continued shutting me out. If he continued talking down to me the way he had today.

I couldn’t trust him to work alongside me as a partner, I couldn’t trust him to inform me when he got information about the Russians, and I couldn’t trust any level of civility to remain between us.

Could I trust that I would take part in this plan for revenge, or would he take it upon himself to kill Vlad and Aelita?

Would he leave me out entirely?

If he wouldn’t work with me to avenge my brother, could I trust him to work with me to keep Callum safe? Would he inform me of a threat to Callum’s life, or would he take it into his own hands to handle?

I didn’t think he’d intentionally hurt Callum, but could I trust him to be honest about what we were facing?

He’d shown no interest in involving me in the hunt for the Russians. Though my father’s men had sworn themselves to me, I knew the information would flow through Matteo first. Until they trusted me more, Matteo would be in control.

I’d united our people, but it didn’t seem like I was needed for more than that.

The door opened, and Matteo slid into the car seconds before the driver. “Ready, boss?” he asked.

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