Page 16 of Bulletproof Baby

"That sounds like bullshit."

"Language, Lia. Don't talk to me like that. I'm your father and as head of this family, I'm doing everything I can to keep us out of Saul Caputo's line of fire. Your loyalty is to us first, yeah?"

I sigh, turning away from him. "Yeah. Of course, it is, Pop."

"Good. Go out with the handsome Don Barrone. Have a good time, and if he mentions anything about business, just make a note of it and pass it along to me. You don't have to talk to Saul anymore. That's a good compromise, right?"

"What if Valentino, I mean, Don Barrone, can help us out of this without you or Ma having to go to jail? Would you consider it?"

He sighs. "You think he can, I mean, without Don Caputo finding out? I'll be honest, Lia. If Don Caputo gets wind we're trying to snake him?—"

I interrupt. "Snake him? He's the one blackmailing our family. Let's talk to this lawyer."

"Fine, call them, and let's see what this lawyer has to say."

8

VALENTINO

Cecilia Walton-Barrone is sitting in my office, twirling in my chair as if she's still the eight-year-old stepsister I never asked for. At thirty-one, she's one of the most formidable attorneys I've ever seen step inside a courtroom. She's ferocious when necessary and loves the people she cares about fiercely. However, the delight in her eyes as she spins lazily reminds me of a life before becoming Don Barrone or CEO of Barten Security.

"You're in the wrong office," I tease her as I step inside, taking my jacket off to hang it in the closet beside the bathroom.

"Oh no I'm not." She grins and pushes off the desk to spin around again. "You're the person I need to see, and I knew this was going to be the best place to find you."

"Is there any reason you're in my seat and not having this conversation over the phone like any other lawyer I deal with?"

She picks up a pen to fling it at me.

I smack the pen away before it can hit me. "You would think that a man in my position gets a hell of a lot more respect from his lawyer than you're giving me right now."

"That's because you didn't assign me a criminal defense case as the CEO of Barten Security. You gave me a murder case as a favor to some two-bit skank you fucked over the weekend," she says with a smile.

My smile drops. "Lia isn't a skank, and how about a thank you? Didn't you say you wanted to get out of corporate law?"

She stops spinning to pace in circles instead. "Getting out of corporate law doesn't mean I'm ready to swim with the sharks parading around the district attorney's office. What the hell, Valley? Do you have any idea what the Bonetti family is into?"

I shrug. "Bits and pieces, but I'm sure their hand is being forced by Saul. That's got to be worth something to the DA. Use your contacts and get this thing taken care of for me."

"It's already in the works, but I had to burn through so many favors to make sure none of this shit comes back to you. Dad would be pissed. Speaking of which, he wants to know if you're working this weekend."

I growl because my father is supposed to be the retired don of the Barrone family. Yet, he still makes plays in the underworld, which I respect so long as I don't have to clean up the mess.

"I don't know yet."

"Call him. Mom says she's cooking if you want to bring the girl to the house for dinner."

I nod. "Mom's always cooking. I'll let you guys know, but Lia is, um, she's not exactly in the life. I don't want to scare her off."

"Oh, I know. I spoke to her. The girl's got a brass pair on her."

"That's disgusting, Cee-Cee. Don't talk about her like that."

That brings a smile to her face. "Oh, so you do like her. Then you should definitely bring her to dinner. Mom and Dad would love to meet the girl who's captured the heart of Valentino Barrone."

"Don't be dramatic. When you said you burned through a bunch of favors for her family, was it bad? Do I need to throw some money around?" I ask her.

"We might need to grease a palm or two because there's not exactly concrete evidence of Saul doing anything wrong. The money they give him every week can be explained in too many legal ways. If Saul was violent in any way with the family, that would be different."

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