Page 121 of Assassin's Obsession

"It's to compensate for his neglect of your welfare as a child." Doing what I wanted to earlier, I slip my hand under her sweater and rub her back in soothing circles. "Your brotherswantto give you the money. They're furious you weren't brought to live with them when your mom died."

"What? Really?" Candi sounds dazed.

"If you're open to it, they want to get to know you. Mira and Cookie too." Which is how I know they're sincere. "They were respectful about you and your mom without pretending ignorance of either of your professions."

"They weren't mean about mommy?" she asks in a tremulous voice.

"No. I did some digging into them. They check out okay."

She swallows. "They're mafia?"

"Renato was made when he turned twenty-two, after he graduated from university. Cosimo already runs the legit business Miceli is forcing your father to turn over to him."

"Cosimo is not a made man?" Her shock is understandable considering how old school her biological father is.

"No. He was supposed to get made after he got his MBA like his brother, but after he did the interview with Severu, my boss ordered Bianchi to put Cosimo to work in the legit businesses."

"And Stefano was okay with that? He didn't disown Cosimo, or anything?"

"You been talking to Boomer?" I ask.

"His story is so sad. I'm really glad you brought him into your family."

Fuck. Is that what I did? "I thought I just gave him a job."

"Training your dog and looking after us. That sounds like family to me."

Shit. She's right. "He's a good man."

A better one than me because he's always had a conscience.

"What about my sperm donor and Cosimo?"

"Bianchi believes Severu wanted Cosimo to be one of the members of the mafia we keep clean to interact with the FEDs and facilitate our legitimate businesses." He assumes that someday, Cosimo will be forced to get his hands dirty like everyone else.

According to Severu, that's not going to happen. Miceli is Cosimo's don now and he's as committed to keeping the younger Bianchi clean as Severu is.

"Is that true?" Curiosity about her brother infuses Candi's voice.

"Cosimo is not a killer. Miceli will not allow him to be forced to become one."

"That's kind of enlightened for a mafia don, isn't it?"

"It's practical is what it is. You force someone with the wrong mindset to kill and you can't predict the outcome. We thrive by not drawing attention to our business. You get someone unstable in the mix and shit goes sideways fast."

"Oh. I don't think I could kill either, but I'm not nearly bothered enough that you do."

"That's not a deficiency,amate. It only makes you perfect for me."

"I want to meet them."

I knew she would say that. "I'll make it happen."

"Good."

"Are you going to argue about taking the money from the companies?"

"No. It's not from Stefano. It's from my brothers because your don saw an injustice and chose to address it. If it was just me, I'd probably donate it to charity regardless. But it's not. The money will allow me to take care of my mom and sister the way I want to."

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