Page 89 of Assassin's Obsession

And I know why he's calling. I could have taken care of this last night, but that would have meant potentially being called to his office and taken away from Candi on her first night here.

That wasn't going to happen. I have no regrets.

Candi's phone stops ringing only to start again and she stirs beside me.

"Wass…that?" she slurs sleepily.

"Our phones." I lean over and grab both off the nightstand and hand Candi hers.

After inserting my bluetooth ear device, I connect the call."Sì?"

Answering in Italian is my boss's clue there is someone in the room with me that I don't want to overhear me talking about business. It also tells him that person doesn't speak Italian.

If they did, I would call him Mr. De Luca, the code for non mafia present, or Don De Luca, the code for mafia I don't trust present.

"Miceli just called me," Severu says without preamble.

"Good for you. Maintaining a strong filial bond helps keep perspective for a man in a position of such power," I quote something Big Sal said in one of the meetings between Severu and Miceli after my boss became godfather.

Candi scoots off the bed and heads to the bathroom, her phone next to her ear. I'm only hearing one out of three words but it sounds like Mira is calling and whatever she's saying is causing Candi agitation.

"Enough of the sarcasm," Severu says regaining my attention. "Why is one of his capo's lodging a formal complaint against you?"

A formal complaint? What the fuck? "Because Stefano Bianchi is an asshole."

An even bigger one than I thought if he's lodging a complaint against me for Mario killing the man who wanted to off Candi. His fuckingdaughter.

"Less of one than some of the other NY capos. What's going on, Angelo? He claims your people interfered in a business venture and appropriated a piece of his capital after golfing to the 18thhole with one of his people."

Our phones are secure, that doesn't mean we get sloppy. When it comes to communication with our new godfather, that's even more important than usual.

"All true."

Severu's silence lasts five full seconds. "He's demanding restitution."

"Candi witnessed his men preparing to take a nonpayer out of the game. It was play him on the 18thor her."

"Managgia la miseria."

"Candi is also Bianchi's biological daughter." I don't hide important shit from my boss.

And if Candi won't let me kill him, Stefano being her bio dad is going to cause problems down the road. It's also notsomething we have a code for, but neither is it something I plan to keep under wraps.

If outing Bianchi as Candi's sperm donor will prevent him from demanding restitution, he can consider himself outed. My woman didn't hesitate to tell the made men in the alley last night.

No need to hide it for her sake.

"Gino was going to play the 18thhole with his boss's daughter? His own cousin?" Severu's voice could compete with a glacier for chill. "That is not how you treat family."

"Depends on who you consider your family, boss." I sure as hell don't consider my Caruso relatives family.

My dad was the last person with the same last name I counted in that group.

Severu grunts, knowing my story. "Your kid is your kid, regardless."

"Not what my mom thought," I remind him.

The De Lucas have the kind of closeknit family others envy. I never did because of that whole lack of emotions thing.

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