Page 57 of Devil's Thirst

“I thinkit would be smart to bring Oran into this, but you’re the Don. My loyalty is to you and this family. If you want us to handle it internally, I’ll honor your decision.” The Byrne and Moretti organizations are still separate entities despite the marital ties of recent years. I don’t want to make any assumptions about working with the Byrnes, whether the matter is business or personal. There’s only one person who can make that decision on our end.

Renzo listened intently as I explained the situation with Amelie and the AG. Even after I’ve finished, his calculating stare continues to analyze and assess. When he finally responds, his observation surprises me.

“I knew they were strict over there, but Sicily changed you even more than I expected,” he says in a contemplative tone.

“It’s called the old country for a reason. Traditions hold value.”

“True, but times evolve.”

“People don’t. Survival of the fittest still governs our motives and decisions. We can pretend to be civilized, but the primal instincts are still alive underneath it all. Anyone who thinksdifferently is simply lower on the food chain. They’re prey, whether they know it or not.”

Something shifts in his eyes—a flash of intrigue. “You ever gone camping?”

My brows draw together as I try to figure out where he’s going with this line of questioning. “Not traditional camping with tents and s’mores. I’ve slept under the night sky and depended on a garden for food.”

He nods. “We go camping in the summers. You ought to come with us this year. I think you’d enjoy it. And before you question my ability to pay attention, this is all related. I agree with your assessment of the world more than most probably would. The three weeks I spent with Shae in the Canadian wilderness showed me a whole new side of myself that I had never known existed. When we came back, I saw the world differently. I saw life in terms of survival rather than a business—what I can live with and what I can’t live without.”

This man and I were at each other’s throats from the minute he became my guardian until the day I left for Italy. And now, I hear him voicing my own beliefs as though he has a front-row seat in my head. It’s unnerving.

I have to clear my throat before I can respond. “Amelie is my future. I refuse to live without her or let her be hurt in any way if I can prevent it.”

It’s his turn to nod. “If that means working with the Byrnes, I can live with that.”

“I’d like to think so since youliterallylive with a Byrne.” I lighten the jab with a subtle smirk.

Renzo huffs out a laugh. “Careful, you end up with Lina’s sister, and you might as well be part of the Byrne family, too. It’s getting hard to tell where their family ends and ours begins.”

He’s not wrong. Between Noemi’s marriage to Conner, Renzo’s marriage to Shae, and Amelie’s sister being married to Oran, the Irish are everywhere I turn.

Lazaro would have a coronary.

That’s the only thing about honoring the old ways—sometimes it’s important to incorporate the new. You have to figure out what’s worth keeping and what’s best left in the past.

“If it means having Amelie, I’ll drink Guiness and eat potatoes until I die.”

A smile creeps wide on Renzo’s face. “I appreciate a man who knows his priorities.” He’s teasing me, but at the same time, the compliment is genuine. I’m surprised at how it affects me. I feel confident enough that I didn’t think I needed or wanted his approval, but hell if I don’t like having it all the same.

Now that I’m feeling better about where I stand with my cousin, I decide to take an undesirable yet necessary step back onto shaky ground. It’s not my place to insert myself into Renzo’s relationship with his brother, but I need to know Tommy has been received back into the family with the same goodwill as I have. The two talked after we did on Mother’s Day. I asked Tommy how it went, and he didn’t bring up any issues, but he’s not exactly the sharing type.

“Tommy didn’t say much about his visit with you.” I infuse as much respect and deference into my voice as possible to hopefully avoid inciting his anger. “I’d like to think you’d be as receptive to his return as you have been for me.”

Hell, that sounded like a threat.

I can’t help it. I’m protective where Tommy’s concerned, though it’s not entirely necessary. The man is probably more deadly than I am, especially when weapons are involved. Of course, that’s not the sort of protection I’m worried about. Tom’s dealt with enough criticism and rejection to last a lifetime. He doesn’t need to feel that shit from his family, too.

Renzo doesn’t even blink as he spears me through with his stare. “Maybe he didn’t say much because it’s none of your business.”

“If it were anyone else, I’d agree. At this point, Tommy’s business will probably always be my business.”

His inscrutable stare holds steady. “You’re lucky I want that for him, or I’d be handing you your balls in a ziplock baggie right now.”

I give a single nod, acknowledging his right to do so and in appreciation for refraining.

“Tom’s my brother. I’d never alienate him from the family. I don’t understand him sometimes, but we’re still blood. That enough reassurance for you?”

He’s not that hard to understand if you’d make the effort.

I keep my desired response to myself, knowing I’ve already pushed my luck. “Yeah, that works. I’ve already looped him into the situation with Talbot, and he’s doing a deep dive into the guy’s digital footprint. I figure it’s best to know that there’s no grudges between us if we’re all going to be working together.”

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