Page 188 of Mafia Kings: Valentino

“I’m sorry – ” I started.

“Too fuckin’ late for that,” Don Vicari barked. “You don’t want to do as I say, you can sit around here with your thumb up your ass.”

Rocco laughed like a kiss-ass. “That was a good one, Papa!”

“Shut the fuck up,” Don Vicari snapped contemptuously.

Rocco went quiet and cast his eyes at the floor.

If I wanted to see Caterina again, I had to think of a way around Don Vicari’s order.

“Why don’t I take Isabella out and show her Sicily?” I suggested, my breathing still ragged from the punch.

Vicari looked at me like I was speaking another language.

“She said she’s only been to Palermo,” I continued. “Anytime I mentioned how I visited other cities and countries, she couldn’t get enough of it.”

When Vicari didn’t say anything, I kept talking –

Which I realized violated Niccolo’s rule aboutWhoever speaks first after the offer is made loses the negotiation,but fuck it. I was panicking.

“I mean, I can spend time with her here, or I can spend time with herthere,”I said. “I might as well go see the cities you control –andmake her happy at the same time. Right?”

“Why do you want to get away from here so bad?” Vicari asked. “Did you fuck some whore today?”

“No, I didnot,” I said.

My irritation was real – mostly because I hated him referring to Cat that way, even though he didn’t know who she was.

“And as for wanting to get away so bad, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s boring asshitaround here.”

Vicari glared at me –Watch it, boy– then asked coldly, “You expect me to reward you for disobeying my orders?”

“I thought you’d want me to make your daughter happy. Especially since she’s miserable around here,” I said, then decided to take a gamble. “Why do you think she reads so much? Because it’sboring as shit.She wants to know what it’s like outthere– and the only way she can do that is by reading books.”

Vicari seemed to consider that.

I think the only thing he disliked more thanmewas his daughter’s fondness for books.

“I don’t want you taking her out drinking,” he finally said. “Or trying to corrupt her in anyotherway.”

My mind raced –

And I remembered the tough chick who’d come to my bedroom door the other night.

If you hit Isabella, or abuse her emotionally, or demean her in any way… Don Vicari won’t have the chance to do anything to you, because they’ll find you bled out in your bed with your dick cut off.

“Send Ludavica along as a chaperone,” I suggested. “She knows better than to lie to you, right?”

I’d figure out how to get around the ‘lie to you’ part later.

The Don thought for another few seconds, then said, “It’s not safe.”

“I thought you ran Sicily,” I retorted. “Who would be stupid enough to mess with your daughter?”

“There areplentyof stupid people in the world, boy.”

“So send some foot soldiers along,” I suggested, then realized I was going to make my life a lot harder if Vicari followedmy advice. Then I had a bright idea. “But that might draw attention… why don’t you just give Paolo a gun? He’d make a good bodyguard.”

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