Page 289 of Mafia Kings: Valentino

But I guess the tuxedo took him by surprise.

“You’re already dressed,” he said, almost in wonder.

“Didn’t you hear? I’m getting married today.”

I meant it sarcastically… though it came out more depressed.

Vicari looked at me for a long while.

He must have decided I was finally broken because he didn’t push it further.

He just stood up behind his desk and said, “Your brothers will be here in a few minutes. Do you want to go meet them?”

“Why not,” I muttered.

Might as well go see the people I’d sacrificed the rest of my life for.

Our SUV was part of a fleet of black cars that drove to an airstrip several miles from the house.

I noticed the runway was in the exact opposite direction from the chapel.

I wished we could drive past it and keep on going forever.

No such luck.

The cars parked about 200 feet back from the airstrip.

Don Vicari and I sat in the back seat of the SUV.

Nobody spoke until we heard the low roar of an approaching plane.

“Here they come,” the driver announced.

I watched out the window as a passenger jet came in for a landing.

It was a brand new Gulfstream – completely unlike the outdated relic Nicolo and I had flown over in.

I started to get out of the SUV –

“Wait,” Don Vicari commanded.

We sat there until the door of the plane opened up, and two men walked out onto the airstrip.

When I saw Lars was the first man, relief washed through me.

Niccolo was the second –

And all my relief turned to rage.

“Let’s go,” Don Vicari said.

A dozen of his foot soldiers accompanied us as we walked towards the plane.

“Stop here,” Don Vicari said when we were 30 feet away.

I ignored him and kept on walking.

What was he going to do – refuse to let his daughter marry me?

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