Page 16 of The Gangster King

“Unfortunately,” she mumbles so quietly, I almost miss it.

“What the hell does that mean?” I snap.

Her device drops to her knees. “Can you just do whatever and then go?”

I take back what I said. Adelina is always in a shit mood.

With me, at least.

I turn back and pick up theborrowedmobile phone. The fact that the guy hasn’t had it cut off yet tells me he’s an idiot. I’m waiting for Nick and Jono to get back to me. It’s been almost an hour since I messaged in code, and I’m getting fucking antsy.

“Dante,” Adelina says quietly a few minutes later, and I spin on the chair again. “I’m sorry about your dad.”

I nod.

“Maybe I can get one of the guards to sneak you out and into your place? Tony D is trustworthy.” She offers.

My heckles immediately rise.

I don’t know who Tony D is, but I figure she fucked him at one point and thinks he’s loyal to more than her pussy.

She’s starting to piss me off.

The moment my tongue connected with her pink wet flesh, apparently I claimed her. She just doesn’t know it yet.

I didn’t even know it.

But it was inevitable and my feelings for her are growing more powerful by the hour. To an obsessive level.

I’m a boss now.

I’m done waiting and playing by other don’s rules.

“Go near Tony Dickface or whatever his name is, and I’ll kill him.” I growl. “Any Tonys. Any Mikes, Jacksons, Antonios. You hear me?”

She rolls her eyes. “Ask me how much I regret opening my window two nights ago?”

“How much do you want my cock inside you?” I retort and she makes that ugh noise and flops over on her bed, turning her back on me.

I smile and go back to the computer. Then finally the phone rings.

“Nick.” I answer roughly.

“Boss,” he replies, and there is respect in his voice.

“Yeah,” I reply, letting out a laugh.

“How long is this one-word conversation going to take?” Adelina mumbles from behind me.

I stand and walk to the windows, looking out over the darkened Baldoni estate. The large stately trees fill part of the lawn. The hedges are high and neatly trimmed, almost covering the black steel fence line. Lights in the ground lead along cobblestone paths and to the long, curved driveway.

Adelina’s home is marginally smaller than mine. No surprise—my father had held more control of the New York state area over the past twenty years.

When the Mancini massacre happened, that opened up a lot of business for many of the other families. We took over fiftypercent of it. Carlos Baldoni, the other twenty, with the rest scattered to the remaining crime families.

“Where are you?” Nick asks.

“Don’t ask. Actually, I might need you to pick me up,” I reply as his silence has me nodding.

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