Page 32 of Hush 3: Hidden Family

The don sits back in his seat. He looks me right in the eyes. I don’t look away.

“I cannot do this for you. Leonardo Trovati is but a gnat in the middle of something greater than his ambitions. If I allow you to kill him, it will force a war I’m not ready to enter.

“It is likely that my family will win, but at what cost. This is a battle we will enter, but not a moment before I’m ready,” Don Alfanzo says.

“So he gets to live and torment my family?” I seethe.

“I have ears. I know you have already dealt with him. I believe it will be some time before he is willing to come at you again.”

“I don’t leave loose ends. I needed to respond to him, so I did. The only reason the job wasn’t finished was out of respect for you. I didn’t think I would be met with resistance.

“Trovati went after a woman. A woman who is still a child. Since when is a bloody hit on a woman or child ignored,” I growl.

“This is not being ignored. I am being strategic. In time, you will have a yes. For now, the answer is no.”

“In that case. Thank you for having me. I have lost my appetite. I will be taking my leave,” I reply.

“What about the alliance? LaSalle would like to talk to you,” Don Alfanzo says.

“For now, the answer is no,” I say tightly.

LaSalle

“That didn’t go as we wanted,” I say to my uncle once Uri Donati is gone.

Uri is a power player, whether he knows it or not. I want him for the Alliance. Logan and I both agree he will help to make our forces stronger. He has that thing we’re looking for to make this work.

“He is angry for now. We will bide our time. When the opportunity reveals itself, we will offer an olive branch and open the conversation back up. There is still much time,” my uncle says.

I nod. He is right; there is still plenty of time before I’m ready to make a move. For now, I will watch and wait.

CHAPTER 18

Time for Change

Symphony

I look in the mirror at my new hairdo. I think I like it. After looking at hundreds of videos and pictures on my tablet, I decided to go with locs.

It will be easy for me to maintain. I like the idea of that. Annabella has tried to help me with maintenance, but she doesn’t know much more than I do about keeping up with my texture and hair type.

My mother was Latina, but my father was Black. I got a mix of their hair types I believe. I only have one really old picture of my parents that Nonno gave me.

“You look so pretty,” Annabella says from the doorway.

I turn to smile at her as I smooth my hands over the front of my blouse. I went with a gray top and light blue jeans. My shoes are sparkly silver flats I bought while shopping with Annabella.

“Thank you. Is he here?” I ask excitedly.

“Uri sent me a text. They will be here in the next twenty minutes.”

I clasp my hands together and take a calming breath. I haven’t seen Michael in fifty-three days. We talk on the phone, but I haven’t seen his face in almost two months.

I’m excited for this visit. I have so much I want to share with him. I hope he likes my new look.

I did my best to look pretty for him. Before I go to leave the room with Annabella, I glance over at my jewelry box. I chew on my tongue as I think about putting on my wedding rings.

I don’t like the way they feel on my finger, so I don’t wear them often. It’s not like Michael expects me to. People would probably question me if I did.

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