Page 134 of Vicious Addictions

Mina has been radio silent for the past twenty-four hours, which leads me to believe that she and the twins were able to find out where their spy was being held and made plans to attack the Bratva and finally rescue their man.

I know that neither Remus nor Rolo will let any harm fall on her. Still, I would have breathed much easier if she hadn’t been so stubborn in letting me accompany her on her mission.

“Jude,” Dom whispers with a cautious tone, successfully pulling me out of my reverie. “Pull yourself together, son. These men can smell fear a mile away. Losing your nerve in a simple meeting won’t earn you any points with Vincent.”

I quickly turn my head in his direction, locking eyes with one of the kindest paternal figures I’ve ever had.

Of-fucking-course, I’m scared, Dad.

The woman I love might be lying dead in a ditch somewhere.

Every second that Mina doesn’t walk through those doors is another second that I go insane.

I’m fucking dying over here.

Before I can say something I’ll regret later, Dom gives my shoulder a firm pat, just enough to snap me out of it and school my features to pretend I’m not in fucking agony right now.

I stare at the door, trying to manifest Mina walking under its threshold, only to be disappointed when my father, followed by hisconsigliere, walks through it instead.

I’m not surprised that my father has his business face on while Gio’s expression is light and breezy. What surprises me is Marcello walking into the room close behind them.

I keep my expression as blank as possible so the othercaposdon’t realize how this newfangled development is a surprise to me, too. Onlymade mencan attend meetings with theCapo dei Capi, which means he shouldn’t be here. Marcello hasn’t even taken theomertàyet, for crying out loud.

Nor will he ever if my mother has anything to say about it.

Ever since Stella let it slip what my father’s true intentions were for Marcello, my mother has been blowing up my phone, giving me an earful about how I opened the door for this to happen, just like she predicted all those years ago. If she’s giving me hell for it, I can only imagine what kind of torment she’s putting my father through.

Needing answers, I turn to the father closest to me.

“What is Marcello doing here?” I ask Dom while my father is distracted with greeting hiscapos.

“His job,” Dom says cryptically.

Well, that was no help.

“Gentlemen, please take your seats,” Gio announces, eager to get this show on the road.

Every man in the room rushes to abide by his command, Dom and I included. Dom sits at the head of the table, positioned to the left of my father, while Gio sits to my father’s right.

Usually, enforcers wouldn’t even be invited to meetings like this, much less have a seat at the table. However, once my father took over the reins of the Outfit, he ensured that his most trusted men would always sit beside him. It also sent a message to the rest of the organization. A message that said the only men he couldn’t do without were his head enforcer andconsigliere.Everyone else sitting at the table was expandable to him.

As for my spot as his underboss, I stand behind my father’s throne, which is in itself another message—this one conveying to his men that I’m next in line as his heir and successor.

However, when Marcello moves in my direction and chooses to stand just a few feet beside me, standing tall behind my father, flanking his left, I can’t help but wonder what kind of message my father is sending with this move.

Marcello doesn’t look at me. Not once. Keeping his facial features cold and withdrawn—a trait our father ensured all his children mastered.

“I see that we’re still one woman short,” my father states evenly when his gaze drifts to the vacant chair intended for Mina.

“You know women. They love to make a tardy arrival,” one of thecapossays in jest, his belly laugh a little too loud for my liking.

“Let’s start without Crane’s proxy, shall we? A woman has no place at the table anyway,” anothercapoadds, unable to hide his contempt.

From the corner of my eye, I see how my father’s light eyes darken. A definite sign that the other men should tread carefully with their next words. Mina is not only a welcomed guest to our city but also an Outfit ally. The only daughter to the man my father has always had the utmost respect for—until I tainted their relationship with my shady manipulation, that is.

My father will not stand for anyone’s disrespect of Mina, even if it’s coming from his own men.

“Let’s get down to urgent business already. I don’t have time to wait for the British bitch to get all dolled up and make an appearance.”

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