Page 5 of Vicious Addictions

“Count your blessings,” Mina warns when we’re no longer within earshot of her father. “You got him on a good day. Daddy isn’t a fan of insubordination.”

“I wasn’t trying to be rude,” I grumble, pissed that I made such a bad first impression on Crane.

“Lucky for you, he knows that. If he hadn’t… let’s just say that he’s killed men for less,” Mina states evenly, as if taking a life didn’t faze her in the least.

My baffled expression must say it all because she begins to giggle.

“You should see your face, cowboy.”

“Quit calling me that,” I say, perhaps a bit too loudly, drawing unwanted attention from the guests. I quickly lower my voice and continue, “And excuse me if I’m not accustomed to hearing a child discuss her father’s killing sprees so nonchalantly.”

Mina stops mid-step to look me square in the eye and says, “I am not a child.”

“You just turned sixteen. That makes you a kid in my book.” I scoff.

She places her hands on each side of her hips and stares me down.

“You should know better.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Didn’t you just tell my father that you’re the great Vincent Romano’s son?”

“I am.” I straighten my spine at the mention of my father.

“Then you should know better than anyone that kids in line to the throne don’t get to be children for long. We forfeited the right the day we were born.”

Great.

Not only did I look like a total ass in front of Crane, but now I’m being reprimanded by his teenage daughter.

But Mina’s not wrong.

No matter how much my mother tried to protect me and my siblings from the mafia world, its influences always managed to seep through the cracks and overrun our lives.

If they hadn’t, then my mother would have gotten her wish of me being just anothernormal.

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry I called you a child. It won’t happen again.”

Mina’s gray eyes widen a bit like I just grew a second head.

Fuck.

“Great. What did I say now?” I ask, flustered by her stare.

“Nothing,” she replies, chewing on her lower lip, her confusion lingering. “It’s just… I don’t hear the word ‘sorry’ very often.” Her curious expression then shifts to one of caution. “If I were you, I wouldn’t say it again. Acaponever apologizes… for anything.”

“Good thing I’m not acapothen,” I respond with a chuckle, needing to lighten the mood.

“But you want to be one, don’t you? Otherwise, why would you be here?”

Because I don’t just want to be a capo…I want to become Capo dei Capi someday.

And Victor Crane is going to teach me how.

Chapter 1

Mina

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