Page 57 of Dance of Deception

I exhale slowly. “Well, luckily it isn’t permanent.”

The study goes quiet. When the silence really hits me, I drag my gaze back to Pop, who fixes me with a heavy look.

“Yeah, it is,” he says quietly. He holds my gaze. “I’m done, kid. And I’mhappyto be done. This game has gotten too complex for a simple guy like me.”

Holy shit.

The man who built this empire, who fought for it, bled for it, held onto it with an iron grip, is letting go.

“I’m looking forward to retirement,” he mutters, rubbing his jaw. “That’s mostly because I trust you to lead.”

I drag a hand through my hair, exhaling. “And if you’re wrong on that trust?”

Vito snorts. “Jeez, you always this whiny?”

“You always this full of shit?”

He grins, shaking his head. “You’ll be fine, Carmine. Hell, you’re my son, of course you’ll be fine.”

I don’t know about that.

“So.” He folds his hands over his stomach. “We gonna talk about it?”

“About what—you quitting on me?”

He chuckles. “No, knucklehead. Lyra Ostrova.”

I exhale slowly, stretching my legs out. “You gonna ask me why I picked her over everyone else?”

“Nope.”

I frown. “What?”

He shrugs. “I won’t presume to understand you. And I definitely won’t presume to second-guess your decisions, especially when it comes to women.” He lifts a hand, gesturing vaguely. “They’re your decisions. Goodorbad. So—learn to live with them.”

I smirk. “That supposed to be wisdom?”

He chuckles. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. When you get older, you can just mouth off any shit, and because your hair is gray and you’ve got lines on your face, everyone takes it as wisdom.”

I scowl. “That’s…not exactly comforting.”

Pop grins. “Okay, then. Whydidyou pick her?”

I sigh, my brows furrowing deeply. “She forced my hand.”

Pop hoots another laugh, shaking his head before pouring himself another drink, ignoring my glare. “Welcome to married life, kid. “Dare I ask what she did to force it?”

“It’d be best if you didn’t.”

He snickers. “So, the girl has your balls in a vice already. I think I like her.”

“Trust me, when you meet her, you’ll see what I mean.”

He sighs. “What’s so wrong with her?”

I let out a breath, letting my head flop back against the couch. “Fuckingeverything.”

Vito laughs, loud and unfiltered. “And yet, you picked her.”

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