Page 49 of Bad for You

“Enough, Rocco.”

A rumble erupts from me. “Nice to see your name is as lame as you are.”

Rocco launches forward, but the man scolds him in Italian. It takes all his willpower to hold back, but in the end, the punishment isn’t worth kicking my ass for, so he stands down.

“Good dog,” I mutter under my breath.

This really is too easy.

I walk toward the SUV, and the man dressed immaculately in a navy pinstripe suit and crisp white shirt has me guessing this is Aldo.

His short dark hair is graying at the temples. At a guess, I’d say he’s early fifties. With his good looks and the power he exudes, I can imagine he is loved but also feared.

“I would ask who you are, but I don’t think you’d answer me.”

“You’d guess right.” I slide into the SUV, whistling as I take in the leather interior.

The car smells like a forest after a storm. I’m assuming it’s Aldo’s cologne.

Rocco and his brother wait outside while the younger dude joins us inside. He closes the door. The privacy screen betweenthe driver’s seat and the back seat rolls up, enclosing us like we’re one big happy family.

Aldo looks at me with nothing but curiosity.

I like him already.

He doesn’t need to assert his authority with threats or bad manners. He reeks of control and power, like a true leader should.

“Drink?”

I nod.

He pours some scotch into a crystal glass, offering it to me.

I accept.

He pours one for himself, and I wait. I’m his guest after all.

“Shall we make a toast?”

I shrug, waiting for him to make a point because I know there is one.

“To prosperity and good health.” He raises his glass.

I raise mine.

“Saluti.”

“Cheers.”

I don’t want to give away my Italian roots. I need him to believe our meeting was fate.

We both throw back our drinks.

I wait again because, like Aldo, I wish to exert my power through composure, not fear. He doesn’t speak. Simply smiles. But this is a test. You can tell a lot about a person by how they respond to silence.

Someone who can sit alone in a setting filled with noise and be utterly content in their own company is totally comfortable within themselves. They don’t need friends to entertain them because they enjoy their own company best.

I know this feeling well because I’m not a people person.

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