Page 64 of Vicious Little Princess

“In relation to what?”

“Me, Caterina. Us.”

“The three of you are nothing like him.”

“Not how he is now, no. But—”

“Can we not do this right now? Let’s just keep our focus on the major news you told me before these delicious sandwiches arrived. That being that Carlo Benzino approached you wanting you not only to form an alliance with him but also for me and you to take control of the families. I mean, that’s not an easy pill to swallow. Would you want that? To take power over the Marchetti Syndicate? Of course you’ve thought about it before with being Marco’s heir, but then you were passed over for Underboss in favor of Leo, so I’d imagine you ruled it out after that.”

“Our goal is our freedom.”

“That can be brought about by taking power.”

“Only to an extent.”

“No. If the families are destroyed—”

“There would be a power vacuum created, as Carlo pointed out.”

“But we wouldn’t be impacted by it like we are now.”

“We would be the ones who took down the Marchettis and Leones. That would make us a target of anyone else who tried to take power in their stead.”

“Then we leave. Embrace the Reincourt Construction thing that you had Julian set up as a backup to start over.”

“That was an extreme last resort. We’d lose everything. Especially you and Julian. Everything you’ve built here would be ripped away. And what about your expansion plans? Brimbank Waterfront? That wouldn’t be able to happen. You’d have to give it all up, Caterina.”

“Yet, if we take power, we’d be trapped in this life forever. In this fucked-up world.”

“The nature of it would be different with us at the helm.”

I took him in, his answers, all of it. “You don’t think you could live without the brutality, do you?”

“Growing up as Marco Marchetti’s son, living this life, it made me a certain way, shaped me. I guess…” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “I don’t know.”

“Just so you know, we can definitely find other outlets for yourferalside beyond this nightmare we live in here with the three families.”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “Well, I’ve already found one. In you.”

“Right back at you.”

He rose from his chair all of a sudden. “We’ll lay all this out with Julian and Milo, see where we’re all at in regards to Carlo. Meanwhile, reach out to Stover.” He gestured at my plate. “I’m glad you’ve gotten your appetite back.”

Yeah, I’d eaten four sandwiches, a bowl of fries, and half a vegetable plate. “I guess the physicality of the mission tonight made me extra hungry.” At least, that was what I was telling myself. What Ihadto tell myself right now.

His gaze roamed over me in just my silk robe, which I’d changed into once we’d arrived back, before I’d handed all my intel on Joe over to him like he’d asked.

I hadn’t wanted him to think that I was purposely keeping that from him. I hadn’t wanted him to think that I wasn’t with him, Milo, and Julian. It was really important to me that they knew I was all in when it came to them.

But the fact that he’d had to question it bothered me.

Was I not putting it out there properly? How much they’d come to mean to me? That it had stopped being about the mission long ago? That what hurt them, hurt me? That what made them happy, made me happy?

That we’d become inextricably and irreparably linked forevermore?

He looked away quickly again.

And then he moved away too, telling me, “Now you’ve eaten well, it’s time to focus on the sleeping aspect. Okay? Rest up, Caterina.”

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