Page 13 of Vito

Then she twists and yanks her arm free from my grip, turns on her heel, and walks away.

Chapter 5

Vito

Mrs.andMr.Fallen—orEdna and Peter, as the woman named Eden had coldly called them—turn into a mess. Edna is a blubbering heap against her husband, while Peter looks like he's seen a ghost—one who tried to stab him through the heart with a stake.Babboglowers at me like it's all my fault.

Which I guess, in a way, it is. In trying to eliminate a potential threat to my father and Massimo, I had drawn attention to the woman. But I don't feel guilty, not when their safety could've been at stake.

However, I can't get myself away from the emotionally wrought shitfest fast enough.

I leave the graveyard, but Eden is nowhere to be seen.

I head straight to Gilly's, order a bourbon from my preferred and reserved-only-for-me stock, and sit at my regular table—in the far corner with my back against the wall to view the whole bar. For hours, I try to block out the angry hazel eyes that keep flashing in my head as I sit, observing Aiken's post-funeral celebration.

I also try to ignore the fact that my cock responds as I remember those angry hazel eyes. And that, how the memory of physically touching Eden, of how her skin felt on mine, makes my cock harden like steel. Which is my current predicament.

Sipping my bourbon in my corner of the bar, I try to get my cock to deflate.

A roar of laughter from a group of Triads and Fire Clan soldiers across the bar pulls me from the thoughts of Eden and my hard cock. The bar is packed with criminals coming to pay tribute to the man who had dedicated his life to honoring the purpose and traditions of this place.

Drinks flow and food is abundant. Gus and the staff wouldn't allow a caterer to provide the food; instead, they prepared and served all of Aiken's favorites.

The time is coming, though, to reveal Aiken's successor because his lawyer arrived ten minutes ago. I watch Ambrose, Gilly's head of security, make his rounds, giving everyone the heads up they need to finish their drinks and be on their way. The only ones who will stay are the Chamber heads and their executives.

A shadow darkens my table as Massimo walks up. He, our father, andZioMarco were circulating the room, doing the obligatory mingling and thanking people for coming. I smirk at him while he shrugs off his suit jacket. He still looks immaculate and powerful in his pin-striped vest over his black shirt and somber tie.

"Done with the ass-kissing so soon, brother?"

He grunts as he sits and lifts his tumbler filled with vodka to my bourbon. "Saluti."

"Cheers, Mass."

He settles back in the chair. "Daniele got back to me about Fenton Fallen."

Daniele works closely with Crispin and is our bloodhound—digging and finding information are her specialties. I told Massimo about the grave Eden had been at, and he set Daniele on it. She's good at finding intel, but based on the speed of her success, I'd say the information hadn't been too hard to access.

Massimo continues, "Fenton was Aiken's sister. She died nine years ago and was twelve years old."

Aiken, who had been Gilly's owner-operator for the past fifteen years, had lost a young sister, and no one knew.

I shake my head and recall the encounter at the graveyard. Eden had said Aiken had disowned his parents years ago.

Was Fenton's death the reason for Aiken disowning his parents? And how did no one notice the guy had suffered such profound losses?

Because of the boundaries between Gilly's owner-operator and us.

Massimo interlinks his hands over his stomach and rests his ankle on his opposite knee. "Aiken had another sister—"

"Don't tell me," I lean back, eyeing him, "named Eden. Hazel eyes, brunette, looked curvy as sin from under her long coat, about five-eight."

Massimo smirks at my attention to detail. Although the encounter may have been short, I had drank in every detail of her.

The downside to remembering Eden is that my dick is hardening again.

I ignore the stiffness straining against my pants, hidden by the suit jacket I kept on for that purpose. "From what her parents said, Eden has been MIA for years."

"Nine years, to be exact—shortly after Fenton's death," Massimo says, sipping his vodka. "Eden was fifteen when she ran away."

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