Page 122 of Massimo

My eyes lock with Vincenzo's. "You really should've called."

Mammastiffens at the underlying threat in my tone.

But he really should have called. Even though he's not an enemy—that I can confirm at this point—as an ally, it's respectful not to arrive uninvited. At the very least, he should've given me a heads-up before entering Santoro territory.

He swirls the red wine in his glass, studying me with a hooded gaze. However, he inclines his chin slightly, as though offering a quiet apology. His eyes then drift over toMamma, sitting in the wing chair, worry radiating from her.

She's a classic beauty, and it's no secret that Vincenzo coveted her years ago. There had even been talk of an arranged marriage between them, but my father, after seeing her, stole her away—literally and figuratively—and used his own underhanded means to ensure that she would never be taken from him.

Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Creed is tense even though he's trying to hide it from Sophie. She gives me a small smile, tucked tightly into his side on the sofa. Gemmasits beside her, strategically positioning herself to be close to my family if Vincenzo does something stupid, while Gabe and Vito remain by my side, andZioMarco stays close at hand.

Mammarises from the chair, sets her glass of wine on the side table, and comes to me. Concern is etched on her face as she reaches up to cup my cheek. "You were attacked here."

I bend down to kiss her cheek. "We're all fine,Mamma. You know that there's risk of attack in our life."

But the car bomb at the gate isn't why they're here—they arrived here too quickly after it happened. I know that Vincenzo brought my family to use against me to force my hand regarding Nova.

"Vincenzo says…"Mammaglances at him and then back at me. "That you have Silvestro Mancini's missing daughter, Massimo."

My left eye twitches, my only tell of the anger flowing through me that I was right about Vincenzo.

"Is that so?" My attention shifts to theguestin my home. "And you came all the way from your cushy palatial home in Catanzaro to see for yourself, Vincenzo?"

I can feel Vito and Gabe poised, ready to pounce, but a subtle nod of my head tells them to stand down.

I smile at Vincenzo, gracious and warm. "Well, let me give you the tour so you can see for yourself."

His eyes narrow as he considers me, then he nods and sets his wine down. "By all means. Let's lay this issue to rest."

Gabe makes to move with me, but I cut him a look to stay put. Both he and Vito look on darkly, hating the order, but stay in the room with my family.

"Should we start with the basement?" I lead Vincenzo to the back of the house and the locked stairwell to the basement.

"You should know that people know I'm here."

His warning makes me smile. "I'm not your enemy, Vincenzo." Then my smile sharpens into something more menacing. "Unless you're mine."

His jaw tightens at my statement as I unlock the door and lead the way downstairs.

I flick the lights on at the bottom of the stairs and stride down the hallway, unlocking the doors along the corridor as we go. All the rooms are the same—bare stone rooms with no windows and have rings bolted into the walls to chain the captives if needed.

After we've checked them all, I turn to Vincenzo. "If you had your enemy's daughter, wouldn't you lock her up in a cell like this?" I don't wait for his answer. "But to set you at ease, I'll show you the rest of the house that's more comfortable for a captive."

He remains silent as I lead him back upstairs, taking him into every room on the main floor and then to the top floor to inspect every bedroom. When I open my bedroom door, I allow him to enter to inspect the space, knowing that Jerome has already removed all evidence of Nova in the bedroom and the ensuite.

Before he can get any ideas about checking the walk-in closet, though, I ask him, "What's really going on here, Vincenzo? And don't fucking insult me that it's about some diabetic drug that you'll get a cut of the profits."

Vincenzo's lips press together as we stare each other down, and he remains silent.

So I decide to push him and reveal some of my cards. "Are you working with the French mafia? Does Pierre Moreau have your balls in a vice to help retrieve his piece of shit son'stoy?"

My stomach rolls, both at referring to Nova as a toy and at the thought of what Julien wants to do to her. I push back my rage, working hard to remain in control.

Vincenzo still doesn't answer.

"Do you think I'm a fucking idiot, Vincenzo? I saw Beast's tattoo, and know he's French mafia."

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