Page 65 of Dangerous King
"I'm not an idiot."
I chuckle, "Debatable. I remember it was you who talked me into that one evening at the Russian's casino…"
He laughs, "You enjoyed it, and you know it."
"Fuck yes," I grin at the memory.
Toni falls silent, "About Edoardo."
Fuck. There it is. Again. Toni wants me to side with him against Edoardo. "I'm not a capo yet," I argue like I always do when he brings this particular subject up.
The truth is, I don't object to going against our Don. If it were up to me, I'd side with Toni—for the simple fact that Edoardo condoned his father's murder. But like I said, I'm not a capo yet. My father is. My support for Toni won't do much, not when it comes to going against our Capo dei Capi.
He pushes. "Are you ready yet?"
"My father still supports him," I repeat what I told him before. "He believes Edoardo's chaos keeps the other capos from growing too bold. That it preserves balance."
Antonio snorts. "Your father's loyal to the world he came up in. Doesn't mean the world keeps loyal to him."
"I know." My voice is tight. "But I don't want to go to war and make him choose sides. Not while he's still… capo."
Antonio doesn't argue. He wouldn't. He loved his own father—still does—he knows how it is with loyalty and fathers. A beat of silence follows.
Finally, to change the subject, I add, "There was a girl in Giovanni's house. She helped Izzy escape."
"That right?"
"She's under my protection now."
Toni hears the edge in my voice. I can almost feel the shift in his tone when he asks, casually, "Someone important?"
"Someone useful," I lie.
He lets it slide. Maybe because he knows better than to push when my voice turns like that. Or maybe because he's keeping score for later.
"Let me know when you're ready," Toni says. "Because when you are, I'll be right behind you. And Edoardo won't see it coming."
Then he hangs up.
I run my hand over my face, then I tuck the phone away and look down the path. Cat is spinning barefoot in the clearing, Shadow circling her ankles. Her laughter is faint, light, unburdened. I breathe the distraction in. I know that sooner or later, Toni will force the issue, and the situation will come to a head. And when that happens, I'll have to choose between loyalties: friendship or family.
For a second, I let myself believe Cat and I could stay like this, suspended in time, forever.
But I know better.
There's blood on the horizon.
Someday soon, I'll have to choose what legacy I want to leave her standing in.
Two days later…
It's been two days since the kiss.
Two days since Enrico touched me like I was something worth holding. Since he looked at me like I was his and made me want to be.
I haven't seen him since.
Well, I'veseenhim. Once. Briefly. From a distance. He was getting into that black tank of his with Silvano and a man I didn't recognize. His jaw and expression were tight.
