Page 31 of The Sicilian Princess
Nick
Isat in Giuseppe Picone's office, worried that this meeting wasn't going to go well at all. Vittorio was looking at his father stoically. I couldn't read what their expressions said. I had been out of the game for far too long.
"So, my wayward daughter runs off to get away from her marriage and somehow happens to find a Falcone heir whom everyone thought was long dead?"
I felt like this was rhetorical after Vittorio had already explained the situation to him.
"That is correct." I crossed my legs like I had not a care in the world. The reality was I was on edge. I didn't like my little thorn being out of my sight. She should've been here for this meeting so I could keep an eye on her. I don't trust the Picone famiglia and I, for sure, didn't think they had Rose's best interests at heart.
"We want an alliance with the Falcone famiglia. It's best to do that with someone who is actually a Falcone. We can't trust Romano," Vittorio advocated.
I agreed with him, but instead of inserting my two cents, I was watching Giuseppe's face.
"That would be an acceptable arrangement. I take it you'll deal with your father?" he asked me.
I nodded. Silence was best in situations like this. Then there was a knock on the door.
"Enter," Giuseppe boomed.
A foot soldier hurried into the office. "Sir, Rosalina is gone."
I jumped out of my seat. "Gone? Gone where?" I almost strangled the man. I knew I couldn't trust these Picones.
"Her mother sent her back to the Falcones, under Romano's protection."
Giuseppe started cursing up a storm, but I was already on the move. The last thing I caught was him saying something about women needing to keep their noses out of mafia business.
"Falcone, wait up." Vittorio ran after me.
I barely slowed down for him. He wasn't my priority. "What do you want?" I knew what he wanted. I just wanted to force him to say it.
"I'm going with you. Not only do they have my sister, but her friend is there. The one you both asked me to save."
He had a valid point. I was going to have my hands full with Rose. I might not even be able to head back to Philly. I especially wouldn't be able to take a trip to Texas.
"No matter what, you get Eunji. Bring her back here and let her recuperate. Then take her back home to Texas. Are we clear?" I was fully getting into my role. Thomas Romano was about to meet his maker for touching what was mine.
We made good time into New York. Romano wasn't living on the compound. Instead, he had an estate on Long Island. I knew exactly how he was paying for this. First, I needed to see my father before we could confront Romano.
"Who're you?" a young guard asked me at the gate of the Falcone compound.
"I am Nicolo Falcone. I'm here to see my father."
The soldier looked shocked. No doubt he was told I was dead, like everyone else. We were escorted into the compound. I noted the hostile stares and suspicious looks people were throwing my way as we made it to his office. Another damn meeting.
"Enter," my father's frail voice called. What no one knew was that the Don of the Falcone family was dying. I had left him without a care. I didn't even think of his health. I walked into his office like I owned it. "Nicolo," he whispered. His voice was raspy and barely above a whisper.
"Father—" I started, but he cut me off with a bang on his desk.
"Where the hell have you been, boy?"
I hated when he called me that. "Around," I barked. He wasn't mollified by this, but he sat back and let me have the floor. My father was magnanimous at best. "I need permission to take out Thomas Romano and then take his place."
My father just looked at me. A minute passed. Then two. I was starting to sweat. Vittorio was beginning to squirm. Then my father laughed, a full-on belly laugh. I was starting to lose hope. He had won, and we had lost.
"It's your fucking place to begin with, dumbass," he finally stopped laughing long enough to state. "I only placed him there because we had no one else. So, go. Do what needs to be done. Take who you need, and then come back here and explain yourself." He peered over his glasses at me. His facial expression brokered no arguments. I nodded my head and off we went. There was no time to lose. Romano could be doing anything to my precious little thorn.
I gathered men who were loyal to me before Romano had taken over. They were relieved to see me alive. We headed out on our mission. Romano was to be taken alive and everyone else slaughtered. All women would be spared. We couldn't be sure how many were on his estate, and I refused to have my little thorn a casualty of war. The ride to Long Island was the longest trip of my life. I couldn't stop thinking about Rose in Romano's hands.
