Page 104 of Cruelest Contract
Hidden speakers play classical music at a low volume. The tune sounds familiar, one of those recognizable pieces that’s now mainly heard as a soundtrack in sports car commercials.
Five minutes pass. Ten. Twenty.
Messina’s guards observe us in stoic silence. Fort gets comfortable enough to start dozing off. Nico watches TikTok videos on his phone and occasionally snorts with laughter.
At the thirty minute mark the door finally swings open. Vittorio Messina, dressed like a dapper vampire, stalks into the room. There’s no trace of friendliness when his eyes rake me over but he does give Nico a nod of acknowledgement.
His men flutter around him like anxious hens. I want to laugh. This would not be wise right now.
I rise from my chair as a courtesy but don’t bother to extend a hand. We’re Mafia rivals, not fucking Wall Street partners.
“Julian.” Vittorio stops three feet away and doesn’t blink.
We met once, years ago. I was barely out of high school and accompanying my father on a trip to London. Back then I stayedquietly in my father’s shadow and did not have more than a two word exchange with Vittorio Messina. I get the feeling he remembers anyway.
“Vittorio,” I reply. “It’s a been a long time.”
“So it has.” He drops into a chair and waits for me to sit. “You’re no longer an eager little pup chasing after your daddy. By the way, where is Cassio?”
“He’s plenty busy but sends his regards.”
Vittorio laughs. His laughter is unlike the outbursts from other men. It’s not really laughter at all. It’s a sharp and explosive warning. In this way he reminds me of my father.
“What a nice setup,” Vittorio says. “He gets to relax and haunt his ranch in the wilderness while sending his hopeful heir on missions to fix his mistakes.”
Vittorio is clearly baiting me for entertainment, trying to gauge how quickly I’ll get angry.
I’m not easily baited. However, he’s not finished trying.
The gleam in Vittorio’s eyes becomes sinister. “I’ve heard the mighty Cassio Tempesta prefers to talk to the dead these days. Does he want some help joining them?”
Fort inhales sharply and crouches at the edge of his seat, eyes narrowed, ready to spring into action. I throw him a look.
Stay fucking quiet.
At least I’ve chosen the most even-tempered of my brothers for this trip. I would have had a hell of a time trying to stop Getty from flying across the room and seizing Vittorio by the throat.
“There’s more benefit in our families being allies than enemies,” I say. “Just look at New York. Two years ago a war broke out between families and the whole east coast is still reeling. I have no intention of repeating their mistake.”
“I don’t make mistakes,” he replies with flat disinterest.
“But you don’t want a war either.”
He mulls this over with his head cocked to the side. “If I wanted a fucking war, you’d know it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Yes you will. I’m sure I won’t need to say it twice. You know what war looks like, Julian. There’s no playing fair. War looks like a wedding day massacre on a summer evening.”
Cecilia’s face streaks through my mind. Not as she was back then. I see her as she is now. The desire to be with her is powerful enough to crush my lungs. I won’t allow anything to cause her grief.
“I have no plans to make my wife a widow,” I say.
“Ah, that’s right. You’ve recently married the Grimaldi girl. Not a shock. The shock is that Matthias didn’t burn your whole fucking ranch down for the crime of stealing his little sister. He does have a temper and he seemed a little unhappy when I told him the news.”
Hearing him casually drop the name of Cecilia’s eldest brother catches me off guard. Matthias flew back to New York the morning after the wedding. Given how close we came to hand to hand combat, I had no plans to look him up while I’m in town.
Vittorio responds with a reptilian grin and motion to his guards. The door opens to reveal Matthias Grimaldi. Instead of taking one of the empty chairs, he leans against a wall pillar and surveys me with the warmth of a cobra.
