Page 41 of His to Have
Her expression tightened, her voice clipped as she shot back, “Don’t go creating enemies before you even take over, Teo.”
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Is that a threat?” he snapped. “Isabella, you know me well enough to understand — I don’t like threats.”
“Not a threat,mioamato.Just a friend giving advice and relaying things I’ve heard. You do with that what you will.” She took a step back, creating space. “Oh, and congratulations on the engagement, Teo,” she added with a sly grin.
“Isabella.” My sister’s sharp voice cut through the foyer as she descended the stairs. Her eyes bounced between Teo’s furious gaze and Isabella’s now innocent demeanor before Sophia’s eyes turned to slits. “I thought I told you to wait for me in the car.”
“Oh, girl, you know I couldn’t sit out there and not come speak to your mother. That would be rude.” Her airy tone was followed by a light giggle. “But I ran into your brother first and his soon-to-be wife. It seems I’ve overstayed my welcome.” She cast one last look at Teo before gazing back at Sophia. “I’ll be outside when you’re ready.”
I didn’t know what the fuck just happened, but I understood that this woman was going to be a problem. And not just for me, but for this family.
twelve
Teo
“You don’t sound thrilled to hear from me,” Stephanie’s voice came through the phone, dry but laced with sarcasm. The low hum of the treadmill filled the background as I swiped a towel across my face, slowing my pace just enough to answer.
“Because I’m not.”
“I thought you’d be in a better mood now that your fiancée is in town. The wedding is approaching. She is in your home. Isn’t that what you’ve been waiting for?”
I smirked, taking a swig from my water bottle. “I’m actually in a great mood, Steph.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“You don’t call unless it’s something that’s gonna eat up my whole day. And I finally got her here. It only took me six whole years. We got shit to do today.”
I knew I sounded like a bitch, but honestly I didn’t care how I sounded to my long-time friend and attorney. Steph had beenaround for the past ten years, and fixing our family’s problems for at least the past five. Not only was she well-indoctrinated in my world, she also understood the family hierarchy, their roles, and the leverage we had over so many. Needless to say, she knew where the bodies were buried. So, sounding like a lovesick man to her didn’t bother me in the least.
She laughed softly, then sucked her teeth. “You literally have the rest of your life to spend with Ayanna. My goodness, she really does have you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she? The big bad Teo is taking a day off. I never thought I’d see the day.”
“What do you want Steph?” I laughed at the accuracy. If I could get away with not being bothered today, I would.
“What exactly happened with Isabella the other night?”
That one name caused me to groan audibly.
“That’s the perfect way to kill my mood,” I shut the treadmill down and eased my feet to the floor.
“Well, what happened? Did you threaten her? Because you know I keep my ear to the streets and there’s been rumblings. I’ve been hearing some shit coming from the Vitale side. Isabella’s out here talking about how you’re disrespecting her family and the faction to anybody that will listen.”
“Oh yeah,” I walked over to the small fridge I had located in my home gym and grabbed another water bottle.
“This is serious, Teo. I told you, she was going to be a problem the second you let your dick get involved.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Absolutely not. Let me do my job. You have too much on the line to be at war with theVitales. From what I can tell, Gianni doesn’t even know she out here moving like this. But you understand he will ride with her out of pure loyalty if you harm her. Right?” She scoffed. It was low, and muffled like she hadstepped away from her speaker. “You sure know how to pick ‘em, don’t you?”
I shook my head, “Yeah, well, hindsight is always 20/20. I can handle Gianni and Isabella Vitale. If it comes to that.”
“I know you can,” she deadpanned, and I knew she was rolling her eyes. “But you can’t afford to financially. You can’t let Jersey happen all over again — not this close to the merging of families.”
I didn’t respond, but my jaw tightened at the memory. Jersey. My first real test as a made man—and the one time I almost let a bitch get me caught up.
Ariah was connected to a crew out there. Big enough to make moves across the city, but not big enough to touch any of the Five Families that ran the boroughs. Back then, I was focused on my rise, stepping into my power. Making people fear and respect me was my only goal. Women threw themselves at me left and right. Sometimes I indulged if they were cute enough, and I was in need of some pussy.
The problem was, Ariah couldn’t handle being a jump-off. She thought she could change my mind. She wanted more—thought her pussy was enough to force my hand. When I didn’t give it to her, the bitch tried to set me up. Had her people hit one of my routes, not realizing it was a Donatelli operation.
