Page 30 of Tempt Me (Dark Odyssey 4)

Just then, Salvatore comes through the door.

He greets Marguerite with the customary kiss to her cheeks, and she leaves us.

After that meeting with Dad, I expected him to come by. I expected all of them to come by. Nick and Gabe are at The Dark Odyssey early on Tuesdays though, doing the accounts with Christian and Georgiou. I’ll bet they all left and went to talk because they’ll be worried about the club with the new leadership structure.

They have nothing to worry about. I’m not changing much of anything.

The man whose life will change the most is here.

He’ll be me. What I am now. And he’ll have to decide when to involve the others and when not to.

He has a kid like me, and another on the way. My brothers each have two kids now, but it will be different for Salvatore from here onwards.

He sighs and presses his lips together.

“Do you want to go sit outside for a little bit?” I offer.

“Yeah, air is always good.” He grins.

We go into the garden, and I set Timothy down to play in the sandpit. Instantly, he gets to work on digging around with his plastic shovel.

Salvatore and I head to the patio across from him, and I reach for the humidor with my best Cubans.

“So, let’s hear it, Boss.” Salvatore smiles. “There’s no way you can be this calm after the news Pa dished us.”

I look him over, wondering if I should tell him the truth, that I’m not ready. He’s the only brother who’s truly seen me weak. At my lowest. When I found Sorcha dead on the floor, he was the first person I called.

He’s the second oldest, and I relied on him a lot after Frankie died, but the guy is a good friend too. I think maybe a part of me wanted him to tell me I was imagining things.

This is different. It’s a question of who I’m supposed to be.

“I don’t know, Salvatore. I’m surprised, like everyone else. What about you?”

“I’m shit scared,” he confesses and gives me a long, hard stare. “I can’t fill your shoes, man.”

“Of course, you can,” I answer with a nod.

“No. It’s not even a question.” He shakes his head. “I can’t. I think we’ve all taken it for granted for years. I mean the handle you have on things. You’ve been underboss and head capo to the family for nearly ten years, Vin. It’s a long time. Much has happened to you.” Sadness enters his eyes as he says that, and I glance down at the cigar in my hands.

“Much has happened, and this is just change,” I tell him with as much confidence as I can to make it believable, and he nods agreement. It’s times like this when I miss Frankie because he’d know I’m lying through my teeth. He’d just know.

“It’s just change.”

“We’ll do what we have to,” I add, glancing up at the window on the second floor.

It’s Ava’s room. I wonder if she’s looking outside, watching us.

Did she put her clothes back on?

The displaced thought hardens my cock right up again. I’m gonna have to get her clothes, and there’ll be a whole bunch of things I need to sort out when it comes to her.

Salvatore sees me looking and glances up at the window too.

“What are you doing with the doll, Vin? What’s going on with Mark?”

“I’m seeing Mark in a little while.”

“And what?” He prods.

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