Page 25 of Absinthe Minded

“Jesus, Gabe. Is she coming back?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. I’m going for full custody. Besides abandoning her child, she’s nuts. Lucky for me, I’d ended it before things got too serious.”

“Not soon enough.” He stood and walked to the table.

“The timing could be better, and the circumstances suck, but I don’t regret having a kid.”

“Yeah, I get that.” His voice cracked.

What’s up with him?I took a seat and unwrapped my baked potato. “Sure, you don’t have anything you want to tell me?”

“I’m good.” He picked at his salad. “Where’s the little bundle of joy?”

“Maggie’s watching her tonight.” My stomach twisted. I’d finally come to the subject I needed to discuss.

“Maggie. As in Rebecca’s sister, Maggie?”

“The one and only.”

“Shit, Gabe. I thought Pops told us to stay away from Joe’s kids.”

“It’s been a year. Nothing’s happened.” I shoved a piece of steak into my mouth, chewed, and took a swig of beer. “Besides, you and I both know Pop’s prime suspect had an iron-clad alibi…”

Leo furrowed his brow and glanced away. The moment he put it all together, his mouth fell open. “For fuck’s sake, tell me the mother of your kid isn’t Chantal DuBois.”

“Guilty.”

He dragged his hand down his face. “Jesus, does Pops know?”

“No, and I’d like to keep it that way for now.”Forever if I can help it.

My father wouldn’t need to worry about lung cancer. He’d drop dead of a coronary if he knew I’d slept with the person he suspected of causing my brother’s accident.

“Do you think she got knocked up on purpose?” He pegged me with a glare.

“Hell if I know. I mean, I suited up every time.”

“Accidents happen, I guess. Where does Maggie fit into this?” Leo consumed his meal like he hadn’t seen food in weeks.

“I’m going to marry her.”

He choked on his potato.

I pushed my plate to the side and set my elbows on the table. “It was that, move home, or lose my bar.”

“I need something stronger before we get into this.” Leo finished his beer, went inside, and returned with a bottle of Jack and two glasses. “A little birdie told me you’re planning to take over for Pops.”

A little birdie named Enzo. Three years younger, Enzo made it his life’s goal to know everyone’s business.

“It’s not as if I have a choice. Pops isn’t doing well.”

Leo poured two shots. “I’d like to believe we all have a choice, but I know better.”

I downed the whiskey. “I’ll learn the ropes, do what I have to, and get all of us out as soon as I can.”

“And if you can’t?”

“I can.” I poured myself another and stared into the amber liquid. The Marchionni family had been tied to the Cosa Nostra since the 1800s, but the internet, more savvy investigation techniques, and RICO laws made organized crime even riskier. Thankfully, the majority of our wealth came from legitimate business ventures nowadays. We could stand on our own. The question was—would the other families allow it?

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