Page 70 of Highball and Chain

I had too many unanswered questions to let him off the phone. “What about the Abruzzos?”

“I’m putting Leo on the line.”

I ground my teeth to keep from laying into him. It was bad enough Gabe sent me back to the States, but to freeze me out now? I had a right to know what the fuck was going on.

“Hey, bro.” Leo sounded like he’d just rolled out of bed.

I drew a breath and swallowed my anger. “Did Gabe speak to Tommaso Abruzzo?”

“Yeah, son of a bitch is out of the country until Wednesday. He said we could meet with Little Tommy.”

“That’d be a waste of time. Tommy can’t take a shit without his old man’s permission. Are they stalling to piss us off?”

Leo said, “I’m not convinced Tommaso Abruzzo knows what’s going on. This feels more personal. Your restaurant? Yeah, that makes sense. We asked to break ties, they don’t want to, so they bust it up to make a point. But why bring Shanna into it?”

“I agree. All signs point to the Lazio family.”

“Maybe that warning shot wasn’t for you? Would Nicolina order something like this?”

The question sent a chill down my spine. I’d asked myself the same thing, but dismissed it. The timing was off. The shot had been fired before I’d thrown her out of the house.

Leo’s voice rose. “You still there?”

“Nico’s a spoiled brat, but I can’t see her ordering burning someone’s house down or shooting at me and Shanna. Plus, she would have to know that she’d be the first person we suspected. She’s a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them.”

“Are you sure?” He cleared his throat. “She took an instant disliking to Shanna. And let’s not forget Pietro’s demand for a Marchionni-Lazio wedding.”

“I know, but it doesn’t sit right.” I drew a breath. “Nico saw Shanna and me together at the gala. If she wanted to hurt her, why wait until now?”

“Maybe Nico didn’t think she was a threat until she saw you two together again?”

“Trust me, Nico viewed Shanna as the competition months ago.”

“What makes you say that?

Of course, I’d have to spell it out for Leo. “She saw us together-together.”

“Damn, bro. You and Shanna?” He laughed. “I thought you said you couldn’t seal the deal?”

“We had a good time. Things were going well until I got squirrelly and cut her loose.”

“Then you realized the error of your ways. No wonder you were tripping over yourself when she arrived in Sicily.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that? I needed to apologize for being an ass after the gala.”

“And to tell her you weren’t with Nicolina?”

“Something like that.”

Leo sighed. “Look man. I get it. Shanna’s an awesome catch, but she’s smart. Be careful what you tell her. Eventually, she’s going to start asking the wrong questions. You need a game plan.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvious. I have it handled.”

“No problem, Near-Sighted Boy.” He chuckled.

I hung my head. I’d told Shanna too much about the family business. I’d fooled myself into believing she could handle it. Hell, she had handled it until someone had torched her apartment.

It always came down to this. Women asked questions that were best left unanswered. When I dodged or fed them a fairytale, they accused me of holding back. When I did answer, they panicked and ran. If there was a silver lining to marrying Nico, it was never having to lie about the business. She understood with no explanations necessary.

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