Page 15 of By Fate I Conquer (Sins of the Fathers 4)

I can’t do this alone. A good fiancé would have been here.

I was trying to get into the right mindset for the fucking meeting ahead and Cressida had nothing better to do than to grate on my nerves with rehearsal dinner number two. The only reason why I had humored Cressida and attended rehearsal dinner number one was because my father had insisted that I do to make up for my mistakes of the past. I couldn’t care less if we served smoked marlin or smoked tuna. I had far more important things to do. Of course, Cressida didn’t understand.

I’m not a good fiancé and I won’t be a good husband. You can still call this off.

Cressida always brought out the worst in me, and now definitely wasn’t the right time to rile me up. It would be difficult enough to keep it together.

Nothing you can do will make me call this wedding off.

That’s what I feared. I’d ignored her existence these last few years, not once touched her because not a fiber in my body desired her. Still she clung to me and our future together. Not for emotional reasons of course. We both knew the only thing that made her heart beat faster was the prospect of becoming a future Capo’s wife. Even Mom didn’t like her, and Mom was the kindest person I knew and gave everyone a chance. Dadutterlydespised her. I could see it in his eyes whenever she was close, and yet he insisted on this ridiculous bond.

Fuck. Part of me got it. The Famiglia was still divided between the Traditionalists and the more liberal soldiers. It had always been like that, but since Marcella married Maddox, a biker from a hostile MC we’d been battling for decades, and became part of the family business, the Tradionalists had become too loud to ignore. The tide was turning and Dad and I needed to make sure we weren’t swept out onto the unforgiving ocean. Eventually we’d have to make a bloody statement, there was no way around it, even if Dad was reluctant to do so. Maybe because he could sense that it would very well be one of the bloodiest in the history of the Famiglia. I had a feeling he was biding his time until my brother Valerio was old enough to fight at our side. Considering he’d recently turned sixteen I really hoped that would miraculously happen before my wedding with Cressida.

But our wedding was only six weeks away and I had already endured a tight schedule of necessary tastings, rehearsals, meet-ups and brainstorming events that made it impossible to pretend I wasn’t caught in Cressida’s cunning clutches.

Where are you?

I ignored her question. She knew I was in Las Vegas for business and she didn’t need to know more than that. I didn’t trust her and that would never change.

Shoving my phone into my pocket, I raised my head in time to see us pull up in front of the huge steel gates to the Falcone mansion. An obnoxious F crowned the thing in addition to dozens of razor-sharp thorns.

“Judging by your pissed off look, that was Cressida. This meeting is important. We need to make sure we regain control of our drug routes. With the current mood in the Famiglia, we can’t risk earning less money. Even the Tradionalists are less likely to speak up, if their pockets are full. Don’t make a scene.”

“She makes my blood boil and not in a good way.”

“I don’t care. Do not mess up.”

I gave him a lazy smile. “I’m not a hotheaded teen anymore. You don’t have to remind me. Today’s about business, nothing else.”

Dad regarded me briefly and gave a satisfied nod, though I caught the hint of doubt on his face. He and I had worked well together these last few years despite our occasional disagreements. Maybe it was a matter of age that made Dad more cautious and reluctant to dish out violence. When he’d been my age, he would probably have ripped Antonaci’s throat out for demanding anything. He should consider himself lucky my father had abolished the bloody sheets tradition or Cressida would leave a very bad impression the morning after our wedding night. He was the leader of the Traditionalists after all. None of them would have taken him seriously anymore if his own daughter had done the deed before her wedding night.

Dad hit the button that made his window slide down so he could ring the bell and alert the Falcones of our arrival. Of course, they’d known about us because of their numerous security cameras the moment we’d pulled up.

The gates swung inward without a word out of the speakers. We pulled up the long driveway. “I don’t like that we’re meeting at their place. It always puts us at a disadvantage.”

“We want something from Remo and he invited us to his home. Refusing him would have set the wrong tone.” Then Dad’s expression became harder, and dangerous. “We’re outnumbered, true, but the house is full of people Remo wants to protect. That puts him at a disadvantage not us.”

“Then why invite us into his home?”

“Power plays as always. I’m sure the women and children of the family are well hidden and protected.”

In recent years peace had become harder to maintain. To think that not too long ago, our bond had been strong enough that Remo had allowed his brother Adamo to spend a year with us in New York…

Dad parked the rental car and we got out. Remo, Nino and Nevio appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Fuck, tell me that crazy bastard isn’t going to join the meeting too,” I pressed out under my breath, pebbles crunching under our shoes as we approached the house.

“He’s the future Capo. You and him will have to figure out a way to tolerate each other.”

“We both know war will break out the moment Nevio and I become Capos. No need to pretend otherwise.”

Dad sent me a warning look as we ascended the few white steps. Dad shook Remo’s hand but no love was lost between them either. I shook Remo’s and Nino’s hands before I came face to face with Nevio Falcone, the little shit that gave new glory to the name Madmen of Las Vegas. He wasn’t the little shit I’d last seen a few years ago. Now at almost nineteen we were almost at eye level while I’d always towered over him a couple of inches in the past.

His smile pulled wide, baring white teeth, his dark eyes gleaming with a promise I gladly returned.You’re a dead man.

Some people believe in love at first sight. Bullshit.

Hate at first sight? Definitely a thing. The first time Nevio and I had seen each other we’d loathed each other with fiery passion. I didn’t know why, only that our hate had been instantaneous and that it would outlast every promise and contract made by our fathers. One day I’d cut off his grinning head and skewer it on top of the obnoxious Falcone fence for everyone to see, even if that meant I would have to make peace with the Golden boy of the Outfit.

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