Page 70 of Of Beauty, Brains, & Bravery

“What you mean you found me out in the fucking streets?”

“We got a call.” Alessandro sighed. “It told us where to go, and you were there, lying there.”

“Who the fuck did this to me? I will make them pay. I will kill them with my bare hands.” I looked at Elisabetta. “I’m sorry for saying this in front of you, but—”

“I’ve grown up with you, Antonio. I’ve heard you say much worse.” She shook her head. “I know what this world is about. I’ve been a part of it. I mean, granted, I was the housekeeper’s daughter, I wasn’t really a part of it, but I hear what goes on behind closed doors.” She sighed. “That’s kind of how I knew you were my brother.”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard my mom and your dad whispering constantly, and doing other things.” She wrinkled her nose. “Anyway, let’s not talk about that right now. What are we going to do?”

“I need to find out what’s happened to Jimmy. I need to know what’s going on. Anyone got a phone?”

Alessandro nodded and handed me his phone. “Here, I’ve got Jimmy’s number up on the screen already.”

I called it. It rang once and then went to voicemail.

“Jimmy, fucking pick up the phone and call me back as soon as you can. It’s Antonio.”

I hung up. There was fear in my heart.

“Where’s Callie?” I said again. “She wasn’t in the street with me?”

“No,” Alessandro said, shaking his head. “I have no idea where she is.”

“It could be the Di Lorenzos,” Elisabetta said. “I’ve heard that they want to take over in New York. Maybe they’ve seen this as their opportunity.”

“Nico Di Lorenzo is not a fucking fool,” I said, shaking my head. “This isn’t him, at least it’s not him alone. Fucking Tommasso Romano is in on this as well. You mark my words, I will have that man’s head on a platter.”

Alessandro touched my shoulders. “He’s still the consigliere of the Marchesi family. You know if—”

“If what?” I said, daring my brother to continue speaking. “You know this means war.”

“You know the Bratva and the Irish. Shit, even the Puerto Rican gangs, they want to encroach on our turf. If they see we have turmoil with them, we’re going to appear weaker, where—”

“I don’t give a fuck, Alessandro. It is war. Tommasso Romano is going down, and if Nico Di Lorenzo has been helping him with this, he’s going down as well.”

“Nico Di Lorenzo’s nothing to play with,” Alessandro said. “Fuck it. If anyone can take us down, it’s him.”

There was fear in his eyes.

“I’m not scared of Nico,” I said, staring at him. “Are you?”

“No,” he said without pause. “But we’re already in over our heads. I think this needs to stop. Antonio, you’ve gotten too emotionally involved.”

“What are you talking about?” I snapped at him.

“Callie.” He paused for a few seconds, his eyes looking earnestly at me. “Look, this started out as a way for us to get revenge for our mom’s death because Callie’s father killed her, but you’ve gotten too emotionally involved with Callie. I don’t even know if you really know why you’re continuing this.”

“You know why I’m continuing this. I want to make Ronnie pay.”

“Do you, though?” He shook his head. “Is that really why you want to be around Callie, because you want to make her father pay for everything? Or is it because you want to be with her? Is it because you kind of like sleeping with her, and the way she smiles makes your heart race, and—”

“Shut the fuck up, Alessandro.”

“What? You don’t like what I’m saying?” he said. “You are about to upturn our entire world for this girl, and you don’t even want to hear about her.”

“She does not mean anything to me.”

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