Page 76 of Of Desire And Deception

I nodded.

Cosimo’s lips curved upward, and he inclined his head, kissing me breathless. I would never be the same after he was done with me.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Celebrating the New Year made sense for a mafia family. It meant we’d all survived. So when Dante told me Olesya was having a family dinner for the occasion, I didn’t grumble about it too much. I would show up, make nice, then return to Deception to spend time with Remi.

I was tired of keeping her in my dungeon, but I needed to be sure she wouldn’t run straight back to the FBI when I let her out. She was still hot and cold about our relationship, so taking her to my place or having her around my family wasn't safe.

When I entered Dante’s home, the entire place had been transformed. Olesya had replaced the Christmas décor with a winter theme, with white, light blue and silver shit hanging all over.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” I asked Filippo, who stood on guard by the front door.

His lips flattened. “It’s a party hat, Mr. Neretti. Mrs. Neretti gave them to everybody.”

“Fuck my life,” I muttered, wrinkling my nose at the silver, glittery hat with a tuft of white streamers on top.

“Cosimo!” Olesya rounded the corner from the kitchen, arms spread in welcome. She wore a white dress, her blonde hair pulled back and styled, with a party hat on her head. And another hat in her hand. “Thanks for stopping by. Everybody is in the dining room.”

She hugged me, and I tensed but gave her a peck on each cheek, then motioned toward the kitchen. “Food smells good.”

“We’ve been working on it all day,” she laughed, holding the hat out to me. “Here, put this on.”

I backed up, refusing to take it. “Fuck off with that.”

“Just put it on him,” Dante said as he approached from his office. Taking him seriously in his black suit and silver party hat was difficult.

Olesya shot him a wary glance, but she grinned and moved forward when he smirked. Short of fighting her off, there was nothing I could do. I didn’t feel like getting into a physical fight with my brother because I’d touched his wife. He was particular about that.

So I let her put the damn paper hat on my head and ignored the snickers from Dante’s man behind me. Before I turned the corner into the dining room, I looked back at Filippo, lifting a brow and sliding my thumb across my throat as I smiled. The man’s face paled, and I whistled a triumphant tune.

“Don’t scare off my guards,” Dante warned. Of course, he’d caught what I did.

“If I can scare them, they shouldn’t be trusted with your life,” I retorted smoothly, grabbing a drink and joining the rest of my family members. They all wore black suits or white dresses, and I wondered whether Olesya had sent out a message with a dress requirement. I hadn’t received it, so I showed up in my typical black jeans and black dress shirt. I still wore my leather jacket. At least I didn’t get stuck in a suit.

“How did the year finish at Deception?” Romeo asked. He was the most business-savvy of all of us, but people rarely noticed because he played the part of the family black sheep. He’d tempered that attitude since meeting Riona, though.

I shrugged. “We did fine. Added a couple girls and expanded open hours. There’s always a profit.”

“No fallout from the feds?”

“No,” I said firmly. I didn’t want to lie to my brothers. It was best they didn’t ask questions.

Romeo took the hint and wandered off to Riona, leaving me to sip my drink and watch everyone socialize. Coletta hadn’t come, but it was rare that she and her husband, Bosco, returned from New York for family gatherings. Weddings and funerals were the only times we saw her because crossing over into Daemon DiSanto’s territory was frowned upon. DiSanto ran the New York family, and we had an understanding with him. For now.

The family meal took another two hours to get through the courses of pasta, salads, and meats. I would never starve as long as the women cooked. And it was fucking delicious. Olesya had learned quickly under Martina’s instruction, and family dinners felt almost like they had when Mamma was alive. Nobody missed our father.

Halfway through the dessert course, Dante’s phone rang, and he excused himself. I turned back to my niece, who had fallen asleep in my arms. Something about babies made me think humanity wasn’t wholly evil. Mostly evil, sure. I was under no illusions that my brothers and I were good people. We were good to our family and criminals to the rest of the world.

“Bianca, take Ilaria.”

My head shot up, finding Dante at the dining room entrance, his face unreadable. My sister reached out for her daughter, and I returned my niece. Dante tipped his head toward his office, and I pushed my chair back, following him through the house.

When we reached Dante’s office, he poured himself a drink and paced. His silence made my fingers itch for the security of my knife, but I tapped my thigh instead, standing at a safe distance. Something must have happened.

Finally, he turned to face me. “Remington Black has disappeared.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood, and I stayed silent. I didn’t like the direction the conversation was headed.

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