Page 60 of Stolen Hearts

This time, her eyes lock on mine. “I’m not a little housewife.”

Hades chuckles, patting my back. “Yeah, good luck with that, bud. All right, I’m out.”

I blink. “You’re not coming?”

“If he’s not fucking going, I’mdefinitelyfucking going,” Callie mutters.

Hades snickers and walks over to ruffle his sister’s hair. “Take it easy, bossy pants. If it’s just Ares and Castle, it keeps it simple.”

I glance at Cillian. He shrugs, grinning at me. “Hey, you’re the king now, my friend. It’s notmymeeting. Or my problem.”

* * *

If Callie was pissed before about notbeing allowed to come to the meeting, she loses hershitwhen I tell her she can’t actually leave the house at all.

“What?!”

“Look, let me just settle the meeting first, okay? Your brother was saying there’s a lot of chatter on the streets about Massimo being pissed about the wedding.”

“What, you’re worried he’s going to walk up and fucking shoot me or something?”

“Honestly? I have no idea.”

From everything I’ve ever heard about the psychopath named Massimo Carveli, that’s not actually outside the realm of probability. I mean I doubt it. But, I’m a cautious man.

So, it wasn’t exactly the plan to leave the house with Callie hurling curses and insults at my back, but hey, that’s the way it shakes out.

Thankfully, my reception at the meeting is a hell of a lot more pleasant than my departureforit. Michael Genovisi is a strong, healthy-looking man in his fifties with silvered hair and sharp blue eyes. He smiles cordially as he shakes my hand.

“Mr. James,” he growls in a deep voice. “It’s a pleasure. And congratulations on your new position.”

“Thank you, Mr. Genovisi. And thank you for taking the time to sit down with us today.”

He smiles. “Please, Michael is fine.”

“And Castle works for me.”

He chuckles, shaking Ares’ hand. They’ve clearly met before. Then he turns to the two men beside him.

“This is my second-in-command, Vincent Cave.”

Ares informed me on the drive over that the dark-haired man with the chiseled jaw is also Michael’s son-in-law.

“And this is Dante Sartorre, a mutual friend of, well, many people. I thought it would be good to include him today as well.”

Dante cuts an imposing figure: broad-shouldered and almost as tall as me, with a swarthy, sharp jaw, piercing eyes, and well-groomed dark hair. Michael might be the Don of one of the biggest Italian mafia families in the country, with Vincent his number two and probably eventual successor, but Dante’s dressed better than both of them.

We all shake hands and then sit around a big wooden table in the middle of the meeting room that looks out over the Hudson.

“I’ll get right to it, since we’re all very busy men.” Michael drums his fingers on the table and looks right at me. “I know there’s been murmurs on the street regarding Massimo Carveli since your marriage to Calliope Drakos was announced. And I’m sure you have more than a few concerns about how—or if—any Carveli aggression would pit my own organization against yours.”

I lift an eyebrow. “It’s…crossed our minds.”

“Once or twice,” Ares mutters.

Michael smiles and shakes his head. “Well, let me put those fears to bed right now. Massimo’s sudden lack of marriage prospects are both none of my business and none of my concern.”

“If thingsdocome to a head, though,” Ares growls. “You sit on the Commission together.”

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