Page 52 of Made to Sin

“Figured it was going to happen sooner or later,” he muttered while tapping his glass against mine as we both took a large drink of our beverage of choice.

I raised a brow at how the fucker seemed to know everything but didn’t mention it. It was just the way our dynamic flowed.

“How would the alliance work now that Marco’s gone? Can we pull out without a war?”

“Sergio is becoming the new don. They’re at a loss right now, and until they come to us with a new proposal, we’re at fair game with the alliance on hold.”

Some tension in my chest relieved at his assurance. “Good. We don’t have time for their complaints anymore.”

“Are the Bartolos threatening to retaliate?”

“No. Romeo was happy with the credit, so we settled on keeping it a secret.”

He nodded.

“You’re not gonna ask why I did it without consulting you?”

Dante took another sip of his cognac. “I’m not stupid, Luciano. Since the start of your fight to work with Marco, it was as clear as day. The shooting range confirmed it.”

My fingers tightened around my own tumbler. “You wasted your time talking to Katarina that day to test your theories?”

He smirk. “I was wondering when you'd ask about her.”

“Do your job and answer the question, yeah? If I wanted judgment, I would have gone straight to Sofia,” I snapped.

“Not particularly. I wanted to see if she was going to be a problem for us. Good news, she’s not.”

I wouldn’t have done anything even if she was, but it was a quick relief to know I didn’t completely screw over my family bygetting involved with her.

“What happens with Katarina, now?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, many things can happen. She isn’t technically a Camello unless someone marries her again.”

I scowled at the idea, a bitter taste rising to my throat. “And if not?”

“If not, she can become a regular civilian as long as she’s smart enough not to snitch.”

If she left theCosa Nostra, there would be nothing to tie us together anymore. I didn’t want to keep the woman, but the thought of her being out of my life was… unsettling.

I didn’t know what I was going to change, but a gut feeling told me that letting her go was the last thing I was going to do.

For the next half hour or so, we sat in a comfortable atmosphere, drinking and idly conversing. Dante might have been another cousin in a large family, but there was a reason I picked him off the streets, literally speaking. Without him, my family would have fallen to shit the second my father was buried.

“Anything else you need?” He asked as we were nearing the end of another drink each.

I took the last gulp of my glass, debating if I should ask what I really wanted to know. Fuck it, if there was one person I needed to be honest with, it was Dante.

“And what should I do if I find myself having the urge to kidnap her for myself?”

The fucker fell into a deep chuckle as I slammed the glass down and left. The question wasn’t rhetorical, but we both knew there was no need for an answer. There was already a high chance I would follow through with the plan.

MARCO’SFUNERALWASHELDAweek later on a late-July afternoon. The world seemed brighter without his presence, the sun gleaming against the Camellos’ black attires.

I might have been trapped in the life, but I never considered myself a part of them. I showed up wearing a white pantsuit. White signified new beginnings, and his death was mine.

The ex-underboss and now don, Sergio, looked like he wanted to shoot me for it. Call it drunk off the high of the situation, but I could bet that he wouldn’t. Considering the day was all about Marco, my death would only ruin the moment.

TheCosa Nostrawas particular with their rules: murder shall be limited on Church Sundays and funerals.

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