“Did your mother know about the rape thing?” I can’t imagine being torn between the love of my brother and my husband.
His hand goes up to the back of his neck. “No, my father was trying to protect her from it. She had an idea her brother wasn’t a good guy but not to what extent. Her father and brother were mafia, but without much honor than whatever made them money. She didn’t get there were degrees of bad not to be crossed. Her mother didn’t really want her to know much. However, she picked up enough living in a home where it went on around her. It wasn’t until my father saw it was tearing her up that he told her all the bad shit her brother did. They were able to patch things up, but Salvatore wouldn’t let it go. Got all hateful of the family and my father. Went off to Yale, got a fancy degree that mafia money paid for, then went after us through the D.A.’s office.”
“I read some of the stuff he said. It was pretty harsh. I can’t believe he took money yet ignored his family the rest of his life.” What a dick.
“Hm, his wife came to see me a few times and brought their kids.” His chuckle is bitter. “She needed money and used those kids to get it. My mother would have ordered me to hand over every penny we had to see those kids. Salvatore was so full of himself as some righteous do-gooder. Then he turned around and killed his cheating wife and himself because he couldn’t let her go. I’m glad my mother died before she saw him do it. He hurt her enough. Fucked up the whole damn family more than enough.”
I want to ask, but I bite my tongue.
He sees it and sighs. “Because of him, Dominic won’t have kids.”
“What?”
“My mother basically raised my kids because my wife wouldn’t. Dominic saw how much it hurt my mother for Salvatore to deny her and his family. The mafia is a family business in every sense of the word. My sons, and if Dominic were to have a son would be expected to continue on in this life. If they didn’t,” he sighs. “It would not go over well among the family. Salvatore didn’t want anything to do with the mafia. He was bitter and vocal about how even though he wasn’t one of us, his name was Sabatini and it haunted him in this city. Dominic wants his kids to be free to be whatever the hell they want to be. Since they won’t have that freedom, he would rather not have them at all.”
“I’m sorry.” I long to touch him, to soothe the anger in him. “Did you want to be a grandfather?”
“It’s not about me having a grandchild. I want my son to be happy. The best thing to ever happen to me in this life is my sons. Children are agony and ecstasy, the agony soon forgotten over the ecstasy. I wanted him to have that.”
A lump is in my throat at his words, at the emotion churning in his blue eyes. This time I can’t stop reaching out to him. My hand goes to his chest as I step forward on unsteady legs. His hands go to my waist, and his lips tease mine before his tongue slides inside my mouth.
The phone on his desk rings, and I jump. Tony smiles as he reaches over and answers the phone. His other hand on my waist moves up my back, keeping me against him. Once again, he speaks Italian with whoever is on the phone. I have no idea what’s being said, but it’s clear his Italian flows more smoothly than the other person’s. The call doesn’t last long.
“Do you speak Italian all the time with your men, or is it because I’m here?” I’m curious.
His dimple flashes at me. “Because you’re here. You don’t speak any language other than English.”
It’s not really a question, but I answer anyway. “No, I took Latin in school because I got laughed at by the other Mexican kids when I tried to speak Spanish. I was glad I did for nursing. It helped with the medical terms. When I was going through nursing school, it was my elective in college. I can read it and understand most of it but speaking it...not so much.”
He’s pleased, and
I have no idea why. “Maybe try that book to familiarize yourself with the language again.”
“Hm, maybe it will help me learn Italian.”
He goes still. “I’d like it if you did.”
“Really?” Wait, I’ll be around him long enough to learn a language? “That wouldn’t put a crimp in you being able to have discussions with people so I don’t understand you? What did you tell Carmella today?”
He does that exhale thing that’s almost a laugh but not really. I want to hear him laugh, really laugh. It doesn’t feel like it’s something he does often. The hand on my lower back moves up as he presses his lips to my cheek. “Don’t worry about what I told Carmella. Read the book you have, see how comfortable you still are with Latin. Have a seat. I need to let my man in so I can get down to business.”
Annoyed at him, I take the book and settle into the couch on the other side of the large room. My ass still burns, but there’s a hint of pleasure to the pain I never believed possible. It feels good enough to pull a sigh from me. Blushing, I do my best to focus on the book. Studying it, I frown as I realize it’s a biography on Archimedes. I usually hate biographies, they’re always so dry and boring.
I’m proud of myself for how much I remember and how easy it is to read. The low murmuring of Tony and the guy he’s talking to barely makes an impact. It takes almost an hour before I even become aware there’s music on in the background here again and only because it’s switched between classical to jazz. What is it with the music, I wonder, before getting pulled back into the interesting story.
“Come on, piccolina, business is done. It’s time to go upstairs.” Tony is standing over me.
“Already? I’m almost done with this. Can I stay here?”
Shaking his head, a hand goes around my wrist and pulls me up to him. “No way in hell am I leaving you down here with my men. I don’t want to have to kill anyone for looking at you when I understand why they would. That reminds me, hold on.”
He pulls out his phone and makes a call. I sit back on the couch and go back to reading the book. I hear him say the name Carmine a couple of times before he ends the call. Shaking his head, he hangs up and puts his cell back in his pocket.
“What’s the matter?”
A sigh, “Joseph isn’t happy I gave him the order to kill Carmine.”
My stomach drops. “Is it because of what I did? I’m sorry.”