Mike Fascini wasn’t just some guy—he was a man out for vengeance. Arianne was right, we needed to know his endgame.
The wedding—not that I ever planned on letting her actually marry that fucker—wasn’t for another four months. It would make Arianne a Fascini, and the business merger would give Mike access to Roberto’s empire. But what then?
He wanted to bring down the Marchetti. To destroy the Capizola from the inside out. But I was still missing some vital pieces of the puzzle.
One thing was for sure, if Mike was behind the failed hit on Arianne, and my money was on it being him, it meant he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He wasn’t afraid to murder a girl in cold blood to better his cause, which meant he was prepared to go to any lengths to get what he wanted, making him a dangerous man.
Far more dangerous than we’d first anticipated.
Blue Hills Reservation disappeared behind me as the Boston skyline came into view. I needed to speak to my father. We needed a plan. Arianne was safe for now, but what happened when Scott decided he was done playing nice?
I was biding my time. Playing by the rules and upholding the code of the Family. But if he so much as touched a hair on Arianne’s head again, I wouldn’t be held responsible for my actions.
Because an attack against Arianne, was an attack against me.
And an attack against me, was an attack against the Family.
I just had to make my father and his men see that.
When I arrived back at my uncle’s house, I was greeted with the sight of Matteo’s truck and one of my father’s cars.
Nervous anticipation skated up my spine as I parked up and went inside. Haughty laughter filled the air, the familiar cadence of my father and Uncle Alonso ringing in my ears.
“Niccolò, so good of you to join us.” My father cast me a knowing look. “Sit, eat. Maria was good enough to prepare a feast.” He motioned to the table of food.
Just then, the back door swung open and my cousins filed in.
“Nicco.” Matteo came straight over, pulling me in for a guy hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too.”
“Cous.” Enzo tipped his chin, his expression as cool as his greeting. He still wasn’t over everything. And part of me didn’t blame him. But it didn’t change anything.
I was with Arianne now.
She was in my life, whether he liked it or not.
“Niccolò,” Uncle Vincenzo pulled out a chair and beckoned me over. “Come, we have much to talk about.”
“After we eat.”
“Hell yeah,” Dane piped up, dropping into a chair and loading his plate with ridiculous amounts of food.
“Where’s your fucking manners, kid?”
“Can we drop the kid, already?” Dane growled at his father.
“Do you want Nicco to put you on your ass again? Because it can be arranged. In fact, now Matteo and Enzo are here, maybe I’ll have the three of them teach you a thing or two.”
Enzo snickered, and Dane discreetly flipped him off. He really was a cocky little fucker. I might have enjoyed sparring with him, even putting him on his ass a time or two, but given half a chance, Enzo would annihilate him.
“I’m sure we can arrange something,” my cousin said, his brows drawn together.
Dane swallowed his mouthful of pancake and stuttered out, “Name the time and place.”
“Oof, the kid’s got balls, I’ll give him that.” Vincenzo roared with laughter, slamming his big hand down on the table, making the plates and dishes clink and rattle.
“He needs to learn his fucking place.” Uncle Alonso glowered at his son, but Dane remained unaffected as he continued tucking into his breakfast.
“This is unexpected,” I said, raising a brow toward my father. He huffed under his breath, draining his coffee.
“We’ll talk after we eat.”
He was pissed.
Probably because I’d gone to Arianne before calling him. But I couldn’t turn back time and even if I could, I wouldn’t have changed anything.
Arianne deserved to know the truth about Mike Fascini.
She deserved to know exactly what she was tangled up in.
“Well, would you look at this.” Aunt Maria breezed into the room looking every bit the underboss’s wife. “It’s been a long time since I had this many men in my kitchen.” She ran a hand over her husband’s shoulder, dropping a kiss on his head.
“You’re looking good, Maria.”
“Thanks, Toni. Now if you all don’t mind, I’m going to steal that