pulled out my cell, surprised to see my father’s name. “I’m going to take this outside,” I said to my uncle and aunt before slipping out on the deck.
“Niccolò.”
“Old man,” I teased.
“Watch your tongue, boy.”
“How’s... everything?”
“Tommy is working round the clock to dig for dirt on Mike Fascini, and I have Stefan helping him.”
“Did they find anything yet?”
“Aside from the fact he might be a ghost from the past coming back to haunt us, no.” He let out a heavy sigh. “How’s Boston?”
“It’s not home.”
A beat passed and then my father said, “I know, Son. I know. But you need to stay put. The last thing we need is to go to war before we’ve got all the facts.”
My hand clenched around the rail. “He promised her to him. He fucking handed her over to that piece of shit as if she’s nothing more than a—”
“Niccolò,” my father’s tone was sharp. “You need to keep your head. We can’t have another incident.”
I winced at that. “Tristan was an accident.”
“I know that and you know that, but he’s in a coma for fuck’s sake, Son. Roberto has every right to want retribution for that.”
“He was on our side,” I said. “He was going to buy us some time with the Fascini.”
“Was he? Or was he just trying to get you out of the picture?”
“Something doesn’t add up.” I released a frustrated breath. “Arianne told him about the evidence, told him she had proof that Fascini...” The words drowned in my anger, my body vibrating with unspent energy.
“You need to calm down, Son. Letting your anger get the better of you will do nobody any good.”
My teeth ground together behind my lips as I pressed them into a thin line. I would never forget seeing Arianne broken and bruised in the back of Bailey’s car.
“Niccolò, listen to me. You cannot lose yourself to this. Do you hear me? You’re up there in Boston while your woman has to stand strong and play her part. If she can do it, then by God, you have to—”
“I know.” I expelled a long breath, forcing my muscles to relax.
My father was right. I couldn’t afford to drown in anger and rage. It wouldn’t help me, and it certainly wouldn’t help Arianne. I just felt so useless being exiled here, so powerless.
“Tell me what to do.” My voice cracked, my pain filling the silence that followed.
“You stay strong and you wait. You are Marchetti, Niccolò. We don’t cower to our enemies and we certainly don’t run.”
I scoffed at that because I had run. I was hiding out in Boston while he tried to get a handle on things.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said as if he could hear my thoughts, “but we need to handle this the right way. If she’s as important to you—”
“She is,” I snapped.
“I know, Son.” He let out a resigned sigh. “I know. That girl... she has a way of bewitching even the coldest of hearts. Arianne is as good as family now. I give you my word I’ll do everything within my power to make sure she doesn’t get hurt again. But you need to trust me.”
“I trust you,” I ground out. “That isn’t the problem.” I just didn’t trust that piece of shit Fascini. He’d already hurt Arianne twice before. What was stopping him from doing it again?
“She has her bodyguard. And I’m putting a guy on them.”
“Who?”
“Niccolò.” His tone was harsher. “Trust me to do my job. We have time. You said Arianne’s birthday isn’t until February. That gives us enough time to figure out how best to play this. If we go in all guns blazing it could jeopardize everything, Son. And we can’t risk that, I won’t. La famiglia prima di tutto.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll call as soon as I have more.”
“Okay.” The word weighed heavily on me.
He was right. So long as I was in Boston and he was there, I had to trust he could handle things.
It didn’t mean I had to like it though.
I spent the day with Benny and a couple of his guys, collecting pizzo. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than sitting in my uncle’s house, dwelling.
“Heads up, Nic,” Felix said as we approached the dingy bar. “We usually don’t walk away from this place without getting our hands a little dirty.”
My spine stiffened, my senses going on high alert. It looked like bad news. The flickering neon sign was busted, reading hooters instead