“For the rest of you, Angelo needs to be seized. We cannot risk him making a deal that could affect all of us.”
“I warned you about letting him in on private business,” Diego said.
“Be careful,” The Boss said. “You still have not provided an heir, and at forty years old, your position is not secured. Be glad I haven’t demanded your girl’s life or that of her father.”
“I won’t kill them,” Diego said.
“You won’t, but I will find someone who will. I want as many men as possible you all can spare. Angelo knows all of our cities. He knows our setup. He can hide in plain sight, or he can skip all of us and go to the law. I don’t want the Feds breathing down my fucking neck any time soon. Do you understand?” They all agreed, and The Boss hit his hand on the table. “Get the fuck out of my house.”
Diego left the room, heading straight for his car. His father was hot on his tracks.
“Why did you stick up for me in there?” Diego asked.
His father smirked. “You think you’re the only one to make a mistake in your life? You won’t be the only one, and it won’t be this one time either. We all have our secrets. Angelo has been a problem for some time. You brought his connections to our attention, and we ignored you. That was our mistake.”
“I can’t give up on Belle.”
“You know, some men can have their cake and eat it.”
“I don’t want to marry Charlotte,” he said.
His father sighed. “Right now, you need to focus on finding Angelo and making sure your girl stays quiet.”
“And if she’s pregnant with my child?”
“Let’s do this in the car.” His father looked past his shoulder, and Diego saw Durante waiting. “Go and talk to him.”
He didn’t like it when his father was the fucking voice of reason in his life. He’d been capo for some time now.
Stepping away from the car, he approached Durante.
“You care about this girl?” Durante asked, getting right down to the point.
“I don’t have to say anything.”
“Look, I’m asking man to man. Not capo to capo. You think I’ve not been in your position with a decision like this. Do you think you’re the only one that has to make this choice?”
“I mean no disrespect with regards to Charlotte.”
“My daughter has no wish to marry you either. We must do what we can in our life. If your girl is pregnant, we’ll come up with an alternative to our arrangement.”
Diego stared at Durante. He was a few years older than Diego himself. “Why would you bend on this?”
“I’m a simple man, Diego. Just because I’m capo, doesn’t mean I can’t be … lenient. I love my family. I want to see them happy. I will do what is necessary for our Boss. Not everything in life has to be done through marriage. There are other means.” Durante slapped him on the back before turning on his heel to leave.
Diego didn’t have a clue what was going on, but it was something.
Heading back to the car, he climbed behind the wheel and pulled out of the driveway, taking off toward their home.
“Are you going to tell me what is going on?” Diego asked.
“Durante is not an easy man to please, but he’s an easy man to piss off. If he hears anyone talking about his girl being an outsider, he deals with them the only way he knows how. If Belle is pregnant, you can keep her as your mistress.”
“No.”
“It’s a solution. I don’t see you making any other agreement with Durante that will make The Boss happy. There are always sacrifices to be made. You know this. You’ve been aware of them for a long time. You can’t have everything you want in life without consequences. For now, I think you should focus on dealing with Angelo. He’s our main problem. Then you can deal with whatever problem Belle gives you.”
Diego didn’t say another word. He wanted Belle to be pregnant. If she was, he’d find a way to make it work.
****
“I want to go and see my dad,” Belle said the moment Diego made his presence known. She was in his bedroom, and she had tried to explore her surroundings. A lamp had paid, along with a few pictures she believed. She wasn’t entirely sure, but she had tried to be as careful as possible.
Even though it was mind-numbingly boring, she had sat on his bed, waiting for his return. She missed the freedom of being in her apartment, listening to her books or at the very least, movies.
“It can’t happen. Not yet.”
“He’s my dad. Please, why can’t I go and see him?” The bed dipped beside her. Diego took her hands.
“I can’t trust you.”
“You can’t trust me? I’m not the one that lied to you.”