“Are you working?” Valentina asks.
“Yes, in a way.” I turn to meet her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about another woman.”
She purses her lips in thought. “I’ll trust you until you give me a reason not to.”
I love it, she’s not in a position to dictate anything but she tries all the same. I respect a woman with enough spunk to make the best of a situation and do what’s best for her family. Family is her weakness, as it is mine. Which is another reason I travel light and now I find myself in a compromising position.
We’re in the middle of a light lunch when I received a call from Tommaso. Dante wants to see me. I give Savio a look and shrug to indicate I have no clue what this is about.
The meeting is at his office downtown, not that far away. Part of me is nervous because a sit-down is rarely a good sign. I’m nervous someone ratted me out. My lieutenants would never do such a thing.
But when you get whacked, most never see it coming.
All my actions and decisions since Valentina carry more weight. She depends on me, the same way my men depend on me to employ them and pay them so they can provide for their families.
Their wives are more street smart than Valentina. Valentina has never been taught to survive on her own. Hell, I don’t even know if she likes kids, I assume she does as she has a degree to work with them. Besides, hospitals have good security systems in place to keep her out of harm’s way. I have contacts there so it should be easy for them find the fitting job for her.
We wrap up lunch quickly and head out. Valentina asks if everything is okay and I tell her I have a stop to make, and that she’s to remain in the vehicle with Micro.
She furrows her eyebrows with worry. I squeeze her knee to reassure her as we pull up to the doors of Micheli Enterprises.
The secretary greetsme and takes me to Dante. I haven’t seen him since the reception. I’m nervous and my stomach is in knots from the tenuous situation I find myself in. I’m in a dangerous position and I can’t get myself out quickly enough.
I worry that he will find out about Valentina. How can I be with the daughter of a murdered don and not be a suspect? Or what if he has found out about my Albanian lineage, considered by some to be royalty? He would have to ask why the hell am I working for him.
Dante stands to greet me, walks around his large desk to shake hands, and motions for me to sit.
“Massimo, thanks for dropping by.”
“Sure thing. What can I help you with?”
I sit in a leather chair, knowing he wouldn’t whack me here, but keeping my guard up just the same. Until I can clear things up, I need to be vigilant.
“It’s more pleasure than business. Juliet and I are having a private ceremony in Greve at her parents’ restaurant to make sure nothing goes wrong this time.”
“I understand that.”
“We can talk more at the wedding when we’re all together. The police still have me on their radar and all the bad publicity has stalled some of my larger building projects.”
Dante is pensive for a moment. I force myself to relax. He has the presence of a don, a don that rules based on respect and purposeful decisions. He doesn’t impress me as being an asshole like most men in his position. I love my grandfather, but he can be a pompous ass.
“You’ve been doing good work and, depending on your skill sets, you may be able to help me. This wedding planner, Gabriella, is not who she says she is, and until we find her, I’m not comfortable. We need some camera footage from the police evidence locker but it’s impossible to penetrate. Can you use your contacts and see if we can obtain her real identity?”
“I’ll look into it.”
“Please do. Let me know if you get any leads. I don’t think my family is safe with her on the loose.” He stands and I can’t mistake tiny mannerisms that we share, and I crack a knowing smile. “She was suspiciously absent after De Luca went down, and she spoke many languages and isn’t the type to not show off. My guess is she can only stay hidden for so long.”
“It would seem that way. I’ll see what I can find out.”
The meeting is over.
“We’re not sure what’s going on; however, my fingerprints were not on the vial found on me. Even the police know it’s too obvious.”
“I’m concerned as well.” I stand. “I knew Argon was overstepping his boundaries.”
“Yes, but the Albanians are pushing their way into everything. They have a pipeline to Eastern Europe I don’t have. I’m fine with keeping everything in Italy and knowing my men.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” I respond.