“Mariano.” I wasn’t in the mood.
“All right,” he sighed and kissed her on the cheek. I wanted to rub it away and replace it with one of my own.
I started walking, and he followed as he started to bring up something from last weekend, and it took all I had not to snap.
“Listen.” I turned once we were deep into the church parking lot. “I want to know what is going on with you. You’ve been missing meetings, not showing up at the dockyard, and Niccola said you didn’t even show up for a hit, one you definitely should have looked after yourself.”
“Sorry.” His defenses went up. “I’ve just been trying to figure out what’s been going on with me, too.”
“Meaning?”
“Look.” He tucked his hands into his suit pockets and grinned at me. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t see it coming, but I think I’m falling in love.”
I swallowed down my desire to hurt him.
“Falling in love with whom?”
“Sienna.” He covered his mouth, and his face lit up even more. It was the same expression I carried when I was twenty.
Shit.
“I never thought I would fall in love with someone. I mean nothing’s happened, but damn, Elio, she makes me feel alive.” His eyes danced wildly. “I tried understanding it, and that’s why I went away after she got angry with me about something I did for her.” I opened my mouth to rip him a new one but stopped myself. I wasn’t sure why, but my gut told me to stay quiet…for now, at least. “I just drove and drove and slept in my car. I ended up calling Pauly.”
“You called Pauly Milani?” The Milanis were a southern syndicate whose territory was in danger of being absorbed by the Coppola family. I knew Mariano was friends with Pauly, their son, but he had been warned many times not too share too much. Last I heard, Domenico Milani and his family were keeping a very low profile. Once again, Mariano was revealing his recklessness. “Tell me you didn’t share anything.”
“No,” he waved me off as if he didn’t really hear me, “I just needed time to work on me, and the only conclusion I came up with was…” He held my attention as I begged a higher power for him not to finish the sentence. “I’m in love, and I want her to be mine.”
I blinked back at him, unable to speak, while my inner voice screamed at me to tell him she wasn’t his and never would be. Just as I was about to protest, Stefano’s face popped up in my head, reminding me that he was on to her.
“As great as that is, Mariano,” I gritted through my teeth, “work comes first, and we apparently have a lot to discuss in that area.”
“Like?” He seemed genuinely confused, which only further pissed me off.
“Like why did you take Sienna to the dockyard when you first brought her here? And how could you not have mentioned that she witnessed a murder?”
“I had it under control.” He shrugged.
“How about the fact you introduced her to The Finder or Tieri Santoro?” I folded my arms in fear I’d throw a punch.
“She was going to leave. I needed something for her to stay. I needed more time to figure out what the hell I was feeling.” He completely missed my murderous tone. “Elio, love makes you do crazy things, and I know it was a little risky, but I was there with her the entire time. I wish you could have seen her excitement when I pitched the idea to her. It brought down some of her barriers, I can tell you. She isn’t good at letting people in.” He chuckled.
“Is that why she left for Mama’s afterward?” I asked sardonically.
“It was a bump in the road, but we’ll get past it.” He gave me one of his cocky smiles, and I wondered if he was on something, because he was certainly delusional. “She didn’t run when I saw her today, did she?”
Breathe.
“I’m sorry you’re pissed at me. I see that vein in your forehead ticking to your heartbeat, but,” he held up his arms and grinned wider, “I’m back, feeling a hundred percent, and I’m willing to do whatever it is you need from me.”
I stopped myself from falling back to my normal habit of letting his shit go then giving him my typical debrief of what had been happening. Instead, I rolled my wrist and checked the time.
“I need papers from the dockyard.”
“Actually,” he pressed his lips together, and I knew this would be my last straw, “any chance I could have the night off? I want to take Sienna to dinner. I have a surprise for her.”
At that very moment, I was glad my gun wasn’t in my procession.
“Cazzo,” I spat at him and turned away. He still didn’t recognize his duty to the family. “I’ll do it my goddamn self!”