“Fucking bastard. That’s cheating!”
“You are such a crybaby, Dwayne. It’s not my fault you still can’t drive.”
“Keep talking smack, and I will beat your ass, Salvatore.”
“Bring it, bitch. I could use the exercise, and so could you.”
“Are you saying I’m fat?”
“I’m not the one scarfing down bowls of pasta every damn day.”
“My mother cooked it. You try and tell her no!”
Shaking my head, I calmly walked over and turned off the TV.
“Hey!” Sal shouted.
“I was just about to beat his ass!” Dwayne added.
Sal rolled his eyes. “Dream on, asshole.”
“I need you both to do something for me,” I stated quickly before they both got too obnoxious. God, they were still the two most annoying people on the planet. It was good that Dwayne lived in California because if I had to deal with their crap every day, I would shoot them both.
“What?” Dwayne asked, putting down the controller. Handing him the photos, I said nothing as he and Salvatore both scanned each and every one of them.
“Is this?” Dwayne muttered, looking up at me, and I simply nodded. He then laughed. “Oh, this is just priceless. Does this mean what I think it does?”
“Yes.”
“How do you want us to handle it?” Sal asked, taking the logical and sane approach.
Smiling, I replied, “We are going to do this the family way. Together.”
Two weeks later, I was sitting in a chair next to Reaper while Reggie and Dwayne paced. Everything had gone like clockwork. Thanks to Illyria and her many contacts, getting the photos delivered to the right people was easy, and when they sat on them, she had no problem calling a friend of hers at theTribunewho jumped at the chance for an exclusive.
After that, the story went global.
43
Giovanni
Exhausted, I looked at the small clock on my desk and sighed. Closing my laptop, I left my office and headed down the long hall to our bedroom.
The last few weeks had taken its toll not only on me but Layla, so I whisked her away to the island.
Mainly I wanted was some peace and quiet and no more phone calls. I just wanted a few weeks of absolute fun in the sun. No drama, no bickering family members, no late-night calls, no emergencies, and absolutely no phone calls from Reaper.
Tonight, I wanted a hot shower and to curl up next to Layla and sleep. Making my way towards our room, I nodded to the two men standing guard outside our bedroom doors.
One a Capribella, the other a Valentinetti.
Carmine and I agreed the best way to get everyone on the same page was to pair everyone up. There was no more Valentinetti, no more Capribella.
We were all one family with one goal.
To keep Layla safe, and as much as I would have preferred it only us on the island, that just wasn’t possible.
“Good night, gentlemen,” I said, placing my hand on the doorknob.