I moved into his space when Angelo stayed quiet, not backing down. I hated doing this, but I couldn’t let anyone who worked for the Family gain the upper hand.
I was the law.
Everyone obeyed me.
Always.
“Go find Nico and see to the Weaver Family. Then get your ass back to Chicago. We will talk about this later.”
Angelo paled, then turned and left.
“Angelo. I’m waiting.”
Angelo slowly turned and said, “Yes, Boss.”
Nodding, I watched his retreating figure disembark the plane. Sighing, I sat back down.
I was exhausted.
I needed a break.
Everywhere I turned, someone needed my help. There were business meetings scheduled for the next year. New projects that needed to be verified and completed. Birthdays, Weddings, dinner parties, balls, galas, the list was never-ending. If I wanted five minutes alone to myself, it was to the point where I would have to pencil it in between dinner and bed.
This was no way to live.
I had nothing for myself.
No girl, no time with my brothers. I can’t even remember the last time I went to Sunday Mass with my mother.
My life was the Family, and the Family…had a life.
“Hey Gio, Angelo said we’re to stay with you.”
Looking up, I smiled. “Yes. We have some unexpected visitors arriving shortly. Can you please let Michael know that we will leave as soon as they arrive?”
“Sure. Who are we waiting for?” Paolo asked.
I grinned. “Our cousins.”
“Oh, I didn’t know Edwardo and Enzo were in town.”
“Not those cousins.”
“No,” Marko smiled brilliantly. “You mean it? Does Sal know? If not, can I please be the one to tell him?”
Chuckling, I shook my head, “No, Salvatore doesn’t know, and I don’t want either of you to say anything. I want to surprise him.”
“Uh, Gio, are you sure about that because the last time Sal was around him, he threatened to kill him with his bare hands.”
“I know,” I grinned, sitting back in my seat, reaching for the glass of brandy I poured earlier. “Sal’s temper always makes him say things he doesn’t mean.”
“Gio. I was there. He meant it,” Marko deadpanned.
“Maybe, but they are family, and they need our help.”
“Wait a minute. Are you two talking about Reggie and Dwayne?” Paolo asked, confused.
Marko and I just looked at Paolo and shook our heads. I loved my cousin, Paolo. I really did. But sometimes, I really worried about his intellect. Paolo was a sweet boy and good with his hands. He could create anything, make anything, and even break things with his hands, but he was useless when it came to understanding the simplest things. I learned early on that I had to be direct and crystal clear with Paolo. If not, he tended to do whatever he wanted, which meant I had to call in a clean-up crew, which was costly.