Page 10 of Fix You
“Vaffanculo,” I spat.
He stalked over to me, his feet crunching along the glass. Jabbing his finger into my chest, he said, “There’s no time to loseyourself in fucking theatrics. We have to keep our wits together and plan our next move.”
With a sneer, I bit out, “Fine. What’s the plan?”
“They’re readying the jet at the airport for me to fly to Palermo.”
I nodded. “I’ll grab my things.”
Father shook his head. “You’re not coming with me.”
Sweeping my hand to my hips, I demanded, “Why the hell not?”
“Because you’re needed here.”
“Fuck that. The only place I plan to be is on the ground in Sicily to search for Caterina.”
“As your capo, you will do as I tell you.”
“This isn’t business–this is my sister!” I growled.
“Everythingis business.”
“I yield to you on everything, but this is one thing I won’t do.”
Father grabbed me by the lapels of my suit. “Now you listen to me. Whatever mick bastards that have kidnapped Caterina are seeking an alliance. Either they want the strength of our name, or they want to weaken us. That’s why while I’m in Sicily, youwillbe ensuring our stability with a marital alliance.”
I sucked in a harsh breath. Only earlier today, Caterina had teased me about how I was still a bachelor at twenty-eight. In our world, especially with oldest sons, alliances were usually settled by the mid twenties. But my father felt a capo needed time to mature in his business before taking on a wife. It was why he’d given me freedom until I was thirty.
But apparently the whispers about father courting potential brides was true. “You’ve found me a wife?”
He nodded. “I hadn’t planned on broaching the subject for a while because the girl is soon to be twenty.”
While girls used to be married off as early as eighteen, modern times had stretched the coming of age to twenty-one.While some men liked the idea of a child bride, it wasn’t alluring to me. At my age, I would be expected to produce heirs as soon as possible, and young brides often weren’t fully ready for motherhood. The last thing I needed was to raise a wife and a child.
“Who is it?”
“Andrea Caruso, or Drea as they call her.”
Although I didn’t know Drea, I instantly recognized her last name. The Caruso’s were a strong Sicilian family with roots in Philadelphia. We’d done business with them over the years. It was a wise choice to align ourselves with them. It would unite two of the largest Sicilian/Italian families on the Eastern seaboard.
“Let me guess. You want me to go to Philly and sign a marriage contract?”
“Precisely. Then as soon as we’ve sorted out this kidnapping bullshit, we’ll begin planning your wedding for next year.”
My fists clenched at my sides. “Caterina’s abduction is not bullshit. If I get wind that you aren’t doing everything you can to get her back safely, I swear to God I’ll end you.”
Father had the gall to smirk at me. “You’d have that sin on your immortal soul?”
I smirked back at him. “You’re the one with faith, not me.”
The amusement slid off of his face. It was replaced with his usual cool detachment. “To put our best foot forward, Leandro will accompany you as your second in command along with Milos.”
“What about Gianni?”
“He’s coming with me to Palermo.”
Although I hated to admit it, Father was right in taking Gianni. He was an expert computer hacker. If there was any way to track Caterina down through technology, he would do it.