Page 13 of She Belongs to Me

I shouldn’t speculate, but I’d read enough. Yet this article was different. “Wait a minute. Senator Weber is backing a gas pipeline?”

“He is and so are a lot of others within the Senate. According to experts, it will be good for the economy, carrying oil and natural gas produced in America to far-reaching locations. That would lessen the dependency on foreign oil.”

However, it would interfere directly with a huge resort Adonis had been planning for years. At least according to the article. The plans had been approved, set to break ground. Then their permits were pulled.

“Interesting,” I said. Yes, maybe a reason to kill, but one senator didn’t have full control over the situation. Maybe Adonis meant to scare off the others, have them pull their affiliation with the pipeline project. It wasn’t unheard of and Adonis was smart.

He’d prided himself in doing business differently than his father, although his method of handling disappointment was far more brutal than mine.

What I didn’t completely understand was whether or not the Greek had been trying to keep the senator’s death a secret until he offed a few of the others involved in the project. Adonis was a hothead, but even if Alexandra had seen anything, what did it really matter?

I wasn’t going to solve the entire riddle and I wasn’t certain I cared. It was American politics, which I wanted no part of. I had my own issues to deal with in Palermo. The various leaders of the Cosa Nostra were getting antsy, fearful the avenues of trade were becoming less and less profitable, safe, and possible. Not all of them cared about modern technology or the use of the internet. They were old school.

Certain threats had been made over the years, although I’d yet to receive one. It was part of who we were. However, my reputation was significant throughout Italy and most of Europe. People didn’t want to fuck with me.

“Well, the asshole is angry and let’s be clear about one thing. The Greek will not have an opportunity to slide into Italy to hurt my goddaughter. Do all of you understand that?”

“Absolutely,” Luca said. He was also educated in the United States, his accent not nearly as heavy as most of my men. Enzo, on the other hand, had a strong inflection, often preferring to speak Italian.

“We will… As Americans say,schiacciarlo come un insetto.” The man was obviously pleased with himself, announcing that we’d crush him like a bug.

“If necessary, but I’m hopeful that will not happen,” I told them. After taking a sip of my drink, I thought about the infamous day when Gregory had been gunned down.

I’d searched for the man’s killer, finally taking Alexandra to his home hours later. Being there while he was lying in a morgue had been surreal, difficult.

Almost immediately, I’d had a visit from Gregory’s attorney, Walter Reed. Either Gregory had been concerned about his future for some reason or he’d simply wanted to be completely organized in the event anything horrible should happen.

Since Georgine had died in childbirth, the latter had made sense to me. Walter had been very nice but pushy, insisting I understood what was at stake and what my best friend had asked of me.

In exchange for being left all Gregory’s worldly belongings, I was to accept and become his daughter’s caretaker, including being her godfather. There’d been no choice at the time. I’d quickly learned Georgine’s sister, Kim, had been left in dire straits of her own. Her fucking ex had left her high and dry with a baby of her own. She’d been struggling to finish nursing school and pay the rent. She hadn’t wanted to care for another child until I’d offered significant financial incentive.

I couldn’t blame her. She could barely feed herself and her young child. It had been a win for me. I wasn’t capable of raising a child on my own and I certainly wasn’t going to find a wife.

At that point, I’d stayed for ten days putting everything in order, including selling the house, which had nearly broken me. I’d established a trust fund for Alexandra and provided a healthy bank account for Kim and her little family. I added funds to it over the years, enough that Kim had been able to buy a very nice three-bedroom home when Alexandra had been a few years older.

I’d sent presents and cards, but seeing my goddaughter brought up horrible memories. What I’d been smart about was the way I’d set everything up in connection with the girl.

There was no connection to me. Not any that I could remember, but I’d call my attorney, Francesco Lombardi, tomorrow and make certain I was right.

The Greeks were slippery individuals and I wouldn’t put it past Adonis to have one of his relatives attempt to make my life a living hell.

I couldn’t allow that to happen.

“We’ll be landing in ten minutes,” the pilot said over the intercom.

It would be close to the middle of the night by the time we landed with the time difference. I’d wanted Alexandra to have something substantial to eat since all she’d consumed had been junk food, but she needed rest more.

“We will meet in late morning, ensuring all our security measures are in place,” I told them. “Keep an eye on the Greeks. I want to learn any new information about the case and their hunt for my goddaughter as soon as you hear it.”

Both my main men nodded.

This was going to be a difficult next few days with Alexandra being in a new environment, but I’d been through worse.

When the plane landed, she didn’t budge, which forced me to carry her to the waiting SUV. Even after the long hours, and the time spent in a seedy motel, she still had a fresh scent of night-blooming jasmine and exotic spices.

And I needed to get my mind out of the damn gutter.

Touching her was off limits entirely.