Francesca
Wolfe and I agreed to meet with my father today at two.
My office was still being restored by the carpenters and the construction crew, so I worked in an open room that no one ever used.
My laptop had somehow survived the shootout, and all the papers in the drawer of the desk were still intact, so I didn’t lose anything important.
I kept watching the clock all day, shocked by how quickly it passed when there was something I dreaded on the schedule. My father usually had a late lunch, and in the early afternoon, things at the winery slowed down for a while, so I thought it was the best time to approach him with this.
I sat at my desk and felt so heavy I thought I would never get up.
My legs were like lead, and there was an invisible weight stacked on the vertebrae of my spine.
I assumed my father would be unhappy about a relationship with Wolfe because he didn’t trust him, but now I knew he would be furious about it since he did trust him.
Maybe we were doomed from the beginning.
I finally left my desk and headed down the hall and up the stairs to his office.
The top floor was mainly his personal space, his primary bedroom with a nice terrace and his own living room and separate office.
I knew nothing about his personal life, if he had one.
Never saw a woman visit him, never heard him talk about anyone.
Leo said the same thing—that it was a mystery.
He seemed to keep it far away from work and home.
I stepped through the open door and saw him standing behind his desk, looking out the window to the vineyard in the distance, the rest of the hills of Sicily in the distance. His arms were crossed, and his shirt was stretched tight across his muscular back.
It was two, and I expected Wolfe to already be there because he wasn’t the kind of man who was late to stuff. I entered the room and helped myself to one of the tan leather armchairs on the rug.
When my father heard me, he turned slightly and looked at me over his shoulder. “Need something, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, thought we could go over the books, just a couple things we need to address.”
He stepped into the living room, his hair dark like Wolfe’s and his eyes hard but slightly soft whenever he looked at me. He moved to the corner of the couch and sat there, arms resting on his knees.
I opened the folder I’d brought and shared with him some of the main updates for the winery, as well as the tomato business. I had to change a lot of things over there because we were altering the product—or the product that went into the cans once they were packed.
My father nodded along as he listened. “Thank you for the update, Frankie.”
“Everything alright?” I asked as I picked up on his solemn mood. “You seem a little down.”
“Tired,” he said. “Was up late last night and up early today.”
“You’re always up early,” I teased, knowing he worked out every morning, regardless of the night he’d had before. Regardless if his men on his crew were killed in a shootout. Regardless of the funerals he attended last week.
He rubbed his palms together and stared at the table.
“I heard you brought Wolfe into the family.”
“I did. Elio and some of the others were a little suspicious of Wolfe after he spoke with Cosa Nostra, but I trust him. He’s done a lot for us and has never once asked me for anything, for more money or a higher position.
He does what I ask without question. He’s an arrogant man, but he doesn’t have an ego when it comes to work. ”
“You respect him.”
“Yeah, I do.”
I inhaled a slow breath, hoping that he respected him enough to accept what we were about to share. Wolfe still wasn’t there yet, but he would walk in the door any minute.
My father’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he fished it out and glanced at the screen. “Massimo is trying to cut a deal on the guns he’s already received.” He quickly typed a message back and set the phone on the table. “Wolfe will take care of it.”
That meant Wolfe was still there…thirty minutes away.
And that meant he wasn’t coming.
Shit.
My father turned his head to look at me, and suddenly his tone shifted. “Did Alessandro harass you?”
I hadn’t thought about him since the last time I’d looked at him. My mind was filled with other, more important matters. Wolfe fucked me hard in that church, and it was as if the thing with Alessandro never happened. “No, that’s not how I would describe it.”
“Because Wolfe said he did.”
“Wolfe is…protective.”
“You don’t have to cover for Alessandro,” he said coldly. “I’m going to pay him a visit personally.”
And that was why I didn’t tell my father anything.
“He didn’t harass me, Dad. He was interested and I wasn’t, and that’s the entire story.
I think Wolfe perceives things differently because…
because he’s a little crazy.” Crazy was putting it nicely.
He’d absolutely lost his shit that day like a maniacal psychopath.
“I think Alessandro was surprised I wasn’t interested… and maybe that threw Wolfe off.”
“Don’t ever protect a guy—”
“I’m not protecting him,” I said quickly. “Dad, if some guy is giving me a hard time, I know exactly how to give him a hard time back. Don’t forget who you’re talking to.”
He turned toward me again, and a little smirk moved across his lips. “Fair point.”
“I don’t need you to intervene on my behalf. Or anyone, for that matter.”
He looked forward again and rubbed his palms together. “Well, if he bothers you again—”
“He didn’t bother me in the first place. Wolfe isn’t the best historian. He sees what he wants to see.”
“Really? I think he sees what most of us miss.” He sat back against the couch and crossed one ankle on the opposite knee. “I had dinner with Lorenzo the other night, and he informed me that his son was back in town. He stopped by, and I thought he was a nice, young man.”
“You’ve never tried to set me up before, so please don’t start now.” Especially since I was pretty certain my days on the market were over for good.
His hand moved to the top of his ankle, and he mindlessly smoothed out his jeans. “You haven’t seemed interested in dating since Emilio died, so…”
I hadn’t thought of Emilio much since Wolfe had come into my life. I had a little guilt there, a small inability to move on, but once Wolfe had officially taken over my heart, Emilio slipped away.
“I’m sure this will come as no great surprise to you, but you’re the one who should take over this business when my time comes.”
I wanted to inhale and exhale at the same time, my body momentarily confused about how to operate. “That is a surprise to me. I always assumed it would be Leo, for obvious reasons…”
“What are those obvious reasons?” he asked.
“Because he’s a man?” He gave a slight shake of his head.
“He’s physically stronger than you, but you win in every other category, Frankie.
You’re smarter, more responsible, have a better temperament.
Don’t make snap judgments and you examine evidence with objectivity, rather than emotion.
I love your brother and he’s a good man with a lot of admirable qualities, but you’re still superior in every way that matters. ”
I glanced at the doorway and hoped no one could hear this. His flattery meant more than I ever anticipated, but it also came with a heavy dose of guilt. “I assumed I would handle the winery while Leo handles our other operations.”
“He will handle our other operations—under your authority.”
“Dad, I’m really flattered you feel that way, but Leo would not take this well.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“I really don’t think he will.”
“He already knows.”
I hesitated before I turned to look at him. “He does…?”
He nodded.
That flush of guilt returned, because I was unsure when or how that conversation had taken place. Leo hadn’t treated me any differently, so I couldn’t even gauge when he would have been informed.
“But for this to work, you need muscle. More than just Leo and the men we consider family and those on our payroll. You need someone to run this with you, someone to protect you, someone no one wants to fuck with.”
I pictured Wolfe in my mind, the scariest, most psychotic man I’d ever encountered. Why didn’t my father suggest him? “And you thought Alessandro was that man?” I asked incredulously.
“He comes from a good family, he’s well-connected, understands the business.”
“And he’s…small.”
“Small?” my father asked with a slight chuckle. “He’s the same size as your brother.”
Alessandro was tall, lean, and toned. But Wolfe had a hundred pounds of muscle on both of them. With arms as big as my head and thighs like tree trunks, he was a massive guy. I understood his size was unrealistic and impossible to attain for most men, but that was my type now.
Because Wolfe had ruined me for all other men.
My father looked ahead. “Whatever your interests are, you need to get out there and find someone. You’re young, but you won’t be young forever.
You need to find someone who fits in well with us, someone who’s got a backbone but who also knows how to be respectful to your family.
When I mentioned you to Lorenzo and Alessandro, Alessandro pulled me aside and asked my permission to take you on a date.
He asked me first—and that means a lot.”
We’re so fucked.
“I know everyone worth knowing in Sicily. I can introduce you to other guys I think will be right for you and this job. I understand your last name will change when you get married, but this business will still remain in the family.”
I wondered why he never suggested Wolfe, the most obvious fucking choice under the sun. The man was pure muscle and loyal and crazy…and hot as fuck. But my father didn’t even consider him, and that told me he didn’t like him.
At least, didn’t like him for me, for whatever reason.
I had been on the precipice of coming clean, but this conversation made it as clear as day that my father would lose his shit if he found out we’d been sneaking around all this time.
That he would take it as a personal insult from Wolfe for fucking me behind his back, for keeping it a secret instead of asking permission before he made his first move.
I felt the blood drain from my face, felt the sweat collect on my skin even though I was directly under the air vent and feeling the cool air on my face. My heart raced in its prison of bones in my rib cage.
I felt sick…scared…and fucking devastated.
There was no situation in which this would be the happily ever after that I wanted.
My father would try to kill Wolfe, and Wolfe would get shot because he couldn’t hurt my father in retaliation.
I could leave the family business, and Wolfe and I could start our own lives separate from all of this… but I didn’t want that either.
“Frankie?”
“Hmm?” He must have said something and I missed it.
“You alright?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied my face just a foot from me.
“Yeah,” I said quickly, my voice far too high to sound normal. “I was just thinking about something.”
“What?”
Wolfe. “I’ve never seen you with anyone.
Never heard you talk about anyone. Have you ever…
thought about settling down? You’re still young enough to find someone.
Even have more children if you want.” It was something I’d wondered about but never asked, and since I felt cornered at the moment, I decided to mention it.
He sank farther into the cushion and crossed his arms over his chest. His hair was still dark, and he was muscular because he lifted every day.
He was in his mid-forties but in excellent shape, and I could easily see him with someone my age or even a little younger.
“I’m not looking for a wife. And I already have my children, so I’m not interested in pursuing that either. ”
I suspected that was all he’d ever say on the matter, so I didn’t ask any further questions. “Because if you wanted to have someone to share your life with, Leo and I wouldn’t care at all.”
He smirked slightly. “That’s nice of you to say.”
“We want you to be happy,” I said. “Whether that’s with a woman…or a man.” I literally hadn’t seen him with anyone at all, so I really didn’t know what his interests were. Maybe he was afraid of what others would think of him if he wasn’t interested in women.
He chuckled. “I like women. I just don’t like relationships or commitment or conversation or bullshit.” He moved his hand to my thigh and gave me a pat. “Thank you for taking an interest in my life, Frankie. But this conversation is now over.”