18. Dante
18
DANTE
Wednesday, September 11 3:00 PM
“Dante, my friend, take a seat.” Angelo gestures me toward the seat across from him. We’re in a restaurant full of families and people eating. Somehow, I’m not surprised he conducts his business in a public place. His place from what I gathered from my research into the fucker. “I’m happy to see you.”
I bet he is.
He knows I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t plan to pay him or agree to work off my debt—and I’m here to tell him I’ll do both. Listening to Victoria’s conversation with her mother only complicated matters, and even now I’m not sure that we have the full picture about her trust’s requirements. But I’m out of time. If I hadn’t called this meeting myself, odds are I would have gotten a visit from one of Angelo’s men tonight. And I like my legs functional.
Pulling out a wooden chair, I take my seat across from him and a waitress immediately swoops in to offer me a drink.
“I take it traffic wasn’t too difficult?”
I glance at Angelo, imagine punching him in the head. He’s cocky as shit, confident that no one would dare challenge his power, especially not here.
Which means he’s comfortable.
“Not at all,” I respond flatly, folding my hands into my lap. I’m ready to get this shit over with.
“Well,” he pauses pointedly, lifting a brow, “I’m assuming you’ve come to tell me that either I can expect your nephew to deliver my money or else you’re planning to work off the debt as I suggested.”
“There’s been a change of plans,” I drawl. “I’ll be marrying Miss Waldorf.”
His brows crash together. “You?” He glances over to the man I assume is his second. I can see their mutual confusion before Angelo manages to put a lid on his emotions. His shock doesn’t surprise me. For one, Victoria is far younger than I am. And I’m part of the faculty at Thronewood—the same university where she is enrolled as a student and her parents are some of the top donors. Any romantic or sexual relationship between us would be unethical. At the least, it could get me fired. “The announcement I saw expressed congratulations were owed to Liam. Someone she could more easily…relate to.”
“Plans change.”
His dark eyes narrow. “How? I’ve been told multiple times by that insufferable wife of your brother’s that the wedding to Liam is imminent. Guests have been invited. All that’s left is for the girl to pick out a wedding dress and march down the aisle. The whole thing will be done by the end of the year. Why in the world would you want to take your nephew’s betrothed?—”
“Because I’m not so fucking stupid as to lean on a kid to pay back a mob,” I bite back, acting more affronted than I really am. I knew these questions were coming. “And to sweeten the deal while we wait for Victoria’s trust to be released, I’ll work a few jobs for you to pay down the balance. I’m sure you already have something in mind.”
Angelo eyes me suspiciously. “I don’t accept anything less than real loyalty.”
And you think I’ll give that to you? Angelo is far too full of himself. I’ll use his arrogance to take him down.
“What’s the difference to me whether you or Liam marry the girl?” He changes tacks, lifting a shoulder in a one-sided shrug. “I get paid either way.”
“Do you, though?” I cock my head to the side. This idiot hasn’t thought any of this through. The sheer incompetence… “Liam is getting restless, jumpy. Victoria had no idea about the engagement until he posted that staged photo. My nephew has no plans, no sense of honor. But he will have a shitload of money at his disposal if he gets his hands on that trust. It makes me concerned about his intentions to follow through on your arrangement.”
“You think he’s going to try to hide from me?”
“I think he’s a young man who didn’t make this mess. His father did.”
Angelo hums in the back of his throat. “And how long can I count on your loyalty to me…” he smirks, “Mors?”
“Until I’m rolling in the six million dollars you’re so eager to get your hands on?—”
“It’s my money,” he sneers, finally showing me he gives more of a fuck about his bottom line than playing power games with Mors .
I’m not impressed.
Angelo Lombardi is a pig, consumed by his own greed. Granted, it takes money to keep a crime organization afloat, but greed is weakness. Only one domino has to fall to bring the whole damn empire crashing down around his ears. Angelo thinks too highly of himself, assumes I’m cowed by his reputation or his dick-swinging performance art. He’s too willing to trust in his control over me to see that I could be the downfall of his little mob.
Luckily for Lombardi, politics aren’t my style.
Shoving a knife in Angelo’s throat is.
A thick silence surrounds us as I patiently wait for Angelo to refocus.
He can waste time arguing about who Victoria will be exchanging vows with or he can concentrate on when he’ll get his money. I’m betting he’ll choose to focus on the latter.
“She agreed to this?” I bow my head in acknowledgment. He cracks a small smile. “How long until her trust is released?”
“She’s speaking to her lawyer today.”
That’s a lie, but a small one. I need all the time I can get. We’re still going to be short two million dollars. The only person I know who can get me that kind of money as quickly as I need it is the last person in the world I want to borrow from.
I don’t plan to pay Angelo back at all. But I need a backup option in case he gets too antsy and reneges on our deal before I’ve had a chance to get Victoria and I out of here.
“And when is the wedding?” Angelo questions, staring at me hard enough that I think he’s trying to read my mind.
“We need to confirm there are no restrictions or protections on her trust that would prevent?—”
Angelo waves away the bullshit I’m feeding him, seeming frustrated by the lack of any real answers. “Alright…once your bride-to-be confirms a timeline with her lawyer, let me know. In the meantime, I want a down payment. I need you to do something for me.”
I’m sure you do.
He slides a folder neatly in front of me. I ignore it, choosing instead to keep all my attention on the man across the table as he waves one of his men over.
“My daughter is dramatic—she takes after her mother—but she insists the sheriff’s oldest son tried to rape her. I wasn’t inclined to believe her, but I’ve since learned he may have been stalking her, following her to restaurants and showing up at her favorite club… Well, let’s say I have my suspicions now.”
Dumbass.
He’s just told me he has a daughter, someone I could use as leverage. I’m sure her existence is public knowledge, but the fact he’s sending me after her attacker shows he cares enough to punish any insults she suffers.
“And what is it you want me to do?”
“The boy needs to be warned,” Angelo orders, taking a thick cigar from the box his man holds out. He puts the unlit smoke to his mouth, chewing lightly on the end. “I’m understandably not going to stand for this kind of shit.”
“Of course.”
“He owes me a knee.”
Christ Almighty.
“His name, address, and photo are in the folder. Memorize it. The file stays with me.”
Fuck me sideways. This asshole’s first job for me is risky as shit.
“Understood.”
As I crack the folder open, another suited goon approaches and leans close to whisper something in Angelo’s ear. Cracking the folder open, I ignore the hurried exchange. There’s a photo of a kid with sandy blond hair and a crooked grin. He looks to be in his mid-twenties, built lean. Ryan Mathers.
Got it.
I close the folder and don’t bother to ask permission before rising to leave since Angelo is still consumed by whatever matter was urgent enough to interrupt our meeting.
“In a rush, Mr. Moretti? Perhaps you’ve missed Mors and are ready to reunite with an old friend.”
“I have an appointment with my fiancée. She wants to discuss cake flavors.”
It’s another lie, but I can’t handle another fucking second entertaining this moron.
“Adorable,” he practically snickers, drawing my focus. I don’t like how I just felt the space shift. “Your betrothed seems to be in a rush, though. I’ve just been told she’s asking for help creating an identity. Any idea why she’d need a new passport and social security card? Have you scared your bride away so quickly?”
I keep my face relaxed, but I’m more than simply surprised. There’s no reason for Angelo to be lying, not when I’ve agreed to his terms.
My so-called partner is trying to make plans of her own.
“The request was denied,” Angelo informs me, his voice as bland as if we were discussing the weather. Suddenly his face hardens into a steely expression and I know he’s going to be watching my every move like a fucking hawk. “Why don’t you sit back down, Mr. Moretti? I don’t appreciate being made a fool of, especially not when I’ve been so generous with my patience.”
“Victoria is much like your own daughter, Mr. Lombardi,” I retort, returning to my chair while wanting nothing more than to chase the girl down and shake some sense into her. Her little idea just got us into a whole new level of shit and Angelo is not going to let this go. “She’s upset I haven’t gotten her a ring yet. She threatened to leave me. I guess she wanted to make her threat more believable.”
Angelo scoffs, clearly not buying the story. I wouldn’t buy it either. Luckily, Angelo doesn’t have proof that I’m lying. And there’s nothing saying he couldn’t let Victoria run away unharmed—nothing except that Liam and I have both told him she’s how we plan to get him his money.
He drums his fingers along the surface of the table. “I find out you’re searching for a way out, Mr. Moretti, and I’ll kill you and keep the girl for myself. Pretty faces are always valuable to the business, but I’ve been looking for a new mistress. One with a tight ass and tighter pussy.” He slowly lifts a brow. “You could always give her to me now. I’d be happy to adjust your debt accordingly.”
With the way I’m feeling about her latest stunt? It’s tempting.
Victoria is wild and stubborn. Beautiful and infuriating. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she’s clearly desperate and unwilling to trust me completely. I can’t say I blame her. I wouldn’t trust me either. But her reckless gamble has only ensured that Angelo will be paying even more attention to every move I make until he’s got a cool six million in the bank.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He bobs his head. “Keep in mind, also, that today was your deadline. And since I don’t have my money…” Angelo’s jaw clenches. “Thirty days,” he demands. “If I don’t have my six million in thirty days, I’m taking your wife and you’ll work for me until the debt is paid.”
I don’t want to ask my next question, but I need a sense of what I’m working with. I refuse to work for him for the rest of my life because I was too chicken-shit to settle our terms up front.
“What is she worth?”
Angelo’s expression softens a little as he leans forward. He’s clearly been fantasizing about Victoria for a while, which means either Liam has shown him pictures or Angelo’s had his people watching her since he learned her name. His eyes glimmer with lust and sinister hunger.
She’s not mine.
Not in the physical, legal, or emotional sense, but we’ll need to make moves towards at least one of those options in a matter of days…and I’m going to have to get her pregnant soon after.
There’s no way around it, not unless my contact comes through with two million dollars out of the blue or Angelo lets down his guard and gives me the perfect opportunity to take him out of the equation.
“How does three-quarters of a million sound to you?”
That would only leave me two hundred and fifty thousand short.
Rising from my chair, I rebutton my suit jacket and tower over the toady motherfucker.
We don’t have a deal.
Not unless Victoria keeps double-crossing me.
“When do you need the Mathers job done?”
Angelo frowns as I refuse to take the bait and pass him a pretty little twenty-year-old like I was tossing him a beer. He leans back in his chair and sighs. “By the end of next week. You’ll take some of my men with you, for transparency’s sake.”
I nod, but he isn’t finished.
“The offer for the girl expires in forty-eight hours. You can choose not to give her to me, but I’ll take her off your hands without deducting a thing the moment you fall behind on your payments.”
“Sounds like you’re trying to have your cake and still eat it, Lombardi.”
He smirks at me and it takes everything in me not to leap across the table and wipe it off his fucking face. “I don’t have my money yet.”
There’s no universe where Angelo Lombardi outlives me.
First, he took my brother from me. Then he gave me Marco’s debt. Now the weasel is trying to find a way to steal Victoria.
I’m far from amused and a long way towards exhausted.
But Angelo is allowing me access to his circle, which means he’s just signed his own death certificate.
I don’t care that my brother got himself into this shit, Angelo Lombardi took my only family. The realization hits me hard and I nearly double over. Why does it hurt more to think about it now than it did when I first got the call about the wreck?
I guess I’ve been so miserable between starting at Thronewood, dealing with Marissa, and pointedly not grieving my brother, that it’s been easy to ignore. But the grief takes on a weight and shape that’s undeniable now.
This motherfucker killed my brother.
The last piece of my family.
And it’s going to cost him his organization and his life. I will destroy everything the Lombardi name stands for.
“Do you have any questions, Mr. Moretti?”
I take a breath, giving myself a moment to fold my grief back into its box. I feel a cold certainty wash over me, the same steely resolve that kept me moving forward as the Giordanos’ most feared enforcer. I can do this. I can be Angelo’s obedient bitch until he forgets how dangerous I can be. It won’t take long for the arrogant fool to slip up.
The same skillset he values so highly will be his undoing.
I will watch and study him, see what his men think of him, and gather every bit of intel I can in the meantime.
“We’ll be in touch,” I reply before pivoting and making my exit.
Plans have changed, princess.