27. Chapter 26 Soren
The chatter of the small-but-busy restaurant leaks into the hushed back room where my brothers and I sit. We have a fair bit of meetings back here, since the owner is one of our guys. He’s a capo with locations all over the city. This is my favorite one to use when dealing with family issues. It has that Italian family vibe. All of his daughters are waitresses, and his mother does the cooking at this location. She swears in Italian most of her day while she bosses the kitchen staff around. No one complains though, because after working in this kitchen you will be able to get a job anywhere. If we don’t blacklist them.
My brothers and I have been sitting at the table for half an hour before the door opens and Eva and Gin walk in. My eyes zero in on Gin and I immediately stand. Gin is unsteady on her heels and Eva is helping her stay upright. The smell of booze oozes off both of them.
“What did you force my wife to do?” I demand of Eva.
She raises a brow in defiance and walks past me, shoving my shoulder with her body.
“Are you okay?” I ask Gin in a softer tone.
She rubs her temples. “I think I’m hung over.” The way she pouts her perfect lips makes me want to grab them with my teeth. Even hung over, she looks adorable.
“I got you something.” I hope this puts a smile on her face. I pull the rectangle box from my pocket and open it up for her. I feel like a kid at Christmas, excitement firing in every nerve for her face to transform out of a frown.
“You got me a gift?” Her voice is soft and sweet, and she touches my arm. “I love it.” She grabs my face and presses her lips against mine. “Can you put it on me?”
I take the thin, delicate pearl necklace out of the box and she lifts her hair, exposing her neck. I place it on the hollow of her neck and clasp it together. She turns, her face beaming at me.
“What do you think?”
The piece is classy and elegant, the pearls being spread about an inch apart and small enough to not be considered gaudy. The woman at the jewelry store tried to sell me on some ten-thousand-dollar necklace, but I didn’t think it would suit my wife. She wouldn’t be comfortable flaunting her wealth like that.
“It pales in comparison to you.” Her fingers touch the necklace and I lean into her to ask, ensuring no one can hear. She places her warm hand on my thigh and leans in. “Did you start drinking at work?”
“Stop playing kissy face and tell me the reason I’m here,” Eva demands, pouring herself a generous amount of wine.
I lean back into my chair, my eyes narrowing on my sister. I’m about to ask if she needs that glass, but fuck it. It might make it easier to handle her when we give her the news. I loosen my tie that feels more like a noose. When did it get so damn hot in here?
“How bad is it?” Eva asks, noticing my discomfort. Even Gin has taken notice. She gives me an encouraging squeeze on my leg.
“Gin…” I don’t know how to sugarcoat this. Eva’s eyes bounce from me to my wife, while my brothers have amused smirks on their faces. I want to turn those smiles upside down with a punch to the teeth. I should have let one of them do this.
“Because of our family business,” I start, and she goes rigid. She always does when topics like this come up.
“Yes, the patent,” she says cautiously. It takes me back for a second because that was nowhere on my mind. My leg turns cold from the removal of her hand.
“No. This is mafia business.”
Her face grows white. We’re never had a true this-is-what-I-do type of conversation. I’m so used to not talking about things that should not be talked about. Saying out loud that we’re the mafia goes into that category.
“Do you deal in drugs?” she asks. Her voice is so low that everyone has to lean in to hear her. Her throat visibly swallows.
“No.” I say sternly, holding her eyes.
“But we’re at war with another family.” I scratch at the scuff on my neck. “We have to put some guards on you and Eva.”
The sound of a chair clattering to the ground echoes around the room as Eva yells, “Hell no!”
I’ll let one of my brothers deal with our sister. My main priority is Ginevra. I take her hands in mine and find they’re colder than normal, with a slight tremble.
“I’ll make sure your bodyguard stays at your work’s entrance. I know you won’t want it interfering with your job.”
“Work?” she questions.
“I love that you are independent and love having a career. I don’t want to take that away from you. Your job is a part of you that I love.”
She nods, but her mind seems to be somewhere else.
“You and Eva are the hearts of this family now. That means sometimes you’re going to have a target on your back simply because we love you. It’s not fair, but I’ll always do everything in my power to keep you safe.”