Chapter Thirty-Three Leo
On Sunday, we took the jet to Philadelphia to meet up with the Carusos. It was the first time the two of us had been back since the wedding. When we got to her parents’ mansion, Drea turned to me with an apprehensive look.
I squeezed her hand reassuringly. “It’s going to be fine.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Edoardo actually wants me to meet privately about some business propositions.”
Drea’s brows popped wide. “He does?”
“He called me a few days ago.”
“That seems promising.”
“I mean, he said, ‘Since I have to work with you fucker, I might as well make it worth my while’.”
Drea snorted. “Yeah, that sounds like him.”
When we started up the steps, Audrianna and Adamo came running out to meet us. The twins practically tackled Drea with hugs.
Thinking of the baby, I cautioned, “Hey now. Don’t be so rough.”
Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say to the twins because they both scowled at me over Drea’s shoulders. “Like we would ever hurt Drea,” Adamo countered.
Audrianna nodded. “You might be married to her, but you don’t know her like we do.”
Drea held up her hands. “Okay, okay. You don’t need to get sassy with Leo.”
“But he–”
“There’s a reason he said what he did.” She smiled at the twins. “I want you two to be the first in my family to know that I’m going to have a baby.”
“Already?” Audrianna blared.
Drea and I laughed. “Yes, already.”
Adamo gave me a look of disgust. “Dude, you just got married. Couldn’t you have wrapped it up for a few months?”
“Adamo!” Drea shrieked while I snickered at his audacity.
“You’re only twenty-one, D. You’ve got the rest of your life for kids,” he replied.
“Okay, this seriously wasn’t the response I was expecting,” Drea pouted.
“Now you won’t get to finish college or have a gallery,” Audrianna lamented.
“Who said anything about that?” I asked.
Audrianna looked between Drea and me in surprise. “You’re still going to finish school?”
“Absolutely.”
Wrapping my arm around Drea’s waist, I said, “She could do anything she sets her mind to.”
“Wow,” Audrianna murmured.
Adamo nodded at me. “That’s pretty chill, man.”
“Thanks.”
Edoardo appeared then. “Adamo, Audrianna, get inside.”
“We just wanted to say hello,” Adamo protested.
“You’re keeping us from business.”
With sullen expressions, the twins went back inside, leaving us alone with Edoardo. “I’m glad the two of you could make it.”
“Thanks for inviting us,” Drea replied.
Waving his hand at me, Edoardo said, “Come, come. You and I will speak before lunch.”
“That sounds good.”
After walking inside the house, Drea’s mother appeared and dragged her away. Once we got inside Edoardo’s study, he motioned for me to have a seat in one of the leather-backed chairs in front of his desk.
“It is my understanding that through your sister’s marriage, you have connections in the UK.”
Nodding, I replied, “Yes. Primarily in Northern Ireland and the Republic. Not only are the Kavanaughs in Belfast, but Callum’s mother’s family is from Dublin.”
Edoardo’s eyes lit up. “That is very good to hear.”
“What did you have in mind?”
Shifting in his chair, his expression told me he didn’t trust me with the information. “Edoardo, how is our alliance benefitting each other if we can't be honest with each other?”
“How could I possibly trust you when you were carrying on with Drea before the wedding? I mean, if you’ll fuck over your own brother, why wouldn’t you do the same to me?”
An icy fear pricked its way up my spine at his declaration. I never imagined he would ever find out about Drea and me. “First of all, I didn’t fuck over Rafe. We both know his feelings for Drea. While I might’ve fallen in love with Drea, I only ever kissed her the night of the reception party.”
“Yes, my security advisor brought the footage to me after the wedding. He only pulled it because there was a broken window in the greenhouse, and he wanted to find the culprit.”
Fuck. My temper tantrum had come back to bite me in the ass. “I think the two of us need to leave the past behind us.”
“Is that right?” Edoardo sneered.
“You seem to forget being ready to kill Rafe at his own wedding. How can I trust someone who didn’t adhere to the rules of weapons at funerals and weddings?”
As Edoardo pursed his lips at me, I said, “I think the scorecard is even between us when it comes to trust issues.”
“Perhaps,” he grumbled.
Tilting my head at him, I smiled. “Come on, Edoardo. We both know we don’t have to like the people we do business and have alliances with. You want something from my connections to the UK. In turn, I want something from you.”
“What’s that?”
“I want you to help me secure land for a casino here in Philly.”
His brows shot up. “Here? Why not in your territory?"
“The gaming commission doesn’t allow them. If I want my casino, I’m going to have to look elsewhere.”
Edoardo stroked his chin in thought. “Are you prepared to offer me a percentage of the profits?”
“Fuck no.”
“Excuse me?”
I laughed. “I’ll give you a finder's fee on the land, but this casino is mine and mine alone. I don’t even want my brothers’ fingers in it, least of all yours.”
“And all I get is a fucking finder's fee?”
Shaking my head, I replied, “You get a sit-down meeting with our UK connections with no questions asked about what you want with them.”
Edoardo appeared very intrigued by the caveat of not having to disclose to me what his business was. After a few moments of staring me down, he replied, “All right. I’m in.”
“Would you like my people or yours to type up our agreement?”
With a sarcastic chuckle, Edoardo said, “You know, I might actually come to like you, Leandro.”
“What can I say? I have a way with people.”
He rose out of his chair and came around the desk. “Do you know who else sat where you’re sitting?”
“Let me guess. It was the last man who double-crossed you who also met an unfortunate end,” I suggested with a smartass grin.
“Actually, it was the soldier I caught fucking Drea.”
I stiffened at his words. “Yes, she told me about that,” I answered coldly.
“Did she? I thought she would be ashamed about costing a promising young man his life.”
“Drea and I don’t keep secrets from each other,” I retorted.
A serpentine smile curved on Edoardo’s lips. “Of course you don’t.”
Rising out of my chair, I narrowed my eyes. “Now that you’ve sent your little message, are we done?”
He nodded. “I’ll have my secretary type something up and send it over in the morning.”
“I look forward to seeing it.”
“In the meantime, I’ll reach out to some of my real estate developers. I’m sure we’ll be able to find something for you.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
He motioned to the door. Let’s go join the others.”
As he walked ahead of me, I fought the urge to grab the silver letter opener off the desk and plunge it deep into his jugular.
But regretfully, I didn’t.