Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
STEFANO
I gave Don Lordi and his two companions a bored stare.
I would not be intimidated.
“Good, by all means, deal with me,” I said. “You believe my father never respected me and that I’ve become a threat to the balance of power in New York. Now that we’ve established your beliefs, why am I really here?”
Lordi flashed a knowing smile.
I wanted to rip his face off. I flexed my fists at my sides.
Heat blasted up the back of my shirt onto my neck.
The smug bastard had racked up an enormous debt with me, and he would settle it in full with his blood and his bones. But not quite yet. It was part of a greater plan.
I met his eyes with mine again, holding his gaze with the same blank stare my father had given me whenever he thought I wasted his time.
“These younger men are always so impatient,” Lordi said.
The others laughed into their Chianti glasses.
Christ, it was like watching one of those Broadway mobster musicals where the fat diva sat in the middle while smaller backup singers flanked his sides to make him look better.
Never trust a man who surrounds himself with yes-men…
One of my first lessons learned after taking over my family.
Those men never seemed to value the opinions or advice of others but instead parroted the words of their boss back at him, like these two idiots at the table were now doing for Lordi.
That made their world very small.
It also made men like Lordi overly confident, a trait that could become a weakness to be leveraged against him.
On the other hand, it also made him a genuine threat. Arrogant. Unafraid. Destructive. Acting like “a bull in a China shop,” as my grandmother had always said.
“My impatience has nothing to do with my age,” I said.
Then I lowered my voice to signal an impending warning.
He’d deliberately not answered my question again.
“I’m a busy man with important business matters to handle, and this waste of my time affects my patience.”
“Ah. Yes, I hear congratulations are in order. Taking the Capaldo girl as your bride is definitely important business. You’ve managed to grab yourself a fine young woman. Not to mention she comes with one hell of a dowry. Her father's men will be yours within the year.
“We know Benedict Capaldo is a very sick man with one foot already in the grave. Seems the princess’s uncles have disappeared, as have her brothers, and all under mysterious circumstances, I hear.”
“Is that right?” I asked. “I hadn’t heard. The Capaldo family certainly wouldn’t be the first to suffer a string of terrible luck.”
Almost a confession on my part.
He knew it as well as I did.
Showing my cards? Not at all. I’d just added to the pot.
Lordi shifted his fat ass around in his chair, and his expression darkened.
“Yes, well, that terrible luck means a great deal for you. If you’re married to Capaldo’s daughter when he dies, you'll be entitled to his empire. How convenient for you.”
I offered a halfhearted shrug.
“That’s my business, not yours. You still haven’t gotten to the point. I hope you do still have one.”
“My point, boy, is your wedding. I invited you here to make an offer… let’s just call it a wedding gift.”
Nothing good could follow that statement.
I stood still with my shoulders relaxed despite my pulse rushing inside my ears. Whatever game this prick had in mind, I didn't like being at a disadvantage.
This rat bastard clearly had a plan.
He wouldn’t have called me here if not.
I’d assumed I would have him figured out by this time. Unfortunately, he gave nothing away, leaving me with no idea what to expect.
Fuck. I needed to get out of there.
I brought my expression into check, realizing I’d narrowed my eyes, and went back to my indifferent stare.
“Well, I'm sure Benedetta is registered at Neiman Marcus and Saks. I hear she loves all things red.”
The men laughed. I waited for their wine-soaked chuckles to stop. Barely four in the afternoon, and these assholes were well on their way to being intoxicated.
Drinking so early in the day was a rookie mistake, even for someone like Lordi. It made men slow and careless. I could have drawn my pistol and put a bullet between his eyes before the other two realized what had happened.
For a second, I let myself entertain the fantasy. But it would force the other Commission members to retaliate. I would be no better than him for doing the same to my father.
And I had a son to protect now.
I wouldn’t be satisfied with just Lordi’s corpse at my feet. I wanted them all. When the right time came.
Lordi went on again after slurping the last of his wine.
“No, you misunderstand me, boy. We've done the math and decided you’ve earned a place at the table. We want you to take your family’s seat with the Commission. You’ve more than proven your worth, even as your father’s son. But we won't hold that against you.”
More chuckles from the drinkers.
I scoffed without bothering to hide my contempt anymore.
“My grandfather was a founding member of this committee. He drafted the articles that now keep the families from waging war and shedding blood in the streets. Without the Vignalis, the Commission wouldn’t exist, and we wouldn’t be any better than the savages in Chicago.”
Lordi opened his mouth to say something.
I put up my hand to shut him down.
“I have more right to a seat than most of you, so don’t fucking insinuate that my family fell out of favor, Lordi. We were betrayed. My father had the right to lead the Commission, and you betrayed him. So why the hell would I want a seat at the table with men I can't trust?”
Lordi nodded as if he were considering my words. His six chins squished together, preventing his head from moving too far forward.
“I understand why you think someone betrayed your father, Stefano. Maybe you're right. But that’s for God to decide. The choice I made was based on how unfit your father became to lead the committee. Bad tempered. Shortsighted. All the signs of a weak man.
“You’ve clearly inherited your father’s rage, but unlike him, you’ve learned to manage it. You shape it into a finely honed blade as another tool in your arsenal, not letting it drive every move you make the way your father did.”
“You don’t fucking know me,” I snarled.
“I know you better than any other living person. I observe what happens when you're angry. I see what happens when you let it go. I know you control it with the strength of a man far older and with far more experience than you have.”
This man loved to hear his own voice. He kept going on.
“You know when to use that strength, boy, and when to show mercy. You know how to bide your time to make more strategic moves. A skill your father never quite grasped.”
He wasn't wrong.
My father certainly had his faults, his temper worst of all. I realized years ago that his temper and the rash decisions he’d made because of it caused more problems than they ever solved.
But just because I agreed with that one point didn’t mean I would overlook what Lordi had done to my family.
“What if I choose not to sit at the table?” I asked. “What happens then?”
“If you marry the Capaldo girl and take over her family without also taking a seat at the table, we’ll be forced to act. But I assure you, the last thing we want is a war.”
I gave myself a minute to consider the truth in his words and the hidden meaning between the lines. In this situation, and now that the wedding had been called off, the better move might be to acknowledge some middle ground.
“I agree,” I said. “War is necessary in some situations, but it’s also bad for business.”
Lordi’s mouth twisted like I’d just made his point for him.
“Your father never understood that.”
“That being said, and with all due respect, Don Lordi, I don't do business with anyone who has my family’s blood on their hands… with the man who killed my father.”
His nostrils flared. His cheeks and neck became blotchy red.
“Your father’s actions would have taken us all down.”
“And what about my brother? You had him executed without knowing how he would lead or if he would even bring any risk for the five.”
Lordi sat back in his chair, calmer now. “True enough.”
I shook my head, dismissing him, the conversation, his offer, dismissing every-fucking-thing.
“No, I won’t be joining the Commission.”
“You’re making a grave mistake, Vignali.”
“I don’t think so. You have nothing to worry about anyway. The marriage contract between Don Capaldo and me was dissolved this morning. I won’t be marrying his daughter. That means this sit down is pointless.”
Lordi blinked at me, then lifted a hand as if swatting away a fly in slow motion.
“If that’s indeed true, then I guess you’re free to do as you wish. But the offer still stands. You would be a welcome addition to this committee. Maybe one day, you’ll even sit at the head of the table.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
I turned to leave.
“If you're not marrying the Capaldo girl,” he called after me, “you should find another bride. You need to establish an heir soon, Stefano. Otherwise, why continue building the Vignali empire? Empires are made to outlast a man and live on through his future generations.”
I stopped but didn’t turn around. I was fucking fed up with him and his hideous restaurant.
“Are we done here?” I asked.
“You belong with us on this committee. We make much better allies than enemies. Something for you to consider.”
“I don’t need to?—”
“No, don't answer until you think it over. Go home and weigh the pros and cons. Look ahead at how things might play out either way. Then, if you change your mind, come back here after closing, and all Commission members will welcome you into the fold.”
I looked back over my shoulder at the three men sitting there, stuffing themselves with wine and prosciutto.
Yeah, no thanks.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here, Tony,” I said.
As we crossed the room to leave, I realized the meeting had been useful.
The Commission wasn’t behind the attack on my son. They weren’t aware he existed, not yet.
As much as I hated to admit it, Lordi had made a valid point about having an heir. I needed someone to pass my empire to when the time came, even if that looked differently now that Enzo had come into my life.
If I wanted to name him my heir apparent, I needed to make him my legitimate child first.
“This way, sir,” one of Lordi’s men said.
He flagged us over and returned our weapons and phones, then quickly stepped out of my path with a respectful nod. Tony and I checked our phones, and we’d both missed numerous calls from the house and from Bruce’s cell phone.
A sharp pain knifed me in the gut.
Val. My son.
Were they hurt?
Had the shooter found them and gotten past my men?
The second we got in the car, Jimmy started rambling.
I stared at his face, stunned, searching for a clue.
“Spit it the fuck out,” I demanded.
“What I’m trying to say is Bruce called and Don Capaldo’s at the house again and the girl and your son went missing.”
A wash of frozen dread slid down my spine.
My lungs spasmed, making it hard to draw breath.
“What did you just say?” I said, not really asking.
Tony smacked Jimmy on the back of his head.
“What the fuck you talkin’ about?” Tony asked.
“Ow. Sorry, boss,” the driver said. “She found a way out.”
I punched the back of his seat.
“Get me to Brooklyn now, goddamn it! If she’s running, that’s where she’ll go first.”
Then I called one of my captains, commanding him to get to my estate and help Bruce and Hastings search Val’s personal and business phone records and bank accounts.
“And get Capaldo the fuck out of my house,” I told him. “At gunpoint if necessary.”
Val had deliberately left my protection.
Anything could happen to her, to my son.
Whoever wanted them dead ran freely around the city.