“Didn’t lie. He only came in because Barone sent him.” I sighed and began walking back toward the door. “You ready to meet the boss man?”
She fell into step beside me. “I guess so.”
“Don’t be nervous,” I said, grinning at her. “He’s a nice guy.”
She said nothing, but I could tell she was shaken.
I didn’t know what Arturo wanted, but I was interested in finding out.
13
Kaley
I had never for a second thought I’d ever meet Arturo Barone.
He was just so far out of my league. I knew who he was, of course. He was a living legend in the Chicago crime world. He had built his family’s organization from nothing, taking it from a small operation to the incredible thing it was today.
All the men in the Russian mob talked about him. The young men bragged about what they would do if they ever saw him, how they’d beat him senseless or kill him or something like that.
But the older men spoke of him with reverence. I was always surprised to hear my father and his friends speak of Arturo not as their hated enemy, but as a respected businessman. They admired him in a lot of ways, even though they were actively trying to undermine him.
Arturo Barone had grown to epic proportions in my mind. I’d never thought I’d see him, let alone walk right into his inner sanctum.
Which was why my stomach was a nervous wreck as I followed Vince through the hallways of Arturo’s house. It hadn’t really dawned on me what exactly was going on. It hadn’t really become real in my mind that I was in the middle of the Italian mob’s stronghold. Probably because it felt more like a luxury hotel than like a mafia compound.
But I was about to go meet the most powerful man in the city.
“Don’t be nervous,” Vince said to me.
I nodded. “I’m not.”
He laughed. “You really love to lie, don’t you?”
“Fine,” I said. “Okay, I’m nervous.”
“Good. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
We moved through the hallways, and my body was still buzzing from what had happened just a few minutes ago. Everything was so mixed up in my mind in that moment. I had gone from Vince’s incredible mouth working my soaking pussy to suddenly afraid to meet the head of the Barone crime family, all within a few minutes.
And now, of course, my relationship with Vince was much more complicated than I had wanted.
I had never planned on doing anything like that with him. Sure, he was attractive, sexy actually, with all those tattoos and his dirty mouth. But he was a dangerous mobster, not the type of man I needed.
I needed a father to my kid, not some asshole. He could give me some protection now, but I’d never intended for him to really be in my life in any meaningful way.
So what did it mean that I was willing to let him touch me like that? He made me feel incredible.
That was the scariest part.
Finally, we ended up outside a big wooden door. Vince knocked twice.
“Come,” a voice called from inside.
Vince pushed open the door and we walked inside.
Arturo’s study was a lot like the rest of the house: richly furnished, plenty of wood and gold, the sort of place a man of power like him could exist.
There were three men in the room. Lucas Barone was leaning up against a wall and nodded as we entered. Another young man was standing next to him, his arms crossed, smiling kindly at me.
And then there was Arturo himself. He was older, heavier, with thinning hair cut short. He didn’t look like the terrifying man I had imagined in my mind all these years at all. He looked more like a middle school football coach gone soft, though he wore an expensive-looking suit.
“Kaley,” he said. “I’m Arturo Barone. This is my son, Lucas, and one of our captains, Gian.”
“Hello,” I said, nervous.
“Sit.” He nodded at the chairs in front of his desk. We sat down in front of him.
“So, Kaley, how has your stay here been?”
“Good,” I said. “It’s beautiful here.”
Arturo smiled. “Good. I’m glad you think so. We treat our guests as well as possible.”
“I really appreciate your hospitality.”
He leaned back in his chair, eyeing me. “You know why you were called here, yes?”
I nodded. “You’re trying to figure out what to do with me.”
He smiled again. “Yes, yes, we are. Should I be honest with you, Kaley?”
“Please.”
“You’re a problem. You’re the daughter of Anatoli Kozlov, a notorious pain in my fucking ass, which means you should be the enemy.” He sighed and looked at Lucas. “Pour me a drink, son.”
The room was silent as Lucas poured Arturo a whisky and placed it in front of him. Arturo took a sip and nodded almost to himself.
“Now,” he said, continuing, “you have this baby that you say is Vincent’s child. I’ll ask you, though I doubt you’ll change your story. The child is truly Vincent’s?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Of course. Well, that’s complicated. We like Vincent; he’s a very good worker, ruthless and smart in his own way.”
I glanced at Vince, but his face revealed nothing.
“Your family threatened us with war, Kaley.”