“Miles is different. I told you that a million times, I’ll keep tellin’ ya ’til I’m blue in the face. Now you simma’ down, I’ve got a bone to pick with you…”
“Wit’ me? Why?” Juan asked as if the possibility that he did something wrong was absolutely ridiculous.
A frustrated scream flew out of Letty’s mouth as she glared at her father. Suddenly, the language that was rolling off of her tongue had changed from English to Spanish. Miles watched as Letty’s hands moved as quickly as her mouth did, the tempo of her tirade increasing with every syllable. Juan barked back, sounding as if he was on the defensive as they went back and forth, Miles understanding not a word of what it was that they were saying.
Jesus… Miles thought. Where the fuck are the subtitles when you need them.
G stared at his mother and grandfather seemingly unfazed. Clearly he was used to this sort of behavior. “One? Mama?” G called out. But Juan was too busy being terrorized by his daughter on the subject of the missing letters.
“C’mon, man… Let’s go in the kitchen and stay outta trouble,” Miles said to G as he picked up the grocery bags off the floor.
“Trouble. One’s in trouble!”
“He sure is! Your momma’s scary when she’s mad.”
“I know, haha!” G said as he slapped Miles on the arm. “Mile funny!”
“I am a hoot,” Miles admitted. “Let’s go get this dinner started. They’ll be along soon.”
Miles gave an amused look back at Letty as she followed her father up the stairway that led to the second floor.
“Papi! Las letres! ?Cómo pudiste?”
As Letty chased her father up the stairs, demanding answers, Miles shook his head in amusement as he disappeared down the hallway.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“HOW MANY?” THE HOSTESS asked Landon as he walked through the front door of Tia Marie’s Ristorante. Landon smiled at the pretty blonde as his brothers followed him through the door. As Dustin and Knox crossed the threshold, there was a notable shift in the hostess’s demeanor.
“Mr. Capadonno,” the hostess said with eyes as big as saucers as she looked Knox’s way. “Dustin,” the hostess nodded at Dustin. Landon thought that the hostess looked scared.
“Lila,” Knox said in a heady voice as he dug his hands into the pockets of the jeans he borrowed from Dustin.
Dustin nodded his head at the hostess that he clearly knew well. Grabbing three leather folders that contained the full service menus for the Velvet Room, Lila led the way, Knox’s eyes maneuvering down the curve of her waist as she moved. Bypassing the dining room, Lila led the way up a spiral staircase that led to the second floor of the establishment. Winding down the intricately decorated hallways, Lila turned left stopping at a pair of handsome leather double doors. Giving Dustin a charged glance, Lila pushed the right panel of the door open, smiling seductively as she pushed upon the soft leather of the door.
“After you, gentlemen,” Lila said as Knox, Dustin and Landon passed through the doorway.
The Velvet Room was an intimate setting with stained cherry paneled walls. Small circular tables peppered the room with red velvet-upholstered arm chairs at each. A bronze chandelier hung from the ceiling and offered dim lighting for the patrons of the Velvet Room. Tea lights twinkled from each table, and the sounds of Chopin’s Nocturne Opus Number 9 gently flowed through the room. Lila led the Capadonno brothers to the center of the room. Knox lowered himself into an armchair, giving Lila a wink as she walked off, disappearing behind a sheer curtain. Dustin and Landon took a seat, Landon peering around at his surroundings uncomfortably. It was clear that this was not a setting that he was used to. Dustin, on the other hand, looked bored and unfazed.
Lila reemerged from beyond the veil with a chalice of chianti in her grasp. She placed it down on the mahogany table and passed each of the men a leather menu. Running her hand along the curve of the table, Lila’s eyes fell upon Knox‘s face. Her hand stopped just short of his own, almost as if it was an invitation, but rather than accept it, Knox held his hand up, indicating the need for space.
“Leave us,” Knox said coolly as his brooding eyes grazed over the young woman’s face, her eyes recoiling from his rejection.
Wrong audience, darlin’, Knox thought, as he watched the hostess saunter off, giving him one final glance. “Sergio will be right with you.”
As the leather door swung shut, Landon’s eyes shot across the table towards his brothers.
“What’s going on?” Landon asked in a voice full of skepticism.
Knox grabbed the chalice and slowly poured himself a glass of the fragrant wine.
“Well, that all depends on your theory. The old man needs to appoint a replacement.”
“A replacement?” Landon asked, trying to draw a conversation out of Knox.
“Acting boss,” Dustin said quietly as he turned his cell phone off.
“Who is he thinking of? Has he said?” Landon asked as he leaned forward in his chair.