Tony had not yet made a formal declaration of either support or challenge, and although Nico suspected Tony would not step down, he needed to hear it from his mouth so he could plan his political strategy going forward. If Tony decided to challenge him, Nico would need the Scozzari family support to push him aside. If he didn’t, Nico would be in a position to avenge his father without needing the support of the New York bosses, although his developing relationship with Mia added an unforeseen complication he hadn’t fully resolved.
After the usual five minutes of kisses and greetings, the men sat down to eat. Tony, Charlie Nails, and Paulie Onions, a powerful capo in what was once Santo’s crew, sat on the left. Luca and Frankie sat on the right. As Nonna Maria’s adopted son and head of her house, Nico sat at the head of the table, and enjoyed a small moment of pleasure when Tony scowled.
Nico worked his way through dish after dish including crostini, lasagna, stuffed peppers, veal piccata, risotto, and ricotta pie while Nonna Maria hovered over his shoulder telling him to take more. Talk was of neutral matters—politics, family, city infrastructure and stray bits of gossip—but tension was thick in the air. Business was never discussed until the food was eaten and with the amount of food on the table, the idle chatter lasted a long time.
“I’m glad to see you’re recovering,” Nico said to Tony as he finished his last bite of cannoli. Nico had a sweet tooth but only when it came to his nonna’s desserts.
“A bullet in my shoulder and one near my heart and I’m still standing.” Tony puffed out his chest. “That bastard is looking at a long, painful death when we catch him. Three bosses. Can you fucking imagine who would have the balls to do something like that?”
“The Albanians.” Nico leaned back in his chair. “They’re moving into our territory. I’m sending men out every day to deal with them, but as soon as we put out one fire, they’ve started another.”
“My crew is having problems with them, too,” Tony admitted. “But once we have the alliance with the Cordanos, we’ll have the power to put them in their place.”
Nico stilled. “What alliance?”
“I’ve been in talks with Don Cordano since he returned home from the hospital.” Tony smirked. “We share a bond from our bullet wounds. He says his family will uphold the agreement made with my father to join the two families through marriage. I plan to marry Mia Cordano after an appropriate mourning period for my father.” His dark eyes glittered in challenge. “I figure she must be wild in bed under those crazy clothes. But that will just make taming her more fun. She needs a firm hand, and I’m the one to give it to her.”
Every muscle in Nico’s body stiffened, and he fisted his hands so tight under the table his fingernails dug into his skin.
“Something wrong?” Tony leaned forward, toyed with the knife beside his plate. “Are you upset that you’ll need a new cybersecurity consultant or that I’m taking your fuck toy away?” He jammed the knife into the table point first and it quivered upright. “Or maybe you’re disappointed that I’ll be the new Toscani family boss? You wouldn’t dare challenge me when I have the Cordano family support.”
Charlie Nails and Paulie laughed. Nico’s heart thudded in his chest as a potent cocktail of possessive and protective anger surged through his veins. He wasn’t surprised that Tony knew about him and Mia. Everyone in the Mafia spied on everyone else. But had Mia consented to this? Had she come looking for him in the casino on Friday night for a last fuck knowing that she was about to marry his cousin? Nico had no love for Tony, but he did believe in the sanctity of marriage—at least when it came to women. Although men were expected to have mistresses, women were required to be faithful to their husbands from the time of their engagement until death. Had she sought him out at the casino out of genuine interest, or was he supposed to be a last hurrah?
“What does Don Cordano get in return?” Nico struggled to keep his voice calm and even. “Is this all so he can sleep well at night?” The alliance would mean the end of Nico’s vendetta against Don Cordano. He would be denied his revenge in the interests of peace between the families. Tony had to know that he was taking away the one thing Nico had lived for since his father died.
“That’s between Don Cordano and me.” Tony grinned. “But I will tell you it has enough value to him that he has agreed to put us in touch with his key drug suppliers. I’ve been trying to corner the market in heroin for the last few years, but Don Cordano has the missing piece—connections with the biggest Mexican cartel, and once I’m in good with them, we won’t need the Cordanos anymore.”
“You plan to take over the Cordano territory? You don’t mean to end the war, do you?” Nico’s stomach twisted in a knot. “You want more bloodshed. More lives lost. More wiseguys in jail. That’s what will happen when you get involved with drugs. My father believed that. His father believed that. Look what happened in New York. Every family that got involved with drugs imploded. Drugs attract the feds. They attract the street gangs and cartels that don’t live by a code of honor, and have no issue taking civilian lives. I have tried to bring respectability to the family. Your ambition will destroy it.”