Of volume lineage

XVII

Isabella

The apartment was dim, only the hallway and dining room light on. Voices came from inside the dining room but a quick peak through the gap in the doors’ revealed Giova

I slipped my shoes off before tiptoeing down the hall. Marzia’s bedroom door was cracked open, allowing me to spy on the pair of them.

Marzia was tucked between her purple blankets, her dark head visible amidst the pile of soft toys and pillows. She was peering over at her father, her blue eyes illuminated by the lamp.

Giova

I watched them, not interrupting. Story time was for Giova

Neither of my parents had ever read to me. Uncle Angelo used to tell me stories after I badgered him, but they were usually filled with wicked witches stealing babies and eating them alive. While Marzia read books above her age level, I don’t think Giova

Another thing I’m taking away from her...and from him.

I rested my eyes on my husband. Giova

There wasn’t a lot of goodness in the life of a mafioso so it had to be preserved and kept safe where it could be found.

Fifteen minutes later, Marzia’s eyelids grew too heavy and she fell asleep. Giova

I was too enamoured with the vision to remember to hide. Giova

I waited for the anger to hit his features, the accusation. Instead, he nodded in greeting and murmured, “Go to the dining room. I’ll meet you there.”

“Why?” I whisper-hissed back.

Giova

“You said you wanted to be involved with the business. There’s been an issue.” He didn’t seem pleased but then again, when did he?

I nodded and made my way to the dining room. Giova

“This is mob business,” Quintus said, a capo who spent most of his time making sure Maine remained in Giova

I ignored him and went to sit by my uncle. At his shocked look, I clarified, “Giova

The word of my husband was enough to stop the questioning looks. There were still a few murmurs about a woman being involved in mob business, but no one told me to leave. I would’ve sent them splintering glares if they had.

“What happened?” I whispered to my uncle.

He sent me a disapproving look. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

“Something with the Feds,” Adriano supplied. I was surprised to see him here. We had grown up together and used to have playdates–though in my adulthood, I realized those playdates were just an excuse for my mother and his father to have their affair without any prying eyes. “I’m not sure what yet.”

I sent him a grateful smile.

Giova

“Vincent, swap seats with my wife.”

Breaths caught.

It took me a second to absorb what he said but his underboss rose to his feet and walked around the table. From the look in his gray eyes, Vincent wasn’t pleased.

“Lucrezia thinks you aren’t in Manhattan,” I murmured under my breath as I left my seat.

His jaw tensed but he didn’t reply. Asshole.

I held my head high as I took the underboss’s old seat. I was the youngest in the room by a few years–besides Adriano–and obviously the only woman, but I wasn’t going to let myself be underestimated or patronized. I was the daughter of Vitale and Maria Lombardi, the doom of Giova

My husband didn’t spare me a glance, just said, “The FBI has taken a hold of the Ó Fiaich’s shipment.”

Groans and swears spread throughout the room. I felt a shiver of relief; I was safe for now. But then I absorbed what Giova

Out of everyone at this table, only I had been at the Ó Fiaich meeting.

Fuck.

I didn’t reveal anything on my face. There was no reason to think Giova

“What happened?” Someone asked.

“The details remain unknown,” my husband said. “However, we do know that the Feds have taken control of the shipment and moved it to an unknown location. It is safe to assume they’ve found the drugs hidden within the teddy bears.

There are no direct links between us and the shipment, or the Ó Fiaich’s. But now there is more risk with our future shipments. The Feds still don’t know how we export and import into the city, but they are closer than they have ever been before.”

Questions rose from all directions, but Giova

“I am meeting with Tommy tomorrow,” he said. I felt embarrassed for him–losing a shipment after being so confident in keeping it safe? It couldn’t be an easy thing to admit to, especially in a boss as inexperienced as the Irish Prince. “From all of you, I want one thing.”

“Anything, boss,” a few capos said.

“Only a handful of people knew about the shipment.” Giova

Him. I clung to the pronoun. Giova

“Do I make myself clear?”

All the men nodded.

These capos and high-ranking soldati were larger than life, predators amongst prey. Yet when sitting across from my husband, they were nothing more than yes, men and lambs. Living with Giova