FIONA
"This is unacceptable!" Vinny threw the blue folder in his hand at me. My shoulders hunched up as the papers hit me. "You spent far too much money on a stupid boat!"
Giovanni sat behind his desk drawing on a lit tobacco and blew out a puff of smoke.
I planted my hands on my hips and faced him squarely. "It's called a yacht!"
Vinny pointed an accusing finger at me. "I specifically told you to acquire that business, not buy it. Where did you even get the money?"
I looked at the Don. "From your father, of course."
Vinny narrowed his eyes on Giovanni. "Why?"
Giovanni leaned back on his seat. "Your sister presented a good proposal; besides, I've always wanted to invest in a yacht business."
Vinny scoffed. "Yes, let's waste our money on something as pointless as an old boat; Henderson might as well believe we're becoming apathetic. The point of this test was for Fiona to prove she could be an asset to the family, and she failed."
I picked up the documents from the floor. "I got the yacht, didn't I? I call that a win."
"No, you failed that test, Fiona." Giovanni declared. "The money I gave you wasn't for a purchase."
I swung my head at him as my heart sank.
"To be a Spinelli, you must learn to be ruthless and decisive." Giovanni advised. "Otherwise people would walk over you."
"Like your parents did." Vinny added.
I groaned. "Fine, ruthless, decisive, got it."
"You must recover all that money back." Giovanni said. "Or face the consequences, do you understand, cara mia?"
I swallowed hard. How the hell would I recover $300,000 from a beat-up yacht? I nodded.
"Okay."
"Si, Capofamiglia!" Vinny corrected sharply. "I don't care if you're family; you must address the Don formally."
I glared at Vinny and faced Giovanni. "Si, Capofamiglia." I repeated.
Giovanni nodded with approval. "You should get started on your Italian lessons too."
Before I could tell him I barely passed my Spanish classes in high school. I heard my cell phone ring.
Vinny, who had confiscated it, took it out of his pocket.
"Can I have that back now?" I demanded.
He smirked and answered the phone. "Hello, you again? She's indisposed at the moment. Well, I don't care. Goodbye."
"Was that Louise?" I asked.
Vinny turned to Giovanni and spoke Italian.
Giovanni glared at me and spoke English. "I thought I forbade you from speaking with McGregor's boy again."
I shook my head. "I haven't seen him since the party."
"That was his secretary." Vinny waved the phone. "She's been calling for days to schedule a meeting for you and Kane."
I lifted a brow in confusion. Why would Kane want to see me? Did he need explanations?
"Have you forgotten what's at stake?" Giovanni asked.
As much as I wanted Lionel and my mother rotting wherever they were kept, it felt wrong.
"No, I haven't." I needed to assure them I was on their side. "I would never betray your trust, Giovanni."
Vinny rolled his eyes, confirming he didn't believe me.
My cell phone began to ring again. Vinny looked at the screen. "It's McGregor." He revealed.
"Vincenzo, let her speak with him." Giovanni decided.
"What?!" Vinny spat.
Giovanni gave me a cold stare. What was he doing?
Vinny handed the phone to me, and I swiped right and placed the phone to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Fiona, if I'd known, I would have called myself."
"What do you want?"
"Cold, aren't we? Listen, could we see each other?"
"I have no interest in a casual meeting with you."
"Strictly formal, I assure you."
I looked at Giovanni for a second; he nodded.
"Okay? Where?"
An hour later, we met at an uptown bar; soft jazz music played from a stereo. I was nervous, especially when Dante threatened to slit my throat if I compromised the family.
Kane sat in the VIP section on a yellow sofa. His lips curled as I approached. He had already ordered a bottle of scotch. Could he tell I was nervous?
He rose from the sofa. "Hi."
"Hi." I replied politely.
Then in a swift move he took my arm and drew me into a kiss as I gasped in surprise. Then he neatly pulled a thin black wire from underneath the v-section of my floral blouse. He tossed it into his drink.
My jaw dropped open as he sat and wiped his lips with a thumb.
"Good, now we could use a few moments of privacy." He replied.
I sat. "How did you know I had that on me?"
"I wouldn't expect any less from a Spinelli." He hissed. "Is there anything you told me that wasn't a lie, Fiona?"
I glared at him. "We're past that, Kane; what do you want?"
"I want you and your family of criminals off my harbor." He said firmly. "For good."
I flashed a smile. "You mean the harbor that your family stole from hardworking Sicilian immigrants that worked there for generations."
Kane gritted his teeth. "What would you know about being a Sicilian immigrant? You sound like a fucking hypocrite right now."
I curled my fists, staring at the man I'd once fallen for. "And you sound like an entitled rich brat who has no idea what it means to work with his bare hands."
Kane chuckled bitterly and poured himself a drink in the second glass. He lifted it in a silent toast and then took a sip. "You had me fooled; the attack in the alley was all a ruse to get to me. Did you hear Crompton is on the run?"
I widened my eyes. He thought the assault was fake. I realized how it looked now.
"Simply vanished. I couldn't stop thinking about it, Fiona." Kane continued. "I'm going to be very clear."
From the corner of my eye, I spotted one of the soldados who had followed me walk into the bar.
Shit.
"If you want a war, I'll give it to you," Kane's blue eyes blazed with intensity. "I won't rest until your father, your brothers, and anyone else rots in jail for the rest of their natural lives. You may have the guns and the city council wrapped around your fingers."
I felt nausea brewing in me.
"But I have more resources than you will ever imagine, Fiona." Kane continued and drained his glass. "You will pay for making a fool out of me."
Kane's words held a deadly seriousness that made me believe he'd stop at nothing to take the Spinellis down.
"Go ahead, say something," he demanded as I kept mute.
I sighed dramatically. "Your threats are empty, Kane."
His blue eyes flashed with amusement. "Oh, really?"
I let out a slow sigh. "I'm not here to compare firepower; I'm just a businesswoman trying to make a deal."
Kane's laughter was low and mocking. "Right, and you're not exactly a skilled 'businesswoman'. I almost took you to my bed, and I'm glad it didn't happen."
One of my brows arched. "I'm curious, though, would you?"
"Would I what?" He asked.
I leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Would you still take me to your bed if I wasn't a Spinelli?"