Page 6 of By Blade, I Love
“Okay, let’s not get carried away.”
“Whatever his ambitions, a takedown won’t be easy,” Don Russo said. “We’re guaranteed to lose good men in the process. The more objective approach is for you to walk away and live on your own terms. When we had dinner together, it seemed like you and Francesca had decided a quiet life in Palermo was what you wanted. What changed?”
“Her brother turned into a traitor, and her father was shot in the head,” I snapped. “That’s what changed. And I’m not letting them get away with this. Warren tried to take my woman, not once, but twice. He doesn’t get to live—period.”
Don Russo stared at me.
“And the fact that he scoured Palermo looking for me tells me he thinks the job is incomplete. I don’t hide from my enemies. I don’t run from my assailants. I meet them head on—always. This only ends when one of us is dead. And it’s not going to be me.”
Don Russo continued his stare as he picked up his glass.
“If everything you’ve said is sincere, you’ll stand with me.” I’d given my entire life to Cosa Nostra. It wasn’t until they’d lost me that they realized how essential I had been. If they were truly sorry about their stupidity, they would rise to the occasion.
Instead of responding with a resounding yes right away, he swirled his glass before he set it on the coaster. “You know Icarus has his sights set on us. He came for us once before, and it’s a miracle we were able to resist.”
All this information seemed unnecessary and irrelevant. I continued to stare.
“It’s a big ask, Wolfe.”
“I think it’s a fair request.”
“A war on two fronts…sounds suicidal.”
“Sounds badass.”
He didn’t show a hint of a smile. “We’ll stand with you, Wolfe. But we expect you to stand with us against Icarus.”
I hadn’t expected this to be a trade, but I also wasn’t entirely surprised by it either.
“Because if Icarus wins, we’re all fucked.”
Living a quiet life with Francesca had been a ridiculous fantasy. I felt like an idiot for believing we could ever have that, even for a couple of days. Our pasts would always come to haunt us. “You owe me, Don.”
“I know,” he said. “And if Icarus weren’t a problem, I would gladly do this for you with no strings attached. But unfortunately, we just don’t have that privilege right now. If we want Sicily to continue to belong to us, we’ll have to fight for it.”
I left my drink on the table and didn’t say anything for a while. I knew I would take his offer because I had no other options, but I dragged it out anyway. If I told Francesca we should start over somewhere else in the world, she would come with me. But I had to finish this, not just for Francesca, but for myself. “Alright, I’m in.”
3
WOLFE
Francesca didn’t ask me about my meeting with Don Russo. She either forgot or was too distraught to care about anything outside of her own grief. A couple days after that, though, she did take a turn.
After I worked out, I found her in the kitchen, the distinct smell of eggs and bacon in the air. Her back was to me when she flipped the bacon in the pan to cook the other side. A loaf of fresh bread was on the counter, so she must have gone down to the market while I was in the gym.
I stared at her for a while, happy to see her up and about again. I was shirtless and sweaty from my workout, but I walked around the kitchen island and came up behind her. “Smells good.”
She gave a little jerk as if she hadn’t heard me behind her, probably because she was lost in thought. “I made some for you, but if you aren’t hungry, no pressure.”
I smirked as I looked down at her. “Not hungry? Baby, when have I evernotbeen hungry?”
Her eyes lit up before a little smile moved to her lips, something I hadn’t seen in nearly two weeks. “That’s fair.”
“I’ll set the table.” I grabbed utensils and two mugs of coffee and took a seat at the dining table.
She finished up with the food, serving it onto plates along with a couple slices of bread. She sat across from me and added more salt and pepper to her eggs. “I woke up, and I was just hungry.”
“Good.” And I was happy to eat her cooking again. I’d kind of forgotten how to feed myself because I’d gotten used to our routine where she made dinner every night. I’d been eating out a lot this past week. “You went to the market?”
