Page 56 of Forsaking All Others

I refused to let the same fate befall Fiammetta.

At first, I had hoped that keeping my distance and presenting an obvious lack of affection for my wife would take care of this problem, but it didn’t seem to make a lick of fucking difference.

Now, I could admit to myself, I maintained that distance because I wondered if I could survive losing yet another person I cared about.

I had already lost one too many.

And Fiammetta, even from a distance, was too lovely to willingly give up.

Like the sun, though I didn’t spend nearly enough time basking in her light, her presence in my life warmed me through to the bone.

After a lifetime of cold and solitude, even that small amount seemed like a boon.

Much later that night, after a flurry of phone calls and a few meetings, I was still at the office in the casino, my desk lamp the only source of illumination. My computer was untouched, my pen laid down, but still I lingered in the semidarkness with my feet up on the desk, head tipped on the leather backrest, a glass of Amaro between my fingers and resting on one thigh.

It was the small hours of the morning, and the casino floor was mostly empty except for the truest diehards and drunks. I watched them idly from my high glass tower.

Anyone observing me would have assumed I was half asleep, too stressed and exhausted to make my way home to bed.

I was counting on it.

Slowly, the door to my office pushed open on silent hinges.

I didn’t stir, even as a shadowed figure made its way into the room, pausing just inside to study me.

My lids were very still over my eyes as I tracked them through slits while they came creeping toward me.

“It’s a shame,” I said when I heard the cold click of a gun cocking. “That after all I have done for you, it’s come to this.”

Serena froze and then sighed, somewhat dramatically as if I’d ruined all her fun. I flicked the desk lamp with the toe of my loafer so the shade faced outward, illuminating her face under the hood. She was holding the gun trained right at my head.

“You don’t seem very scared,” I noted, taking a sip of my Amaro.

She cocked her head and waved her gun minutely. “Well, I am the one with a weapon.”

I tipped my head in agreement. “And the one ballsy enough to plot against me. Will you tell me why, at least, before you put a bullet between my eyes?”

Her gaze narrowed. “You seem awfully accepting that you’re going to die tonight.”

I shrugged. “I’m a man who should not have ignored his wife’s warning. She was on to you, you know?”

Serena sucked her teeth. “She was also cleverer than she looked. But then, you men always think women are as dumb as posts, and look at you, believing I would ever settle for being second to you.”

My brows rose. “And what is so awful about that?”

“Men think they are the be-all and end-all, but if women were allowed true power in the Outfit, there is very little we couldn’t accomplish.”

“So this is because I have a dick?” I asked, trying to keep the incredulity out of my tone. “I have to admit, I had hoped for more.”

“You want more?” Serena asked on a bitter scoff. “I’ve been abused by men all my life, and you think you’re so much better? You don’t give a shit about your wife or the wives of the men in your Outfit.”

“That’s all very good of you to worry about.” My voice was cold, I could feel the sting of it over my tongue. “But let’s be honest with each other in my last minutes, shall we? You want to be in charge, and you thought if you had some more money, you could buy your way to the top? Getting rid of me and sitting on my throne?”

Her smile was yellow in the lamplight. “You think I’m the only one who wants you gone, Dario Ferretti?” She laughed. “You should have looked a little closer to home. There are many people, some under your very roof, that wish you dead.”

“Are you implying my wife is one of them?” I asked, because there was something in her smile and tone that suggested it.

It was her turn to shrug. “Everyone knows she can’t stand you. Hell, if she was here, she would probably do me a favor and kill you herself if she thought she could get away with it.”