Top Dog

“Exactly. That’s why I’m willing to put myself out there as an intermediary, but I won’t bring Matteo into the mix. If Romeo can prove to me that he’s really trying to make peace and go legit, then I’ll consider letting him be a part of his son’s life. Until then, he’s just going to have to deal with me.” “There was too much swirling around in my head. But seeing Romeo again and talking with a level head helped me to sort out why I feel the way I do. And it isn’t just that. There’s something about him I still don’t trust,” I said.

“Then you always have to go with your gut. But don’t back out of this plan, Julia. It will take time. Peace always does. But I know you can do this. The only issue, it will require interaction with Romeo. Continued interaction.”

“I know,” I said with a sigh. “I know it will.”

“What you’re doing, Julia? I’ll never be able to put a price on it. I’m thankful to you for aligning yourself with me. Not everyone in the family is happy about it.”

“My father always said you can’t please everyone. And being in the big seat means you have to make the tough choices even if they aren’t popular ones.”

“And he wasn’t joking. This omelet, by the way, is very good. Your mother taught you well.”

“My father didn’t have too bad of a hand in it, either.”

“One of my fondest memories of him,” he said with a grin.

Stefano finished his omelet and then kissed me on my cheek. I hugged him before he went to his study, and Matteo dumped his plate in the sink. He ran back up the stairs, no doubt to continue playing with his blocks, and I sat down to finish my mug of coffee that had grown cold.

But Enrico put his newspaper down in front of me and pointed.

“Look,” he said.

I followed his finger and saw the headline jump out at me.

“Three dead at the docks?” I asked.

“The police are calling it a gun deal gone bad,” he said. “Look at the second paragraph.”

“‘In an apparent gangland-style slaying, three bullets were found between the eyes of unsuspecting gun runners in front oftheir shipment late last night. There are no suspects at this time, but police are looking into possible gang connections.’”

“It reeks of a Martine deal gone bad.”

“The newspaper says ‘gang c

onnections.’ And that isn’t the Bianchi signature at all. They didn’t even use automatic weapons,” I said.

“His father did a lot of business dealings with guns in the past. From that exact dock, if I’m not mistaken. Romeo has to be involved in this somehow. I think your gut is right.”

But I didn’t want my gut to be right.

“This could be the work of his bodyguards. Even if Romeo is involved, this doesn’t mean he killed anyone.”

“A Martine never gets someone else to do their dirty work,” Enrico said.

“And they might not be the same guys his father worked with. They could’ve been three beginners who simply made a bad deal. You don’t know this is Romeo.”

“Have I ever been wrong, Julia?”

I grimaced and tossed the newspaper down onto the table.

“Answer me.”

“Remember who you’re speaking with,” I said, my voice more curt than I’d intended.

“Sorry. I thought I was speaking with my friend.”

I sighed as my eyes gazed out the window into the backyard.

I didn’t want to believe Enrico, but I knew he was right. At the very least, that same unsettled feeling I’d fallen asleep with in the pit of my gut yesterday remained. If Romeo was somehow involved, then that meant he was lying to me. That meant he wasn’t being truthful about wanting to clean up his family’s act.