Chapter Twelve
“Thisiscozy.”Dante said as he reached across the table for the bottle of wine.
“Why don’t we cut the shit and you tell me what this is all about?”
“Can’t family just sit and enjoy a meal together once in a while?”
“We aren’t that kind of family.”
“Maybe we should be.”
Dante and Micah had grown up together. They were nearly the same age, and when his mom died Micah’s father would shuffle him over to spend weeks on end at his Uncle’s place. When they were kids, they were thick as thieves, but now as adults Micah couldn’t stand to be in the same room as Dante.
“Things are different now, Micah. I’m cleaning up the business. I have been for years, but you already know that.”
“It doesn’t change what happened.”
“No, and I’m afraid what I’m about to tell you may make everything worse.”
“Get on with it, then.”
“First, I’m taking Anton back with me. Nico fixed the little problem he was having up there, so he’s good to come back. Besides, I need him for a job.”
Nico was Dante’s fixer. The man that made everything go away. He was terrifying compared to Dante in a mental, patient sort of way. Hearing his name over dinner made Micah’s stomach turn. He had no doubt that Nico killed for Dante... probably multiple times over the years.
“Fine, I’ve been ready to let him go for a while now.”
“There is something else I’m here for. Someone I said I wanted you to meet. She will be here later. I asked her to meet us closer to nine because I wanted some time to speak with you first.”
“A woman? Did the almighty Dante finally fall in love with someone other than himself?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Then who is she?”
The server came by at that moment with their meals. Micah ordered another bottle of wine and they both dug into their steaks. He was starving and wasn’t going to let a good meal go to waste, even though he was certain what his cousin was about to tell him was likely going to cause him to lose his appetite. After a few bites, he put his silverware down and leaned back in his chair.
“Who is she Dante?”
“How’s Isabel?”
“She is none of your business.”
“I always liked that girl. A spunky little Cuban. I bet she’s blistering hot in bed.”
“Fuck you. Not another word about her from you. I don’t give a shit who you think you are. You do not get to speak about her like that.”
“Hit nerve, did I? When were you going to call me to tell me about your engagement?”
Micah was furious. He should have known Dante would find out about what was going on with Izzy, but he was certain that wasn’t the purpose of his visit. All that guaranteed was Anton had a big mouth.
“Cut the shit already, Dante. Why are we here? Who’s the girl?”
“I stumbled across something about a year ago, and it sparked my interest. There was a woman my father had put a hit out on and I couldn’t figure out why. The man was either a fool or a genius, with all his paper ledgers and journals. He was always suspicious someone would hack a computer, but never worried that someone would steal his notes. Those journals have helped me piece together all the secrets his kept from me. Even as his only son, he hid things. Important things that I needed to know to protect the business.” Dante shook his head in disgust.
“What does any of that have to do with me?”
“Not just you, Luca too. You’re just easier to reach when it’s of importance. The woman wasn’t tied to my father or the business at all. It took me months to track the reason for her name to be in the journal at all. My father was meticulous, everything checked and crosschecked, but this woman’s name just didn’t belong.”