“Why French?”
“Because of the Corsican Union in Canada. They haven’t been involved in our business so far, but it’s good to be prepared. Their territory is close to Dante’s. He might seek their support.”
“Is there anything you do that doesn’t serve a purpose or is illogical? Something you do because you enjoy it?”
“There are plenty of things. Sex, for one.” I didn’t have to see Kiara to know she’d stiffened again. “Though one might argue it serves the purpose of relaxing me. Maybe hiking and climbing.”
“I’d like to go hiking one day,” she said.
“There are a few smaller canyons around Vegas that are good for hikes, and the Red Rock canyon offers a few trails that are more advanced. I could take you to one some time. Or you could go rock climbing with me.”
“I’m not very fit, so take it easy on me,” she said then yawned.
“Sleep now,” I told her.
“Okay,” she whispered, her voice already heavy with sleep. “And, Nino, thank you for everything so far.”
I frowned into the dark. I didn’t know what she had to thank me for.
The next morning Kiara was still in a deep sleep when I got up and headed down to the pool to swim my laps. Afterward, I went into our gaming room where I found Remo stretched out on the couch, a cup of coffee in his hand. He was on the phone, looking annoyed. Nobody had cleaned up the shards and blood yet, and if I didn’t do it, nobody would until the cleaning people arrived tomorrow.
“Don’t worry. That delivery will go through. We always keep our word. You just make sure you keep yours,” Remo muttered before hanging up.
“Famiglia?”
“Matteo fucking Vitiello. That motherfucker sets my nerves on edge.”
“Because you have a similar temperament,” I said.
Remo narrowed his eyes. “So, how’s your wife doing? Has she gotten over her shock of seeing how fucking is done right.”
“I had to stitch her up because she got cut by some glass. I think it would be wise to keep your sexual activities in your own wing. Now that Kiara lives under the same roof, the risk is too high that she walks in on you again.”
“This is my home. We don’t have any maids because we didn’t want to feel like we were being watched in our home, and now you want me to hide in my own wing when I want to fuck a whore?”
I sank down across from him. “Don’t turn this into a bigger deal than it is. You have more than enough places to go about your fucking, Remo. When Adamo was younger, we were more careful as well, and you could deal with it.”
“Your wife is a grown woman. Shouldn’t she be able to handle it?”
“You know why she doesn’t. She’s too scarred from her past, and even if she weren’t, I don’t want her to see you or Savio fucking around. She doesn’t need to see your dick.”
Remo chuckled. “She doesn’t see yours either. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe you can fuck the messed-up past out of her.”
Remo was trying to piss me off, and despite my lack of emotions, I was growing tired of this discussion. “I never ask you for favors, Remo, but this I ask of you.”
Remo’s expression turned serious. “Why do you give a fuck about her?”
“As I told you before, she is now part of the family. Just like we protected Adamo and Savio, we should protect Kiara now. She is innocent and at our mercy, and we should treat her as she deserves, as my wife and as a Falcone.”
Remo shook his head and set down his coffee cup with an audible clang, spilling some of the liquid on the table. “Fuck. Did you come up with that speech just now? But if you ask me to do it, I will. Savio will be a pain in the ass because of it, I’m sure.”
The sound of movement made us both fall silent. I knew from the soft footfall that it could only be Kiara. Adamo trampled through the house to annoy us, and Savio’s steps were more confident. Her steps were slow and hesitant, as if she worried about what she would find in the living area this morning.
“The coast is clear,” Remo shouted. “No fucking about happening here ever again.”
I shot him a look, but he gave me a twisted smile.
Kiara emerged from the connecting corridor. Her eyes landed on the shards and her spilled blood on the ground. A pink color filled her cheeks. She glanced toward Remo then quickly to me. “Where do you have a mop so I can clean this up?”
I got up. “Let me do it.” I moved into the small cleaning closet that none of my brothers had ever set foot in. They didn’t mind if the house was dirty until the cleaning personnel showed up again, but I preferred things neat and clean. Living under the same roof with those pigs, it was a losing battle to keep everything clean.