Dominic (Benedetti Brothers 2)

“Why is it empty?” Gia asked.

I had an idea. “Privacy,” I said, leaving out anything else I suspected.

Angus Scava smiled. He watched us enter, his gaze sliding over Gia as we approached. Sick prick. He was old enough to be her fucking father. Hell, he would have been if his son had stayed alive long enough to marry her.

I felt a note of possession at that. A hint of jealousy. Which was ridiculous, considering James was dead.

“Gianna.” He stood when we neared. “Pleasure to see you.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles, then straightened. “You look enchanting. My son had wonderful taste.”

She only looked on coldly.

I cleared my throat. Scava turned to me.

“Dominic.”

“Angus.”

He gestured toward the booth. “Please. I’ve taken the liberty of choosing the wine. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all as long as you take the first sip,” Gia said.

Angus chuckled as we sat, and the waiter poured. He made a point of picking up his glass, swooshing the dark red liquid around and inhaling before drawing a long sip.

“I’m still alive,” he said to her.

She still didn’t touch hers, but I picked mine up and sipped.

“My condolences, once again, Dominic. I hear your uncle passed not too gently last night.”

“He was a liar and a traitor. He got what liars and traitors get.”

He cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows. “You’re as direct as your father.”

“You did some business with my uncle?” I asked.

“He and my nephew were involved in some things,” he said, his eyes catching Gia’s as he sipped.

I felt Gia tense beside me.

“Where is Victor?” she asked.

“I didn’t think you’d want me to invite him, considering.”

“Can we just cut this bullshit?” she spat out. “You talk like we’re all here having a friendly drink, but we’re not.”

I smiled. “She’s direct too.”

“You’ve changed, my dear,” he said to her.

“You’ve opened my eyes,” she replied.

Angus snapped his fingers, and we looked up. A door opened, and two men walked in, Victor between them. He wasn’t quite standing on his own. Instead, he was hunched over their shoulders and being kept upright, his head lolling from side to side, his face bruised, his feet dragging as they walked forward.

Gia gasped. I held her hand under the table.

“My nephew made some poor choices,” Angus said. “Concerning what happened to your brother, Gianna, you have my apology. And you’ll have Victor’s, well, you would except that he can’t really talk at the moment.”

“I’m going to be sick,” Gia said.

“No, you’re not,” I told her.

“Not woman’s work, this, is it?” Angus remarked. “Gianna, in an effort to make amends for what my nephew did to your brother, I’d like to offer you a gift. Would you like Victor’s tongue?”

“You…you’re sick!”

“No, only a man who punishes liars and traitors. You see, Victor thought it would be a good idea to try to save his neck by sliding a noose over mine.” Angus’ face changed, a look of disgust crossing it. “I don’t like federal agents on my doorstep. Family business is family business, isn’t it, boy?”

Victor’s only response was to grunt when one of the men beside him jabbed his elbow into his ribs, which I assumed were broken. At least, considering the bruising on every visible part of him, I imagined they must be.

“I know it was you. I know Victor was no more than your foot soldier,” Gia said.

“You know nothing.”

“How could you do it?” she asked. “You knew me and Mateo. We’ve eaten at your table. I’ve slept in your house. I was engaged to be married to your son. How could you order his death? How could you order mine?”

“I never did like seeing you upset, Gianna.”

“Are you so heartless? So inhuman?”

“I loved James very much, and had he lived, I would have accepted you as my daughter.”

“Why me, then? Why order my execution?”

He didn’t answer.

“You’re a monster. You’re a horrible monster,” Gia said.

“I don’t leave loose ends. You can’t in my business. In cleaning up my nephew’s mess, I found he’d left quite a few. James didn’t leave them either, by the way. I know you like to fool yourself into thinking he was somehow better than me, better than him—”

Angus pointed to me.

“But truth is, you’re surrounded by monsters, Gianna. And you attract them like flies. What does that say about you? What’s the expression? Like attracts like?”

“That’s enough, Scava,” I said, my eyes on Gia, who flinched at his words. I couldn’t tell what was going through her head. If she was buying his bullshit. I’d made sure she came unarmed. I wasn’t about to take a chance she’d do something as stupid as attempt to kill Angus Scava in the middle of his restaurant. “Get him out of here,” I said, gesturing toward Victor.

Scava nodded for the men to take Victor away.