Lucien (The Marchesi Family 1)

“Are you suggesting my brother and my cousin aren’t loyal to me?”

Devil slapped his hands on the table and stood. “You don’t want to go there, Marco. I don’t fucking care what anybody says about me, but you talk shit about Angel, and I’ll be up in your face. You got that?”

Marco held up his hands. “Fine. I just thought we should all check in.”

“What did I tell you about thinking?” I asked.

“You want me to remind him, Luce?” Devil asked. I saw the spark of excitement in his eyes. It had been too long since he’d gotten himself in trouble, and he was spoiling for a fight.

I held Marco’s gaze. It took a few seconds, but he dropped his eyes to the table and said, “Forgive me, sir. I don’t do good with having my loyalty questioned.”

“This is your last chance, Ricci.”

“Yes, sir.”

I surveyed all the men in the room. “Does anyone else have any questions?”

No one said anything. “Then I’m done here. I’ve got a client coming in soon. Angelo will give you each a set of targets and talk through the rest of the details.”

I needed to meet with the contractor who was finishing up the final touches on DiGiulio’s, the restaurant I was opening soon. It was the first project I’d taken on that was solely for me, and I was determined to have everything perfect. Leaving the meeting early also gave me the chance to give Angelo more responsibility. I’d always known I’d be the one who took over for our father, but I wanted Angelo to feel like our empire was his too. He needed to know I trusted him with the serious stuff.

As I walked out, I laid a hand on Devil’s shoulder. He turned and glanced at me. I didn’t need to say anything. I just gave him a look he knew meant that I was counting on him to keep himself in check so I didn’t have to manage him while I was managing the rest of this.

He lifted his chin toward me. “You got it, boss.”

I smiled at him, shaking my head as I walked out of the room.

I had more time than I’d let on before my next meeting, but I had business to attend to that I didn’t want to mention to anyone yet.

“In my office,” I said as I passed Carla’s desk.

“So you’re talking to me now?”

I didn’t bother to respond to that. She closed the door to my office behind her and took a seat in front of my desk. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. I have some things I need you to do. This is top priority.”

“First, about Peter—”

I’d known she’d want to interrogate me. “We’re not talking about him.”

“He’s shaken, but he’s doing an excellent job. I showed him the appointment calendar and how to work the phone system. Then I gave him a few things to do for me. I thought it would be better for him to be busy.”

I closed my eyes and drew in a breath. I trusted Carla implicitly, but I hated that she sensed any weakness in me. “Thank you.”

“One other thing. He’ll need a salary offer and a contract if he’s going to be a legitimate employee.”

“He’s working off Jimmy’s debt, so make up a number and be generous with his benefits.”

“How quickly do you want the debt paid off?”

I considered that. I would provide Peter with everything he needed, but I didn’t want this debt hanging between us for too long. “Six months.”

Carla’s eyes widened. “Doesn’t Jimmy owe over a hundred thousand?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. He must be… skilled.”

“Don’t.” I snarled. “He’s to be treated with respect.”

She started to speak, and I held up my hand. “I know I’ve permitted you to be frank with me, but this is something you need to keep your mouth closed about.”

“Yes, sir,” she snapped, making very clear how pissed off she was.

“Carla, please.”

“All right. Since you said the magic word, but don’t hurt that boy. I think he’s actually as sweet as he seems.”

I should send him away, find him a job somewhere safe and secure where I wouldn’t run into him again. But I wasn’t going to do that, at least not until I’d taken everything I wanted from him. I was selfish and used to getting what I wanted, and he was too fucking delectable for me to let him walk away.

“You said you had some high priority tasks for me?”

I nodded, thankful she was dropping the subject.

“Does it have to do with the meeting? It sounded like things got tense in there.”

“When are they not?”

She smiled. “Never, but you don’t always bring people here whose loyalty is in question.”

Carla didn’t like the vibe she got from Marco. I couldn’t say I blamed her. The man was a sleaze. I wouldn’t let him near any women under my protection. As far as I knew, he was one hundred percent straight, but if he even looked at Peter, I’d cut his eyes out. I didn’t care what alliance I fucked up.