“You’re my fucking cousin, Dante. Like a brother to me. Don’t tell me what I do or don’t need.” He spun on his heel, took three steps, and spun back. “Change your mind. Find another woman or man or whoever. Be my righthand man.”
Dante shook his head slowly. “No. The decision’s been made.”
“Ah well.” Matteo’s shoulders slumped, but he smiled. “It was worth a shot.”
He smiled in response. “You’re getting sentimental in your old age.”
“Si, si, call it what you want.” His cousin looked away. “It’s time to go.”
“Let’s not keep the Russian waiting.”
They met Kirill at a little diner situated on the border between their territories. The parking lot was full of both Verducci people and Romanov people, all bristling with attitude and enough guns to start a small war. Dante and Matteo ignored them, taking the steps up to the door with the faded Open sign and into the building.
It looked just like one would expect of a diner. Black and white checkered floors. Black vinyl booths. A bar running down the length of it with stools on the customer side and a griddle on the other side. The entire place was empty, except for an old Black woman who ran the diner, Evelyn. She gave him and Matteo a long look. “I don’t want any funny business.”
“No, ma’am.” Matteo gave her his best charming smile. “We’re just here for a chat.”
She shook her head. “Don’t try that with me, Matty. I’ve known you since you were six, so I know better. Go sit down and be polite. I’ll get the coffee.”
They made their way to the only occupied booth back in the corner, out of the way of any windows. Kirill sat hunched over a steaming cup of coffee, his age-spotted hands curled around the mug. His hair had been silver as long as Dante had known him, and it had thinned over the years. He looked like exactly what he was, an old white man well into his twilight years.
He sat back as Matteo and Dante slid into the seat across from him. “Condolences on your father’s death.” His accent was thick and voice low. He smiled slowly. “Or should I be congratulating the new head of the Verducci family?”
His cousin tensed, but kept his easy smile in place. “My father and you never managed to see eye to eye.”
“That’s one way to put it.” Kirill sipped his coffee and studied them both. He might be as old as dirt, but the years hadn’t dimmed the intelligence in those dark eyes. “So, what will your first play be? Strong move indicates a strong leader. Can’t afford to fuck around.”
“Si.” Matteo shrugged. “That’s why we’re here. I have a proposal for you.”
“I’m already married, pup.”
Matteo didn’t smile. “I’m interested in putting things to rest and fostering peace between our families.”
Kirill cocked his head to the side. “Peace.”
“Si.” Matteo glanced at Dante and then refocused on the Russian. “You’re an old man, Kirill. Leave the bullshit territory wars and pissing contests to the young and untried…and those on the East Coast.”
“Ah.” He laughed. “This is about Jovan’s people.” He turned and looked directly at Dante for the first time since he’d sat down. “You’re lucky I value my word enough not to shoot you right here for that stunt you pulled with my niece.”
Dante was already tired of this. If left to their own devices, they would circle and snap and couch their words until night fell. He didn’t have time for this bullshit. “A deal, Kirill. I will be excommunicated and cut all official ties with the Verduccis. You won’t see me in LA again.”
Kirill considered that. He was a smart man. He obviously saw the benefit of appearing to defang the Verduccis. Dante wasn’t the only one of Matteo’s people capable of getting their hands dirty, but he was the flashiest. His absence would be a boon on both sides. “And in return?”
“In return,” Matteo cut in smoothly. “You agree to peace with the Verduccis…and to avoid giving Jovan Romanov’s people a safe place to land.”
“They’re family,” Kirill said neutrally.
Dante snorted. “Please. They’re power-hungry jackals and they want you and your American cousins to dance to the tune they set. You’ll hold out, maybe, but will your children? They’re not as strong as you. So many daughters to potentially be married to Jovan’s people, seeding disquiet within the family.” He leaned forward slightly. “Strong alliances will help protect them…like a strong alliance with the Verduccis.”
“What do you care? If your word is to be believed, you’ll be gone.”
He shrugged. “I have a vested interest in the American Romanovs remaining free of Jovan’s control.”
“I see.”
Kirill considered them for a long time, long enough that Dante had to fight not to fidget. He simply sank into stillness beside his cousin and waited. There was no point rushing the old man. He would decide one way or another when he worked through all the angles in his head. If he came to the wrong decision? Well, Dante would butcher his way through that battlefield if and when he arrived at it.
Finally, the Russian nodded. “Your conditions are satisfactory. With one addition.”
“Si?”
“It’s in everyone’s best interest if this peace is held with more than simply words.” He pointedly didn’t look at Dante. “Pick one of my daughters and marry her. I don’t care which one.”
For the first time since Dante arrived back in LA, he saw his cousin flounder. “That’s…”
Kirill raised his eyebrows. “Is peace worth so little to you?”
“No,” Matteo finally said. His skin was flushed with anger, but he gave a jerky nod. “Your terms are acceptable.”
“Good.” Kirill slid slowly out of the booth and stood, his old bones cracking with the movement. “I’ll be in touch as soon. Ensure your junkyard dog is on a plane out of town before the end of the day.”
“Of course.”
They watched him walk out of the diner. Evelyn walked up with her pot of coffee and two mugs. “Still want the coffee?”
“No, thank you, ma’am.” Matteo placed a stack of hundreds on the table. “For your trouble.”
“You two stay out of trouble.” She swept up the bills and headed behind the counter without looking back.
Matteo hissed out a breath. “That went as well as can be expected.”
Dante nodded. His read on Kirill had always been that the old man simply wanted to enjoy the remainder of his life, but humans were messy and sometimes acted chaotically. This had gone much smoother than he’d anticipated. He hoped Rose’s talk with Romeo went equally as smooth. “Kirill’s old enough to understand that the only thing a war accomplishes is us taking bloody chunks out of each other, and then being swallowed whole by Jovan. This was the smartest way.”
“Si.” Matteo stood and stretched. “I didn’t even have to pressure him on the marriage. He came up with it on his own.”
At that, Dante gave Matteo a long look. His cousin always had been filling with cunning. No doubt this was yet another prong in his plan to unseat his father, establish peace, and bolster a thriving territory. “Which of his daughters do you have an eye on?”