I knew this but did not care. Why? Because he still didn’t give a fuck that he’d screwed his daughter over royally, he only cared about what had been done to his wife. At least, that’s the way I see it. It’s because I was able to see all of this unfolding behind the scenes that I was able to put my final plans into action.
I had to give it a lot of thought because he’s the only parent she has left. But when I think about it, he doesn’t deserve her after the shit he’d done, so fuck him. My methods are harsh, almost inhumane, I guess, but he doesn’t deserve better. Now I’m sitting here thinking about my next move.
I could step in now, stop him from doing what I suspect he’s about to before it’s too late, but why should I? In life, there should be consequences for your actions, but because of her love for him, I’m not going to bury his dumb ass somewhere; that should be enough. Still, I’ll do him one last favor for her sake because maybe, just maybe, somewhere down the road, she might want to have a relationship with him.
I left my room and went in search of Pop. I’m going to need him for this part of my Op, and I know he won’t ask me any questions that I don’t want to answer. He’s too busy worrying about what I have planned once we land in Paris to care about much else. I found him in his office, reaming out someone over the phone. “Just a minute, son.” He held up a finger then pointed to the chair across from him.
I sat and listened with a smile as he coolly threatened whoever it was without raising his voice. If I were on the other end of that coldness, I’d give him whatever the hell he was after. “Good, glad we understand each other.” He hung up the phone and turned to me in dad mode. “What is it, son? You all packed and ready to go?”
“I need a favor.”
“Anything, shoot!”
“Fontaine is getting ready to do something. When he’s done, I need you to pull whatever strings you can and make sure he gets a light sentence.”
“A light sentence for what?”
“You’ll see in the next couple of days.”
“We won’t be here.”
“I know; that’s why I’m giving you a heads-up now. Just make sure the lawyer is on standby.”
“Boy, what’re you doing?”
“Me, nothing, he’s the one who’s about to break the law.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I’m the one who’s gonna push him to it.”
“Geez, Gabe, what now?”
“Nothing, nothing for you to worry about.”
“You been talking to your grandfather?”
“Leave gramps out of it; he hasn’t done anything.”
“Yeah, okay. What should I tell the lawyer when I call?”
“Just tell him to expect a call in the next few days or so.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah, make sure he knows to get the best deal he can.”
“You’re not gonna tell me what this is about?”
“The less you know, Pop.”
I left him looking flabbergasted, but it’s too complicated to get into, and just in case things don’t swing the way I expect, it’s best not to say anything more at this juncture. If things do go down the road, I expect, well then, it will become self-explanatory real quick. Next up, Gianna. She’s been flitting around here with that ankle-biter like a little fairy with new wings; happy as I’ve ever seen her.
That’s because I’ve been spoiling the hell out of her, making sure she’s not outdone by the Russo twins and their fashionista bullshit. Now I have three divas on my hands. The thing is, the Russo women are fashion icons, no doubt about it, but Eloise Lyon is on a whole other level.
What I didn’t know, but came in handy, is that she was going to send back jewelry with Tommy after he made the run to her place, which I ended up using as an excuse when Pop stuck his nose in, wanting to know what his guys were doing in Virginia. He didn’t quite believe me; I don’t think, maybe because of the look of surprise on my face when they offloaded the trunk at the front door.
Thankfully the girls and Ma went ape shit at the goodies and distracted him, so I’m in the clear there. I wasn’t telling him about the storage unit and why I’d had the stuff moved because that would’ve led to more questions that I’m not ready to answer. Just in case Fontane gets cold feet. Besides, if Pop knows what I’m up to there, he’d have me Shanghaied and kept out of Europe, so no.
Anyway, last night this place was a mess with females running around like headless chickens, and I’ve never seen the twins or Ma so humbled before. Their shit is nothing to sneeze at; dad has accounts at some of the best jewelers in the world. The shit Gianna’s grandmother sent looks like it was made in the sixteen hundreds and was kept in a vault in somebody’s castle somewhere. No doubt, those three will be the shining stars.
So, all in all, she hasn’t had time to dwell too much on the shit that went down in her family home. It’s like out of sight, out of mind, at least I’m hoping that’s what it is and that she’s not just hiding her true feelings from me. I found her fiddling with her luggage for the one-hundredth time since we were leaving in the morning.
“What’s with the face?” I walked over for a hug because she likes hugs. She also wears her emotions on her face, and if I walk into a room and don’t hug her, she pouts. That’s been giving me some stress, but I can’t bring myself to put some much-needed space between us. I keep putting it off, not wanting to spoil this for her, but knowing it will all come to an end soon.
I’ve even been playing around with the idea of giving us some more time, but that all depends on what I find in Sicily and how long it’s going to take for me to do what I have to do there. It’s not like I’m expecting to take care of Ricci in one night. Ricci’s a heavy hitter, and he plays in some very dirty waters. I know once I go after him, things will get sticky, so even if I wanted to hang onto her for a while, it might not be the most prudent thing to do.
I guess this is what they call cold feet. I know what I have to do, know that there’s no way around it, but as the time draws near, I find myself looking for ways and excuses to hang onto her just a little bit longer. When she’s like this, soft and clingy, I find it hard to imagine not being there for her. “I’m worried about Thor.”
“What about him?”
“It’s going to be a long flight; what if he’s scared?”
I rolled my eyes over her head. She’s worse than my sisters when it comes to their mutts. “He’ll be fine. You’ve got the calming treats and anti-nausea meds, just in case. The twins take their mutts all over the place no problem.” She moved on to messing with his overpriced carrier, and I had to smile at how much she’d changed in the last couple of weeks.
It’s taken her no time to become the princess she was meant to be. Now that I think about it taking tips from the Russo twins might not have been the best way to introduce her to a life of luxury. Then again, her grandmother and aunts don’t seem to be much better.
I thought for sure she’d have a hard time getting used to all the fuss, but nope, she fits right in. I guess she’d fallen back into the life she’d known when her mom was alive because she hardly bats a lash now at the price of things. I like it; it gives me hope that all will be fine with or without me. She’s also got a mouth on her and has been learning how to speak up for herself. Something I knew would happen with enough exposure to the twins. Hopefully, what I was about to do wouldn’t put too much of a damper on her mood.