Never Cross the Mafia Don's Hidden Lover novel · Chapter 10 of 32

Chapter 10: Counter

We got back to the lake house at a quarter to four in the morning.

Elio was sitting at the long table under the stove light, waiting.

He wore a white T-shirt and gray trousers, and his glass of water was untouched.

He stood up when we came in.

"Where were you?"

"At the Arden," Dina said. "I was a bride. I was magnificent."

She kissed my cheek, said, "Tell him everything, then sleep," and went upstairs to the guest room.

I put my phone on the table in front of him.

I pressed play.

Elio watched it three times without a word.

Then I told him the rest.

The clipboard.

CLAIMED, 6/7.

The polite man with all the cash who'd said he was from Massaro Trucking.

Five thousand dollars for every camera in the Arden from eleven to midnight.

He sat down.

"Somebody else could use the name," he said.

"Elio. Who else in your family would pay five thousand dollars to hide my husband?"

He didn't answer.

He put his elbows on the table and his face in his hands.

After a while I put my hand on the back of his neck.

His skin was warm.

He didn't move away.

"My father died in the walk-in at the café," he said into his hands. "Four years ago. A Tuesday. He went in to get the cream for the coffee and he didn't come out."

He didn't look up.

"I found him. He was sitting on a crate of lemons with his eyes open. Like he was thinking about something." He let out a breath. "I was thirty-one. I didn't want the chair. I wanted to open a restaurant in Chicago, if you can believe that."

"I can believe it."

"Vittore was the first one to kneel. At the funeral. In front of everybody, he got down on his knee and kissed my hand. He said, 'Whatever you need, cousin. Always.'" He lifted his head. "I loved him for that. I was so scared, and he made it look easy."

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