My Don Chose My Best Friend-So I Took His Empire novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: The Vote

At six in the morning, twelve men sat at Dario's long table, and the thirteenth chair was empty.

It was mine.

I walked in with Nino on my left and Santino on my right, his shoulder strapped under his coat.

Dario sat at the head with a cup of espresso and a face rested and shaved.

"My wife," he said to the table. "She's late."

"I'm exactly on time," I said. "And I'm not your wife at this table."

Nobody laughed.

I sat down in my father's chair, the one he had used when Dario was only his underboss, and Nino sat beside me.

The five Balestra captains looked at the cloth.

The seven Sartori captains looked at me.

"Twelve votes," Dario said. "Who holds the Sartori docks, the routes and the widows' fund. First, a charge."

He folded his hands.

"On Thursday night, a million four went missing from my count house. Armed men. Gemma's friend with the truck was seen leaving."

"I took it," I said.

A sound went around the table.

Dario's eyebrows rose in real surprise.

"You admit it?"

"I took it. And I'm going to show you why."

I set the green ledger on the table and opened it to the marked page.

"This is the widows' fund," I said. "My father started it thirty years ago. Every laundromat paid two percent. Every month, forty-one widows received a check."

I turned the page.

"Three years ago, the day I married Dario, I signed it over to the Balestra table. I thought it would be safe."

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