The Power of a Woman: A Mafia Erotic Romance (32 page)

Vito stepped forward and roared, “What the fuck is all this?”

My father lifted his hand to silence his underboss, never taking his eyes off the table where Stefan and I sat in silence. “What are you doing here, Jordana? What is all this about? Stefan requested a meeting, and I assumed it was in regards to Matteo. And now I come in here and find you…” He turned his questioning gaze to the man sitting next to me and glared at him. “Have you put my daughter in jeopardy?”

“Relax, old man. I would never put Jordana in jeopardy. In fact, I’d risk my own life before allowing anything to ever happen to her.” Stefan stayed seated as he held out his arm, gesturing to the chairs on the side of the table next to me. “Please, Gene, have a seat.”

I remained speechless, observing everything happening around me as if I were an outsider, watching the men interact around me like they were strangers to me. Stefan’s tone was calm and collected, very much in charge, and that empowered me, but the frantic worry my father wore on his face caused me despair. I loved my father and knew he worried about Matty. The last thing I wanted was to cause him additional apprehension. I held on to hope that once he heard what was going on, some of his discomfort would ease. A kaleidoscope of emotions ran rampant inside me, leaving me dizzy and confused.

Stefan grabbed my hand beneath the table, once again calming me down and settling my nerves. He could read me better than I could myself. My father silently came to the table and took the seat next to me without looking at me. Vito took the chair beside him while Sunny stood in the space between the two men. In my peripheral vision, I saw the men pass glances between them in silence, the tension became suffocating.

Before another word could be uttered, the door swung open again and the same waiter from before escorted Mick and another man into the room. They both took one step in before their faces turned beet red, glaring at my father and then us.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” My dad stood from his seat, his chair sliding back and hitting Sunny in the leg. “Is this an ambush? Somebody better start fucking spilling…and
now
! I want to know what the fuck is going on. Where’s my fucking son?” His voice boomed in the otherwise quiet room. I’d never heard him sound so angry before, and it caused my panic to rise.

Stefan squeezed my hand one more time before letting it go, placing his palms calmly on the top of the table in front of him. “Enough!” His stern voice earned the attention of the room. “Gene, you will get your answers. But nothing will happen until everyone is seated and this meeting can begin.”

Mick moved to the other end of the table, opposite Stefan and me.

“No, Pops. Not there.” Stefan pointed to the chair beside him. “You and Vinny can sit beside us, across from Gene. I called this meeting to set the record…clear the air, if you will. So I suggest everyone take their seats and calm the fuck down.”

Mick’s eyes narrowed on Stefan, seeming as though he had a retort on the end of his tongue, but kept it to himself as he begrudgingly stalked to the empty chair on Stefan’s side of the table. The other man, Vinny, took a seat next to him. As far as I knew, Mick hadn’t filled Zeke’s position as underboss, but then again, I wasn’t exactly privy to their family business.

“Okay, you have us here. Would somebody fucking explain?” Mick asked, glancing at the faces around the table—completely skipping mine.

“I called this meeting—”

Mick pounded his fist on the table, interrupting Stefan. His blazing eyes glared at my husband next to me, his lips set in a firm line. It made feelings of fierce protectiveness come to the forefront. Feelings I’d never experienced toward Stefan before. I knew at that moment that if someone did anything to my husband, I’d fucking gut them like a fish. “You don’t have the authority to call a meeting, much less one that would involve another family. And don’t even get me started on your position at the head of the table”—his fierce eyes turned to me, burning a hole in my face—”with
this one
sitting by your side.”

Stefan leaned forward, closing in the gap between him and his father. “
This one
? Maybe you should show some fucking respect. Her name is Jordana.”

“I know who Jordana Albanese is,” his father said with a sneer.

“Correction…Jordana Giannotti.”

Gasps sounded around the table from both sides.

“She’s no longer an Albanese. She’s a Giannotti. She’s my wife and your daughter-in-law. And I will not put up with you—or
anyone
—disrespecting her in front of me or behind my back. Have I made myself clear?”

“This can’t be,” my father’s whispered words hit me hard and sounded over Mick’s loud voice as he asked, “What have you done?”

“Please, Daddy. Just listen. Let Stefan explain.” I lifted my hand to place it over his, but nothing erased the cold, rejected expression in his eyes.

Stefan held up one finger and waited until the background noise of the men quieted some before speaking. “If you stop, I will explain.” He paused to affirm that he had the attention of all the men around the table. “For some time now, our families have been at war.”

“For good reason!” Mick shouted, testing Stefan’s patience.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Pops. You’ve pointed your finger at the Albaneses for Nico’s death. Without warrant, without cause, only on suspicion alone. Gene has never had a reason to go after you, your business, or your son…yet you still put the blame on him.”

“Oh, see? That’s where you’re fucking wrong, my son.” Mick’s evil sneer had me on the edge of my seat as he glared at my father from across the table. “It’s more than just a fucking suspicion…I found out that your brother was fucking Vito’s wife.” He turned his attention back to Stefan. “And we all know that sleeping with somebody’s wife gets you whacked. I don’t need breadcrumbs to follow the trail back to the smoking gun.”

“Wait.” Stefan interrupted, holding up his hand, palm out. “You knew Nico was sleeping with another man’s wife, and you allowed it to happen?”

My head spun with the new light shed on this feud between our families. I’d never understood why Mick would’ve put the blame on my father, but this made so much sense. Had I not already known the person responsible for Nico’s death, Mick’s words would’ve had me questioning my own family.

Mick shook his head. “You know I would never condone that behavior. We all live by the same code, no matter the last name, and I never would’ve let it go on had I known about it prior to his death. It had been brought to my attention after the fact, when I’d gone out with my ear to the ground, looking for some direction to the motherfucker who took my son’s life.”

All eyes turned to my father. He took a deep breath and fanned out his fingers on the table in front of him. His gaze fell on every member around him before speaking. “If you’re insinuating that we knew about this before you did, then you are incorrect. Like you, Mick, we weren’t aware of this affair until after the fact. And with Nico already in the ground, we found no purpose in coming to you or anyone else over the matter. Vito’s wife was taken care of, the situation had been resolved and buried.”

“Well, if it wasn’t you…then who fucking killed my son?”

“I’m getting to that, if you would just quiet the fuck down.” The table grew silent again as they all waited patiently for Stefan to continue. “For someone who’s all about honor, my brother dishonored and shamed this family—and has
continued
to shame this family from beyond the grave. You’ve dismissed the claims that Nico was involved in drugs, but turning a blind eye to his weaknesses only caused you to turn your back on him. I have every reason to believe the Carraras are behind his death, and that it had nothing to do with who he was fucking, and everything to do with his addiction to drugs.”

“And how could you possibly have come to this conclusion?” Vinny piped up for the first time, his deep voice startling me.

“I can’t share that information with you at the moment, but I can assure you that I have the proof, and actions will be taken. But those actions won’t happen until I give the okay. You are not to seek your own revenge, do you hear me, Pops?”

“Not only do we have a Sherlock fucking Holmes here, but we also have someone appointing himself as the head on this family.” Vinny’s laugh nearly made me cringe, but I remained still and calm, not showing my attitude toward his direct lack of respect. If only he knew…

Mick stood from his seat, pressing his knuckles onto the table as he leaned forward. “As nice as it all is that you’ve taken it upon yourself to mend the fucking fences between our families in order to justify your marriage to an Albanese, don’t you think it’s a little late for this? What is this all about? Now you’re looking to bring everyone into the fold…
after
you’ve taken a vow? I didn’t know you even had an eye for the girl, let alone dated her. Now you’re married? And what? You want us all to be one big happy fucking family? I don’t have time for this, Stefan. I have bigger problems to deal with!” He slammed his fist into the table. “Zeke is missing, and I’ve heard nothing about that. Why don’t you make yourself useful and find out what happened to him instead of going off and getting married and calling fucking meetings you have no authority to call.”

“I already know what happened to Zeke,” Stefan said calmly.

My head snapped to him, my eyes growing wide. My heart pounded in my chest at this turn of events. Was he really going to tell him the truth? Would he really tell his father what I’d done? Panic consumed me until I couldn’t breathe.

Meanwhile, Stefan kept his composed expression in place as he stared his father down. “While gathering information about Nico, I was also able to get answers regarding your underboss. We all know that if Zeke is missing then that means he’s dead. You say missing like you’ll find him. He’s never going to turn back up, and we may never find his body. Fuck, they haven’t even found Hoffa.”

“So you’re saying that you know what happened to Zeke? And how would you come to know this?” Vinny spoke up, noticing the surprise on Mick’s face.

“I fear that if I tell you, you’ll take action before my say so. But I can tell you that it’s the same person responsible for Nico.” Stefan’s words were so believable he almost had me believing it. Had I not been there, had I not been the one to pull the trigger, ending that bastard’s life, I would’ve believed Stefan completely.

“You’ve grown some pair, kid. Again with the ‘until I say so.’ Where do you have this authority to be calling any shots? I think you need to take a look around you and recognize your place. Being
made
doesn’t make you a fucking boss.”

While the men focused their attention on Stefan, I noticed a figure entering the room behind them. Stefan noticed him at the same time, and we both stood from our seats. Once the men realized we were standing and turned to where our gazes were fixed, they all rose from their chairs as well. All conversation ceased around the table, and my stomach bottomed-out until Stefan reached for my hand.

Carlo came to stand at the foot of the table, Charlie to his right and his Conciliare, Francis, to his left. Carlo’s beckoning smile fell to my hand, where he found it intertwined with Stefan’s. His smile broadened as he took his seat, his two men taking seats on either side of him.

He grabbed a bottle of Chianti while we all took our seats again, and poured himself a glass, holding it up in the air before taking a sip. “Saluti, per un matrimonio sana e lunga,” he said, making a toast for a healthy and long marriage to Stefan and me.

My eyes quickly found my father’s penetrating glare, as he pursed his lips. This wasn’t good. The heavy sigh from the other side of me was next to catch my attention. It was Stefan’s father. His rage colored his face red.

“How is it that you’re here and yet we had no idea that you were coming?” Mick’s question broke the silence.

And then my father took his opportunity to speak up. “Seems like there’s been a lot of fucking secrets these days that people are holding close to their vests.” He turned his eyes to me, conveying betrayal for my actions.

Carlo continued to sip on his glass of wine while Charlie’s words rented the air. “Staizii—
be quiet
!” He pounded the table once with his fist and then sat back to calmly shake a cigarette from his pack. The sound echoed in my head, shaking whatever was left of my brain cells into a panic.

“I do believe I heard someone ask what authority Stefan had to call the shots. Who was it that raised that question?” Carlo asked, leaning back in his chair as if he didn’t have a care in the world while everyone on our side of the table sat on the edge of their seats.

Vinny meekly spoke up, “That would be me, Don Genovese.”

“In that case…
I
gave Stefan the authority.” Not even a breath could be heard in the silent room as Carlo leaned forward on the table, staring Vinny down with his black gaze. “Gone are the simple days. In these times, when we have the steel workers, masons, and electrician unions on our payroll, why not use it to our benefit? Why waste it? It makes sense to utilize it. Real estate is something that interests me; it’s something that won’t grow old or outdated. It’s our future. Having someone knowledgeable in that trade in this family makes me happy.”

The men on either side of me turned to glare at Stefan, the look of betrayal evident on all of their faces. In the dimly lit room, I could easily make out Sunny’s massive silhouette, his smirk hidden behind his facial hair. That gave me a small amount of comfort in the mountain of testosterone around me. At a glacial pace my eyes scanned the rest of the room, landing on Carlo. He appeared to be pleased with the silence and dropped jaws.

Mick and my dad shared a look from across the table, more than likely thinking the same thing. “How was this decision made without us knowing?” my father quietly voiced his question.

Carlo folded hands in front of him, looking very relaxed. “I’m troubled by many things with the New York families. So much so, that this meeting had to be done in person instead of sending Francis to come in my place. It seems we have a lack of leadership here, and therefore a lack of direction. You can’t argue that I’ve tried to handle this with the two of you. Mick, don’t deny that I sent Francis to you regarding your son’s drug habit. Sì? And how did you handle that?”