“Damn good to hear and you’re killing me. Why would my son visit me early in the day if not for business?” He lifted his glass, giving me a short salute before taking a sip.
I exhaled. “I’m getting married.”
Coughing, liquid spewed from his mouth. “What the hell did you say?”
“I’m serious.”
Narrowing his eyes, he walked around his desk. “Of my three children, you’re the least likely to get married.”
“Things change.”
“Who is the girl? Please tell me she’s not one of the tramps hanging around. You deserve better, son.”
I snorted and shook my head. “You know I have no interest in that lifestyle.” How many married capos and captains had mistresses on the side? I had no interest.
“Hmmm…” Giordano sat on the edge of his desk. “Then who?”
“Caroline Hargrove.”
The news didn’t seem to register in any manner at first, then he burst into a smile. “Congratulations, son. How did you pull that off? No wonder you’re not worried about the casino or our transportation issues. Brilliant.”
“I made a deal the senator couldn’t refuse.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Risky move.”
“Necessary.”
He lifted his glass. “I’ll have to give you credit, son. When I ask you to handle a situation, you do so with flair. You’re really proving to be exactly what this family needs. Too bad your brothers aren’t interested.”
“Their loss. However, I do need one favor.” I’d debated asking him for help for hours.
Giordano shifted, nodding his response. “What do you need?”
I tugged the picture of Caroline’s mother from my coat jacket. I knew what this would do to my father, or at least I suspected what his reaction would be.
“I made a promise to Caroline. Call it a wedding present for her obedience.” I fingered the photograph, the only one I’d been able to find. I’d thrown a gauntlet with the senator, my suspicions unconfirmed, but all indications seemed to be correct. “Her mother supposedly died several years ago, but I don’t think she’s actually dead. The circumstances are circumspect at best.”
He chuckled. “Drummand?”
“I think so. Their relationship was always difficult, bordering on abuse, at least from what I can tell. I think he knew she’d be a noose hanging around his neck with regard to his career, but I don’t think he has the stomach or the balls to actually kill her.”
“Interesting. Secrets and lies.”
“Yeah.” Every family had them. I knew that well.
He reached out, giving me a harsh look when I continued to hesitate. “Who is she?”
As I handed him the photograph, I gave him the damning answer. “Margaret Wentworth.” I’d seen sadness in my father’s eyes only twice in my life. The first was when my baby sister died in a car accident. The second was when my mother temporarily left him years before.
This was the third.
He blinked several times as he stared at the picture, finally lifting his head. There were no words that needed to be said, no way I could console him. I knew exactly what this meant and what he was likely to do, but I had no other choice. He’d never fully explained his relationship with Margaret, but the instant I saw the picture, I was taken back to years before. A picture found. Questions raised by an angry teenage boy.
“I had no idea she was married to Drummand,” my father said to no one in particular.
There were so many things I wanted to say, but out of respect I refused.
“Tell me the truth, Pops. Who is she to you?”
He studied the picture once again. “Someone I chose to protect and no, I did not betray your mother with her. That would have been utter disloyalty.”
I said nothing. My father had never talked about his life outside of the family. He’d adored my mother and she tolerated him, but there’d been an understanding between them, one that so many in our world did.
“I had my share of goumadas in my life, but those women meant nothing to me. Margaret was far too poised and full of self-worth to get involved with an asshole like me. She wanted to live her own life. I decided not to interfere. We lost touch.”
I heard the bitterness, the deep-seated emotion. “Who was she? Why were you protecting her?”
Giordano shook his head vehemently. “There will be no further discussion of my course of action or poking into my personal life. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.” My heart raced, the adrenaline flowing. What the fuck had I just done? Whoever he’d protected her from might have returned, even placing Caroline’s life into extreme danger.
He nodded, walking around his desk and back toward the window.
I’d just started a war.
The house seemed cold when I arrived. There were no sounds, no obvious clues that anyone else was in the place. I’d purchased the house several years before, renovating a huge portion by myself. Working with my hands was freeing, even peaceful, often providing a level of perspective that I rarely achieved. Modern in appearance, except for my office, the home wasn’t large by the standards of my father, but I didn’t need anything huge. My needs were simple in comparison to the rest of my family.