When She Falls (The Fallen, #3)(25)

This is a bigger opportunity than we were expecting.

Dem gives me a look that communicates he’s thinking along the same lines.

“We can ramp up production next month,” he says.

Messero swirls his whiskey. “How much?”

“Three million worth of premium leather goods, that includes shoes, purses, and accessories.”

“The quality?”

“Indistinguishable from the real thing. We forge the authenticity certificates too,” I say. “Every now and then, we send someone to the boutiques to ask for authenticity checks. They rarely fail. You won’t find any replicas better. Even the top-of-the-line Chinese factories don’t come close. Some of our factory managers have worked for the actual brands in the past, so they know exactly what to look for.”

Nero’s brows lift. “Impressive.”

“Three million won’t be a problem, but to get to five, we’ll need to build a new factory,” Damiano says. “It’s a large investment on our part. We’ll want to get more comfortable with the terms and discuss guarantees before we take that step.”

“We’re about to become family,” Nero says with a grin. “What other guarantees do you need?”

Damiano stares at him over the rim of his glass. “We aren’t family yet. Perhaps we wait until Rafaele and Gemma are officially wed.”

My posture stiffens.

I was doing decently well with putting Gemma out of my mind, but now everything comes flooding back.

The way her lips felt against my own is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

Fuck. I still need to apologize.

Kissing her was a mistake.

The bigger mistake has been allowing myself to get fixated on her.

Yes, she’s beautiful. I’m wildly attracted to her. I would have loved to do something about that attraction if circumstances had been different, but that’s not the hand I’ve been dealt.

She’s engaged. Spoken for.

She clearly hates my guts.

I need to stop being an ass and leave her alone.

I also need to stop worrying about her like she’s my damn problem to solve. It fucking sucks that she has to marry this asshole, but she’s an adult.

If she needs help, she’s got Vale to turn to. Otherwise, she’s responsible for her own life choices.

Rafaele pins me with his gaze, as if some part of him senses I’m thinking about his fiancée.

I scowl. “When is the wedding?”

“Soon,” Garzolo answers quickly.

“Is the date set?” Damiano asks.

Rafaele places his tumbler on the coffee table with a soft clink. “March sixth.”

That’s about five weeks from now. A heavy weight solidifies inside my gut, but I ignore it.

“Then let’s settle on three million for now and discuss how we can get comfortable with five after the wedding,” Damiano says.

Nero finishes off his drink. “We’ll see you there, won’t we? I don’t imagine your wife will want to miss her sister’s nuptials.”

“We wouldn’t dream of it,” Dem says.

My hand tightens around my glass. Great. Just great. That means I’m going too. Seeing Gemma walk down the aisle to this bastard is something I could definitely live without.

“Well, sounds like we’ve got it all worked out,” Nero says. “Is there anything else we should discuss? You’ve brought us out to paradise, De Rossi. Nothing would make me happier than a few hours to enjoy it.”

“What about the other family?” Napoletano asks.

Everyone turns to look at him. He’s been even more silent than Messero though all this, standing in the corner and observing us all.

“The one that used to run counterfeits before in New York,” he says. “I don’t imagine they’re happy about you taking over their territory.”

“Didn’t I already say to all of you a few days ago that the Riccis are done?” Garzolo snaps.

Suspicion licks up my spine. This topic really sets Garzolo off.

He finishes off his drink and slams the glass on the table. “Rabid dogs, that fucking family. They need to be put down. But now that word’s gotten around that Rafaele and I are merging forces, they won’t try anything stupid.”

“We just want to be helpful,” I offer. “You’d tell us if you needed any assistance from us, right, Garzolo?”

His eyes narrow on me. “Assistance? Do I look like a man who needs assistance? You want to come to New York and see how I run things down there? You’re welcome to come any time.”

I glare at him. “I’ll be sure to take you up on that.”

We end the meeting, exchanging handshakes so as not to end it on that terse note.

Once our guests leave, I turn to Dem. “All right, so what the fuck is going on here? If Garzolo’s sole value in this deal is to act as a broker between Messero and us, I don’t understand why we don’t just cut him out.”

“Because he’s family now.” Damiano drags his palm over his chin. “Maybe this is why he initiated the marriage between Messero and Gemma in the first place.”

“Messero isn’t stupid,” Napoletano says. “If all Garzolo had was his connection to Sal, and now to you, Messero wouldn’t have agreed to the marriage. No, Garzolo must have something else. Something Rafaele Messero wants.” He walks around the sofa and takes a seat at the end. “I overheard Gemma talking to Vale last night. She made it sound like Garzolo really needs this alliance. Like he’s weak without it.”