Page 16 of The Taste of Deceit

Mikey adjusts the cuff of his jacket.

“Call me if there’s a problem.”

“There won’t be.”

The confidence in Marco’s voice earns the slightest hint of a smile from Mikey.

Once we’re in the SUV, Mikey immediately pulls out his phone and starts scrolling. I have no idea what he’s looking at, and honestly, I don’t want to know. The man is responsible for more businesses, employees, properties, and people than I can keep track of on a good day.

It’s one of the few benefits of being the son of the second-born Amato. Nobody is looking to me to run an empire. Nobody is expecting me to make decisions that affect thousands of people. I have my responsibilities, and they’re significant enough. Watching Mikey carry the weight of everything else is more than enough to make me thank God every day that my dad wasn’t born first.

“Where we headed, Boss?” I ask as we pull away from the estate.

“I’ve got a meeting at Dominico’s with Governor Phillips.”

I glance at him in the rearview mirror. He’s already back on his phone, scrolling through emails or reports or whatever fresh problem is waiting for him today.

“How’s Sarah?” he asks.

“Uh, good.”

“Katie seemed worried about her on the way home last night.”

Shit.

“Yeah. She had a migraine. She tried playing it off, but I guess it bled through. She’s feeling better now.”

I keep my eyes on the road as I say it. It’s not technically a lie. Sarah did have a headache by the time we got home.

I glance up and catch Mikey’s reflection in the mirror.

“That’s good,” he says.

“Yeah.”

I turn onto the main road and settle into traffic. Mikey glances up from his phone.

“You still heading to Montana this weekend?”

“Yep.”

He nods once.

“Sarah excited?”

I laugh.

“She’s been talking about it for weeks.”

He gives a small chuckle.

“What’s she got planned for today?”

I shrug.

“She’s got the day off, so I have no idea.”

That gets his attention. I catch his eyes in the mirror.