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“Indeed. Dante Battista, at your service,” Don Bianco said, stepping forward and reaching out his hand. The smile on his face was now in full bloom, open and warm, and he oozed charm as easily as he did intimidation. Mrs. Smith automatically lifted her hand to meet his, but rather than shaking it, he bent over and kissed the back of her hand.

“Oh…”

“Goodbye, Uncle Dante,” Hailey said firmly, narrowing her eyes at him. “We will see you for dinner tomorrow.”

“Goodbye Hailey. Perhaps your friend will join us?” He was still smiling, obviously undaunted by Hailey’s displeasure. Lucrezia and Angelo shot each other startled looks, too surprised by their father’s actions to hide their expressions for one brief moment before they remembered to cover and blanked them out again.

So Don Bianco’s reaction to the woman was unusual.

“No.” Hailey didn’t bother to be anything but blunt as she took Mrs. Smith’s arm, pulling it away from Don Bianco. Arthur was peering up at the mafia don curiously, though he didn’t look much like a mafia don as he smiled down at the young boy. “Come on, Adeline. We can talk in the conservatory; you should see what Ivy has done with it since your last visit. And we have cookies for Arthur.”

“I… thank you.” Mrs. Smith looked a bit dazed as Hailey pulled her off, son in tow. He’d perked up at the mention of cookies, though he also shot a suspicious look over his shoulder as he was led off.

Don Bianco watched them go for just a moment before giving himself a little shake and turning back to Don DiNardo.

“Tomorrow.” He nodded his head, his demeanor already snapping back to the sharp, ruthless don.

Don DiNardo nodded back, his expression inscrutable. “Tomorrow.”

Currents were stirring around them, but that wasn’t my business. My business was my little flower, who I finally caught peeking at me before she ducked behind Aunt Serena again.

But Aunt Serena wasn’t going to save her ass from the punishment it had coming.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ivy

“We can be reasonable about this,” I said to Daddy’s suit-covered butt as he carried me up the stairs over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. As usual, he didn’t respond. And I couldn’t even see his face to see if I was getting through to him. “It’s not like I actually lied to you.”

Silence.

“I wasn’t sure how everyone would react.”

More silence.

He reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner, headed toward our room. I wriggled on his shoulder, trying to get more comfortable. With one big hand wrapped around my thighs, I couldn’t do much more than bend my knees, which wasn’t really kicking and definitely not helpful.

Not that I was trying to get away from him, really, but I was growing increasingly nervous about what he was going to do to me once he got me alone. Especially after the sympathetic looks both Hailey and Clara had shot me. That did not bode well.

“I promise, I won’t do it again.”

Daddy opened the door to our room.

“You won’t do what again?”

“What?” I was so startled that he’d finally responded that the words didn’t process immediately. He didn’t ask again, though, giving me the moment to catch up. “Oh, um, I won’t poison an entire mob family again. Definitely not your family. I had already decided that.”

Daddy put me down next to the bed and loomed over me, glaring, with hard eyes.

“You’re not going to keep secrets from me again.”

“I… um. Okay.” I nodded my head, even though I had a feeling that wasn’t entirely true. Secrets were a girl’s best friend, and I didn’t want him knowing everything. Like, I wasn’t going to be admitting to the poison I already had in a small vial in my apron. Not unless I absolutely had to. It was there to help me feel safer, not because I had the intention of using it on anyone in particular.

He glared harder, as if he knew that I was lying to him.

“Is there anything else about the Biancos you need to tell me?”

I cast my mind back before quickly shaking my head.