“So, Steven,” he said. “What are your intentions for my daughter.”
“Dad!” she said.
I laughed and sipped the beer. “Honestly sir, I plan on treating her like a princess if she’ll let me.”
“That’s good to hear.” He looked at her. “You could do worse.”
“Stop,” she said. “I’m serious. I’ll take you back to Uncle Mathis’s house and tie you up again myself.”
He held up his hands. “Okay, okay, I can’t go through that nightmare again.”
She sighed and leaned against the counter. “Seriously. Just… leave it alone.”
“Fine.” He grinned at me. “Can’t help myself. Easy to rile her up.”
“I noticed,” I said.
“Gets her temper from her mom,” he said, sipping his beer. “She was always a handful. Anything went wrong, and she’d flip shit. I was on eggshells around that woman, but my god, I loved her to death.”
“I’m sure you did, if she’s anything like your daughter.”
He laughed. “All right. You’re not so bad, for an Italian mobster at least.”
“I’m only half Italian,” I said. “I’m German on my mom’s side.”
He rolled his eyes. “Of course. You new generation kids don’t know a thing about lineage.”
“What, you’re all Irish?” I asked.
He pounded his chest. “I bleed green. Irish all the way back.”
“Good for you,” I said and shook my head. “I’m just a mutt.”
Her father laughed and sipped his beer. Colleen gave me an apologetic look and I just shrugged like it didn’t matter. Older people, they cared about that sort of stuff, about lineage and your parents and whatever. My generation cared less and less, and someday it wouldn’t matter.
America, the great melting pot, and all that.
“All right,” her father said, putting down his beer. He leaned toward me, his face serious as he put his arms on the table. “Jokes aside. I need to ask you some things.”
I nodded. “Okay, ask away.”
He glanced at Colleen, who frowned at him, then looked back at me. “What are your plans for Point Breeze?” he asked. “A lot of people are worried. And there are some that want to stir up trouble.”
“I expected that,” I said. “Lots of people are angry about what happened with the Club, and I can’t blame them.” I leaned back in my chair and put my hands behind my head.
“Lots of dead bodies leave lots of angry relatives,” her father said.
“I plan on paying out,” I said. “All those families will get a small cut of the profits for a while. I’ll make sure they’re taken care of. Any former Club members that want to join my crew will be given a shot, but they’ll have to prove their worth and their loyalty before they ever get made. Otherwise, I’d like it to be business as usual around here.”
Her father frowned at me for a long moment. “That’s going to be expensive,” he said.
“I know, but I don’t care. I already have approval from my bosses. I want people to know that the Leone Family takes care of its own, even those that hate us. Point Breeze is our neighborhood now, and all these people are my responsibility.”
Her father sat back and crossed his arms. He watched me then let out a breath.
“All right,” he said. “People will like that. It won’t bring back the dead, but I think most folks understand how these things work.”
“And the trouble makers?”
“They won’t ever let it go,” he said.
“I hear you.” I sipped my beer and tilted my head. “It would be useful if I knew their names. You know, so I could have a chat with them.”
“You follow through with that plan to take care of people, and I promise you’ll find a list of every name that wants to do you harm, especially the ones that might really do it.”
“Okay then.” I looked at Colleen. “That sound fair to you?”
“Very fair,” she said.
“Good.” I turned back to her father and extended my hand. “I want to take care of these people, Finn,” I said. “I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not here to exploit the families of the dead.”
He took my hand and shook it. “I can see why she likes you,” he said.
I grinned and looked at Colleen. Her cheeks were red and she looked away.
“I have a charming personality,” I said.
Her father released my hand and laughed. I pushed the chair back and stood.
“You kids should go spend some time together,” her father said. “I’m feeling a little tired.”
“You sure, Dad?” Colleen asked.
He waved us away. “Go ahead, go sit out back or something.” He got himself up from the chair with a grunt then shuffled into the living room. “I got some TV to catch up on.”
I turned to Colleen and she sighed. I could see the concern in her eyes. I stood and walked over, putting my hands on her hips. She looked up at me and I kissed her. “You heard the man,” I said.
She laughed a little and I led her to the back door. The back yard was a small concrete slab with a tiny two-person metal table and a little umbrella to block the sun. We sat down next to each other and looked at the high wooden fence with thick weeds growing at the base.
“I’ve missed you,” I said.
She gave me a look. “Come on. I bet you love having your house to yourself.”
I shook my head. “The last few nights have been boring. I kind of got used to having you around.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know how to treat a girl.”
I grinned and took her hand in mine. I held it tight and looked at her for a long moment, and felt my heart begin to beat faster.
“I meant what I said to your father in there,” I said, my voice low.
“What’s that? About paying the Club families? I know you did. I was there when you asked Don Leone about it.”
I shook my head. “No, about treating you like
