She grinned and squeezed my hand. “I don’t need that.”
“But you want it.” I leaned closer. “Ever since you came into my life, I’ve been changing. A little bit here, a little bit there, and I didn’t know what it meant until now.’
“What’s it mean?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
“I’m in love with you,” I said. “Have been since that moment I saw you on the ground in that bodega. I think I’ve been doing all this to try and make that mistake up to you, and I want to keep making it up. I want to give you everything, Colleen. I want to give you the whole city, if that’s what you want.”
She leaned toward me, put a hand on my cheek, and kissed me.
“I love you, too,” she said. “And how about you just take care of this neighborhood first, okay?”
“I can do that.”
I held her hand and smiled like an idiot.
I’d never said those words to a woman before in my life. And I’d never come close to meaning them before.
But now I had Colleen, and I felt like my entire existence just flipped on its head. She made me a better man, or at least made me want to be a better man. I’d take care of her, give her whatever she needed, and make sure that the people she cared about were looked after.
She was mine, my Colleen, my princess. And I was her dark prince, come to sweep her off her feet and change her life.
It was a long, bloody road, but I felt like we were home.
27
Colleen
Two Years Later
I felt a bead of sweat drip down my back as I stood next to Steven at the grill. He flipped the burgers one more time then dished them out.
“Yo, Colleen!” Luca called out. “Where’s the damn grub!”
“Be patient, you idiot,” I said.
He laughed and Simon punched him in the arm. Steven shook his head, grinning, and leaned over to kiss me.
“Having fun?” he asked.
“Your crew is a bunch of animals and I hate them,” I said.
He laughed, kissed me again, and slapped my ass.
“Go take them some burgers before they start rebelling.”
I grinned at him and walked over. The guys cheered as I put the plate down on the long plastic table with its plastic table cloth. I had to move the mustard bottles and the bowl of plastic forks, and the guys barely waited for me to pull my hands back before they fell on the food.
I stepped away from their table and looked around. There were ten more tables set up all along the block, and each table was full of people. Some were from Steven’s crew, but a lot of them were local Point Breeze people, most of them former Club members. They were the people Steven took care of, single moms and old women, mothers of dead sons, people that had been ripped to shreds and slowly put together again through Steven’s generosity.
Soft jazz music played through speakers set off to the side and a herd of kids went running past. I watched them with a smile and put a hand on my own belly before turning to head back toward Steven.
But I stopped myself as an old man in a wrinkled cardigan and a black cane came hobbling over to me followed by two men in black suits.
It was Don Leone. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years, and he looked even more frail than I remembered, but it was him.
He beamed at me. “Beautiful day for a block party,” he said.
I nodded my head respectfully. “Thank you, Don. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Steven invited me, and I thought I’d take a look and see how my Capo was doing. Seems as though this neighborhood is well in hand. And from what I’ve seen in the numbers, quite profitable.”
“We’re doing what we can, Don,” I said.
“We?” He laughed. “I had a feeling you had a hand in it.”
“Just the local politics,” I said. “Steven does everything else.”
“I’m sure.” Don Leone smiled and looked around. People were eating in groups, talking and laughing. There were coolers of beer and soda, plenty of chips, and a table with sides and desserts that families had brought with them. Steven stood at the grill, banging out burgers as fast as he could, wearing a white apron over his slim fitted navy suit.
“You know, Don Leone, I never properly thanked you for agreeing to help take care of these people,” I said. “Without the money Steven’s been paying to them, there would be a lot of angry families struggling to get by.”
Don Leone gave me a shrewd look and inclined his head. “I must admit, it was an odd request,” he said. “But it was the correct move. In every other neighborhood we’ve taken over throughout the years, there was always a year or two of unrest as the residents got used to the new way of things. But here, there was almost nothing. A short purge, and then quiet. I must say, it was smart, if expensive.”
“I hope it’s not too expensive,” I said. “And in a few years, perhaps we can come up with some new deal.”
He chuckled and nodded. “You’re a smart woman,” he said. “Steven was right to marry you.”
I glanced down at the sparkling diamond ring on my finger. “I hope so,” I said.
“Well, send my regards to Steven. I shouldn’t stay long.”
“You’re not going to speak with him?”
Don Leone shook his head and smiled at me. “No, dear. I came to see you.”
I blinked at him in surprise. He reached out a hand and I took it. We shook gently, and he inclined his head.
“Have a nice day,” he said, and turned.
I watched him go, completely taken aback.
Luca walked over and stood next to me. “That was the Don,” he said. “What did he want?”
“Just to talk to me.” I shook my head, at a loss.
“Look at you. Mobbed the fuck
