“They refusing to pay?” I ask.
He jerks his chin. “Same kind of situation. Son doesn’t want to pay at all. Old man kicked the bucket couple of months ago and he’s taking over the business.”
Letting out my breath with a heavy sigh, I nod as I reach forward and wrap my hand around the door, pulling it open with a grunt. The bakery is busy, as it usually is. It’s actually one of my favorites, I always order breads and treats from here if I’m in need.
Walking over to an empty table, I sit down. Luca follows me but doesn’t sit down. “You want anything?” he asks.
“Order me some cannolis for Pippa, yeah?” Luca smirks at me before he turns his back and I watch him fall into line to be waited on.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I send a text to Gavino and ask for a meet. I need to tell him about the pictures and the email that I received. I started thinking about it late last night when I couldn’t sleep. Started going through the possibilities of who it could be.
Who the fuck got my personal email address? A phone number I could see, that shit gets passed around like candy, but an email? Who the fuck even emails like that anymore anyway? Everything is done through text messaging.
NEED TO MEET. IN PERSON.
GAVINO: FREE IN ONE HOUR.
I’LL BE AT YOUR OFFICE.
I stay planted in my chair for the next twenty minutes until Luca finally makes his way to the front of the line. I watch as he orders the cannolis then makes his way over to the cash register where the son, and new owner, is ringing up people.
Luca pays as he speaks, I watch as the son’s eyes widen, then shift over to meet mine. He jerks his chin, turns back to talk to someone behind him, then he stomps toward me and flops down in the chair across from mine.
“What the fuck do you want? You can try to shake me down, but I ain’t payin’. My dad may have been a pussy, but I’m not.”
“A pussy?” I ask.
He arches a brow, his eyes focused on me and nowhere else. He’s stupid. Where his father was smart enough to know not to fuck with us, what battles to fight. This man thinks that he’s a badass because he’s standing up to me. All he’s going to get is fucking dead doing that shit.
“He bowed down to you. Made those payments every month like clockwork, as if he fucking owed you something.”
Tilting my head to the side, I watch him for a moment, my face completely expressionless. He hasn’t offended me, hasn’t upset me in the slightest.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“Roman,” he spits.
“Your father didn’t bow to anyone. Your father knew when to stand and fight and when to accept what is just part of life. This is part of life, think of it as taxes. You not paying those either?”
Roman stands, shaking his head. “Not the same. I won’t be forced to pay you. I won’t be bullied or anything else. Go fuck yourself and the entire Zanetti famiglia can fuck themselves too,” he growls.
He stands before he turns from me, walking away. I shake my head with a sigh as I rise to my feet. “Sorry it has to be this way. You let me know when you want to recant all of that,” I say to his back as I turn and walk away from him.
“It’ll be a cold day in hell,” he bellows.
Looking over my shoulder, my lips tip up into a small smile. “That can be arranged,” I calmly state.
I don’t give him an opportunity to respond. Instead, I leave the bakery. Luca follows me, his shoes clicking behind me as we walk down the street and around the corner where our cars are both parked.
Once we’re by our cars, I spin around to look at him. “He’s going to be a problem,” I grunt.
Luca snorts. “I got him as a problem and two Johns that fucked up a couple of girls that I need to deal with after I leave here. I don’t need this douche.”
Shaking my head, I hold out my hand. He slips the box of cannolis in my palm and I let out a sigh. “Get a couple guys on him twenty-four seven. I don’t want them to approach, but just have a presence. Maybe that will be enough to scare him straight.”
“He seems pretty firm,” Luca murmurs.
“He seems pretty fuckin’ stupid.”
Luca chuckles. “That too.”
“If he doesn’t make contact in one week, I’ll deal with him myself,” I grunt.
Luca whistles as he shakes his head. “You sure you wanna do that? He ain’t worth that kind of movement, is he?”
Licking my lips, I jerk my chin. “It’s not about him being worth it. It’s about me showing that we aren’t going to put up with that kind of shit. If we let it go, then what does that say about us? It says we’re weak. It says that nobody has to pay and if they don’t think they have to, they won’t.”
“Yeah.” Luca nods.
“Let me know if you need me for anything else, I have to meet with Vino.”
Luca lifts his hand and gives me a two-fingered wave. I watch as he jogs toward his car as I open my passenger seat and set the cannolis down on the floor. It’s going to fucking suck if I have to knock this bastard off and can’t get pastries anymore.
Climbing into my car, I let out a frustrated sigh, I put in a call to Pippa before I head toward Gavino’s.
PIPPA
My phone buzzes in my hand. Without hesitating, I slide my finger across the screen and accept the call, placing it to my ear.
“What are you doing?” Massimo asks. His voice is sharp and I can tell he’s
