“I’ll ride with you,” she tells him. “And then I’m leaving,” she says to Amadeo.

We watch her walk away, Bruno with one eyebrow raised.

“Go ahead,” Amadeo tells him, and we watch them walk out the door.

I turn to him when we’re alone. “What did you agree with her, brother?”

His jaw tightens. “That I’d set her free once it was over.”

We look at each other for a long, long minute. Thing is, there was a time I would have said hell no to that. I would have rather locked her away in a cell somewhere than let her go to live a life. To have a life at all.

Now, I still say hell no. But for a different reason.

“She’s not going anywhere,” I say.

“No. She’s not.”

I nod, glad we’re in agreement. “Let’s go get this over with.”

17

AMADEO

She neither speaks nor looks at my brother or me throughout the hour-and-a-half meeting with Brady as she signs where he tells her to sign and nods along as he explains things she isn’t even listening to. She wants to be finished and leave. It may be best for her anyway. I need her out of New York City and out of reach of her brother, so I’ll give her half of what she wants. She’ll go to Italy to be with her sister. But she won’t be leaving the Ravello property.

Once we’re finished, Brady hands her a folder. “Details of what I told you are inside as well as specifics about your allowance,” he says with a glance at me. He doesn’t like that I have control of her finances. I get it. He knew her father and his loyalty will be with Vittoria. But this business he doesn’t know about, and I don’t much give a fuck what he thinks of it or me.

“My allowance,” she says bitterly, sending a scathing look my way, the first in all the time we’ve been in this office.

“Access codes and everything you need are in your folder. Read it, Vittoria. Understand the details and your rights.”

“I’ll have access to the money right away? My allowance.”

“Right away.” He gestures to the folder.

“Can he stop paying it?” she asks him.

“I won’t,” I answer before Brady can open his mouth.

I watch her jaw tighten, but she nods, then stuffs the envelope into a large tote she’d brought with her. I turn to Brady. “Work on all site stops today. You put the word out yet?”

“What?” Vittoria asks.

“Construction is paused until further notice,” I tell her.

She studies me, but I turn to Brady and raise my eyebrows, waiting for his response.

“There are quite a few sites, Mr. Caballero. It will take time.”

“But you’ve got it under control?”