Kelley stood in the foyer of his childhood home, now his home and left his suitcases right there as his phone rang. He fished it from the inside pocket of his jacket and looked at the name highlighted on his screen.“Hello, Charles.”“We need to talk. You went too far this time, Kelley!”“With what exactly? I’ve been quite busy the last few weeks.”Kelley could hear the irritation in Charles’s voice and he had to smile. He loved irking the old man. “Are you still in St. John’s City?”“No, I’m in town.”“Where are you?”“My house on the hill overlooking my new kingdom.”Charles’s intake of breath was audible and Kelley waited patiently for him to recover from the shock of that news. “I’ll come to you.”The line went dead and Kelley grinned as he pocketed his phone again. It would be an enlightening conversation. Approaching footsteps made the grin disappear and his features returned to stoic as the man stopped in front of him.“We’ve cleared the house, no bugs and no cameras. Your secu

By Wednesday Kelley realized that Ernesto had never given him the name of the Romano daughter he’d marry. Blaire’s initial searches turned up five Romano daughters living in Ernesto’s household. Two of the girls had been adopted after his brother had died.The first one was Fernanda, aged twenty-one. She was a beautiful young woman but something about her didn’t feel right to Kelley. She looked spoiled, pampered and shallow. Her hobbies included shopping, getting her nails done and pouting for selfies.The second daughter was Milana, aged eighteen. The smile on the photograph seemed timid, almost shy and she didn’t share her older sister’s beauty, though, she wasn’t ugly. Her face was innocent, too young and Kelley almost felt bad for her.Kelley dropped the folder on his desk and realized that within two days he’d be a married man. Marella had organized a small ceremony at a chapel with a pastor he’d never met and didn’t know. Afterwards they’d come back to the house for a small rece

“Who’s Basilio Giudice?”Kelley looked up from where he was fastening his cufflinks as Lee leaned in the doorway looking like himself again. Kelley hadn’t heard from him until now, Friday morning.“Why do you ask, Lee?”“Because I find it ironic that an unknown Italian businessman has just started buying up everything in the upper districts that we don’t already own.” Kelley smiled and Lee shook his head. “You did it again, asshole. Why can’t you just tell us before you go off and do shit?”“Shit’s a bad word, Uncle Lee.”“Gracie! Don’t say shit.” Mason shot a glare at Lee and Kelley smiled as Grace bounded up to him.“Hello, princess. You look beautiful.”“Thank you, Uncle Kelley, you look pretty too.”Mason stifled a laugh and Lee raised his eyebrow as Kelley picked her up and turned back to the mirror. Grace traced Kelley’s tie with her finger and then kissed him on the cheek and smiled her toothless smile at him.“That’s not something you hear in the same sentence, ever.” Mason’s

Lee closed the front door behind him softly, the entryway dark and the living room beyond it too. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, knowing he had to talk to Marella but dreading the outcome of the conversation. “You came home.” Lee looked up at Marella standing at the head of the stairs in her pajamas. She looked younger with her hair down and the make-up rubbed from her face. One hand had inadvertently gone to her flat stomach and Lee swallowed the rising bile away. “We should talk.” “I’m really tired, Lee, and I’m just glad you’re home.” Lee’s heart broke a little as he took the steps slowly towards her. She reached out her hand and he took it, followed her back into their bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. Marella sat down next to him and her hand found his cheek. “I can’t do this, Marella.” “Do what?” “It’s me or the baby. I can’t give you both. I … I lo … You’re my whole life, Marella, but a life with me is without children.” “Why, Lee? I don’t understand.

People rarely knocked on Kelley’s study door. Lee and Mason would just walk in and Connor cleared his throat right before walking in. If he needed privacy he’d lock the door, at least that’s what he told Mason when he asked about walking in on something he’d rather not see.The knock on his study door came again, a bit harder this time and Kelley stood up from behind his desk with annoyance. He yanked the door open ready to lay in to whoever it was since he’d made it clear to the staff that he didn’t want anyone near the study.Kelley blinked and relaxed his stance. Milana’s eyes found his and then she lowered her gaze. She held the schedule in her hands and Kelley looked her up and down. Her shoes were worn, her denim frayed at the ends and the t-shirt she wore a little washed out.“I didn’t mean to disturb you. I mean … you said the study was off limits … I’ll just go.”“Milana, wait.”She stopped halfway in her turn but didn’t turn back, her hand now clutching the schedule like she