Sold To the Grizzly Don (Alcee and Bruno) novel Chapter 115

Chapter 115

The next day, Alcee was back at work, Antero was back in school, and Torquato Lozano was head of the family and there was a steady stream of people showing up to the offices to pay their respects to the reconfirmed Don.

Alcee was finding it odd however that Tank was following her around job to job until she realized he’d been assigned to watch her.

“What are you doing?” she hissed at him angrily.

eed help.”

“Making sure you don’t need

“Liar. He told you to be my guard, didn’t he?”

“Until he can get someone else, yes. There is still the possibility of blowback from the shit which went down. The feds are breathing down everyone’s necks because they know people are missing but nobody is saying anything. There was an explosion at the airfield. They want answers. You need protection. You won’t work strictly out of his office on the top floor, so you’re stuck with a bodyguard for now.”

“I’m in a secure building.”

“Yes, you are but there are more people than normal in and out today and as a result, you have protection.”

This is dumb.”

“Is it?

She knew Tank was right. Part of the reason she’d avoided the top floor altogether was because Genevra was on a power trip enjoying telling security who could and could not make the trip to the top floor to pledge allegiance to Torq.

Alcee held no curiosity at all about who was being permitted up and who was being denied access. It was cool Torg was being hailed as the coldest motherfucker on the planet for allegedly murdering his father, all of his father’s affiliates and allies and doing it in the house of the family he fucked over years ago by denying his marriage agreement.

Rumors ran fast and wild through the streets of New York and it Was even in the news.

f Torg and the

there was none.

What was interesting to her however was how desperate people were to find a photo of

“How does he do it?” she asked randomly of Tank as she updated security software in the finance office.

“Do what?”

“Keeps his face and identity completely hidden? Corrado was photographed all the time. There are photos of his grandfather. How does he keep his identity so closely guarded?”

“Fear, money, more fear,” Tank laughed. “It’s not hard to convince someone to hand over all the photographic evidence of you when you’re seven feet tall with more zeroes in your bank account than ninety–nine percent of the world. It’s also a good dose of respect from the families. Even his enemies protect his identity because in this business, you never know when you may need your enemy’s help. A bridge with Torquato Lozano on the other side is not one you wish to burn down

“Otherwise, the shit from the other night might happen,” she agreed. Her phone buzzed and she looked at it again and shut it down.

“Who is that?” Tank asked curiously. “You look like you want to throw the phone.”

“Mercurio.”

“What does he want?” Tank frowned worriedly.

“He went to Torq to try to arrange a visit with me and my mother. Torq told him I was a big girl who could make her own decisions as to whether I wanted to entertain such a meeting. Since then, Mercurio has been blowing up my phone. It seems she is quite desperate to reconnect.”

“You’re not keen?”

Chapter 115

“I’m suspicious.”

“Her motives. She had six years to reach out. It makes no sense to me she’s only doing it now.”

“Maybe she wasn’t permitted before.”

“I agree. She wasn’t permitted before. Dad barred her from contacting me, but I will tell you what I told Torq and Mercurio in the past, Nobody and I mean nobody could keep me away from my son. If she wanted to, she would have found a way to communicate with me. She chose not to. She was content to get the quarterly updates from when Mercurio would reach out to me. I see no reason to meet with her now.”

“Maybe she could explain herself.”

“Maybe she could. Doesn’t mean I must accept her explanation or offer her forgiveness for something I don’t genuinely believe she’s apologetic

over.

“What if your father was hurting her?”

“What if he was?” She shrugged carelessly. “I have four brothers, Tank.” She held his gaze, “four big, strong, made men who all killed before they were driving. If he were hurting her, they could have stepped up to stop it. She could have gone to any one of them and told them. I don’t believe she was being hurt f think she was a coward. I think she still is a coward.”

“What about Ant?”

“What about him? Is this where you question whether or not my son should meet his grandmother? She’s had plenty of time to come forward to be part of his life. I don’t owe her anything. Antero is a happy kid and frankly, he’s liking the nonna he already has. She is good to him. He made crafts with her. Lorita brought paint and the biggest pack of crayons I’ve ever seen in my life to him yesterday so Torq and I could sleep, and Antero was stoked to be spending time with his tia and his nonna. He came to wake us up for dinner and couldn’t stop talking about how much fun it is to be with his new family. I know they are enough for him. He isn’t going to need someone like her, someone who would sacrifice her own flesh and blood for cash.”

“You’re still pretty angry.”

“It’s fair.”

“I am aware my feelings are valid.” She mocked him with wide eyes and then grunted when her phone buzzed again.

“He’s not giving up?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe we should ask Torq to intervene?”