“I was just across the hall checking out the progress on my offices and thought I’d pop by.”

Lie.

It was totally planned.

I then stopped lying. “Ren’s busy so I needed to wait and I didn’t want to wait in reception. Dawn…” I trailed off as we stopped by one of the chairs in front of his desk and I gave him a look.

“Ah, Dawn,” he mumbled, indicating a chair with his hand so I sat. He moved around the desk and continued talking. “Not hard to look at.” He sat behind his desk and leveled his eyes on me. “But sometimes something pretty on the outside can hide…” he paused and stated extremely diplomatically, “interesting things on the inside.”

He had that right.

And he had Dawn’s number.

Then again, no one would mistake Vito Zano for dumb.

“I hope you don’t mind me interrupting you,” I said, and he again threw out a hand.

“Not at all. I’ve been wantin’ to hear how your meetin’ went with Father Paolo.”

Hmm.

“I haven’t spoken with him yet Mist… uh, Uncle Vito.”

He ticked a finger back and forth at me. “Don’t delay, cara. Catholic classes last a year.”

They did?

A whole year?

Yikes!

“I’ve been kinda busy,” I told him.

He nodded and watched me closely. “The business at Smithie’s.” He shook his head. “I heard. Very disturbing.”

He had that right, too.

“It’s done now. Time to heal,” I shared.

“I would say that last part would be the part you and your Rock Chicks would be involved in. Not the…” another meaningful pause, “other.”

He knew I was stripping.

“You do what you have to do to get the job done,” I informed him

His eyes narrowed and he leaned toward me, but I got there before him and leaned toward him, putting my hand on his desk.

“Don’t, Uncle Vito. With respect, I’ve worked this out with Ren and my family. I understand and appreciate your concern, but they’ve come around, and although that’s important to me, bottom line, it’s my job, my choice. And, no offense, truth be told, what you need to focus on is not me or what’s happening with Ren and me or Catholic classes. It’s doing everything in your power not to lose your son.”

I heard his swift intake of breath and caught the flash of pain in his eyes he couldn’t quite keep hidden before his expression turned scary.

But I was a Nightingale. This didn’t affect me.

So I kept going.

“You’re hurting him with this. He’s torn between loyalty to you, loyalty to his mother and where he’s at in his soul. You’re the only father he’s ever known. Are you really okay with attempting to bend him to your will? Even understanding his will was forged through your own blood, so you know that won’t ever happen? Thus forcing him to make decisions that will hurt people he loves?”

“This is not your business, Ally,” he clipped, eyes cold.

“Ren is absolutely my business, Uncle Vito,” I returned.

We went into staredown.

I didn’t back down.

He didn’t either.

This meant our tense silence lasted a long time.

Surprisingly, Vito broke it.

“I’ll not discuss this with you,” he stated.

“I’m okay with that,” I replied. “Just as long as I know you heard me.”

He scowled at me and said nothing.

He heard me.

“I’m gonna see if Ren’s free,” I said.

“You do that.”

Meeting done, and by the look on his face, I didn’t make a friend.

God.

Vito.

Stubborn.

I nodded and got up.

But once up, I looked down at him and fired my parting shot.

“I love him. He’s my world. So obviously I want him to be happy. This dissension is making him unhappy. I also want to work across the hall from him so we can carpool. He wants that, too. And I know you want him to be happy. There is no way the man who looked after Ren and his family, the man who gave a father to a fatherless son, the man who stepped up for Ava and Sadie, would hurt someone he cared about. Not that deeply. And it would be disappointing to me, devastating to the man I love, to learn that’s not true.”

On that, I took off.

But I’d seen his head jerk and I hoped I got in there.

I closed the door behind me and headed to Ren’s office, wanting Lee to be gone. Not because I didn’t love my big bro, but because I didn’t want to delay in breaking in Ren’s desk.

I didn’t stop at Ren’s door because I heard a voice in reception. It was Dom’s, and he sounded angry.

I was Ally. Always curious. So I moved stealthily toward the mouth of the hall, but stopped when I could hear and not be seen.

“…IT guys and they found that shit,” Dom bit out.

“I—” Dawn started.

“Fuck no,” Dom cut her off. “That’s your written warning. From now on, company email only. Not that bullshit you been writing to your girls. That’s f**ked.”

I grinned.

Ren had had Dom check her emails.

And I’d been right. She was catting with her girls on company time.

Now she was getting a written warning.

This was so totally a happy day.

“And, just sayin’,” Dom continued. “That f**ked up shit you been tellin’ your girls about what’s gonna go down between you and me, get that shit outta your head. I’m married. I got a wife I love and a kid I also love. I’m not gonna do jack to f**k with that. Not with you. Not with anybody. And, babe, just sayin’, take a good look at my wife the next time she comes in. I know you think your shit don’t stink, but you don’t hold a candle to her.”

Suddenly I decided I liked Dom.

Unfortunately done tearing Dawn a new one, he stalked into the hall and scowled at me.

“That was righteous,” I whispered when he got close.

“That bitch is a bitch,” he replied, not in a whisper.

I couldn’t argue that.

Dom continued stalking down the hall.

For (hopefully) future reference of the lay of the land at Zano Holdings, I made note of which office he went into.

Then I went to Ren’s, knocked and entered when he called, “Yeah?”

“Hey,” I greeted, closing the door behind me, noting Lee wasn’t there, so no delays to nookie.

“Hey,” he replied, getting up and making to move around the desk.