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“Did so happen?” I asked

She smiled, but it was her fake smile “Your father wants to talk to you in his office”

I carefully moved out from under Lily’s head and put it down on the chaise She drew her legs up against her body She was small for an eleven year old, but I wasn’t exactly tall either with five foot four None of the women in our family were Mother avoided my eyes as I walked toward her

“A Usually Lily and I were the obedient ones; Gianna was the one who always broke the rules and got punished

“Hurry Don’t let your father wait,” Mother said simply

My stomach was in knots when I arrived in front of Father’s office After a moment to stifle my nerves, I knocked

“Come in”

I entered, forcing any desk in a wide black leather arany shelves filled with books that Father had never read, but they hid a secret entrance to the base off the premises

He looked up frorey hair slicked back “Sit”

I sank down on one of the chairs across fronaw on my lower lip Father hated that I waited for hie expression on his face as he scrutinizedto clai bolder by the day We’re luckier than the Las Vegas fanore the threat the Russians and the Taiwanese pose any longer”

Confusion filled me Father never talked about business to us Girls didn’t need to know about the finer details of the mob business I knew better than to interrupt him

“We have to lay our feud with the New York Faht back the Bratva and the Triad” Peace with the Fao Outfit hated the Fa each other for decades and only recently decided on ignoring each other in favor of killing off the anizations, like the Bratva and the Triad “There is no stronger bond than blood At least the Faht”