Twisted Cravings (The Camorra Chronicles, #6)(10)

“Still in a monogamous relationship with a whore?” Savio asked as his way of greeting, keeping his voice low so Greta, and Aurora who sat on Fabiano’s lap, didn’t hear.

Fabiano narrowed his eyes. Savio obviously hadn’t succeeded.

His wife Gemma punched his belly but he only grinned and shrugged.

“C.J. and I are friends. Whatever happens behind closed doors isn’t your business.” I clapped his outstretched hand.

“That means yes,” he said, rolling his eyes as he sank down beside Gemma once more.

“No, it doesn’t but whatever.”

Nino stepped out on the terrace. “Kiara, I think your lasagna is ready to be taken out.” He gave me a nod in greeting.

Kiara quickly rushed back inside, followed by Gemma, who often helped her with cooking for bigger family gatherings. They were the best cooks in the family. Serafina and Fabiano’s wife Leona were usually responsible for keeping the kids in check.

“Cake before lunch? What kind of anarchy is this?” I asked, sinking down on one of the empty chairs between Fabiano and Savio.

“Nevio’s wish. Anarchy is his middle name,” Fina said, rolling her eyes.

“My wish too,” Greta said softly.

Fina gave her daughter a patient smile. “Yours too, but we both know you always say yes to Nevio’s wishes.”

“Not always,” Greta said even quieter.

“Too often, mia cara,” Remo said, kissing her temple.

Kiara and Gemma came back, both carrying casseroles with steaming lasagna.

“One of them is vegetarian with antipasti and lemon-ricotta, and the other is a more traditional lasagna with pancetta and minced beef,” Kiara explained. She and Greta both didn’t eat meat, but the rest of us did, even if we’d gotten used to more vegetarian meals since Kiara had married Nino.

“The food is ready! Sit down!” Fina screamed to be heard over the boys’

rough swordplay.

Alessio was the first to drop his sword and began trotting over to us.

Massimo and Nevio kept clanging swords.

“Nevio!” Remo called.

Nevio’s head swiveled around and he lowered his sword. Massimo had already done so and together they rushed over to us. Alessio gave me a smile but like Greta he wasn’t an overly touchy-feely kid, at least with most people.

Nino touched his shoulder and the boy sank down beside him. Nevio and Massimo followed shortly after and plopped down in the two remaining vacant chairs.

Massimo smiled broadly at me, sweat glistening on his face. He looked more and more like Nino every day.

We finally dug in. Of course, dinner wasn’t a quiet affair. Even when it had been only my brothers and me many years ago, that hadn’t been the case, but the topics and entertainment had become less explicit and more PG-13.

After dinner, I stepped away to smoke. Remo hated it but I wasn’t a kid anymore. Kiara came over after a moment. “How are you? You look happy.”

I smiled, lowering my cigarette and blowing the smoke in the other direction. “I am, what about you?”

Kiara’s face glowed with happiness. “How could I not be happy being surrounded by family? We miss you.”

I gave her a one-armed hug. “I miss you too. But I belong with the racers.”

“I know.”

Remo stepped up to us. Kiara being the clever woman that she was realized he wanted to talk to me. She excused herself and went over to the girls.

“So how are things going with our Russian princess?”

“She doesn’t act like a princess. Smokes like a chimney, and can drink any man twice her size under the table. She’s a damn good race driver too.”

Dinara and Dima were still mostly on the fringes of camp life but they’d participated in the after-race-party, and Dinara had drank half a bottle of gin by herself without any outward signs of being drunk. I hadn’t talked to her

since our conversation about my mother even it had cost me plenty of restraint to stay away.

“You sound fascinated,” Remo said with his twisted smile.

“I’m wary. I don’t need trouble in my races.”

“Trouble can bring us money.”

“Depends on the kind of trouble. Maybe I should talk to Eden. She might be able to give me important information on Dinara.”

Remo’s face hardened. “Stay away from Eden. She won’t be able to tell you anything of worth about Dinara.”

“Because you forbade her to talk? What’s your endgame, Remo? Why are we keeping a Pakhan’s ex in our brothels? And why does Dinara think her mother is dead?”

Something flickered in Remo’s eyes, a hint of realization maybe. I wished he’d share that insight with me. “She talked to you about her mother?”

“She questioned me about the day we killed our mother is more like it.

Will her mommy issues come back to bite us in the ass?”

Remo’s expression had shut off even more at the mentioning of our mother. He’d hated her with a fiery passion before we’d killed her, and his feelings hadn’t improved since then, especially now that he was surrounded by good mothers like Fina, Leona and Kiara.

“If she wants to discuss her mommy issues, send her to me.”

That was the last thing I wanted to do before I knew what was going on.