Two Kings

Chapter 40

No sooner do Rico and I step out of the ballroom; loud music floods my ear drums. Then I see Nonna sitting in a chair, her eyes closed. "Are you ok?" I ask.

Her eyes open, and she grabs her black clutch from her lap and stands. Her expression is pale and grave. "Not really. I was thinking of the mess unfolding around us. Phil has delivered some shocking and unexpected news, I'm afraid. Which is why we need to meet with him now. I didn't want to disrupt you both, so I decided to wait out here until you came out."

My gaze darts to Rico and we share an awkward glance, no doubt both considering how thankful we are that she didn't come in looking for us. She would have got an eyeful if she did.

"Speaking of unexpected, Alexis and I had an interesting conversation with someone we never expected to hear from again."

"Is it Grey?" Nonna asks with a raised brow.

"Yep. Your dead grandson is alive."

"Yes, that's what Phil said." Nonna sucks in a breath and presses her hand to her chest. "I didn't believe him at first. But he had the foresight to record the call, and when I heard his voice, I wanted to throttle him. Grey, I mean."

"That's a calmer reaction than the one I had. What did he want?"

Nonna sighs and both her brows rise. "Better let him relay it to you. Come on, he's sitting with the uncles. I called them in. Whatever your brothers done; they need to know about it."

Nonna leads the way. "Who are the uncles?" I whisper.

Rico drapes his arm over my shoulders and pulls me tight against him as we walk. "Each one of them head their own crime family. Of course, some aren't here. But if they aren't told about Grey, it could be bad for the family, especially if they assume we've known all along. They'll label us as liars and be hesitant to do business with us in the future. Especially if they hear about it from an outsider."

Nonna stops at a closed door near the reception room and knocks twice. "It's us." she pushes the door open, and a grey-haired man stands when he sees up. The other three men push their chairs back and stand as well.

"You took your time." One of them grins, and the other man standing beside him nudges him in the arm.

"They're newlyweds. You remember that time, Gus? For you it was several decades ago, but for them, it's brand new." He grins, his brows going up and down. "I was once glued to my wife's crotch too. And not much has changes since. Maybe just the crotch. Am I right?" They all laugh at that, and once the laughter subsides, everyone takes a seat, and it begins.

"Ok, so give it to me, old man. Tell us what that useless nut sack brother of mine wants now."

Phil leans into the man sitting at his side and whispers something.

"What are you whispering?" Nonna asks.

"I asked Trent to pull out the copy of their marriage certificate."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because Grey's claiming to be your husband."

"Pathetic! She's my wife! I married her. You were there-you were a witness, for God's sakes!"

"Of course, of course. I know what happened. But would you both mind entertaining me for a moment? I want you to look at the certificate, see it for yourself."

The man pulls a slip of paper from the folder and places it on the table. Rico snatches it up and runs a finger along the writing and stops. He stays quiet a moment, staring at it before he slams his fist down on the table.