The men turned around, chagrined expressions on their faces. Schwartz colored, like a guilty schoolboy. He tried to change the subject, asking in return,

“How’s she? Mate, how is Proserpina?’

There was no ignoring the deep passion in his eyes, in his face as he watched the Boss who stood, hands clenched, breathing hard, his eyes narrowed.

But Lucien Delano had not become a powerful Don by being sidestepped, even if it was by his closest friend.

“What was ...