I'll be away for the weekend again next week, but I'll post when we get home. That should be the last chapter of this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Chapter 177.

Based on the way Locarno's guys and Edgar handled Morgan and Molino, I was pretty sure they could deal with Giordano if he returned. Scratch that. When he returned. What I didn't know was what form his attack would take.

The food was all gone, the party was winding down, and the cleanup crew had started to collect dirty plates and glasses when we found out.

Giordano appeared in the doorway with a dozen or so brawny men. Two of them stiff-armed Bertoli.

"Isn't that the bartender from Boomer's?" I asked Ellie, who happened to be passing by with a load of dishes.

She looked toward the door and practically dropped them all. "What's he doing here? And those other men. They're all from Dorsey."

I shouldn't have been surprised that Giordano would call in men he knew, men who'd worked for him over the years. Did they know that the people he was targeting were his daughters and their staff including Ellie and Petey?

Nina and Jess both approached them all. "What are you guys doing here?" Jess demanded, hands on her hips. "How'd my father involve you all in his ill-conceived plans?"

"Jessica?" A young tough with a full head of pale blond hair and a clean-shaven face stared at her. He turned to Giordano. "You didn't tell us Jess and Nina would be here."

"Hi, Henry." Nina stood at her sister's side. "And Mitch? Does your wife know what you're up to?"

All of the men looked toward Giordano and started talking at once.

Giordano's hand moved up and down as if he was compressing a pile of garbage. "Calm down, boys. I've got a legitimate beef with some of the people here, including my traitor daughters. You all agreed to help me. Don't go chicken on me now."

"What kind of beef?" Blondie asked. "I thought the guys you're after hurt your kids, but seems to me, these are your kids."

"Henry, you tend to get into trouble when you start thinking." Giordano pointed to Locarno. "That's the man who's caused me all kinds of trouble, standing in the way of me and my friends." He looked around the restaurant through narrowed eyes. "What happened to Carlo?"

"Same thing that happened to all of his thugs." I couldn't help myself. I'd do anything to undermine him.

But that focused his attention on me. "That one too. He's the reason my daughters turned on me. In fact, Henry, he could use a good thrashing."

Locarno strode toward him. "Giordano, you may be the big fish in that tiny pond of Dorsey, but you're up against the big guns here. Tell your men to let Senor Bertoli go and we can talk about this like civilized men." His voice was soft, but the steel behind it was evident. He shook his head. "Without Molino's support, you won't get far in Princeton or Trenton. You could have some value to me and my businesses." He shrugged. "Let bygones be bygones. Don't you want to regain your children's trust and love? We all know family is everything."

Even Giordano's men were nodding. The two holding Bertoli let him go. The room became quiet as everyone watched Locarno and Giordano.

"What support? What guarantees do I have?" Giordano seemed to be considering Locarno's proposition.

"You know the influence I have in central New Jersey. I would use it to help you open your restaurant, start any other businesses you wish. You have my word. I honor my promises." Locarno calmly sat in the nearest chair. "Come sit and talk to me. Let's see what we can work out." He patted the chair beside him.

Giordano hesitated at first, but finally sat on the edge of the chair. "What are you proposing?" he repeated.

"I know you're having difficulties getting the permits you need for your restaurant."

"Who told you that?" Giordano's belligerent tone didn't auger well for this discussion. "Did you have something to do with the hold ups?"

Locarno dismissed his assertion with a wave of his hand. "Your association with Molino gave me no choice. But now, now that we're buddies, you'll see. Everything will go as smooth as the flow of vino from this bottle to this glass." He poured some of the red wine we'd had with dinner and handed the glass to Giordano. "Drink up. We have much to celebrate tonight in addition to the good health of our lovely songbird, Marisa, no?"

"So I can expect your support in the opening of my restaurant?" Giordano's narrowed eyes and frown showed his disbelief.

"Of course. And all of Molino's businesses will now need an experienced businessman like yourself to run them. He poked a finger in Giordano's chest. "If you ever need my assistance with anything, please don't hesitate to call. But you'll be the one in charge." He was giving Jess' father everything he hoped to get by force but without any bloodshed or broken bones.

"Impressive," Wilson whispered.

"Finesse. Something you've never learned," I replied.

Wilson smirked for some reason.

Locarno wasn't finished. "You've probably learned already that Princeton isn't Dorsey. That you need connections to get anything done here. I'm offering you those connections. What do you say?"

Giordano took a sip of wine and smiled, looking at the glass. "I should think about it."

"What's there to think about? We're both businessmen, and we can help each other."

"What do you want from me? How can I possibly help you?"

"By ending this vendetta of Molino's here and now." Locarno shrugged. "It's a waste of energy and resources. Time too."

"I still can't believe you'd help me."

"Someone has to take over Molino's interests. Why not you?"

"And this way you can control those businesses?"

Locarno tilted his head. "I wouldn't say control."

"What would you say?"

"I'd know that the man who does control them will work with me and not against me." He put a hand on Giordano's shoulder. "Whaddya say, amico?"

Giordano looked around the room. His eyes settled on his daughters, standing side-by-side. "Jessica, Nina can you forgive your father?" The pleading in his eyes wasn't a ploy.

"If you will agree to Signor Locarno's plan we could begin to forgive." Jess took a few steps toward him. "You hurt us both deeply. I'm not sure I will ever understand why."

"It's a start," he said, and then turned to Locarno. "How do we do this?"

"Come to my office tomorrow. We'll draw up the papers needed to transfer all of Molino's businesses to you."

"You can do that?" Giordano blinked.

Locarno waved a hand. "There are ways. Laws and loopholes in the law. I'll have one of my lawyers there to make sure it's all legal and binding."

"What will happen to Molino?"

"That's a good question. If we ship him back to Italy, there's nothing to keep him from coming after all of us again."

I cleared my throat to get their attention. "You've been looking into his businesses to find any legal offenses that would bring the police into this. Did you find anything?"

Locarno grinned at me and nodded. "Funny you should ask, Doctor. Yes. Especially Bernini's fruit company. We've already contacted the federal authorities about some irregularities. They should be enough to imprison Bernini and have Molino deported, but possibly, even as an Italian citizen, he could be incarcerated as well."

"And Morgan?" Giordano asked.

"He has a record. I'm sure the local police would be interested to know what he's been doing since he's been out of jail."

"How long have you known Morgan?" Jess asked her father.

"You know he worked for me in Shelby. That seems so long ago."

Petey frowned. He'd been clearing our table, but now he joined the conversation. "You do remember that he was the one who killed Mother." His voice grew louder with each sentence, as if he was letting loose resentment he'd stored for over ten years. "All this time that you've blamed me for her death, you should have been blaming the man who really killed her and was even jailed for it. How can you work with men who'd hire him?"

I found myself saying. "I guess your son isn't eager to forgive you."

Giordano favored me with one of his better grimaces before shifting his eyes to Jess. "Is this the kind of hate for me your doctor friend taught you?"

"Greg didn't have to 'teach' me anything. You brought this on yourself. Even if I forgive you for some of what you've done, I will never forget the way you've acted, especially toward Petey."

"Now, now." Locarno's conciliatory tone couldn't cut through the tension between Giordano and his children. "I'm sure we can find a way for Signor Giordano to make amends for his recent behavior. You do want to, my friend, don't you?" he asked Giordano.

He nodded. "I...I miss my children."

There were several things I could say, but they'd only add fuel to the fire in Petey and cause Jess and Nina's anger to flare, so for once I kept quiet. Maybe it was for the best that Locarno smooth things over between their father and them.

"So, it's agreed?" Locarno said. "You will meet me tomorrow and we will set a path for the future, one that includes rebuilding your relationship with your children."

Giordano nodded again. "It is what I most desire."

Locarno didn't ask Nina, Jess or Petey. Wise man. I doubt any of them was so sure they wanted a relationship with their father.

The two men shook on it. I hoped it would work out, more for Jess' sake than anything else.

"Are we through here?" My voice boomed in the almost silent room.

The servers resumed their clean-up duties, and the guests resumed their murmured conversations.

Locarno held onto Giordano's hand with his left and put his right hand on Papa's shoulder. Their voices were lower as they continued to talk.

Jess came over to me. "I have to stay until the tables are cleared and everything is put away, but you can go home if you want."

"I'll wait." I sat back in my chair and she strode to the kitchen.

"That was kind of an anticlimax after the earlier events." Wilson's penchant for stating the obvious hadn't left him.

"Did you want it to be worse? I don't know about Nina, but Jess has had a lingering hope that her father would eventually see the light."

"Come over from the dark side?" Wilson smirked. "We'll see how long that lasts."

I shrugged. "Such a cynic. I see now, though, how Locarno's gotten so far."

Wilson nodded. "I do like his style."

One by one, the guests said a few parting words to Marisa and left. Bev never left her sister's side.

"Someone has to say it: all's well that ends well." Wilson stood to join the line of guests.

I remained at my seat, hoping he was right.