by Piper Stone
Badly. I certainly wouldn’t tell my sweet mother about the usual horrors that I’d been forced to endure. She didn’t deserve to hear any of the gory details.
“I’m fine, Mother. Our father taught us well.”
She moved away, giving me an admonishing look as my father snorted from his position in the same overstuffed aging leather chair that he refused to let go of.
I walked closer to the larger than life man, leaning over and pressing my hand against his cool cheek. He appeared exhausted, his skin sallow.
“I’m fine, son. Christ. I don’t need to be babied,” my father insisted.
“Nonsense. Your father wouldn’t last two days behind bars,” she said as if everyone knew that. “He’s not big and strong like you are. Speaking of which, you’re entirely too thin.”
Michael spit out a portion of his drink, wiping his mouth as he choked. “Mother,” he coughed. “You need to stop babying him.”
I moved toward my younger brother first, giving him a bear hug. At least the two of us were closer than the rest. I hadn’t been able to comfort him after his significant loss. He’d always been brooding, his beloved bride able to pull him out of a darkness that had threatened to consume him. Thank God he had his two children to take care of.
“How are the twins?” I asked, longing to see my adorable niece and nephew. The amount of suffering he’d gone through since his wife’s death was undeniable. Although the horrible incident had been ruled an accident, the entire family was certain they knew who was responsible.
Giancarlo Azzurri, oldest son and a ruthless dictator.
Another issue that would need to be resolved. My gut told me the aggressive Italian, newly appointed Don of his family, would never issue a strike against our family. Besides, there hadn’t been a move against our holdings by the Azzurris during my absence, a telling statement.
His eyes twinkled, slight joy returning to his face. “Growing like weeds. They can’t wait to see you.”
“Soon,” I said wistfully. He almost immediately lost the smile, walking toward the bank of windows.
“Our dear older brother doesn’t deserve to be treated with kid gloves either,” Lucian said under his breath. “My guess is that Cristiano honed his weapons skills while behind bars.”
“Lucian!” my mother admonished.
“No harm, Mother.” I shot him a look, studying his pensive face. “Is there something you need to tell me, Lucian?”
He polished off his drink without answering. “There’s nothing I need to say to you.”
“Goddamn it, brother,” I started until our father attempted to get out of his chair.
“That’s enough, both of you. We work together as a family. Remember?” His gruff voice was even huskier given his refusal to stop smoking his beloved Cuban cigars.
Family.
Perhaps I’d used the term far too loosely in my life. I’d known the second I’d been arrested that Lucian would use the situation to his advantage. While he’d maintained our diamond brokerage business, he’d yet to obtain a road into the New York market, something I’d instructed him to take care of. He’d also come no closer to finding out who’d been responsible for the assassination attempt or why the men and women of law enforcement on our payroll had allowed my arrest and conviction to occur.
It would seem heads needed to roll.
I swaggered toward Lucian, trying to keep my anger in check. He’d aged since my departure, the small lines on his forehead indicating the difficulty he’d faced while attempting to keep the soldiers in line as well as overseeing our other companies. “I think Lucian has been waiting to say something to me for over a year. Haven’t you, brother?”
Only two years my junior, he’d been entirely different than me, his studious abilities making him the obvious choice for handling the more refined assholes who ran the diamond market. However, he’d objected to my methods of handling the business since my father had semi-retired years before. Jealousy ran rampant in our family.
Lucian tilted his head, his eyes reflecting a level of amusement. “If I have something to say to you, Cristiano, I have no problems doing that. I’m no longer in your shadow.”
“Interesting. I guess that’s something you and I will need to discuss.” I remained unblinking for a full twenty seconds, the tension between us mounting. My mother’s deep sigh was the only thing to break my concentration. I snorted before turning away, determined to let it go for the night.
“However, I do find it fascinating that one of your first stops after being released from prison wasn’t about your family, but about exacting revenge.” Lucian’s voice boomed in the wide open space. He was goading, even sparring for a fight.
“At least I have the balls to handle the affairs of our business as necessary,” I retorted. It was obvious there’d been talk about my plans.
“That is fucking enough!” my father snarled. “Tonight isn’t about business. This is a celebration. Your brother was released from prison. He endured his time, keeping his mouth shut and his loyalty maintained to the family. I doubt any of you could have handled what he’d been forced to endure.”
Lucian snorted, moving toward the bar to refill his drink.
“This is my house,” Father continued. “You will honor my wishes. Business will be discussed tomorrow.”
The slight chuckle slipping past Vincenzo’s lips only further angered him, his harsh glare shifting to the self-appointed playboy of the family.
The awkward silence settled into exactly what I’d remembered occurring the majority of time we were all together. We weren’t a happy little family.
“Woo-hoo!” As the front door slammed, the lilting voice of my sister was likely the only thing from keeping my brother and me from spiraling into blows. She stopped short when she was just inside the room, narrowing her eyes as she shifted her gaze from Lucian back to me. “Nothing ever changes in this goddamn family.”
“Watch it, young lady,” my mother chastised. “I could still wash that filthy mouth of yours out with soap.”
I gazed, enjoying the bickering more than I should have. Maybe I’d actually missed the family get-togethers, although they’d become infrequent long before I’d been sent away.
Angelique swished her hips back and forth, blowing a kiss in Dimitri’s direction as she passed. “In case you haven’t figured it out, Mother, I am twenty-two years old. A worldly woman who lives on her own. You can no longer tell me what to do.”
As she locked eyes with mine, a huge smile crossed her face. I wasn’t shocked to see her usually gorgeous raven hair dyed an ungodly shade of purple, the free spirit in my sister going strong. She yelped in glee as she ran the rest of the way, jumping into my arms.
“You’re home! I counted the days. I was so excited when they told me.” Angelique threw her arms around my neck, clinging to me like a lifeline. She and I had a special bond, the kind I’d wished for her and our father. He’d been far too busy when all of us had been growing up to bother with any concept of nurturing.
I could tell out of the corner of my eye that Dimitri’s interest in her hadn’t diminished over time. While my Capo knew better than to touch her in any inappropriate manner, I knew in my gut that he would protect Angelique with his life if necessary.
When she finally leaned back, sliding to the floor, she gave Lucian a dirty look, forcing me to laugh. “My aggressive little tiger. But purple hair?”
She twirled in a circle, allowing her long locks to flow freely. With every move, she inched closer to Dimitri, finally acting as if she tripped in order to have him catch her.
Dimitri’s face reddened if only slightly, the catch planting her firmly against his chest. There was utter silence in the room for a few seconds before my father cleared his throat.
“We are all glad to have you back, Cristiano,” my father commented.
“Why do I feel like there is a ‘but’ attached to my welcome nod?” I asked, taking another swig of my drink.
“What about them?” I glanced around the room, curious about all their pensive faces.
“It would seem that they have every intention of moving in on our particular trades with South America,” Lucian continued for him.
The Azzurris were pains in our asses and had always been, but one of the few rules that had been established years before is the clear distinction in our two territories. South America was off the table as far as they were concerned.
“Who the fuck told you that?” I demanded.
“Son. Your language!” my mother huffed.
Sighing, I suddenly remembered why spending time with the entire family had always been exhausting. “Who told you that, oh, brother of mine?”
Lucian cracked a smile for the first time since my arrival, but before he had a chance to answer, Angelique piped in.
“It would seem that Francesco Azzurri has no problem spouting off his family’s latest attributes while intoxicated.” The smile on my sister’s face was both telling as it was infuriating.
Within seconds, I hand my hand wrapped around Lucian’s throat, slamming him against the wall. “You allowed our sister to get involved with our business?”
“Stop it. Stop it!” my mother screeched.
“Let him go, Chris,” Vincenzo encouraged.
“This is blasphemy!” my father bellowed. “We are a family.”
I dug my fingers into Lucian’s neck, my rage over the top. “You disobeyed me, brother.”
“It’s not his fault, Cristiano,” Angelique pleaded. “Let him go.”
“Then who the fuck’s fault is it? Don’t say it, Mother. I am allowed to be furious.”
Michael walked closer, taking shallow breaths. “Blame me if you need to. I mentioned my concern to Angel over lunch. I had no idea what she’d done until later.”
While my anger remained directed toward Lucian, I let him go, ignoring the sounds of his coughing. I’d rarely shown my anger to Angelique. That had never been the kind of emotion that had gotten through to her. She didn’t back down, her larger than life persona giving her a defiant look, her expression reminding me of Emily’s. For a few seconds, I was thrown by the realization.
I took both her arms into my hands, squeezing with enough pressure that she knew I was troubled. “What did you do?”
“Why does everyone in this family think I did something?” she demanded.
“Tell her, Angel,” Michael encouraged. “You know Cristiano. He’s not going to leave it unless you do.”
She wrinkled her nose, giving me a pouting look but after ten seconds, she realized it wasn’t going to work on me. “I might have flirted with him at the art gallery.”
“Might have?”
Michael cleared his throat.
Angelique rolled her eyes. “When Michael told me what an informant had said, I remembered that Francesco was on the guest list for one of the art showings.”
“Uh-huh,” I huffed, giving Michael a hard look. I’d known for a few years that Francesco, the youngest son of the Azzurri family, had been sweet on my sister. There had been some talk about an arranged marriage, something I knew Angelique would never go for.
Let alone the monster inside of me. Even though Giancarlo and I had made a deal of sorts, I couldn’t trust that my sister wouldn’t be used as a pawn. The Azzurris were the kind of crime syndicate that would eat their own if it meant padding their substantial wealth.
“Okay, so we spent some time together,” she offered.
“At your art gallery?” While I knew how much my sister adored running the gallery, a birthday present from our father when she’d turned eighteen, I’d never liked the idea. It was too easy for our enemies to exact revenge on our sister instead of their desired target.
A warm flush swept over her cheeks. “Well, I admit that we went to a club to have a drink. He kept drinking so I started asking questions. And don’t you dare be mad at me. I’m part of this family too.”
“You did this without protection?” I had more of an edge in my voice.
“I didn’t sleep with the asshole, for God’s sake,” she protested, immediately groaning when our mother walked out of the room in disgust.
“You know exactly what I mean, Angelique, and you know the rules.” I shifted my angry gaze in Dimitri’s direction. The last thing I’d said to my Capo was to keep an eye on my sister.
“I’m a big girl, in case you haven’t noticed. I can take care of myself.” Her counter was immediately followed by placing her hand on my cheek, something that had always defused the rage burning deep inside.
I allowed her hand to remain for a few seconds before taking it into both of mine, using enough force she furrowed her eyebrows. “You don’t understand the level of danger surrounding us, Angelique. Promise me you won’t do something that stupid again.”
She opened her mouth to retort but sighed instead. “I promise. Don’t you want to know what he said to me?”
A part of me knew damn good and well Francesco could have been tossing something in our direction, although doing so while I was behind bars was surprising. The Azzurris knew better than almost anyone that I had a penchant for retaliation.
I lifted an eyebrow, knowing there was no way to stop her. “Go on.”
“Francesco mentioned his family was getting involved in an exciting adventure. I pushed him, but he objected at first. He finally mentioned that his family’s decision to move into South America would provide significant business.”
“Did he specifically mention certain party favors?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, but what other business is lucrative in South freaking America?”
I rubbed my jaw, lifting my gaze toward Lucian. “Diamonds.”
Lucian seemed impressed I’d have such knowledge, even lifting his glass in salute.
“Whatever the fucking Azzurris are doing, we need to know about it,” our father growled. “And soon. I refuse to allow those pigs to take over any of our territory.”
“Don’t worry, Pops. We’ll find out,” Vincenzo said. “You need to remember that our big brother has returned. He’ll do what’s necessary.”
“Tonight,” my father demanded, obviously changing his mind about only discussing business beginning tomorrow. He was worried, something I wasn’t used to.
“It’s after nine, Father,” Michael said quietly, trying to be the voice of reason.
I could see the instant tension between Vincenzo and Lucian. What in the fuck had been going on since I’d been gone? Tomorrow I’d sort it all out, one way or the other. If I needed to have a discussion with old man Azzurri, then I’d make it tops on my to-do list. However, Giancarlo would be easier to access.
But nothing was going to happen tonight.
“I’ll find out the truth. I need the name of the informant, Michelangelo,” I stated with no inflection.
“You called him Michelangelo,” Angelique teased, her laugh just as I’d remembered and missed so much. “You must be pissed.”
“This isn’t a laughing matter.” I turned to face Dimitri, letting him tell by the harsh expression on my face that I was furious. “And from now on, you’re going to have security every time you’re working.”
Dimitri nodded, standing straighter as if preparing for my wrath.
“Oh, come on,” she protested. “Don’t you think seeing two hulking masses of grunting men will push away my customers? Sales are already down this year, for Christ’s sake.”
“As our dear, sweet mother said, watch your mouth. It’s time you embraced that this world isn’t one big playpen.” I knew my words were harsh, but I had the distinct feeling that I was going to walk into a hornet’s nest.
“Wow. You’ve changed,” Angelique mused.
“How appropriate. It would seem that prison made our brother even harder than before,” Lucian half snarled.
“Cut the crap, Lucian. That’s exactly
what’s needed right now,” Michael defended me, as if I couldn’t do that for myself.
It would seem my savage methods of doing business had been missed.
“Business is getting more difficult, gentlemen, on both sides of the fence. I suggest we actually take our father’s advice and try and work together,” Vincenzo almost laughed after issuing the statement.
I shifted back to face them, turning my attention to my father. He’d never wanted to give up the helm, loathing the fact he was getting old. He’d always told me that he and I were just alike—brutal. Perhaps he was right. I wasn’t going to take crap from anyone, including from my siblings.
There was far too much at stake, including our legitimate businesses. I finished my drink and moved to place the glass on the coffee table, immediately heading for the door.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Lucian’s overbearing tone was enough to rile me once again.
“It’s been a long day. I’m going home to enjoy a nice glass of cognac.” While I had entirely other goals in mind, they certainly weren’t going to be privy to hearing what I had in store for the lovely but very disobedient Emily Porter.
My answer brought a laugh from Angelique. At least she and Michael knew that I’d never given a shit about my home before, barely spending any time there.
“Leave him alone,” Father barked. “Chris is back in town. He will take care of everything. He will make it right.”
As I walked out, I heard Lucian’s bitter laughter.
One day our venomous disagreements would come to a head.
And on that day, one of us would be forced to walk away from our family.
Chapter 5
Emily
Cause and effect.
Behaviors and consequences.
The sentiments played over and over again in my mind like a skipping record, reminding me that every good deed didn’t go unpunished. Of course, I’d had no choice in testifying against Cristiano King. The ugliness of the realization had left me unnerved for well over a year, haunting my dreams as intently as Cristiano’s chiseled face and carved body.