Reign (The Larussio Legacy Book 3)

by Via Mari

  “Jay’s calling in. Can you deal with the home situation?” I say to Salvatore, who nods his head and gets on the phone to call Great-Uncle.

  I hit Jay’s contact number. “Jay here,” he says.

  “Any word on the Dominic situation?”

  “Nothing yet, Giovanni. I know you’re anxious to have him out of the picture, but I need to ask you a favor. I know you have connections that can reach into the prison where he’s being held, but please don’t do anything rash. We need to find out who else he has working for him and if someone else is pulling his strings. If we don’t, they’re just going to keep coming.”

  I know what he’s really saying. Keep the bastard alive. “I’ll give the team some time, but not much. In one snap of my Family’s goddamn fingers, he will be dead. We’ve only held out this long to get some answers, but no more,” I say, causing Salvatore’s eyebrows to raise at my directness and change in temperament.

  “I understand,” Jay says. “The good news is that we’ve been able to tap into the feds’ communication lines. They have their eyes and ears on Mancini, too. They haven’t been able to pinpoint who he’s got working for him either, though. We’ve also been running under the assumption that since he broke off with the Chicago Family, and then got turned out by yours, he was calling the shots. What if he’s on the receiving end of the orders, instead of giving them? Think about all the fire and manpower involved, the drones, and the tenacity. If we take Mancini out now, we’ll never know who to watch out for until it’s too late,” Jay says.

  “You don’t need to convince me further.” Everything is starting to come together. The cousins who turned against the Family were already working for Mancini long before he got caught skimming money from the Chicago Mafia. It never made any sense to me that the cousins would jeopardize their position with the Family for what seemed small potatoes, extorting money from low-income families. Seems that’s just the tip of the iceberg, and if someone else is pulling the strings, and the cousins thought they would have their backing when it came time to put a stop to Uncle Carlos’s vision for the expansion in Vegas, or even me moving into position as don when Great-Uncle passes, it makes a hell of a lot more sense.

  “As much as I want him dead, I completely agree with the strategy that you’re using, and until now, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t so sure. I’m still pissed as hell that Serena got caught in the middle of this war, but I know that you’ll keep her safe and get to the bottom of it. Just do it soon, Jay. This is fucking killing me, capiche?”

  “Roger that,” he says, his answer for just about everything when he means okay.

  “Does your intel have any update on the communication tap they were able to get in place on my cousin’s line?” I ask Jay, because it’s already been twelve hours since we found out Mancini was the traitor in the Family, and my patience is growing thinner by the minute.

  “We’ve got a tap on everything going through that wire, but nothing yet, Gio. As much as I hate what we had to put you and your family through, we needed those damn numbers. Our intel group is working round the clock to monitor and decipher all the traffic. They’re good at what they do, the best around the globe. We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  I nod, because while I may not like it, I do understand that these things can take time. “Just get it figured out quickly. In the meantime, tell me what’s happening at home with Serena. I understand she’s not taking the news about staying at the Larussio estate too kindly.”

  It’s Jay’s turn to laugh out loud. “That’s a huge understatement. Let’s just say the team is earning their money right now. Serena is pissed that we took her to your home on your say-so and didn’t confer with her first. She’s worried, probably rightly so, that her nonna will hit the roof when she finds out that she’s being placed in a home of the Larussios. They haven’t yet gotten a chance to explain to her that you have separate guest villas set up for each of her brother’s families and that her nonna and her nurse will share a villa of their own. Oh, and she’s also concerned your great-uncle and her nonna will go head to head!”

  I laugh at that. “Well, she’s probably not too far off the mark there, but my great-uncle cares about Serena. There was a time he wouldn’t have allowed any of her family on the estate. He’s not only permitted it, but has actually arranged the accommodations himself. It will all sort itself out. One thing, though, Jay. I don’t think Great-Uncle’s aware that her brothers have hidden their wives and children. Let’s keep it that way. I don’t want him to worry any more than he already is. Your own security team hasn’t been able to find them, so they’ve done a great job getting them off the grid. I just want to make sure that we find them before Mancini’s crew does. We both know they’ve got people scouring the countryside for anyone that means anything to a Larussio. Time is of the essence!”

  “I’ll double the efforts on that front and call her oldest brother myself to see if I can convince him that we’re trying to keep them protected.”

  “Good. In the meantime, make sure Serena and her brothers are comfortable and that she is able to help console her nonna as she transitions to the estate. I’ll deal with the rest when I land,” I say, disconnecting and glancing up into the dark narrowed eyes of Salvatore, who has just stalked back into the cabin.

  “We need to call the entire Family, as well as the security team. One of the cousins just got wind that Serena’s brothers have hidden their family with a small gang of rivals in the north. We know where they are. Unfortunately, so does Mancini’s group. The security intel team just picked up the chatter over the wires. You good with having our men go in without going through protocol?”

  “Hell yes. I told her we would safeguard her entire family. Damn it! Have them protected at all costs,” I roar, because Serena will never forgive me or any of my family if something happens to her family. “And find out how they knew where they were!”

  “The same way they knew everything else. Our fucking cousin. Intel got positive confirmation, and if he wasn’t already dead, he would be now!” Salvatore growls, pounding a message onto the screen of his phone. “They’re going into the safe house now and will bring them to our estate. I told them to do it as easy as they can since there are women and children involved.”

  I text Jay with an update and look at the message he returns.

  Got word about the same time as you. Agree with the plan. Stand by.

  I nod, knowing that I’m going to need to bring Great-Uncle up to speed now. “No time like the present to share the good news with Great-Uncle,” I say to Sal, who raises his eyebrows at me and slides his tall muscular frame into the armchair across from me. I sigh as I connect and place my cell on speaker and put it on the table in front of us.

  “What the hell is going on? I am still the don of this goddamn Family, Giovanni,” my great-uncle roars.

  Serena

  That man infuriates me like no one else on earth! How dare he not respond to my message after everything that has transpired? I’ve waited at least ten whole minutes, and that’s ten minutes too long in my book! My fingers are just itching to hit the connect button so I can hear his voice and yell at him for having his security men take me to his home instead of where I planned to go with my family.

  I am just about ready to type him a message, give him a sound piece of my mind, when my cell starts playing Giovanni’s ring tone. I let it sound once, then twice. I contemplate giving him a taste of his own medicine and letting it go to voicemail, but I can’t because I need desperately to hear his voice, even if I am pissed as hell at that man right now!

  “Hello!”

  “Tesoro, I thought you would know by now that I make the rules, I control your pleasure and keep you safe. You do not leave, go off on your own, and put yourself in danger. You haven’t had a punishment spanking yet, but you are certainly deserving of one,” Giovanni says, and the sound of his voice and his
threat makes my center pool with desire even though I am madder than hell at this man. Just thinking about his form of correction makes my thighs tighten with need, but this is about my family’s safety and I can’t back down.

  “You were right, Giovanni. You were always right. Every single one of my family is in peril because I love you. How could either of us live with ourselves if something happened to the people I love? Think about my brothers’ families. My sister-in-laws, my nieces and nephews, even my unborn nephew? They are innocent. They have done absolutely nothing, but your rivals will use my family to get to me, and ultimately to you. What if they had really taken my nonna? I would have given myself over to the enemy to ensure that she was not harmed, and then they would have gotten exactly what they wanted.”

  “Serena, they will not get to you or your family.”

  “If it was just me, I could do it, but it’s not. Mancini’s men could take any of my family knowing that I would do anything they demanded in order to keep them safe. The security men can’t be everywhere all the time. Your enemies will always be looking for a chink in the armor. One day they will find it, Giovanni, and when they do, I will have to give myself up because I couldn’t live with myself if they hurt my family. In the end they will end up torturing or killing me and hurting you. You warned me; I just didn’t fully understand until I heard the conversation in the bathroom. I thought they had my nonna, Giovanni. You can’t imagine the terror I felt.”

  “I know the fear you talk about. Every single time I imagine them getting their hands on you or anyone of your family, I feel that fear! I tried to walk away, to do the right thing, but it’s far too late for that now, Tesoro. They know you are protected by the Larussios, and they know you are mine. The Family wouldn’t be protecting you otherwise, and they know it. The only way they can fully protect you is to ensure you are surrounded by our intel and security teams and have you stay at our estate. It is virtually impenetrable.”

  “I know, Giovanni, it’s just so much to take in, and they will all be furious with me.”

  “Great-Uncle has even personally been overseeing the guest house preparations to make sure everything on the property is ready for your family. Your nonna, brothers and their families will have a safe place to live and will all be protected by the Family until this is over. You will be safe, your family will be safe, capiche?” Giovanni asks, and that husky voice of reason has a calming effect on the anxiety I feel.

  Time and time again he comes to me and my family’s rescue, and time and time again we reject him, but yet he continues to give so much. My sense of shame only deepens as I consider what he must have gone through when I left, but he must know by now that my family will never accept him. The Family has always been the cause of my family’s heartache, and that will never change.

  “Tesoro, say something. I know you’re upset, but everything has been arranged for their safety and comfort. Your nonna and each of your brothers will have a separate guest house. Great-Uncle has even been the one giving staff instruction to get things prepared,” Giovanni says.

  I wipe the tear that silently falls. “Great-Uncle has been doing that?”

  “Indeed, Tesoro. You have become very special to many of the Larussios. Now, do as I ask. Make sure your nonna is comfortable and your brothers know you are not being held against your will. They are concerned about your well-being and that of their own families. If it makes you feel any better, Jay’s team is working around the clock to reunite them with their wives and children. It will not be long,” Giovanni says.

  The tears can no longer be contained. They spill from my eyes and over my cheeks. I swallow past the lump in my throat, taking a moment to compose myself enough to even respond. “I love you so much, Giovanni. I don’t know how I will ever thank you. The fact that all of your family is so supportive means the world to me.”

  Giovanni’s great-uncle always seems so tough and staunch, but I’ve seen the softer side of him when he refers to his deceased wife or his son. They were both taken at an early age, leaving Giovanni as the oldest nephew in line as don of Italy, and it’s clear to see how much he loved them when he talks about them. Great-Uncle has shown that same caring side to me, and he has earned a special spot in my heart right along with his great-nephew.

  “I have to take a call, Tesoro, but I will be thinking of you until I see you again,” Giovanni says before disconnecting.

  The driver pauses briefly as the car reaches the intimidating entrance of the Larussio estate. The armed guards who protect the property must be expecting us, because the gates open and they wave us through immediately. Nick and Cole are on their cells, doling out instructions as we drive along the winding road that eventually leads us to the main villa. The driver uses the semi-circle driveway and pulls up to the front door, where Great-Uncle is standing to greet us.

  “Let me out,” I say to Cole, who has the left side of the backseat blocked with his mammoth body. I know better than to get out of the left side of the car by myself. Always, always, the side that allows the car to block me from a distance.

  Cole is busy texting and nodding to the person he’s talking to, but he hasn’t taken his eyes off me and holds up a finger, gesturing me to wait a second. After a few brief moments he disconnects. “We’re cleared, we can go now,” Cole says, sliding his phone in his pocket as he opens the door and helps me get out of the backseat. I wonder in passing if perhaps he will tell Giovanni that I do pay attention to the rules, at least the ones that make sense!

  “Thanks, Cole,” I say, sliding out to greet Giovanni’s intimidating great-uncle, who is watching me with those hooded dark eyes as I approach.

  This man, the don of Italy, a man I grew up fearing, has put aside his precious protocols for me and my family. He closes the distance between us in two steps, pulling me into his arms. “You scared the entire family half to death, Serena. You don’t ever leave on your own without clearing it with the Family. You do not go against protocol, young lady!” Great-Uncle says, kissing me on both cheeks before giving me another squeeze as he continues to chastise me for my behavior.

  This man, the one that for years was the root of all my nonna’s fears, and mine as a result, has come to mean something to me, too. I hug him back, hiding my tears in his chest, but he lifts my face and wipes them with his thumb. “You, your nonna, and your brothers are safe. You are protected by the Family. We are going for your brothers’ families as we speak. Come, let’s talk inside,” Great-Uncle says, guiding me through the large entryway and into the great room. “Would you like a glass of wine while we wait for your nonna?”

  I nod. It’s early, but a glass of my favorite red sounds excellent. The attendant hovering nearby pours each of us a glass and brings them to us before leaving the room. I swirl my drink, needing the moment to inhale the complex bouquet before taking a small sip of the red made exclusively for the Family from their own vineyards. “It’s divine,” I say to Great-Uncle, who’s nodding his agreement and smiling broadly.

  “Indeed. It was a new crop and we’re exceptionally pleased.”

  “I knew the Family owned vineyards, but I guess I didn’t realize your Family was in the wine-making business until Giovanni mentioned it on our trip to the States. This is truly exquisite,” I say, taking another small sip.

  “The Family has branched out in many ways over the years. Giovanni has a multitude of high-end hotels and resorts. Many of the cousins have different business ventures all over this country and America. Carlos will now have the most elite resort in America’s adult playground, and I don’t like to brag, but the Larussios’ vineyards have become the leading supplier for many wineries across the globe. Of course, we keep the premium grape for our own label,” Great-Uncle says, referencing the red wine we hold in our hands.

  Great-Uncle glances down at his phone and grimaces. “Serena, the security team has just brought your nonna onto the property. I fear she wil
l be upset without you to console her,” he says.

  “Please, don’t take it personally, but she most definitely will be disgruntled. Is Gracie, her nurse, with her?” I ask.

  “Her nurse?”

  “Yes, Giovanni has been paying a private nurse to care for her, and Nonna’s become quite attached to Gracie. She even reads to Nonna when I’m not around to do it myself,” I say.

  “She’s here,” he says, seemingly cautious. “I just didn’t realize that she was your nonna’s nurse. I was asked to give her clearance by Antonio.”

  I try to hide my smile, but nothing gets past this man, and he usually knows absolutely everything, a point of contention with both Giovanni and Salvatore. He grunts under his breath, but I see the slight curl of his lips even if he tries to disguise it from me, and now I, too, am curious about whatever is happening between Gracie and Antonio.

  Great-Uncle glances down at his phone. “Well that didn’t take long. It would seem your nonna has arrived and is giving everyone a piece of her mind. Go and calm the woman. The security team is at a loss,” Great-Uncle says, chuckling out loud while I place my almost untouched glass of wine on the table before heading to their rescue.

  Gio

  Sal and I reach the estate, and we both try to conceal our amusement at the sight before us as we enter the great room. Serena should, by all accounts, be nervous around Great-Uncle after putting him in a position where he had to make a split decision to go against his protocols, but she’s anything but. Instead, she sits sipping a glass of red with Great-Uncle as though nothing is amiss. I swallow past the lump in my throat and the fear I’ve felt since she left, relieved that she feels completely at ease in our home and with my Family.