by Cora Reilly
“It’s not betrayal if you’re helping them.”
“I owe my Capo the truth. I owe him loyalty.”
“Do you think Kiara or I’d ever do anything to betray our husbands?” Serafina hissed, stepping close to Fabiano. Looking like an angel, she still managed to appear fierce. “You are the only one who can help us save them.”
“From what?” Fabiano asked, becoming intent and tense, ready to go into war to protect his brothers-by-choice.
“From themselves,” I whispered. “Please Fabiano. We need your help.”
“Then tell me what’s the matter.”
“First you’ve got to swear that you’re not going to tell them,” Serafina insisted.
“That’s not going to happen, Serafina.”
Serafina glared then turned and stalked over to Greta and Nevio, who’d stopped playing at Fabiano’s arrival.
Fabiano caught my gaze, his expression questioning. “Kiara.”
I sighed and put Alessio down into his crib before I faced Fabiano. What choice did we have? We needed his help. Serafina gave a small nod, her lips pinched with worry.
“Their mother has escaped from the hospital.”
Fabiano’s eyes went wide then he shook his head. “Impossible. Remo gave the staff clear instructions. They’d never dare to go against him.”
“He gave them instructions to allow only a Falcone brother to release her.”
Fabiano frowned, then realization set in. “Fuck!” he snarled, causing Greta to drop her wooden block and began crying. He snapped his mouth shut and muttered under his breath. “What the fuck is wrong with the kid? First the fucking drugs, now this.”
Serafina cradled her daughter in her arms and as usual Greta calmed quickly. Fabiano sighed then glanced back toward me. “You realize Remo and Nino won’t rest until they’ve caught her.”
I bent over Alessio who was deep asleep, such a quiet baby when he wasn’t hungry. It hurt my heart to think he’d become that way because in his first weeks his cries had been ignored or been punished with pain. “Not if you catch her before them.”
Fabiano froze. “You want me to hunt her?”
“Hunt her and kill her,” Serafina said as she set Greta back down to Nevio who had begun clanking the blocks together.
Kill her? We hadn’t spoken about that. Serafina gave me a pained look.
“Kiara, don’t look at me like that. You know as well as I do that she’ll always haunt them for as long as she lives. Even now when they’re finally happy, she manages to ruin everything again. I want her gone from their lives once and for all. I want the past to end so we can focus on the future, on our family. I want her dead.”
Serafina was Remo’s wife through and through. She loved fiercely and brutally, and protected her children and Remo relentlessly. I gave a small nod, even as my stomach turned thinking I was deciding about someone’s life. But there was no limit to the length I would go to make sure Alessio and Nino were safe. I hadn’t intervened when Remo had killed Alessio’s birthmother, had I?
“You want me to kill her?” Fabiano asked slowly then laughed darkly. “Remo would never forgive me. Not in one million years if I took that kill from him and Nino. His fucking half-brother killed their father before Remo could. I won’t do that to Remo. If anyone ends that woman, it’ll be the Falcone brothers, not me.”
I closed my eyes. Fabiano wouldn’t budge on the subject.
Serafina stalked toward him. “It’s not just about them anymore. They have children. They have us. They have to be fathers and husbands.”
“Trust me, if they don’t handle her himself, they won’t be men you’ll want to live with.”
Serafina shook her head then whirled around, turning her back to us and slowly sank down beside her kids.
I didn’t say anything, terrified of Nino’s reaction when he found out. Fabiano stepped up to me, his hands curling over the edge of the crib. “How’s Alessio?”
“Gaining weight and the burns have healed.” I met his gaze. “Do you want children?”
Fabiano smiled, but his eyes were worried. “First, Leona and I need to marry next year ... if that still works out.”
“Do you think Remo and Nino will still be chasing their mother then?” I couldn’t imagine being without Nino for that long. Even if he returned home now and then, their life would be dedicated to the chase and not our family.
“I don’t think so, but it might complicate the planning and everything else. I guess we’ll have to wait for their reaction.” He ran a hand through his hair, mouth tightening. He was as concerned about their reaction to the news as we were. He knew them, had known them a long time before Serafina and I did.
Fabiano strolled over to Serafina and the twins and knelt down beside them. Serafina didn’t look his way, her shoulders stiff. Fabiano handed Greta one wooden block after the other which she took after a moment of consideration and piled them up. Nevio, of course, got up and staggered over to Fabiano, keen eyes on the gun in his holster. Fabiano caught Nevio’s grabby hands. “No.”
That was a word Nevio wasn’t very fond of and his face scrunched up in an indignant cry. Fabiano chuckled, grabbed him and catapulted him up over his head. “One day you’ll be Capo, young man, but until then you’ll hear many no’s.”
Serafina turned to them, smiling slightly despite the tears trailing down her cheeks. Greta crawled over to her and settled in her lap. Feeling sentimental, I picked up Alessio, waking him. He mewled softly, blinking up at me. I pressed a kiss to his cheek and cradled him against my chest. “I’ll feed him.”
I left, heading for the kitchen. There was no reason to panic yet. Maybe Nino and Remo would handle their mother’s disappearance better than we hoped. They’d grown so much since I’d come to live with them.
The past was just that, the past. Right?
After Fabiano had sent Remo a text that he and Nino needed to come home as fast as possible, we waited. Fabiano and Serafina were still on the floor with the twins and I was stretched out on the sofa with Alessio on my chest when Remo and Nino returned. The moment they saw us, they fell silent. Nino’s brows drew together when he saw Fabiano then his eyes moved on to me. My eyes were red and so were Serafina’s.
“What’s going on?” Remo asked Savio, who’d been sitting on the sofa for the last hour, mulling over what we’d told him. Before Savio could reply, Nino walked over to me as I carefully sat up so as not to wake Alessio.
“Kiara? Has anything happened?”
I stood, then linked my hand with Nino’s. Serafina stayed on the floor with the twins, regarding Remo as if he was a ticking bomb. Fabiano rose to his feet, and I shivered, fearing what lay ahead.
I said, “Your mother escaped from the hospital. We don’t know where she is.”
Nino’s fingers became slack, something haunted flickering in his eyes, and his gaze went to Remo, who was frozen except for the look on his face. He looked the man I’d been scared of in the beginning.
“What?” The word reverberated with the promise of punishment, with pure unfiltered hatred.
“Adamo went to visit her and she tricked him into getting her out. When he wasn’t paying attention, she ran.”
“I still can’t believe this shit,” Savio breathed. He wasn’t as shaken as his brothers. Even though they’d told him about the events of that fateful day, he at least couldn’t remember them.
Remo curled his hands into fists and lowered his face to glare at the floor, shoulders shaking. Nino still hadn’t moved. The look on his face wasn’t any less unsettling than Remo’s.
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know,” I said, not taking my eyes off Nino’s beautifully cold face. “He wanted to catch her so you’d forgive him.”
Nino let out a choked scoff.
“What are you going to do now?” Savio asked.
“Catch her. Kill her,” Remo said in a low voice as he watched Greta and Nevio on the floor. He knelt and touched their head
s.
“You’re going to hunt her?” I touched Nino’s chest.
“We have to.”
“I could hunt her and bring her to you,” Fabiano suggested, and I could have hugged him. My relief was short-lived seeing Nino’s and Remo’s expressions.
“No, not this time, Fabiano,” Nino said.
Remo leaned forward and kissed his twins, then staggered back to his feet. He pulled Serafina against him who pressed her lips together.
“She needs to die.”
“I know,” she said.
“When will you leave?” I asked.
Nino glanced at his brother. “Right away.”
Remo sighed. “She could still be close. I don’t want to give her time to leave our territory, or refresh old contacts.”
Serafina looked at Remo. “Old contacts?”
“When we took over, we killed most of our father’s men and the men who deemed themselves worthy of ruling over the Camorra, but we didn’t get all of them. Some of those cowards ran off. We thought they were in Mexico or Europe, but they found refuge in Outfit territory.”
“We should head out to the mental hospital first, look through her things,” Nino said. He sounded cold, effective and his eyes were emotionless.
“Do you want me to come?” Savio asked quietly.
“You and Fabiano stay here and keep watch,” Remo said.
Serafina shook her head. “Remo.”
“No,” he growled. “This ends now. We will end it once and for all.”
“I’ll grab a few things,” Nino said. Taking Alessio, I followed him up to the bedroom. He stuffed a few clothes into a backpack, then another knife and gun in addition to the bowie knife and gun strapped to his chest. I touched his arm and peered up at him. A battle was raging in his eyes, cold against pain, hatred with love, then nothing again. “Don’t worry,” he said simply.
“How can I not?”
Serafina’s eyes held the same trepidation I felt. It was a miracle that men like Remo and Nino could love us in the first place, that they could control the demons that had a hold of them. Now I feared that this could be the tipping point for both of them. A catalyst that might snuff out their humanity.
We’d all gathered in the driveway to see them off.
“You’ll return as often as possible, right?”
Nino lowered his head. “Yes. This will be over soon.” I wanted to find consolation in the gray calm of his eyes but they were guarded and cold.
“Don’t lose yourself in the chase,” I begged. “We need you.”
Nino regarded me, then Alessio sleeping against my chest in his sling. “I lost myself many years ago and am still finding myself every day.”
I touched his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat against my palm, trying to find calm and solace in it. Today it didn’t work.
“Will you return to me as the man you are now or as the man you were when we first met?” I loved him, would always love him even if he returned to the emotionless man from the past, I couldn’t not love him.
Nino rubbed his thumb along my cheek. “I will return to you.”
I swallowed, grateful that he kept his promise not to lie to me and at the same time wishing he had. “And we’ll wait for you. Please return quickly. I love you so much.”
“And I love you no matter how I return.” Nino kissed my mouth then pressed a kiss to Alessio’s forehead before he turned and headed for the car.
Serafina’s expression was a mix of anger and despair as she talked to Remo but he shook his head once more, grabbed her face almost roughly and kissed her. Then he got down to one knee and bowed down so he was on eyelevel with Nevio and kissed his forehead. He straightened, went over to Savio who held Greta and kissed her forehead as well. Then Remo gave Savio a nod, which he returned with a determined expression.
They drove off. I let out a choked gasp and closed my eyes. Someone touched my shoulder and I found Fabiano beside me.
“Kiara, they will get through this. I’ve lived so many horrors with them, fought so many battles, faced so many enemies, people who thought they could beat us, but Remo and Nino are still standing and those people aren’t.”
“I know they’ll come out of this as the victors,” I said firmly. “But I’m worried what it’ll take to get there.”
“Nothing worth having comes easy or without a fight,” Fabiano murmured.
I nodded, then glanced at Serafina and saw the same determination. We were willing to fight because what we had was worth everything.
CHAPTER 26
KIARA
In the first few days, Remo and Nino returned every night and left before sunrise again. As they extended their search radius, they stayed away longer. It seemed impossible that they would find their mother. She could be anywhere. Maybe in Mexico, maybe in Outfit territory, maybe somewhere else. She was a ghost, had been haunting them in one way or another for so long.
“They’ve been searching for three weeks, we should tell them to give up,” Serafina said one night at the dining table.
“They won’t listen,” Savio said, looking up from his cell briefly.
Fabiano nodded. “He’s right. It’s the one thing where Nino doesn’t listen to logic. They both can’t.”
Remo and Nino weren’t just looking for their mother. Adamo had disappeared as well. Nothing would make them give up their endeavor.
Leona came in with a big bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce. She’d cooked for once. Fabiano and her spent most of the time in the mansion now that Remo and Nino were hunting.
She said, “I don’t get it. Why do they have to catch her? They should be glad she’s gone. What does it matter if she starts a new life somewhere else? I get crazy mother problems, but maybe they should let it drop.”
Savio took the ladle from her and filled several plates. “Did your crazy-ass mother try to kill you? Burn you?”
Leona gave a small shake of her head, a blush taking over her throat and cheeks, blotting out her freckles.
“Then you don’t know shit.”
“Savio, don’t talk to Leona like that,” Fabiano snapped. They held gazes, both not willing to back down. Men and their dominance battles were something I’d never comprehend. It didn’t help that the tension had been mounting because of recent events.
Leona held up her hand. “No, it’s okay. It’s none of my business. I have no right to put my nose in your family matters.”
“You are family too,” Serafina said, trying to wrangle a bib around Nevio’s neck.
Savio sighed and nodded. “Fabiano is, so you are too.”
Fabiano inclined his head then touched his fiancée’s hip.
Leona blushed an even darker red and filled Fabiano’s plate, then her own. Greta and Nevio had already started stuffing their cute little faces with their food, the former wearing her bib without protest, the latter getting smashed avocado all over his clothes.
I ate a bite of the pasta, but I couldn’t really focus on food or anything but the thought that my period had been overdue for more than two weeks. Alessio was asleep in his crib upstairs. Pushing my chair back, I stood.
“What’s the matter?” Serafina asked worriedly.
“Nothing. I just need to go to the bathroom. Can you keep an eye on the baby monitor for me?”
All heads nodded and I handed the monitor over to Serafina who tried to catch my eyes, obviously concerned. Avoiding Fabiano’s suspicious gaze, I quickly moved into the guest bathroom and locked myself in.
I stared at the drawer with the pregnancy tests. Slowly I sank down on the toilet lid, considering if it was worth it. Should I take the test and risk having my hopes crushed, or just wait it out?
Taking a deep breath, I opened the drawer and took a test out. I wasn’t even sure how many of them I had used since Nino and I had started trying to get me pregnant. But this time was different. I had Alessio and in the few weeks since he’d become part of our family, I’d grown to love him so much. He was my so
n. Blood was completely irrelevant. Even if the test was negative, it wouldn’t be like the last times, because I already had a child to love.
Twenty minutes later I closed my eyes, dropping the second test to the floor and began to laugh softly. The same result as the first. A knock sounded.
“Kiara? Are you all right?” Leona asked.
I took another deep breath, washed my hands and opened the door. She scanned my face, then took in the two tests on the floor.
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered, and hearing those words the reality of the situation really sank in. For the first time a test was positive, two of them even. After all this time, all the tears and obsessing, I was finally pregnant. As if having Alessio, had set me free, had removed some sort of blockade.
“Oh, Kiara,” Leona said and hugged me tightly. “Will you call Nino?”
I shook my head. “I need to see a doctor first. Make sure it’s really true. I don’t want to crush his hopes if it’s a false alarm. He and Remo have enough to carry because of their mother.”
Leona gave me an understanding smile. “I have courses tomorrow, but I could skip if you need support.”
I squeezed her hand. “Thank you, but you shouldn’t skip. Savio’s taking me and Alessio to a pediatrician for a check-up tomorrow. There’s a gynecologist in the same building.”
Leona smiled. “Will you come back to the table?”
“Can you keep it a secret for now? Even from Fabiano?”
“I’ll try. I’m not the best at keeping secrets from him though. He’s just too attentive.”
“That’s not a bad thing,” I said with a laugh.
We returned to the table. Serafina, Savio and Fabiano gave me curious looks but I only smiled. Under the table, I pressed my palm to my belly, wondering if it was really true.
Serafina handed the baby monitor back to me. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Alessio was still stretched out on his back, sleeping tight. Would he soon become a big brother?
After Alessio’s check-up, which went well, Savio wanted to head down to the underground garage. I pressed the button for the floor below ours. “I still need to go to another doctor.”