Lorenzo Beretta

by Abigail Davies

  “We’ve checked this room. Found three. All clear now,” Christian said, and I knew what he was saying. The FBI had been in here, which meant they could have planted listening devices anywhere they liked.

  I kept my expression neutral as I headed toward my bar cart, then poured myself a double whisky. It burned the back of my throat, the liquid bringing me to life as I turned back, ready to take in all of the information they had.

  “How’s she doing?” Uncle Antonio asked.

  “Dubeke is with her.” It was enough of an explanation as I leaned against the front of my new desk. The black marble one had been replaced with a steady walnut wood one, chosen by Aida. She hadn’t been kidding about my desk, and I couldn’t help but lift one side of my lips at the memory. She was part of this house—part of me.

  “He’ll fix her,” Uncle Alonzo said, his dark gaze meeting mine. He was just as pissed as I was over the entire raid. “Piero got back to me,” he continued. “Said he had no idea it was going to happen. He’s making inquiries now.”

  I nodded, taking the information in but not believing it. There was no way he didn’t know what was going down. He had his ear to the ground at all times. Maybe he’d been in on it. My nostrils flared at the thought. If a member of The Enterprise had known this and kept it to themselves, it could mean full-out war. A war I knew I would win. A war that would destroy the balance my father had spent decades creating.

  “The agent?” I asked.

  Dante stepped forward. “Which one?” I narrowed my eyes on him, not willing to answer his stupid fuckin’ question.

  “Agent Morgan,” Mateo supplied. “I have some contacts that are filtering down information as they get it.” I turned to face him, glad that someone around here was doing their damn job. “Romeo and I are heading to meet with them in an hour.” He glanced at his cell. “What I know so far is that Morgan was the partner of Heiver, the agent—”

  “That was killed,” a new voice said, a voice that shouldn’t have been in my office, not while we were discussing this.

  All attention swung her way. Aida stood in the doorway to the office, her lip and chin dark purple, her shoulders slumped, her body clearly exhausted, but her eyes…her eyes were lit with roaring flames, threatening to burn everything down to the ground.

  “Aida,” I warned, but she held her hand up in the air, then stepped inside. She closed the door behind her, the click of the lock turning like a gunshot ricocheting around the room.

  “I know what happened.” She leaned her back to the door. “Well, I kind of know.” Her brows lowered. “When they took me from here, we headed into the city.”

  “Where about in the city?” I asked, placing my glass on the desk. She shouldn’t have been in here, but whether I liked it or not, she was involved, more than she should have been.

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head. “It looked like an office building.” Her hand drifted up to her mouth. “They braked so fast I went flying forward, and my tooth went through my lip.” I could just about make out several stitches in her bottom lip now. “Then they hauled me inside and put me in a room.” She gripped on to her wrists. “They kept my hands cuffed behind my back, and a new agent came in.”

  Her head tilted to the side, her gaze drifting over everyone until it landed on me. “He said he was going to charge me with murder after the fact if I didn’t take a deal to turn on you.”

  I growled, standing at her words. “He did what?”

  She winked, stepping forward. “Obviously, I didn’t take the deal.” She moved between Romeo and Mateo, heading for me. “I did manage to find out that they raided us because an FBI agent was killed.” She halted a foot away, her head dipping back so she could keep her gaze connected to mine. She placed her hand on my chest and over my rapidly beating heart. “I also found out they don’t actually have a body to prove that.”

  My gaze flicked to Dante, glad that he’d at least done that job properly. I looked back down at Aida. “Then what happened?”

  She shrugged, trying to lift her lips into a smile but wincing as her mouth twinged against the stitches. “Then, the agent went on and on.” She rolled her eyes. “He wouldn’t shut up. But I stayed silent because I’ve watched all of those true crime documentaries.” She raised her brow. “There was no way they were going to get me to confess.” She puffed her chest out, and I couldn’t help but grin down at her.

  “I thought you should know what happened.” She turned to face the rest of the men in the room, halting on Romeo, who she’d only met once before. He tilted his head in a nod at her, a sign of respect that I took note of.

  I pressed the side of my face to the back of her head, whispering in her ear, “You did good.” She leaned her back against my chest, her hand gripping on to my arm. “Head upstairs. I’ll be up there in a bit.”

  She nodded, not moving for a second, soaking in my embrace, then she left just as quickly as she appeared, leaving us all in my office, having gained more information from her than anyone who was actually in the business.

  I turned to Uncle Alonzo. “Fill The Enterprise in on what’s happened.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Tell them only what they need to know.” He nodded, understanding what I was saying. “Set up a meeting in three weeks. We should have solid intel by then.” I turned to face Christian. “Find out who the agent was that threatened Aida.” I turned to face Mateo and Romeo. “Get all the intel from your contacts. Don’t let up on them.” I pulled in a breath, exhaustion slamming through me. “Meet back here tomorrow.”

  They all left my office without another word…all but Dante. He stayed in his position against the wall, his features schooled into a neutral look. “What about me?” he asked, his voice deeper than usual. He was pissed, I knew that, but I couldn’t bring myself to give a flying fuck. He’d put us in this position by not doing his job properly.

  “Do whatever the hell you want,” I ground out, not moving from my position. My body craved to go to Aida, but not until everyone was gone. My guard was well and truly up.

  “This is bullshit,” Dante growled. “I made a mistake—”

  I lunged for him, grabbing him around the collar and slamming his back against the wall. The framed photos shuddered, nearly falling off their hooks at the impact. “Your mistake cost us.” I gripped him harder, bringing my face within inches of his. ”Your mistake caused the fat lip and bruised wrists my wife has.” I pulled him off the wall and slammed him back against it. “Your mistake was one a Beretta son never should have made.”

  He shook his head, his palms flattening on my chest. “I’m sorry,” he ground out, pushing me away, but I didn’t let go of him. He needed to know what consequences his actions had. “I’m sorry I wasn’t Dad’s favorite.” A muscle in his jaw twitched, his brows lowering. “I’m sorry I was never good enough to learn the business. I’m sorry I was always the sensitive one. I’m sorry. I’m fuckin’ sorry!”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I blinked at him, trying to hold on to my anger, but it was waning the longer I stared at him.

  “I’m talking about you.” He pushed against my chest again, but this time I let him go. “You got all of his attention. You were his golden boy.” He pushed his hand through his hair, gripping it tightly. “I was always left out, never good enough, never as great as Lorenzo.” He let his head drop back. “Fuck this.” He let out a sinister chuckle. “Fuck you.”

  He barged out of my office, leaving me wondering what the hell had just happened.

  CHAPTER 17

  AIDA

  I lifted my hand in a wave at Mateo and Romeo, who sat at the back of my psych class, clearly bored out of their damn minds. I thought it was comical the way they grunted and groaned as the lecturer spoke about how the mind worked in weird and mysterious ways.

  It was my last class of the day, and I told them as much when everyone started to pack their things away and head out of the room. I always lingered because Mateo wanted the hallways
to be almost empty so he could have a clear view of everything around us.

  “You know you could actually learn something if you paid attention,” I told them, raising my brows and smiling. Thank God I could smile again. The stitches Doctor Dubeke had put in were taken out yesterday, and although I’d be left with a small scar, I didn’t care because now I could lift my lips without feeling like they were burning off my face.

  “I already did psych,” Romeo said. He didn’t often talk, so this information was a shock, not just to me, but Mateo too. We both turned to face him. “What?” Romeo asked as if his tidbit of information was him talking about the weather.

  “You did psych?” I asked, blinking up at him as I went to throw my backpack over my shoulder. Mateo snatched it from me before I got the chance, but I didn’t comment on it. I was getting used to having these two around me any time I wasn’t home.

  It had only been nine days since the raid, but things were already starting to get back to normal. Lorenzo said he wasn’t going to let the FBI change the way we lived our lives, but that hadn’t stopped him from putting an extra detail on me. He said he was being cautious just for now, and I couldn’t deny him that. I felt safer with both Mateo and Romeo. Deep down, I knew I needed to push my shoulders back and live my life outside of the mansion without them, but it was a process, one I knew I couldn’t rush.

  “Yeah. I did it two years ago.” Romeo stepped toward the door to the classroom, looking left and right. “I finished college last year.”

  I spluttered as I followed him down the hallway, turning back to look at Mateo, who was just as wide-eyed as I was. “How old are you again?”

  “Twenty,” Romeo said. He flashed a grin at me over his shoulder. “I went to college when I was sixteen.”

  “Holy shit.” I blew out a breath. “And here I was thinking I was the shit for even going to college.” I chuckled, the sound uneasy. “If it wasn’t for my scholarships, I wouldn’t even be here.”

  The cool wind whipped at us as Romeo opened the main doors to the building. “You’re here on scholarship?” Mateo asked, coming to walk beside me now that we were outside. I was smushed inside a Romeo and Mateo sandwich as we made our way to the parking lot.

  “Yep. I managed to get three. One for my grades, one for coming from a disadvantaged family, and one because I was first-generation Italian-American.” I winked up at Mateo. “I applied to hundreds back in my senior year at high school. I was determined to be the first person in my family to make it to college.”

  “That’s kind of inspiring,” Mateo said, his gaze veering off as we made it to the SUV. He blinked several times and opened up the back door for me, a move he’d always done. “I never got to finish high school.”

  “You didn’t?” I frowned at him. “Why?”

  He shrugged, shaking his head and wiping the expression off his face. “Ma needed me to get a job and look after my little brother and sister. So, I quit junior year.”

  I opened my mouth, unsure what to say, but his cell rang, taking him away from the conversation. My mind spun as I got into the car and stared out of the window, watching him talk on his cell before getting into the SUV. He turned the engine on and drove away from the college.

  I thought I’d had it hard trying to get into college and having to share a room with my sister and niece, but something about the way Mateo spoke made me wonder what his life was like. He was always around, taking me places, and not once had I asked about him.

  I opened my mouth to ask him something—anything—but it was too late because we were pulling through the gates and into the mansion. “Lorenzo needs us to run an errand,” Mateo told Romeo. His gaze met mine in the rearview mirror. “He’s in the house with Christian.”

  “Okay.” I glanced down as I plucked my backpack off the floor and slipped out of the car. They stayed where they were as I walked inside the mansion, and when the doors closed behind me, I just stood there, unable to get Mateo’s words out of my mind. He hadn’t even finished high school. I knew there were many people who didn’t, but he was part of the family—not in blood but in spirit—so why hadn’t they made sure he finished high school?

  My gaze snapped to Lorenzo’s office door as it opened, and Christian exited. He was saying something to someone behind him, and as soon as I spotted Lorenzo, I made a beeline for him. “Did you know Mateo never finished high school?” I planted my hands on my hips, screwing my face up.

  “I…” Lorenzo laughed, clearly confused by my question. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about the fact that Mateo never got his high school diploma.” I shook my head, feeling something bubbling up inside me. I had no idea what it was, but I was furious that, in this day and age, someone had to quit school to get a job so they could help provide for their siblings. “He had to quit to get a job. Did you know that?”

  “Yeah.” Lorenzo raised a brow at me and leaned against the doorframe of his office. “It was me who gave him the job. I was a captain at the time. What’s the big deal?”

  “Did you finish high school?” I asked. He nodded, so I turned to Christian. “What about you?”

  “I…yeah.”

  I pursed my lips and paced in front of them. “So, someone made sure you finished school, but instead of helping Mateo and making sure that he did, you gave him a job?” I threw my hands up in the air. “You pulled him into the Mafia, not caring why he was doing it?”

  “Baby,” Lorenzo said, his voice smoother. “It’s not like—”

  “And here I was, bragging about the fact that I got three scholarships so I could attend college. All the while, he didn’t even get to finish high school!”

  “Aida,” Lorenzo barked. I turned to face him, frowning up at him. “I offered to loan him the money so he could finish school, but he wouldn’t take it.” He pushed off the doorframe. “I told him to go and get his GED, but he said it’d distract him from work and making sure his ma and siblings were taken care of.” He took two steps toward me, placing his hands on the side of my face. “He’ll get his GED when he’s ready.”

  “But why would his ma—”

  “She’s a drunk,” Christian supplied. “His ma is a drunk and doesn’t give a fuck.” I faced him, listening intently. “He does all of this to give his brother and sister a better life. He’s been doing it for five years now.”

  “It’s sad,” I whispered, leaning into Lorenzo, feeling all of my anger slip away. “I feel like I should help.”

  “No.” He shook his head, raising one brow in warning. “If Mateo needs help, he’ll ask for it. Don’t go interfering in someone else’s life.” He didn’t look away, pushing his point home. “The fact that he told you means he trusts you.”

  “He does?” I asked.

  “Yeah, baby.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “He’ll come to you if he needs anything.”

  “Okay.” I sighed, my body itching to do more. Maybe I could have met his siblings, or helped him study, or…

  I closed my eyes. Lorenzo was right. I shouldn’t interfere in his life, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t slowly prod away at Mateo for more information. I wouldn’t stand by while someone was struggling, especially now that I had the means to help.

  LORENZO

  I leaned back in the seat, watching the doors as each member of The Enterprise entered, their personal bodyguards and underbosses with them. They took up their usual places behind the bosses of each family, just like mine had. Christian stood behind me to the left and Mateo to the right. He’d become a permanent fixture since I’d taken over as boss—someone who I knew I could trust. I didn’t doubt his ability to keep the people around him safe, and I knew his prospects in the family were high. I was already forming the way I wanted to shape the family in my head. It would take time and patience, but I knew we’d be stronger than we’d ever been.

  Slowly, the table filled with heads of families, but I didn’t say anything. I waited, watching them all, taking in the
ir body language. I was preparing for a meeting, unlike any other. Everything was about to change. I was about to make my mark in a way that no other boss ever had. I was about to show The Enterprise what happened when you crossed me.

  “You gonna sit there watching us all day?” Alessandro asked, leaning forward in his seat and planting his hands on the table in front of him. He was frustrated, I could see that, but I didn’t care.

  “I’m waiting,” I said, my tone sounding easy, but I was anything but that. My rage was a living thing, building inside me and threatening to explode. I tracked each of the men at the table. First, Alessandro, then Neri and Stefano, finally landing on Piero. “Waiting for Piero.”

  All heads turned his way, frowns and confusion on their faces. The two men Piero had brought with him stepped forward as if they knew in their gut what was about to happen. They were his closest advisors, the ones who went everywhere with him.

  Neri’s stare met mine, trying to read what I wasn’t saying, then he turned to Piero. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing,” Piero stuttered out, shuffling in his seat, the first sign of his nervousness. “I didn’t do anything.”

  I tilted my head to the side, a smirk pulling at my lips. “That’s not quite true though, is it, Piero.” I met his gaze, daring him to look away from me. “You knew.” I clasped my hands in front of me, my body at ease with the weight of my gun on my lap. Christian and Mateo stood deathly still, not making a move until I did. “You knew about the raid on my house.”

  “I didn’t,” Piero rushed out, putting his hands out in front of him as if that would help his case. His eyes widened, begging me to believe him. “I didn’t know a thing, not until afterward. The judge—”