After the rocky history between their families, Tori never thought that she would see the day that they all would be together like this. It had been hard at the start. Tori had expected a cold tolerance to exist between her and Dom’s family. Yet once she and Dom had gotten back together, his family had been supportive and accepting. They hadn’t been willing to lose Dom after everything that he had been through. Once it became common knowledge that she was pregnant, her place within the Salvatici family had been cemented. The only one not happy with the news of her pregnancy had been Dom’s sister, Maria.
Maria had been the first of the Salvatici family that she had met. In fact, Tori had targeted her so that she could meet a woman that her brother Enzo had once been obsessed with, Maria’s sister-in-law, Angelica. Though her friendship with Maria had started out as just a way in, Maria’s loving nature had turned it into something more. A true friendship. A friendship that she felt the loss of sharply. Tori tried to be understanding. The horrors that Maria had faced in her life would have destroyed a lesser woman. Tori own family’s role in Maria’s pain was ever present in her mind. Her friendship with Maria had never recovered from the brutal treatment that Tori’s and Nero’s sister Caterina had delivered to her. Caterina was Tori’s identical twin, so each time Maria saw her, it was like she had never escaped her tormentor. Anger and hatred filled the once-loving girl, tainting her relationship with her whole family. Not even the children had been safe from Maria’s distain. Tori knew in her heart that one of the reasons that Dom agreed with his father and brother to marry Maria to Paulie Barzette was because of her, and the guilt ate at her. It ate at her because she was just happy to have Maria gone so that she wasn’t confronted with the past any longer.
The only one that hadn’t been happy with Maria’s marriage had been Angie. Angie had gone insane when she learned what they had done. Tori had thought that the day that she had first met Angie that she had met the true Angelica, but she had no idea. In those few moments before Angie calmed, Tori was truly terrified that she would slaughter them all. The men had waited until Angie had gone with Joan, the children’s once-honorary grandmother who ended up becoming Angelo’s wife, to visit Joan’s family. They had been gone a week to visit with Joan’s sick great-granddaughter. That one week was like heaven and hell as everyone’s relief at Maria being gone was offset by their trepidation of what would happen when Angie returned. Angie was attached to Maria in a way that went beyond blood or reason. No matter what Maria said to Angie, she took it without complaint, understanding the girl’s pain in a way that none of them seemed to be able. Dom had tried to explain the day that Angie first came to them to care for Maria, but he couldn’t seem to find the words. The best that he was able to come up with was that Maria was what Angie was supposed to be before and after everything that life had thrown at her.
Alexa, Angie and Lucca’s daughter, had run to greet her mother by the car as soon as she arrived. It was that innocent child who had delivered the news of what had been done. They had all been in the living room when it was happening, so they had no idea that she knew. Angie had left the child with a fearful Joan outside while she came to confront the family. Chills of fear still filled Tori if she thought of the confrontation. Angie’s anger was cold and deadly. It seemed to reach the room before she ever stepped foot inside of it. Her face had the look of death itself. Lucca, unafraid of his wife’s wrath, had walked up to her, grabbing her arm and intending to lead her away. No one expected her to attack. In a frenzy of insanity, she lashed out at her husband, forcing him to defend himself in the most brutal of ways. Everything couldn’t have lasted more than a few minutes, but by the time it was finished, Lucca had been sporting a wicked knife wound. Unconcerned with the blood he was losing, he gathered his wife into his arms and took her upstairs.
For three days, Angie stayed upstairs. When she finally came down, she acted as if nothing had happened. She acted as if everything was the same, but there was a subtle tenseness within her that had never been present around family, especially when Maria was mentioned. It was several months into Maria’s marriage when Paulie contacted them. There had been an accident, and she was in the hospital. Angie took everything so calmly that Tori was terrified the whole plane ride. Tori’s fear skyrocketed when the doctor explained that Maria had been badly beaten and she had lost her baby. Tori hadn’t even known that she was pregnant. The whole family had gone into the room to see Maria except for Angie, who was still speaking to the doctor. Maria had looked so small and lost as she told them woodenly that strange men had come in and robbed her house. Her husband looked devastated as he stood next to her bed. Tori couldn’t imagine what the two of them were feeling at the loss of the baby. It was instinct to comfort her friend that made Tori reach out and take Maria’s hand. Surprise had filled her when Maria had allowed it. Tori had thought that maybe this tragedy would bring them back to where they had been. She was wrong. Maria had lingered in the hospital, refusing to eat or speak. She retreated into herself and acted like no one was there. Angie never went to see her as far as Tori knew, and that surprised her and the rest of the family.
About a month after Maria had gone into the hospital, Paulie was brutally murdered. The police had to use dental records to identify the body. Dom and his family believed that the people that had attacked Maria were responsible, and what happened to her had just been unintended consequences. After his death, Maria seemed to snap out of it and actively worked to get out of the hospital so she would be able to attend her husband’s funeral. Tori had thought that was out of love until she witnessed what had happened. At the funeral, Tori herself had been in a kind of a daze, still reeling from the death of her beloved grandmother, who had been murdered at the hands of her brothers’ enemies, so it took her several moments to understand what was going on. It had already been decided that Maria would be returning home with them, and Tori was glad. She was hoping that because the two of them had each suffered a loss, they would be able to help each other through it, but that wasn’t to be. As soon as the priest finished, Maria threw her wedding rings onto her late husband’s casket and left. Wide-eyed, Tori watched as Maria walked away, head high. In shock, she turned to look at Dom, who went to follow her, only to find Angie stopping him and Nico.
Life had gone on after that, but everything had changed. Maria had disappeared, and no amount of searching had found her. Nero had withdrawn, burying himself in vengeance and hate. Tori had hoped that when she married Dom, she would be extending her family, but the only thing that had happened was that she had lost vital pieces. Living inside the Salvatici stronghold made those loses more glaringly obvious. Lucca and Angie’s marriage had been strained ever since Maria’s marriage, and Tori really believed that Angie blamed her for it, though she never said a word. Dom’s relationship was also different with Angie, which seemed to hurt him deeply. He loved Angie like a mother and sister wrapped into one, and Tori thought that the loss of his relationship with Angie made the loss of Maria even starker. Even Angelo and Joan’s marriage seemed to be affected by the change in Angie. She was the center that the family seemed to revolve around, so any ripple from her affected them all. The only ones that seemed to be safe from the changes were Nico and the children. They loved Angie, and she loved them. There was no doubt in them that they had Angie completely.
Tori wanted the family whole, and that was why she was so determined that Nero come on Saturday. Tori wanted her brother in her life, but more than anything, she wanted her family whole, and her brother could do that. She knew that Nero had the connections to help her find Maria. Maria was the key to healing everything.
Pushing away from the door, Tori went to Dom. Kneeling down behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his ear. Normally, she would respect her brother’s wishes, but this was too important. This was something that had to happen, so if she had to manipulate her husband to get it, then she would.
Chapter 3
Why the hell wa
s he here? Staring out the window, he watched as the children ran around the yard while their family watched. He was an outsider looking in; that’s all he ever would be.
“Nero, what are you doing in here?” Tori asked, breaking into his thoughts. Turning, Nero forced a smile to his face as he looked at his sister. Marriage and motherhood had been good for her. There was a happiness that she projected that had never been there before.
Walking to the sofa, Nero sat down and motioned for her to join him. “I don’t know, Tori. What am I doing here?” he asked, wanting to get to the point of this visit so he could leave.
Nero watched as her hands began to twist together. She always did that when she was nervous. Seeing him watching, she looked away. Yeah, that’s what he thought. There was a reason more than her wanting to see him. Patiently, he waited for her to gather her courage and join him. It took her a few moments, but finally her jaw firmed, and she sat down next to him.
“I need you help to find Maria,” she said, determination not to be denied filling her voice.
“Why?” Nero asked in surprise. Out of all the reasons for her wanting him here, he never thought that this would be the one. He knew that the friendship that Tori had once shared with Maria was long gone.
“Because she needs to come home. She needs to come home so that Angie won’t hate us anymore,” Tori whispered, brokenly bowing her head in defeat.
Freezing at her words, Nero placed his hand on his sister’s chin and forced her to look at him. “What do you mean? Has Angelica done something to you?” he asked, trying to control his tone. He didn’t want to upset his sister, but if that bitch had been hurting her, then there was going to be an issue.
“No. It’s just…everything is wrong. It’s been wrong ever since Maria left this house, and I feel like it’s my fault. I know that it’s my fault.”
“Honey, it’s not your fault that Maria isn’t here,” Nero told her, trying to be reasonable. Tori had always been a sensitive kid and tended to take things that happened around her personally.
“But it is. Don’t you see? Dom never would have agreed to Maria getting married if it hadn’t been for me. I tried to be understanding with Maria. I swear I did, but she hated me. She hated me so much that I would cry to Dom about it. I told him the things that she would say to me, and he would confront her about it. Everything was so horrible with her here that I was happy when she was sent away. I thought that everything would be better, but I was wrong.” Tori sobbed, burying her face into her hands.
The pain in Tori’s sobs cut into Nero. It was just like when she was a kid and their father would hurt their mother. She always blamed herself for shit that just wasn’t her fault. “Tori, listen to me and try to understand. Maria is broken. She’s been broken in ways that cannot be fixed. The shit that she did and said was done out of anger, and you can’t take that personally. I’m sure that no one blames you for her not being here. Her father and brothers were the ones that made the decision for her to be married. That had nothing to do with you. They did what they thought was best for Maria and their family.”
“No, Nero, they don’t, but Angie does, though. She blames us all. She blames us for her not being here now,” Tori said. Wiping her face with her hands, she raised her tear-stained eyes and looked into Nero’s. “They’ve looked for Maria. They’ve looked for her ever since the funeral, and she just disappeared. I’ve heard them talking when they thought no one could hear. They think that Maria is dead or was taken. What if she was taken like before, Nero? What if right now she’s back in that hell? Angie would never forgive us. I know I told you that Angie was angry when she found out that Maria had been married off, but it was so much worse than I told you. I think she could have killed every one of us without a moment’s regret. I thought that I knew her, but when I saw her face, there was nothing there. Nothing but death. I’ve been terrified ever since. I’ve been terrified that one night I would open my eyes and find her next to the bed, waiting for me,” Tori whispered hoarsely. The terror in her voice made him realize that she had been living in true fear once again for years.
Anger filled Nero as he realized that all this could have been solved years ago. He opened his mouth to tell her that she was worrying for nothing and why, but he was cut off.
“Tori, go to the bathroom and wash your face, then rejoin the others,” Angelica said, walking into the room. Tori froze at the sound of her voice.
Raising her tear-streaked face, she looked in horror at the woman before her. “Angie, I…”
“There’s nothing to say, Tori. Go do what I told you while I speak with your brother,” she cut Tori off coldly. Taking the seat across from them, she dismissed Tori and focused on Nero. Quickly, Tori rose and hurried from the room, closing the doors behind her.
“Where are you with your cartel issue?” she asked as soon as they were alone.
Leaning back into the couch, Nero studied the woman for a long moment before answering. He needed to get his anger under control, or she would use it against him. He realized that she seemed different than before. Harder, as if something were missing. “I don’t like the tone you took with Tori. She was just trying to help.”
“Then she shouldn’t speak of things that she doesn’t understand.”
“Well, maybe she and the rest of your family would understand if you explained it to them.”
“Well, maybe next time they’ll think to explain their plans to me before they do something like that again. Now, where are you with the cartel?”
“La Puno familia is almost finished. I have Basilio on the ropes right now. He is a few shipments away from losing everything,” Nero said, not believing how much she had changed.
“Good, because it’s time for you to collect Maria,” She told him, making Nero sit up.
“I thought we agreed that I would wait until after the cartel business was finished. You know as well as I do that she’ll become a target when I marry her.” Nero pointed out.
“Things have changed. Nico has found her. He came across her while he was traveling with some friends. He didn’t approach her because he was afraid that she would disappear if he did. Instead, he came home and told me. He’s agreed to keep it between us for now, but that kid loves his sister, and if he feels I’m not doing anything, he’ll go to his father and brothers to have her brought home.” She replied with a sharp tone her unhappiness with the situation obvious.
“Maybe that would be better. She’ll be here safe, and I can finish my business with the cartel.” Nero tried again hoping that she would see reason. With everything that he had in motion at the moment protecting Maria as his wife would be an extra burden that his family didn’t need.
Shaking her head dismissively. “No, it wouldn’t be better. As your sister has so eloquently put it, Maria is angry at all of us but her especially. She does blame Tori for her being married off to Pauli Barzette.”
“And you don’t?” Nero challenged.
Turning her head Angelica looked out the window a pensive look coming to her face. “She was just one reason that that travesty of a marriage took place, Nero. Right now, this isn’t about any of them but Maria. If she is forced home, she will lash out and hurt everyone around her. If she tells her father and brothers about her marriage in her anger, their guilt will have them bowing to her every whim, and I won’t have that. They will never agree to her marrying you because of her history with your family, but if they know the truth before your marriage, they would kill you to get her out of it.”
“What’s to stop her from telling them after I marry her to get out of it?” Nero retorted angrily wondering if he was just going to be adding to the list of people that wanted him dead.
Looking back to him her lips took on a bitter twist before answering. “She wants nothing to do with any of us right now, so she won’t exactly be calling us for help. As far as she is concerned, we have all betrayed her.”
“I have to admit, I’ve been curious why you never told he
r that you were the one that killed that piece-of-shit husband of hers.” Nero said wearily. He was never going to understand this woman.
“Because right now, she has to think that I don’t care. She has to think that she can’t turn to me, or she will never take the chance of trusting someone else. She will never trust you to help her solve her problems if she thinks I’m there.”
“Angelica, I’m not sure what you want from me. I’m marring Maria because I owe you and my family owes that girl, but it isn’t going to be a marriage in anything but name only. I have whores to take care of my needs, and I don’t want children. That time in my life passed with Jenny.” Nero told her emphasizing each word so that there would be no misunderstandings. He had no intention of ending up like Barzette.
“I understand that is how you feel, but you are still going through with it. I won’t have them deciding that it is in the best interest of the family that she will be used to gain alliances. Once the marriage has taken place, I’ll explain to Lucca and Angelo that I was the one that arranged it to make sure that there is no blowback on you. After the last few years, they won’t have much to say. She’s not the same girl she was, but you’re not the boy you once were. She’ll hate me for this, and I am willing to accept that. As far as she is concerned, I am responsible for all of the things that have happened to her. After all, it was my entrance into her life that started all of this. I know that she believes that I haven’t been there for her.”
“But you have been there. My men have seen you several times checking up on the girl. You’ve never left her.”
“Yes, I’ve watched from a distance, but like you, I didn’t interfere. She’s needed this time to find strength in herself.”
Maria (The Family Book 4) Page 2