by Reilly, Cora
Steps rang out. Tension shot through my body and I turned around, my gun drawn. Val froze. She was dressed in jeans and a simple T-shirt, a rare sight.
Now that she didn’t have to keep up appearances for the public or our children fear shone clearly in her eyes. I crossed the distance between us, cradling her face and kissing her. “You are safe. No matter the price, I’ll keep you safe.”
Val swallowed, her eyes swimming with tears. “I’m so scared for Serafina.”
I gave a terse nod. “Once Pietro and Samuel are here, we’ll head out to join the chase for Serafina.”
“Be careful,” Val pleaded.
“I’m not worried for myself. I can handle the situation.”
Val closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to my shoulder. “How are we going to protect our children in this world? War with the Camorra and the Famiglia…” She shuddered. “How can we all get out of it unscathed?”
I kissed the top of her head. “You and our children will, I swear.”
“You too. I need you to be safe too.”
I tightened my hold on her, not saying anything. My safety was irrelevant as long as my family remained untouched. I’d lay my life down if it protected them.
This morning, Anna’s laughter had rung in my ears, now I had to watch my daughter curled up in the narrow bed in the safehouse, dressed in foreign pajamas. Her hair was still in her pretty wedding updo. She’d refused to let it down.
Tears burned my eyes. They had all day, and it became a harder struggle containing them with every passing moment. Taking a deep breath, I walked toward the bed and sank down on its edge. I touched Anna’s neck, feeling the pins in there.
Anna sobbed into her pillow, completely shaken. I wished she hadn’t been witness to the chaos, the panic and Ines’ and Sofia’s open sorrow, wished I could have protected her from the harsh realities of mob life. I wanted to preserve her and Leonas’ childhood for as long as possible. Now it had ended far too soon.
Anna turned her head slightly, peering up at me with terrified eyes. “Mommy…”
I leaned down and kissed Anna’s temple, tasting her tears. Her anguish felt worse than my own. “Can I take your pins out? You can’t sleep with your hair up like that.”
It was such a meaningless thing to worry about.
Anna nodded then buried her face in the pillow once more. I began to remove one pin after the other until Anna’s brown hair fanned out on her back. I raked my fingers through the curls, trying to calm myself as much as my daughter.
A creak made my head turn. Leonas stood in the doorway, dressed in too big sweatpants and a T-shirt, his hair standing on end. He looked a little lost. Sometimes he appeared older than his seven years, but today he was the little boy I wanted him to remain for as long as possible. “Is your dad home yet?” I asked.
Leonas shook his head and came inside hesitantly, his green eyes darting to his sobbing sister. He stopped at the end of the bed, watching Anna cry with a wary expression as if Anna’s tears were something contagious.
I stroked her hair almost mechanically.
I held out my other hand to Leonas but he stayed where he was. He reminded me of Dante when it came to dealing with emotions and his problems. He tried to solve them on his own.
It was way past midnight and considering that we’d been awake since sunrise we should have been tired but neither of us craved sleep.
“Can I play poker with Taft and Enzo? They told me I need to ask for permission.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay here?”
Leonas looked at Anna then at me and gave a jerky shake of his head. “I want to play poker.”
“Okay, then do that.” Everyone dealt differently with trauma. If distraction was Leonas’ balm then I wouldn’t stop him. He left quickly and I turned back to Anna then stretched out beside her. She lifted her head slightly to look at me. “Mommy, will they kidnap me as well?”
“No,” I said fiercely. “No, they won’t. You will always be safe. Always.”
Anna nodded. “Is that why Daddy insists I am homeschooled?”
Dante and I had actually considered sending Anna to the same private school Leonas went to at the start of the new school year in a few weeks. It was meant as a surprise for her. Now I wasn’t sure if we’d go through with it. I actually wished Leonas could be homeschooled as well, but Dante wouldn’t budge on that. “Yes.”
Anna bit her lip. “I feel so bad for Sofia. I’d be terrified if someone hurt Leonas.” I touched her head.
“Will they hurt Serafina badly?”
For Anna ‘they’ were a general concept, some shapeless enemy who wanted to hurt us. She didn’t know it was the Camorra or what they stood for. She couldn’t imagine the horrors that might await Serafina at the hands of those monsters. How long would those fears remain shapeless concepts for my daughter?
Anna fell asleep eventually and I slipped out of her room. I didn’t want to sleep, worried about letting down my guards without Dante near. I crept down the corridor toward the bedroom where Ines and Sofia were. I knocked gently.
“Come in,” I heard Ines’ raspy voice.
I stepped inside. Sofia was huddled in a blanket on an armchair, staring blankly down at a book while Ines peered out of the window which gave her a view of the driveway.
Waiting for her husband and son to bring her daughter back to her.
The room oozed anguish. Sofia briefly glanced up but didn’t smile.
I stopped beside Ines, following her gaze toward the lit driveway. Several guards walked the perimeter with machine guns.
“I don’t think any form of torture can be worse than this,” she whispered. I regarded her profile. Even tear-stained, with messy hair and in jeans Ines carried the famous Cavallaro pride with ease. It was something I’d always admired. “It feels as if someone’s burning my heart. Just thinking of what Serafina is going through…” Her voice died and I could see her struggle to keep her composure.
She finally looked at me. “This war must end, Val. It must end now. Too many people have paid with their lives already and now it’s my daughter’s life on the line. I won’t stand back. Tell Dante to make a peace treaty with the Famiglia and the Camorra. Let there be peace before it’s too late. There’s enough money to be made for each famiglia.”
“After what Luca and Remo did, Dante won’t have peace with them. It’s a matter of pride.”
“Pride.” Ines leaned her forehead against the window. “We must give them what they want. We must save Fina. We must.”
“Ines—”
“Can you please leave?”
I took a step back. “Of course.” Sofia lowered her gaze to her book, avoiding my eyes. I turned and left the room. For a moment, I braced myself against the wall outside the room. With every act of violence on either side, peace was more unlikely.
I headed downstairs into the big communal space where several guards were playing poker with Leonas. It was a strange sight, my young son perching on his chair, with all the armed, muscled men around him. His expression was focused and determined as he scanned his cards. The men were drinking coffee or Coke, and Leonas, too, had a glass of the sugary concoction in front of him. I usually didn’t allow our children to drink it except for New Year’s or their birthday but today wasn’t the time for rules.
Enzo’s brown eyes slid to me and he got up. The rest of the men were about to do the same but I quickly raised my palm to stop them.
“Please continue. I can’t sleep. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“You aren’t,” Enzo said. He sank back down and gave the other men a sign to continue. “You can join us if you want.”
That earned him a few surprised looks from the other guards.
Leonas snorted. “Mom can’t play poker. She’s a woman.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” I strode over to the table. “I’m a good poker player. I used to manage a Casino.”
The men exchanged amused glan
ces as Leonas’ eyes widened. “You did?”
“Yes. Are you playing Texas Hold ’em?” It was the only form of poker I was good at.
“Yes, we are,” a young man right beside me said. It took me a second to recognize him as Enzo’s son. They had the same maroon hair and light brown eyes. Only his name wouldn’t come to my mind.
“Would you mind if I join you to show my son that a woman can play poker too?”
Chuckles sounded.
Enzo’s son pushed back his chair and stood, towering over me. “You can have my chair. I’m going to grab some food.” He was a handsome man in his early twentieth with dimples that probably got him plenty of attention from the ladies. Dante had mentioned him before because he worked as a second Enforcer with Arturo. He was the moderate butcher from the two of them. Finally, his name clicked.
“Thank you, Santino.”
He inclined his head then turned and strode away. A look of pride lay in Enzo’s face. I sank down. “What are the limits?”
“Ten and twenty.”
I realized I didn’t have my wallet with me. In the confusion of the day, I wasn’t even sure where it was. “Someone will have to lend me some money.”
An older man across from me took out a wad of cash and gave me half of it. “I offer fair interest rates.”
I chuckled.
“I negotiated them with him,” Leonas said proudly.
I narrowed my eyes. “Hmm. Very well.” Considering that Leonas didn’t know percentage calculation yet, I doubted the rates were fair. “I’ll let Dante check the details of our arrangement later.”
The men bellowed.
“Let’s say we forget about the interest rates,” he said with a wink. Considering he was my father’s age, I knew it was the typical soldier humor, and I actually preferred it to the stiff reverence I often received.
Leonas beamed at me as we began to play. I could see that a weight had lifted off his shoulders. He was still young, younger than Anna and for him, it was easier to get past the seriousness of the situation.
I allowed myself to be distracted by the game and Leonas’ eagerness to prove his worth.
My eyes prickled with tiredness when the front door opened in the early morning. I jumped to my feet and so did everyone else. Dante, Pietro, Danilo and Samuel stepped in, looking exhausted, ruffled and subdued. The rising sun illuminated their forlorn faces almost mockingly.
Leonas darted toward them and hugged Dante’s middle. “Did you catch the bad guys?”
One look at Dante’s face told me they hadn’t. They didn’t know where Serafina was. My heart clenched tightly considering what this would do to Ines.
“No, we didn’t,” Dante said quietly.
“But you will catch the bad guys soon?”
The bad guys. My eyes took in the four men in the lobby with their guns, jaded eyes, and scarred bodies. I wondered if little boys in the Camorra asked their dads the same question when they spoke about us? Would Luca’s son ask his father that question when he talked about Dante? Bad was always a matter of perspective.
Yet, one thing was certain, the Falcones were the worst. Even in our world.
Danilo shook his head with a harsh expression and stalked past us toward the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a generous amount of a dark liquid. “Why the fuck are you gambling in a situation like this?” he snarled at the soldiers. The men lowered their heads.
Steps pounded upstairs. Ines followed by Sofia stormed down the staircase. Sofia didn’t stop and barreled straight into Pietro who hugged her tightly. Ines froze halfway down once she caught a look at the men’s expressions.
“No,” she whispered. “No.” She clutched the banister and slowly sank down. “No!”
Sofia lifted her head, looking at Ines then at Pietro and Samuel. Her young face fell. Samuel staggered toward his mother and pulled her to her feet. She clutched him desperately and sobbed.
The guards disappeared into other parts of the house to give us privacy and to escape Danilo’s open wrath.
My eyes met Dante’s but his expression was a mask of control. It must be bad if he acted like that.
Glass smashed.
I jumped then realized Danilo had flung his glass against the wall. He gripped the edge of the table tightly, rage burning on his face.
Dante cleared his throat but nothing penetrated Danilo’s fog of despair.
Pietro led Sofia upstairs while Samuel helped Ines. I approached Dante, touching his shoulder. He gave me a strained smile. It made me ache all over. “I’ll bring Leonas to bed and then check on Anna. Why don’t you go ahead and catch some sleep?”
I nodded, even though I didn’t feel tired in the slightest.
Dante headed up the stairs with Leonas.
I slanted a look at Danilo who was still bent over the table and considered going to him to offer him words of assurance but he appeared like a man who preferred to deal with his sorrow alone. He straightened and noticed me. “This isn’t the wedding night I imagined.” The words rang with despair and fury alike. He was a man fighting for composure. I wasn’t sure what to tell him and I had a feeling he didn’t want me to say anything. Suddenly, his expression smoothed. He strode toward me. “Tell Dante, I’ll head out to my family’s mansion. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to continue our search.”
He didn’t wait for my reply, just left, even leaving the door ajar. I closed it then leaned against it, trying to hold on to my composure. I pushed off the door and went upstairs. The hallway was dark except for the light squeezing out under the door to our bedroom. I opened it.
Dante sat on the edge of the bed, his arms propped up on his thighs, looking a little stunned and… guilty.
I stopped beside him and touched his shoulder. “This isn’t your fault.”
Dante shook his head, his mask slipping back into place. I hated that he felt the need to do so but it also told me that his inner turmoil was so strong that he wanted to protect me from it. “I’m Capo. This is my territory and it’s my duty to protect my people, my family. Serafina should have been safe.”
“Nobody could have foreseen this, not even you. It’s dishonorable to attack a wedding. Remo Falcone plays by his own rules.”
“He’ll try to force me into his game,” Dante said quietly, but an undercurrent of fury swung in his voice.
“What do you think does he want with Serafina?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I’m not sure about his motives.”
He was lying and that was more of an answer than his actual words. Good God, the rumors of the Camorra sent a chill over every woman’s back. “You’ll save her in time.”
Dante pushed to his feet, his eyes almost wild. “Will I? In time for what? It could be too late as we speak. For all we know, Serafina’s defiled body has already been dropped off so we’ll find it. Do you even realize what kind of horrors Remo Falcone is capable of, Val?”
I stared, my heart beating in my throat.
He gripped my arms in a too hard grasp. His anger wasn’t directed at me but Good Lord, it hit me like a hurricane, leaving me disoriented and shaken. “I am a monster, but even I haven’t done half the depraved acts the Falcones are capable of. Remo revels in torture as if it was his fucking drug of choice. And his crazy brother is a psychopath in the true sense of the word. He doesn’t feel anything. He can cut you up and have a pleasant conversation with you while he does it. He could maul women and children without a spike in his fucking pulse rate. Serafina is at the mercy of men like that, Val.”
My lips parted for words of consolation that would have done nothing and so Dante didn’t allow them to pass. He jerked me against him and kissed me brutally.
His kiss was harsh, angry and desperate at once.
I answered his kiss even if I wasn’t aroused. This wasn’t about lust. He tore at my jeans until they pooled at my feet with my panties, and I stumbled out of them.
He pushed me down on the bed and climbed on top of me, parting my legs
. Two of his fingers slid into me, testing my readiness. His zipper hissed and then he filled me in a hard thrust. I arched up in discomfort. Dante blinked down at me, and his guilt blazed up in the dark fog of his anger. I crossed my legs over his lower back and pulled him down on me, raking my fingers over his back. I wanted to show him that this was okay.
His lips pressed down on mine again and he began to thrust into me, hard and fast, his moves fueled by his anguish, which seemed to cloak us both.
The pain was good, it was welcome.
This wasn’t the lustful pain I’d come to enjoy. This was pain, pure and simple, a drop of physical discomfort and an ocean of emotional hurt. My body fought against both but I surrendered until the tears I’d held back all day finally burst forth.
Dante stilled on top of me. He hadn’t come. I doubted he’d felt any pleasure. His face sank down against my throat and he shuddered as he began to soften inside of me. He didn’t cry, never had in all the time I’d known him. “What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to lead us out of this, Dante. I trust in you and no matter what you decide, I’ll be at your side. I’ll always be there.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose as I listened to Danilo’s recount of today’s search efforts. We’d spent the night in the safehouse and would stay here for a couple of days—until we found Serafina or until we decided it made more sense to return to either Minneapolis or Chicago.
“I think we have to take into consideration that Serafina is already in Las Vegas or another city in Camorra territory. I doubt they’ll keep her close to our borders though.”
“Let’s obliterate their Kansas properties. Kill the fucking Underboss there and every of his Captains,” Danilo said fiercely. He was young. He was driven by wounded pride and the utter need to protect what was his. I understood him too well, but a brutal attack on one of Remo’s Underbosses would be too risky with Serafina in his hands.