Vendetta del Cuore

by Leigh Kenzie

  “Emilio has passed all his tests and is now one of you. I expect you to all embrace his status,” Master says, and I can tell he pauses to look directly at Antonio with a slight warning. “He’ll be filling a new role as an advisor to me. Luca is still my second and next in line.”

  I never considered what my role may be, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be something that causes tension to arc in the room. Luca looks calm at least. I hesitantly glance at the other boys. Ignacio gives me an arrogant wink that relaxes me until I look at Marcus. His deep frown makes me want to cringe, but nothing compares to the absolute fury I see on Antonio’s face.

  “This is not a debate and never will be,” Master growls. I can tell he sees the same reaction, and immediately Antonio cowers.

  “Congrats on the new position,” Ignacio says jovially as he claps my shoulder before dropping his voice an octave, “and the jewelry.”

  I can’t suppress a giggle at the wink he gives me. I wince at the lack of decorum I’m displaying and carefully peek at Master who thankfully smiles. He may be almost as happy about my collar as I am. I reach up and stroke it lightly, and his eyes dilate. He visibly pulls himself in before looking at the rest of the boys.

  “Luca has given you all your jobs for today. I expect this to go as smoothly as possible. But first, let’s eat breakfast,” Master finishes as the servants start bringing in an assortment of food.

  Even my favorite pancakes are on the table, placed right in front of me, and thank fuck, because Antonio is still glaring at me. I don’t want to have to ask for anything near him. I want to ask Master what my job is, but I keep silent. Part of me is embarrassed not to have a job like the other boys, and I don’t want to call attention to it. I hope that I’ve proven myself enough that Master trusts me to help. I don’t want to be a hindrance. My other question is what does he mean by advisor? I want to help, but it’s not like I have a wealth of knowledge to share. He may have unlocked the darkness that resides in me, but I don’t know anything about running an organization like his, and I know that no matter how useful any of us boys are, he’s Il Padrone, and we’re replaceable at any moment. Some may find that disturbing, but I find peace in it. The rules are clear, and all I need to do is give my loyalty to him.

  After we finish breakfast, Master stands and tips his head at us. I scramble to stand, nowhere near as graceful as the rest of them who seem to rise as one. Antonio gives me a disgusted look at my delayed response, and I fight the blush that wants to spread across my body. Thankfully, Marcus and Antonio leave without a word.

  “Don’t let them get to you,” Ignacio whispers close to my ear as he comes closer.

  His lips are so close to my ear they almost touch me, and I hear Master clear his throat. Ignacio pulls back and with a quick bow to Master disappears silently from the room. It still surprises me how quietly he can move, and I hope he teaches me that next. I glance at Master, looking for what he wants me to do. I can’t hide my surprise when he holds out his hand, but I go to him easily.

  “Luca,” he commands firmly, and I watch Luca give the same bow before heading out. They’re close enough to speak with one word, and I can’t help the small amount of jealousy that flares in my stomach.

  With a slight tug of my hand, I follow Master to his office. It’s rare for me to enter this room, and as he sits in his throne of a chair, he gestures to the ones on the other side of the desk. Instead of turning towards those, I walk closer to Master and sink to my knees. Even after that breakfast and being introduced fully, I feel comfortable that way, especially wearing his collar. I can’t pinpoint the moment he became my Master wholly, when I stopped fighting the feeling inside me, so I don’t think of it. Instead, I take joy in the fact he leans forward and runs his fingers through my hair. The fake tenderness doesn’t last long. With a painful yank on it, I crawl on my knees closer to him.

  “Mmm, you’re too distracting down there. Up,” Master pulls harshly, and I scramble up.

  He doesn’t let go at first. I feel the tension go through me at the pain, but finally, he stops pulling at my hair. Instead, he grabs me and sets me on his desk. He chuckles at my red face. It’s not that I forget how strong he is but being lifted like I’m nothing makes me feel humiliated. One deliberate look from him, though, proves my cock enjoys it as I’m already getting hard. He leans back in his chair and rakes his eyes down my body before meeting my eyes steadily.

  “You have questions,” he states without hesitation.

  I silently look into his eyes. There’s no reason for me to answer a statement with questions. He’s trained me too well for that, and I watch a victorious smile spread across his face. My breath catches, and my dick jerks at the arrogance and how much it turns me on. I know he can tell when the smile becomes smug, and he runs his hand up my leg. I can’t help parting my legs wider and leaning back. I thrust up my hips, trying to get that hand over my bulge. All he does is slap my leg, a reminder that he’s in charge of my pleasure. I whimper, not through pain really but the excitement of that. I carefully adjust myself and give him my complete attention, pushing the heat in my body to the background.

  “Go ahead. Ask,” Master leans forward and whispers in my ear. I shiver as his warm lips almost touch one of my most erogenous spots.

  “Wha-a-a-at is an advisor?” I barely manage to stammer out. I take a deep gulp of air, trying to steady the thrumming in my entire body.

  “Mmmm. I could very easily say it’s exactly that. Advising me,” Master chuckles at my frustrated look. “But where Luca will be my right hand and second, you’ll be by my side. Someone I can trust. I know you have it in you. Your intelligence is one of the draws. Your obedience, yes, is important, but I also know you’ll be willing to question if needed. You’ll have permission to speak up to me, in private and respectfully.”

  Master says the last part in a low voice, reminding me of the seriousness. He doesn’t have to, though. I know my place even if he is giving me the unprecedented privilege. I bow to him, even if it’s awkward as I sit on his desk.

  “I will not let you down, Master. I will protect you and your company completely,” I vow. He’s right that I haven’t been using all of my potential, but it shocks me to be given such a high honor. Not only do I get to be his, but he trusts me enough to stand by him. I’m not fooled—this isn’t a relationship of equals, but it’s something better than he has with the others.

  He grabs my jaw roughly but places a soft kiss at odds with his touch. I don’t care, I want the reminder and hope he leaves marks. I’ll bear those marks with pride, letting everyone know I’m where I belong.

  “Go. I need you to be in a suit. We have an issue to deal with,” he says as I hop off the desk. I’m only mildly surprised when he smacks me on the ass as I leave. I hide it, but my smile lights up my soul as I head to my room, ready to dress for him.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  I have to force myself not to show any sign of discomfort as the limo approaches the mansion I know so well. I have Luca on one side of me and Emilio on the other. It gives me some comfort, yet my position will always be lonely. I may have given Emilio more power than most, but he’ll never be a partner. Luca may be closest to being my best friend, but he’ll never be equal either. I’m reminded of those truths the closer we come to our destination. My father taught me to accept solitude early on, and I’m sure that’s why he taught me to create boys. The variety and multiple ones in my life at least give me something to enjoy. They ease the loneliness but will never erase it.

  I shake off my thoughts as the limo rolls to a stop. Reflection isn’t the right path to go down now. Pushing forward is the only option. We wait until the driver comes around to open the door. Luca slides out immediately, gesturing for us to wait before giving us the go-ahead. I can see his vigilance and know this can’t be easy for him. Once I’m out, I stand tall and look at the mansion ahead of me, a place that always signified comfort before. Behind me, I can feel Emilio standing close.
I almost want to laugh at the idea of him covering me with the discrepancy of our body size. However, I know he took a bullet he wrongly assumed was for me, so I let him have his belief in protecting me.

  Luca doesn’t bother to knock. We stride into the mansion like we own it, which we may as well. The butler hurries to greet us, having heard the chime of the door. His eyes go wide when he sees it’s me, but before he can say anything, I gesture for his silence. While his lips purse in dissatisfaction, he bows his head and lowers his eyes. Smart man.

  We make our way through the mansion, my mind mentally cataloging the interior. Nothing has changed, but it hasn’t been long since I was last here. Luca and I pause outside the thick, solid, white pine door. Like most of the estate, the door matches the interior of being light-colored. It’s a roomy, comfortable, and luxurious feeling yet that feeling is even more of a facade than ever. I incline my head slightly at Luca to signify I’m ready. After giving me a quick bow, he opens the door for me to stride in. He doesn’t need to go before me this time. The only thing to fear in this room is the truth.

  “What is the meaning of this, Allesandro?!”

  “Zio, I will explain. Please. Be seated,” I snap out.

  My voice takes on a warning edge that has him sitting heavily in one of the comfortable chairs within the library. I watch him reach out to take my aunt’s hand. It looks so delicate in his. Both hands weathered from age but steady as can be still. I don’t talk immediately. I watch him try to comfort her, and I see my zia’s red-rimmed eyes. She’s never looked at me with fear before, despite knowing what I do. Standing behind their chairs are Marcus and Antonio, both of them silent witnesses to what is happening. I know it wouldn’t have taken much to corral my aunt and uncle into this room. I’m sure my boys didn’t even have to try hard. Nobody ever expects betrayal to lurk around the corner.

  “It’s not an easy task today. Something came to light that directly impacts the organization and me personally,” I say, watching them both closely.

  I gesture for Emilio to come closer. I can tell as he draws near both zia e zio see the significance of the collar around his throat. My uncle’s eyes narrow at the sign of possession, but my aunt’s widen, and she can’t help the smile that spreads across her face. Despite being a special guest, or really a hostage, the moment I run my hand down Emilio’s arm, acknowledging his importance, she melts. I feel the rage inside me that I’m being pushed into this corner, but as Emilio leans into me, somehow knowing I need it, I find a way to draw that anger back into me. It doesn’t take long before I hear a knock at the door. I position myself to the side, next to a small writing desk, where I can keep an eye on both my aunt and uncle, as well as the person who is going to step through those doors.

  I nod to Luca to open the door. Regardless of the fact Ignacio is shadowing her every movement and clearly in control, having brought her here, she strolls in like she owns the place. She moves like she doesn’t have a care in the world. The black gown hugs every curve, and her white hair stands out shockingly. The chiffon jacket gives a tiny bit of modesty compared to the almost plunging neckline. Beading stretches across the waist and cascades down the side of the skirt, creating a sparkle. It’s nowhere near what someone would expect of someone her age, yet she pulls it off. Like always she pulls off black flawlessly. The look in her eyes as she takes in my aunt and uncle is full of repulsion, but nothing compares to when she looks at me. The hatred there would knock me back if I hadn’t expected it.

  “Madre,” I acknowledge as she stalks closer. Emilio slides between us so she doesn’t reach me. The look she gives him rivals the one she gave me, but he doesn’t back up or stand aside. His strength is much more than what others ever thought…even mine.

  I touch Emilio’s shoulder, and he slowly removes himself from between us. I know he’s not comfortable doing so, but I want to look directly at the woman who shares my eye color, the same one whose hair color I inherited and most of all, the one responsible for helping raise me.

  “Now, thank you all for being here,” I begin calmly. “A situation has come to light. It appears a chain reaction was set in motion by an older woman telling Emilio’s brother he’s the bastard son of Rian O’Connel. The brother was looking for information, and it just happened to appear by way of a fancy woman with all the information—information others would have no access to otherwise.”

  I hear a gasp come from my aunt, but my mother does nothing but tighten her lips. Her face begins to flush red, the splotches of anger pulsing to her skin.

  “Now, perhaps, you wonder why I’d care for some Irish bastard. It’s not like that Family means anything to me except when they’re overstepping. However, at the same time, we start seeing problems with the whores. So I have Antonio look into it, and what do you know. Turns out that the same fancy woman was whispering in other people’s ears.”

  “Alice?” my aunt croaks out, the shock is evident. I don’t look her way. I can’t deal with her now. My mother and I stare at each other with such similar eyes it’s almost like looking in the mirror. Despite being married to my father and being part of this Family, she never learned how to control her feelings.

  “It didn’t make sense that an Irish bastard would matter, especially to someone in my Family. Turns out, there have been quite a few bastards who were taken care of permanently. Some made to look like accidents, others not, and those who did survive ran into threats from Eamon. It appears that the O’Connel Family has some major issues. Normally, I wouldn’t fucking care, except someone in THIS Family is fucking working with the O’Connel’s. Perhaps, I need to kill all of the O’Connel Family, like Brendan and Eamon.”

  I say the last part so calmly that I’m not surprised to see my mother stiffen. Her tiny hands curl into fists, and she visibly is holding herself back from coming closer to me. I’m not the only one who reads the signs. This time Luca positions himself between us.

  “So which one are you fucking? Are they all fags?” My mother sneers as she glances from Emilio to Luca and back to me.

  “Both. Actually, all the men in this room are mine in every sense of the word.” There’s no apology in my voice. No shame. I refuse to be ashamed.

  “You’re the same as your father,” Alice snarls, this time unable to stop from stepping forward.

  “Enough!” This time, it’s my aunt’s voice that shouts.

  I clamp my mouth shut and return my mother’s glare, but I give no other reaction, despite seeing movement in the corner of my eye. My aunt touches my shoulder as she stands next to me. She’s always willing to give support, so much more than the person claiming to be my mother.

  “Alice! Celso gave you everything. And when you no longer wanted to be with the family, with your son, you were allowed to have your own place and given plenty of money. You want to play the victim, but I know these things. No matter what my brother did, it was never good enough. Why did you turn on him and on your son? Why go after innocents like Emilio?” my aunt asks in her sweet voice, broken by the revelations.

  “Giavonna,” my mother responds disdainfully, letting out a huff. “Your precious brother never should have forced me to marry him. I should have been Rian’s. He’s the one I loved.”

  My aunt lets out a gasp, and Marcus is right there to steady her. My hands twitch to put my fingers around Alice’s throat and squeeze. I knew the bitch never loved my father.

  “So why are you killing his children?” I grit out, this time taking a step closer until there is barely any space left between us. I tower over her, but she doesn’t cower. Her tilted head shows no fear over being caught.

  “Because they should have been mine! I understood him needing to have children with his Mafia-approved wife. She was spineless, but he did his duty. But the bastards? Those shouldn’t exist. I loved him! Instead, I got stuck with you. An embarrassment!”

  The moment her hand hits me, it’s like the air is sucked out of the library. The large volume of books dampens the sound
, but it was loud enough that I see zia flinch. For a moment, there’s stillness. It’s as if none of us can believe what happened. I glare down at her, but she lifts that stubborn jaw even higher. The moment she moves her hand again, everything breaks out in chaos.

  Ignacio grabs her around her waist and wrestles her to her knees. He doesn’t even bother to be gentle. I know she’s pushed him to the limit because his eyes are almost black with the anger coursing through him. Luca and Emilio immediately step in front of me, united in their protection, even though I don’t need it.

  “Let her up,” I enunciate carefully.

  Ignacio hesitates, but after one look from me he’s releasing her arms and standing. My mother doesn’t quite move with the grace she usually does, but she manages to reach her feet. As always, she pulls herself to her utmost height. As if she could intimidate me. I touch both Emilio and Luca’s shoulders, so they know to part. I want her to see I have no fear.

  “That slap was all you’re going to get. I want answers. Ones that aren’t some misguided fantasy of you being with the Irish boss. You’ve also started problems within my business, within your family business, ironically. Because face it. You were NOT forced. Do you think I don’t know how you trapped my father? I didn’t know you did it out of spite, though, when Rian chose his wife.”

  “You expect answers! I expected a son who does his duty. You brushed me aside the same as always. You refused to stop sinning, especially when your father taught you how to create your own disgusting harem. Eamon would never do this to his mother!”

  “Thanks for confirming who else is involved,” I sneer. I knew that Irish brat was part of this.

  “You don’t know half of it! But Eamon deserves to run the Irish, and he deserves to take over your spot too. He’s a strong boy, he takes after his father, and is nothing like you. How does it feel to always be running behind? I turned your whores. I would have killed your new fuck toy if it weren’t for the fact Cliff gave him to you instead of killing him like I said. He was weak, too. None of you have the balls to get things done. Your company is going to come crashing down—and I won’t even have to lift another finger. Soon, you’ll be ashes on the ground, just like your father. Happiest day of my life was killing him.”