Beside him sat an older, salt-and-pepper-haired man. He was all lean, wiry muscle, although his skin was starting to sag off his bones. Meeting my eyes, he scowled deeply and folded his arms. I choked on a nervous laugh – I could see the family resemblance there. Yeah, you’re Uncle Joe.
But when I met the eyes of the man sitting directly across from the door, my entire body went cold. He was big, broad-shouldered, slightly heavy-set, with thick black hair, and his temples just touched with gray. Dark eyes regarded me in a calculated way, and though he was dressed in a modest suit, power rolled off him in waves.
I couldn’t help it – I thought of Emilio. Clearly this was Salvatore. Axe’s father and the head of the Capestrana crime family.
All of this happened in mere seconds, even though it seemed like a year had passed.
No one spoke.
I tried to focus on the table, nerves stretching thinner and thinner. The many, many platters of food smelled wonderful – a hearty combination of garlic, bread, and tomatoes. My stomach rumbled a little.
“Didn’t mention we’d have company, Pop,” Axe finally said, breaking the silence. Instantly the air sharpened, taking on a terrible and ominous stillness.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the smile slide off of Dante’s face. He exchanged a look with the man in bifocals.
Still no response.
Axe, who had been tense since he’d gotten those messages, tensed up even more. I was afraid his body would snap. His hand slid from my back and grabbed my hand. “Glad you guys could make the trip. This is Brenna…” He looked over at me and I squeezed his fingers.
“Fiore. Brenna Fiore,” I finished for him, looking back around.
Axe’s father laced his hands together and shrugged. “Can’t say I know any Fiores. But come, sit and eat. Salute.” He picked up his wine glass and half-raised it.
The other men echoed “Salute”, holding up their wine glasses as well, and we sat down in the two empty chairs at the end of the table. Axe, sitting across from his father, was still brimming with tension. I squeezed his hand again, trying to reassure him.
I wished I’d told him I’d been in worse positions before – and alone. At least now I had someone who had my back. And that meant more than Axe could ever know.
Ruffino had figured out quickly how to play me like a violin – he’d always struck home and hard – every single time he told me I didn’t have anyone who cared whether I lived or died.
It meant the world to finally have that again.
The silence stretched even tauter. Trying not to fidget, I chanced another peek at these men. When I caught Colt’s eye on my right, he offered me a lazy, smoldering smile. The brothers did look alike – but where Axe was dark with hard planes, Colt was a smooth kind of dark with gold edges. Even his brown eyes had a deep golden tint. And he was just as hard and muscular as Axe and almost as tall. Every bit a lady-killer. I resisted the urge to make a face at him as he dropped another wink.
I realized every Capestrana, except for Axe’s father, was eyeing me up and down. However, the bifocals man now regarded me thoughtfully – his flinty look gone. Dante looked dazed.
Uncle Joe was still scowling, but it had lessened. “Well, she don’t look like a hooker, Salvatore,” he barked out abruptly, unfolding his arms and glancing at Axe’s father. “She looks like a fresh-faced kid. I’m just sayin’. Non è una puttana. Angelo vergine, si.”
Eyes now on Salvatore, I saw him glare at Joe. “Did I ask you, Joseph?”
Joe rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who dragged me out here to this godforsaken place in the middle of nowhere, and I don’t get to have an opinion? Basta. How’s the car, Axe? No dents or scratches, right?”
Salvatore banged a fist on the table and I flinched. Something in the air snapped.
“Bada te,” he growled. “I don’t give a fuck about your minivan and I don’t give a fuck if she’s a virgin, the Virgin Mary, or the Second Comin’ of Christ.” His voice was harsh as he turned and stared Axe down. “You had one thing to do and here we are, less than twelve hours away from there being a goddamn bounty on your head, with Ruffinos arming up – all ‘cause you lost your shit about this one girl. Explain.”
I felt my shoulders hunch up, but next to me, I could sense Axe swelling with rage. Without thinking, I tried to unknot the fist pushing into his thigh, and hold his hand, but he brushed me off.
As Salvatore sucked in a deep breath, his men shifted uneasily. Joe sipped his wine, trying to look blasé, bifocals guy and Dante were pretending to eat, and Colt tipped back further in his chair – but I could practically taste their discomfort as they braced themselves.
“What the fuck is in that head of yours, boy? Huh? Answer me that. You know, I’ve sacrificed almost everything for the family. I try to do right by them, always, and that’s not easy in this business. And then you go off and ignore orders? My orders? Bid on a girl? Then, you don’t even come home when I tell you to?” his father snapped.
I looked down, feeling small and embarrassed. Maybe he was right. Maybe I wasn’t worth all this trouble.
Then Salvatore continued in a low voice, “I can’t believe how selfish you’ve been, Axe. Family always comes first. Do you have any idea what you’ve put us through? We’ve been trying to keep this hidden from your grandmother, your aunts, your sisters. Tryin’ to keep our family safe, make sure no one gets hurt in the damn war you seem so hell-bent on starting.”
I peeked up as Salvatore leaned across the table, gripping one edge of it so hard, I swore I heard it crack.
“All because you took it into your head to run off with some Ruffino whore who smiled pretty,” he spat.
Axe shot to his feet and slammed both his hands on the table.
“Enough,” he uttered in a low, tense voice.
The entire table froze, like someone had dropped a rattlesnake in their midst.
“Don’t call her that, do you hear me?” Axe ground out, his face tight with unleashed fury. “Do you honestly think I’m that stupid – that I would risk everything – my family, my home, my life – for someone who was in it for the money? Look at her. Uncle Joe saw it the first moment he laid eyes on her, just like I did.” His voice lowered to a growl. “She was kidnapped, for God’s sake. She’s not a whore and a hell of a lot more than a pretty face. If you can’t see that? Maybe you and Emilio Ruffino have something in common, after all, Pop.”
Gasps went around the table and all of the Capestranas gawked at Axe, jaws swinging.
“What did you just say to me?” Salvatore demanded, getting to his feet now.
“I mean it, Pop. If you’re not against human trafficking, then go ahead. Extend the business. Start bagging innocent girls off the street like Ruffino does and sell them to sick fucks like Victor Volkov.” Axe folded his arms, his chest heaving. “Maybe you can offer him up Ava and Sophia, since you don’t seem to give a damn about it one way or the other.”
Salvatore fell back into his chair as though Axe had shot him in the chest, his expression stricken.
But Axe wasn’t done and I could practically feel the heat pouring off of him. “I did the right thing. I’d do it again. Hell, I’d take a bullet for this girl. I’d rather be dead than let anything happen to her. I couldn’t let them destroy her.”
The waitress came by to fill water glasses and then backed away when she sensed the tension in the room.
I stared at Axe, hands over my mouth, watching as he struggled for composure, for words.
“I am…” he gritted out, “I am sorry for dragging us into this mess, but I couldn’t live with myself if I let her get raped by the likes of Volkov.”
I watched in horror, heart pounding as my fate hung in the balance. It was so quiet, I could hear the ticking of Uncle Joe’s watch.
“Volkov was there?” Salvatore finally asked after a long moment. The anger faded from his eyes as quickly as it had appeared, and a shrewd look replaced it. “You saw him?”
> “He was going to pay one point five million for Brenna,” Axe said through gritted teeth.
“Col cavolo!” Dante exploded. “Where’d he get that kinda scratch to drop on a girl? Volkov just got outta prison like last year. And I thought he couldn’t work—”
“Dante, be quiet,” Salvatore said. “Cosimo – there a reason you neglected to mention this to me?” He shot a look across the table at his eldest son, who leaned forward, and the front two legs of his chair banged onto the floor.
Colt shrugged. “I thought it was better for you to hear it all from Axe.” He shot a quick look at Axe and something passed between them, like they’d just shared a secret.
I made a mental note to ask Axe what it was.
“What the fuck is Emilio playing at?” the guy in the bifocals rumbled. “Sal, I don’t like this – and you know what, I just heard rumors about illegal gizmos makin’ rounds up and down the coast.”
“Russian?” Joe asked, annoyed, looking over at the man, who nodded.
“See?” Axe broke in. “I knew something was up. Never mind the fact that Emilio is in fact sex trafficking. You think Mama Ange would be okay with that?”
Sal pointed a finger at his son. “Your poor grandmother doesn’t know about any of this, and we’re going to keep it that way. Don’t you drag the women in, it’s not their place. Not after…not anymore,” he finished, a dark shadow passing over his face.
I recognized that look. Haunted. I’d seen it. I’d been it. And, in spite of his sharp words and gruff demeanor, a twinge of pity for the oldest Capestrana pierced my heart.
“That’s why you think it’d be okay to send Brenna back, right? Because Mama Angelina doesn’t know, so your conscience would be clear. Not gonna happen, Pop. We can just vanish. And you can go ahead and wipe your hands of both of us.”
There were a few soft exhales of air around the table and I found myself looking at Salvatore.
“That’s not the reason I didn’t tell your grandmother,” Salvatore said, but he sounded subdued.
“I did what a Capestrana man would do, Pop. I acted with honor. And I will not let you send Brenna back.” Axe was standing straight, arms folded over his brick wall of a chest.
Everyone in the room flicked their eyes back and forth between Salvatore and Axe, all of us waiting with bated breath for a response…
“Oh my God!” Dante burst out, his voice full of laughter, and everyone jumped – including Axe and Salvatore. “I got it. It’s you know…” All eyes swiveled to him and he smiled. “Colpo di fulmine! Aw, Angelino, cugino.” He put a hand over his heart. “Uncle Sal, we can’t send her back. What? I can’t be the only one who thoughta that…” He trailed off, gaze flickering incredulously over all the faces around the table. “What are you all lookin’ at me like that for?”
Next to me, Colt put his head down on the table as he burst into laughter, with Joe and the bifocals man following suit. The three of them howled as Dante continued to look perplexed.
I turned to look at Axe, who stared at them, stone-faced. “Shut the fuck up, Dante,” he bit out. But Colt and the others howled even harder.
Glancing over at Salvatore, I was startled to see him looking back at me. He regarded me with curiosity now, suspicion gone. In fact, I was even more startled to see a soft kind of glow come into his eyes, as he nodded, a faint smile pulling at his stern lips.
Then he turned his gaze on his youngest son, who was still glaring at Dante, and it became one of pride. My heart throbbed for some reason.
Slowly Salvatore nodded. “Sit down, please, Angelino. I don’t want you to disappear. Either of you,” he said with a nod in my direction. “Let’s talk it over. I think we can come up with a good solution together. As a family.”
Axe’s entire body went still, without a word he settled back into his seat, his entire body sagging with relief. “Thank you, Pop,” he said in a low voice.
“We eat, and then we talk business, yeah?” Salvatore said, eliciting nods from around the table.
“Ey, before we do that, can we at least introduce ourselves to the girl, here?” the bifocals man interrupted. “Buona sera, Brenna, I’m Uncle Lou.” He stood up and stuck his hand over the table, and I jumped up to shake it, blinking stupidly at him, his heavy rings pressing into my fingers.
“I’m Joe. You’re in my car. Don’t mess it up. No feet on the dash,” Joe grumbled and then stood up to shake my hand as well.
Axe’s father stood next and extended his hand. Hastily I took it. He smiled slowly as he shook my hand, then placed a swift kiss on my knuckles. “Miss Brenna Fiore. I’m Salvatore Capestrana.”
Nodding, I fell back into my seat when he let me go, completely overcome with the swift change in my reception.
What the hell had Dante said? Flippo da beppo? Cuppa da flippo? And, more importantly, what did it mean?
“Pecorelle.” Colt’s lazy voice drawled in my ear. “We finally meet. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I turned and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Angelino tells me everything.” He shot an amused look at Axe, then shook my hand, studying my face. “Well, you are breathtaking. I can see why someone would pay millions.”
I flushed, but before I could say anything, Dante broke in. “I’m Dante.” He leaned across Colt, beaming, and took my hand in both of his, pumping it up and down. “I mean, Colt said Axe said you were beautiful, but wow, I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Molto bellissima!”
“Dante, for the love of all that is Holy, get offa me,” Colt said, grabbing his cousin by the back of his collar. “Santo cielo. Long day for you, eh, pecorelle. You must be hungry… Allow me to get you a plate.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Axe growled from next to me. “And stop calling her that.”
“Relax, bro.” Colt smirked. “No lightning over here, I promise.”
The uncles barked out a laugh at that, and as I looked around, I even saw Salvatore smile. I was very definitely missing something, but in my relief that things were going so well, I almost didn’t care.
Almost.
Axe leaned behind me and punched Colt’s shoulder. “Cut the shit, Colt.”
“Ey, that was all Dante.” Colt slapped Axe’s fist away, picking up my plate. “He strikes again. Technically, this is all his fault. He’s the reason Axe was at the Ruffinos little auction of ass, not me.”
“How do you figure?” Dante asked, frowning.
“Are you shitting me? Dumbass, d’you not remember what happened two days ago?” Colt looked over at him.
Dante pursed his lips. “Listen, cuz, if that’d been a raid, you’d be singing a different tune.”
Colt laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, no shit! That’s exactly what I mean.”
“How did you guys find us anyways?” Axe asked as Colt handed a loaded plate back to me. Shooting a glare at his brother, Axe snatched my glass and poured me wine. “The Ruffinos close?”
“Nah, you’re okay. But I mean, c’mon, we’re Capestranas. You think you could fool us, ragazzo?” Salvatore asked. “Yeah right. We coulda come sooner, but we were waiting for you to do the right thing and, y’know, come home. But yeah, wasn’t all that hard to find you.”
“I never get no credit,” Joe muttered, tearing the heel off a hunk of bread.
Axe shot him a look. “Are you serious? The minivan is bugged, isn’t it?”
“You think imma let my nephew go joy-riding with someone I didn’t know – no offense, Brenna – into the mountains or wherever and not keep track of my precious car? Ya funny, kid.”
“Here I am thinking…” Axe shook his head. “You coulda told me that, Unc.”
“My car, my rules, kid. You shoulda known better.”
“Eh, lit a fire under your ass didn’t it though, Axe?” Sal also rejoined, digging into his supper. “Caro, you gotta know when to show your hand.”
From that point on, the mood of the room stayed upbeat. The Capestran
as joked, argued, told stories, and ate food like I’d never seen before. I picked at my own plate slowly, laughing and watching them, caught up in this circle of warmth. They slapped each other on the back easily, jabbed elbows at ribs, flicked ears, shot winks, and sprinkled in Italian likes notes of music.
My cheeks began to hurt from smiling as my body began to unwind, sensing I was safe again. Their laughter, bursting out every other minute, was contagious. Never mind Dante’s foot-in-mouth, impulsive commentary and general air of innocence. In fact, they started to compete for who could make me laugh more – telling childhood stories, which made Axe hunch his shoulders and glare at his relatives.
I found myself wishing I had a sibling like Colt, who clearly put everyone before himself, despite his cavalier attitude. From the gist of the conversation, he had arranged all of this. And I could’ve used a cousin like Dante, with his big heart and puppy-like air. Or even a cranky Uncle Joe, or a sly, witty Uncle Lou.
Or a tough-ass, take-no-shit father like Salvatore who roared like a lion but still allowed his mind to be changed by his sons.
The more Salvatore talked, the more I could see he was nothing like Emilio Ruffino. Where Emilio was cruel and condescending, with an endless kind of fury at the universe – erupting at any time – Salvatore was almost humble in his confidence, his tired eyes thoughtful, and his comments, funny or otherwise, seemed carefully thought through. He was kingly, commanding respect and loyalty, whereas Emilio was petty, commanding fear and animosity.
I realized I must have seen Salvatore in a rare kind of temper with Axe earlier, and from the way he kept looking over at his youngest son, it came from a place of distress and worry instead of a place of control and pride.
There was real love in this room and it made my heart ache with longing.
Then I overheard Uncle Lou mention something about the business and I caught myself, remembering what kind of family they were.
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