"Darian," I force out. "If I did leave…would you let him go, too?"
"Darian has made no oaths to me," Sandro says. "As Julian was quick to point out during the parley. My brother has a unique view of the world. Sometimes it is troubling. But sometimes…it is useful. If you leave, and Darian wishes to leave with you, I will not stop you—and neither will Julian. You have my word on that."
Alessandro Castellani's word is worth a hell of a lot more to me than Julian's. But I see the point the Boss is trying to make, too. I might not like what Julian did—hell,Sandromight not like it, either—but the outcome for us is a stronger position.
And no more Castellani blood spilled.
"You don't have to decide now," Sandro tells me. "Think on it. But know that whatever you choose…youwillalways be my brother."
I see sincerity in his eyes. And I understand, with sudden fierce clarity, that honor and duty areneveras simple as I thought. That Families like ours come with moral complexities I've never even considered before.
Things that seemed black and white a second ago are all a murky shade of gray.
And, hell, that's where we live, all of us. In the shadows.
"Thank you for your offer, Don Castellani," I finally say. "But I'm not leaving." I meet his gaze with determination. "I still have a lot to learn, but one thing I know for sure is that I belong here. With my brothers."
Sandro's smile radiates both approval and relief. "Wise decision. Now…was there something you wanted to tell me?"
I shake my head. "No, Don Castellani. It was nothing." Some secrets really are better left buried. "Although," I add, "if I could ask a favor?—"
He cocks an eyebrow, the non-scarred one. "You are brave, DeLuca. What is this favor?"
I'm pretty sure he'll grant it, so I go on and ask. "Darian's mom. I want to make sure word gets out that she's under Castellani protection."
He chuckles. "This is a favor I can easily grant—because it is already in progress."
"Already?" That's news to me.
"As soon I heard Darian's confession, I knew it would be necessary. And then afterward—when I was speaking to Julian—he was most insistent about it as well. So you see, DeLuca, neither you nor Darian need worry about her safety. We take care of our own in this Family. Now that things are stabilizing in LA, I'll make it widely known that she is not to be touched—due to her connection to Darian, of course. Better not to mention her association with the Clemenzas, eh?"
As I walk back down the hallway, I feel lighter, somehow. As if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
I don't like the lies and manipulations fromsomecorners of this Family. But they're too much for me to unravel, and pointless, besides. All that matters is that Darian is safe. And as long as I'm with him, he always will be.
Let Julian and Roxy and all those spiders spin their webs, as long as they understand that I'll come for them if they try to hurt Darian. Because unlike them, my duty is clear, my path straightforward once more. Family first, sure—but Darian is my everything.
And I'll always protect him. No matter the cost.
And it's Darian I go to at once, finding him in the grand salon and seizing him by the hand.
"What happened?" he asks nervously.
"Nothing." I start pulling him with me out of the room.
"Where are we going?"
"I have something to show you."
I hurry him through to our suite, where I push him up against the closed door and kiss the breath out of him.
"Raffi!" he gasps after. "We-we're at work."
"I don't care." And he's so prettily flushed and his eyes so soft that I really couldn't care less if the Boss himself started banging on the door.
"But what exactly happened with Don?—"
I kiss him again. "What happened is, I figured out my purpose," I say afterward, when he's melting in my arms. I reach under his elbow to lock the door.
