“But Serena and Saskia are married to powerful mafia men! Surely people know whoAlfredois?” She spits out his real name as her fury surges to the surface.
“Again, only those who mix in those circles would be aware of Gifoli’s position. It’s not like we go broadcasting it. And if others, outside our circles, suspect, they know better than to talk about it. Especially to Gifoli’s sister-in-law.”
“At least I know why Felix was targeted now. It didn’t make sense before, but it does now.”
“It’s not unusual to target important heirs, and he must’ve gotten sloppy to let them catch him in an unguarded moment in public.”
Her eyes pop wide. “So much makes sense now,” she murmurs, tapping her fingers off her bottom lip. “Neither of my sisters are in love with their husbands, and it’s no wonder when they were both clearly in arranged marriages.” Air expels from her mouth. “At least, I dodged that bullet.”
“I think you getting pregnant with Rowan saved you from that fate.”
She shrugs. “My father hates me. I doubt he would have married me off anyway.”
I tuck her damp hair behind her ears. “Baby, that wouldn’t have come into it. Your father is a cold disloyal prick. If he had found a way to forge a connection through you, he would have taken it. I’m sure of it.”
“Then I guess I have something else to thank you for.” She stands on her tiptoes to press a fleeting kiss to my mouth. “But I’m done second-guessing things. I need to hear the truth. I’m calling Serena,” she says, shucking out of my arms. “I’d prefer to have the conversation face to face, but wild horses couldn’t drag me back to Chicago after today. If I never step foot in the place again, I’d die happy.”
I know she doesn’t really mean that. She loves her little house and has made tons of happy memories there with Rowan, but I understand where she is coming from.
I retreat to my study to call Phillip while Sierra calls her sister. “I need you to prioritize the Lawson case,” I tell him when he picks up on the third ring. “And I need you to do something else for me.” I explain about Terry, his supposed affiliation with The Outfit, the suspicion over his death, and the fact he apparently bequeathed his house and some mystery box to me. “Both things are urgent. I need intel ASAP.”
“I will work around the clock, Mr. Mazzone, I promise.”
I make a mental note to double Phillip’s annual bonus. The guy never tells me no. He mustn’t have much of a life because he willingly drops everything when I need him. Or he’s just that good of an employee he makes the sacrifice without question. “Thank you, Phillip. Good night.”
I hang up, walking to our private living room to pour us some drinks while I wait for Sierra to finish talking to her sister and her mom.
“I’ve changed my mind about the wedding,” she says, a few minutes later, storming into the room. My heart falters in my chest, and I’m not sure what expression she sees on my face, but it’s enough to have her rushing to reassure me. “I still want to marry you,” she blurts, coming around the couch. “But I don’t want my family there. I just want it to be us, Rowan, Angelo and Natalia, Leo and Alesso, and Esme and Pen.” Snatching her glass of wine, she drains half of it in one go.
I swirl the dregs of my bourbon in my glass, watching her quietly seethe. She flops down beside me, bristling with rage. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’ve made up my mind,” she says, turning her head to face me. “I don’t want them at our wedding. I mean it. I’m not going to change my mind.”
That wasn’t what I meant, but I go with the flow. “Whatever you want, Firefly.” I brush my fingers along her cheek, over the faint mark left behind by the stitches. The doc says it should fully heal in time, and I hope it does. I don’t want her to have any permanent reminders of that day.
“I’m so mad I could spit.”
I circle my arm around her, pulling her close. “What did they say?”
“That they were protecting me!” she hisses before narrowing her eyes at me. “If I ever hear that excuse again, from anyone, I’m liable to commit murder.”
“Noted.” I finish my drink and set the empty glass on the end table.
She heaves out a sigh. “You were right. Father didn’t want me to know anything, but Serena said she has harbored huge guilt over all the lies she has had to tell. She said she came close to fessing up so many times, but she put herself in my shoes, and she wouldn’t want to know.” Her hands clench into balls, and I curl my hand around one of hers, gently unfurling her tense fingers. “She said she hated she had no choice. But she failed to realize in keeping it a secret she was doing the same to me! She could’ve mentioned a little and asked me if I wanted to know more. At least I wouldn’t have been completely ignorant of the truth then.”
She slumps against me. “Mom wasn’t apologetic at all. She told me if she had the chance to do it again she would still conceal the truth from me because I have had a better life not knowing.” Angry tears fill her eyes as she looks at me. “I get wanting to protect your child. I would die for Rowan, and I don’t want him to know about this life yet. But he must be told when he is eighteen, if he hasn’t figured it out before then. I couldn’t lie to him about something this big. Mom doesn’t seem to realize how betrayed I feel. I could never do that to my son.”
I am surprised she doesn’t ask me about initiation and Rowan’s future life, and I can only guess her distress has clouded her mind. It is something we will need to discuss at some point but not now. We have had enough of the heavy for one day.
I wasn’t given a choice with this life, and I won’t do that to my son. I never expected to have an heir, assuming one of Natalia’s stepsons, or any child she may have with Gino, would carry the Mazzone name and keep our legacy alive, but things have changed. I hope to have more children with Sierra, and they will have the right to decide what they want to do with their lives. I won’t stop them if they want to joinla famiglia, but I won’t force them if they choose to have nothing to do with this life.
48
BEN
Afew days pass and I’m getting more and more impatient for new intel. I peer out the window of my office at Caltimore Holdings as I wait for Phillip to arrive to debrief me. I can’t shake the sense something is lingering outside my peripheral mind. That something obvious is staring me in the face and I’m missing it.
In positive news, we held the Bratva at bay when they attacked Philly two nights ago, slaughtering their men, leaving the dregs to slink off with their tails between their legs. We needed that win to send a powerful message to our allies within The Commission, to the Russians, and to all our enemies.
