“You’re being serious?” He shakes his head. “There’s no way I will ever trust you or my brother, for that matter. The minute I take out my father, you would take me out and take it all.”
“What about a contract? Until we establish the trust.”
“You’ve lost your goddamned mind. I should just put you out of your misery.”
I laugh at that. “What do you want, Bellino? Honestly?” I relax the gun, resting it on my knee but keeping it firmly in my grasp.
“Okay.” He nods. “Let’s play. I want the life I was promised. The life I was created for. I want what is owed to me.”
“And what is that?”
“I want the business, the houses, I want the title. I want the partner. I want everything my father led me to believe was mine. And I want to watch the life drain from his eyes while he realises that I took everything from him.”
“So, let’s take it for you. Together. The three of us.”
“Me, and my brother? Work together against Father—you’re joking, right? He will never go against our father. He is the favourite after all.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “You’ve always worked together. Bellino, you’ve always been your father’s favourite. I’ve seen the scars and heard the stories from Vittorio. He hates your father.”
“That’s all lies. He was always Father’s favourite. And we worked together because we had no choice.” He starts pointing at scars. “See this? I didn’t kill efficiently enough. I got the scars, Vittorio got an evening watching movies in his room with Father. I was eleven. This one, there was still blood in the car after I cleaned up. Vittorio got taken out for the day, and I was left scrubbing the carpet in the back of the car until my fingers bled. And this one, Father said, Vittorio was destined for more than just to kill a man; he was born to lead, but I was proving too incapable, and I took the belt for it because Vittorio had more promise. Do I need to go on? You want to carry on through the fucked-up road map that is my father’s abuse?”
I reach out. “Bellino. Vittorio is riddled with the same scars, the same reasoning. I think your father has been playing you both off against each other. I don’t think any of what your father has had you believe has been true. I think you guys need to actually sit down and have a conversation.”
“Why would he do that?” He looks confused, but I know he’ll get it. He’ll see the bigger picture. They just need to be given the opportunity to work together against a common enemy, their father.
“Because he knew you two would be unstoppable together, Bellino, I don’t think he has any intention of handing over anything to either of you.”
His face contorts. He climbs out of the bed, snatching his clothes off the floor. “Let’s go,” he snaps.
I nod because, fuck, if this is all true, his father has just signed his own death warrant.
He pulls his phone off the nightstand. “Load Matteo into the back of the truck, now,” he bellows into it.
We head down the stairs and out of the front door. I stick close, hoping we don’t see their father until they sort this shit out. I’m still armed, and I may just shoot him myself. We climb into the vehicle, me still clutching the gun in my hand. I won’t hesitate to shoot him if things start to look like they won’t be going my way. Bellino orders the Mancinis to go home, and we drive to mine in silence, the tension thick, the muffles, grunts and bumps echo as Matteo struggles in the boot. I sit back and start to plan. When these two sort their shit out and I’ve destroyed Matteo, we will take over the rest of the fucking Syndicate.
And burn it all to ash.
Bellino
Chapter Six
Then…
I’m sipping god-awful champagne at the reception of my brother and my fiancée. Well, ex-fiancée, and now sister-in-law. I stand with my back to the wall, watching everyone watch me like I’m going to kill everyone in the room. Watching for me to break or something, but I feel nothing.
Yes, she was promised to me. Did I want her? No, that was just how it was. But she threw out the rule book and picked my brother. My little brother, the snot-nose kid who tried to follow me everywhere, who was always given everything by Father, while I was treated harsher. More roughly.
I was given the burden of being the oldest. The next in line. so much was expected of me, even from being young, and he used to get to run around and play and have a childhood.While Father berated me for not being more like him—he was the favourite, I would have to learn that the hard way.
A small cough startles me from my thoughts. “Bellino, I’d like to introduce my daughter, Luna.”
I scowl at him. Daughter? Where’s he been hiding her? He has two sons, Luciano and Ricardo. No mention of a daughter, ever. I turn to take a look and then glance back. She’s plain-looking. She looks like every other blonde-haired, blue-eyed bimbo, all designer bags, and fake boobs. I suppose if you like that type of thing. I don’t, but whatever. I blink before glancing down at Enzo, his hand outstretched. My giant fist slides around his, and I shake it once before turning to look in her direction and nodding. I slid my hand back into my pocket as Enzo steps closer.
“We wondered if you would be interested in talks to join the family, to secure our footing.” He means to securehisfooting.
“I wasn’t aware you had a daughter, Enzo. I was under the impression all these years that Arianna was the only girl in the Five’s families.”
He looks at me with a look that tells me they’re not part of the five. Our marriages are arranged to give us the highest quality of offspring, but mistresses, that’s another matter. I survey her, and she’s just a girl, trying too hard. Wearing too much makeup, smelling like she crashed through a perfume store. It offends my sense of smell. I look away while I take another drink.
