"Ready for what? It’s hard to be ready for him, Ennio. That bastard has no limits. He’ll do anything to reach his goal."
"Eliano, if you had to bet in this duel, would you bet on me or on Rocco?"
Ennio beats Rocco in raw intelligence, but Rocco wins in ruthlessness. What does that leave? Rocco will not hesitate to use the most vile methods imaginable. Ennio would never stoop that low.
But I can’t tell him that I’m afraid this might be the last time I ever speak to him.
"On you," I whisper, wanting to believe it.
"I’ve had time to prepare for certain things. It won’t be easy for him to catch me off guard. Trust me."
"I’ll try. You’re the only reason Mauro and I survived. That Salt survived. I’m just a little afraid Rocco's thirst for revenge is too voracious—"
"I’ll deal with him, Eliano. Have more faith in me."
I blink as I hear it, realizing what it may mean. Suddenly, it starts to sink in. What if the solution to my dilemma is so much simpler?
Ennio is a far superior candidate to kill Rocco than I am. I almost feel a wave of guilty relief when I see how perfectly it fits.
"You’re definitely a better man than me to stand up to that monster, Ennio," I say, choosing my words carefully. "And so you know, you have my blessing. Di stu mumentu nun mi lèganu cchiù a iddu li vincoli di sangu. Fa’ chiddu ca ritenigiustu."(From this moment on, no ties of blood bind me to him anymore. Do what you believe is right.)
There’s a pause. I know he understands the weight of what I said. As Rocco’s brother, I renounce him, and it gives Ennio the right to do what’s right without retaliation from me.
A sense of gratitude floods me at the thought that my problem might resolve itself almost… magically. For the past two days, I’ve been running through different complicated and difficult scenarios of how to kill Rocco, convinced that if I don’t do it, my life will never settle down, that Salt and I will always be fighting an uphill battle, that one blow will come after another.
And I’m so tired. I just want everything to finally cool down, and to enjoy my new family. Our journey has been long enough.
So it spills out of me.
"I’ve been torturing myself with ideas of how to kill him, Ennio. Because somebody has to put him down like the rabid dog he’s become. But I have no easy way to leave the island and make sure Salt’s protected."
"There’s no need. Things will clear up soon."
I close my eyes, barely believing what I hear, or how blissful it sounds. But one thing needs to be said.
"I owe you my life, Ennio. I was really at the end of my rope when he bombarded the unit. Salt is pregnant, we’re expecting a child."
"Congratulations, Eliano. But I can hear too much stress in your voice. You need to get it together, like an alpha should, especially as a future father. I’m going to need you down the line. Understood, soldier?"
I swallow. Of course. Ennio might be the good guy inside the mafia, but he was still raised by it, which means there’s no room for weakness. Ennio despises it. He always keeps himself under control. In all my life, I’ve never seen him emotionally unraveledor broken. He never shows it. He’s like steel. It’s almost hard to believe he’s an omega.
"And remember, Eliano. Your debt is growing."
I sigh. "I remember."
"We will make this family work again. And even more powerful. I'll make sure of it."
I sigh. Ennio is extremely principled and keeps his affairs in strict order. Honestly, I see him as an excellent leader for our family business. He’s the only kind of man I could even swear a mafia oath of loyalty to, because I know that under his rule, what happened during Rocco’s reign would have never been allowed.
"Good luck, Ennio. You’re gonna need it."
"Don’t worry about it. Keep matters safe on your side. And change your phones if you’re using burners. That was a rookie mistake."
"Fair enough," I mutter, because from him I can accept the scolding.
I hang up, deleting the call history first, of course, and then leave the room.
Walking down the corridor, I realize I should take Ennio’s words to heart. They’ve injected something into me, a new kind of positive energy. After all, I don’t have to leave Salt again. At least for once, someone else can do the dirty job. Fate was merciful enough to grant me an easier way out of my impossible situation.
