Rocco's kryptonite is his empire, and he always proudly declares that he'd elevated thefamigliato a different status with his business acumen. So I'll just have to play him at that.
It might take some time and, given Allegra's vulnerable state, some top-notch acting from me. But when it's all said and done, Rocco's fall from grace will be the best thing to witness.
The acting shouldn't be too hard since people already have a preconceived idea about me—the indolent playboy who relies on his good looks to get everything in life. I know what people see when they look at me, just as I know that they judge me before they even know me. So I'll just play into their biases and turn myself into the perfect prodigal son.
I'd already talked withmamanabout this, and she'd promised to let me borrow some of her girls to help boost this image. I'd had one request—every single girl she chose for me had to be gay.
I wouldn't want any complications, like someone actually becoming obsessed with me. Been there, done that, and I think I've had enough of obsessive women for a lifetime. It will also help me when the time comes to explain to my little tigress that I've neveractuallybeen involved with those women.
Considering Chiara's penchant for dick, even old and shriveled like my father's, I have to make it believable that Idon'tmind her affairs because I'm having plenty of my own. A modern marriage through and through.
And slowly, I'll change this world from the inside out. I'd never really questioned my role in the mafia. It has always been my birthright. But seeing Allegra's terrified expression when I'd killed those men, the way she'd cursed me out had hurt likenothing before. Not only that, but her diary had confirmed her meeting with the fed, and while she hadn't expressed her desire to leave me in writing, shehadcompiled the evidence as a last resort.
She never trusted me to make her happy.
So I'll give her what she's always wanted—freedom and a world in which she can live peacefully and to her heart's content.
"Shh," I try to calm Luca down one night, but after doing everything—feeding, bathing, and changing him—nothing works.
I'm close to giving up when another thought crosses my mind.
Pulling up my computer, I browse through some of the videos I'd taken of Allegra, choosing one where she was trying to sing a song from a commercial but failing rather miserably. I play the sound, and I watch in awe as Luca's ears perk up, his attention focused solely on the video. He bangs his hands on the keyboard in his attempt to get closer to the screen, his cries now muffled sniffles.
"Mamma," I say as I point to Allegra, hoping to imprint in his young mind thatthisis his real mother, not the impostor sleeping down the hall.
He furrows his little brows as he gazes at Allegra, already calmer than before. When the video ends, the crying begins anew, so I just put it on a loop.
Transfixed, Luca continues to watch his mother's antics, and I too lose myself in her presence.
If only she were here…
46
ENZO
I takea deep drag of my cigarette as I attempt to look bored, all the while counting the cards to make sure I win yet another round.
Nothing like a cheater to get the big boss to show his face.
Groans permeate the air when I put down my cards—a royal flush. I pull the chips toward me, trying to ignore the woman at my side. After all, she's playing a role and so am I.
The next set of cards is dealt, and I continue chain-smoking and counting the cards. It won't be long until management realizes there is something wrong with me—and my rather fortuitous hand.
It's been almost two years since Allegra's accident, and my plans have slowly started to materialize. I'd made comprehensive calculations to hit where it hurts the most—starting with Rocco.
Now, the best way to topple an empire is to take away its resources. In my father's case, his profitable businesses—drugs and human trafficking. His many clubs in Manhattan cater to the worst vices and the most corrupt elites. What would he say when his stream of customers decreases, his influx of prostitutesstops, and his profit takes a dent? After all, nothing can put you on your toes like old-fashioned competition.
But most of all, what will he say when he realizes his empire is no longerhis?
To say it's been tough to get here is an understatement. I feel like I'm dying inside the more I see my Allegra languishing there in a state of being but not being. She's on life support, and knowing that anyone could walk in and pull the plug has me perpetually restless.
I visit her weekly, but it's not enough. It's never enough. I want her by my side and in my bed. I want to worship her body and make love to her like never before.
I want to show her my love.
I'd never jerked off to a woman's picture before her. But sometimes the longing becomes too much, and I find myself coming with her name on my lips, reliving the many times I'd fucked her hard and fast but also the other times, during her pregnancy, when we'd gone so agonizingly slow, exploring each other's bodies and connecting on a soul level.
"And I win," I smirk, "again." I pull the chips toward me, noting some people watching me closely from the sidelines.
