Slowly, I shook my head. “Do you even feel any remorse for Arabella?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Of course, I do.”
I shot to my feet, my caustic laugh bouncing off the silence between us. “If my father was alive, he’d be right next to me, killing those bastards for just looking at her,” I snarled.
“Don’t you use that tone of voice of with me—”
“Or what?” I hissed. Her threats meant nothing to me and she knew it. “I’m not sixteen, Mother.”
“How dare you?” She pushed up from her seat, her chest heaving with the rage I could see in her eyes. “I did what I had to for us. I deserve your loyalty. As my son,” she spat.
“Are you so vain to think that your children wanted this?” I pointed at her. “You were our mother until you became this obnoxious woman hell bent on power. All because my father fucked the nanny.” We glared at each other, every cell in my furious body telling me to end this, to cut ties with this woman for good. “You killed my father in cold blood and didn’t think twice about taking his place as Underboss, maybe I should do the same right now? After all, the title of Don is mine, correct? Seeing as you got rid of Mateo too?” I scowled. And let’s not forget my grandfather’s death while we’re at it.”
Was that fear in her eyes? She turned away, knowing that my elder brother’s death had given me more strength than she’d ever wish for. Over three years, I’d lost the three men in my life who’d played a huge role in who I’d become today. She’d moved up the ranks by killing family. First my father and fool that he was, my grandfather gave his daughter her husband’s position of Underboss, He unknowingly handed over the reins to his life in the process. Within a year, she’d usurped his title of Don with a bullet to his head, ultimately tearing her family apart at the seams. I wasn’t naïve to believe she couldn’t do the same to me. Only, I had an ace she wouldn’t dare to touch. Remo and I had each other’s back, we’d take her down in a minute if anything happened to either of us, by her hand.
She turned to face me. “I didn’t have a hand in Mateo’s death—”
“Keep telling yourself that, Mother. We both know different.” She might’ve not pulled the trigger, but her derision killed Mateo’s spirit.
“Mateo was weak.”
“No. He was in love, something you wouldn’t understand,” I sneered, irritation making me clench my fist to prevent smashing them into the table. For just a moment, she stood there, staring at me as if contemplating whether an ensuing argument was worth it. “Are we done here,” I asked, my tone one of blatant disinterest.
“Look, Lorenzo, we can stand here all day with you throwing daggers at me, but the D’Angelo’s still want that war. Now, either we accept their suggestion or...” she trailed off as eyes the color of twilight iciness sliced through me, waiting for a reaction and already knowing she wasn’t going to get one. “They want you to marry one of their daughters and give them an heir.” My shock must’ve registered because that conceited smile widened her lips once more.
“You’re fucking kidding me.”
She shook her head. “They took one of ours and you returned the favor. Now, they believe this marriage would put an end to the feud by bringing both families together. A child will seal the deal.”
“I’m not fucking marrying a D’Angelo.” I shoved at one of the chairs and it slid across the room, flipping onto its side with loud crash.
I was tall. Even in her heels, she was a head or two shorter than me but that didn’t stop her from stiffening her back to make her appear taller. I turned my back on her.
“I’m not asking, Lorenzo.”
I swung around to the evil bitch’s glare cutting through me with the force of a thousand knives I couldn’t deflect. Admittedly, she reminded me of myself. Ruthless, daunting and determined.
“I’m telling you, you will marry that girl, fuck her on your wedding night and give them an heir.” Her blue eyes turned midnight, nostrils flaring as she took a step closer.
While a slow smirk crawled across my face at the satisfaction of pissing her off, I ground my molars to keep from reaching for my gun. It wasn’t the first time I’d considered putting a bullet between her eyes. She might be my mother, but she put every sadistic bastard I knew to shame, and I knew plenty. This woman had balls of steel, no make that harder than steel and just one of the reasons she excelled at heading up a mafia family, a position that men normally held. I might be considered a sexist right now, but it was true.
“They’ve taken Evelina.”
“What?” I wasn’t quick enough to hide my shock. “When?” I gritted. “Why the fuck are you only telling me this now?” I advanced on her and she took a step back. “They kidnap my sister and you’re agreeing to a fucking wedding?” I barked. Joey took a step toward me, chest puffed out, his stance defensive. “Get the fuck away from me if you know what’s good for,” I growled, not caring he was all muscle and big boned. Agility fared far better over bulk.
She touched his arm and he stepped back. “What would you have me do, Lorenzo? Say no and let them kill your sister?”
My laughed lacked mirth. “You pick a fine fucking time to display an affinity you don’t have, for your children. Am I to believe that you’re actually worried about Evelina or do you have some sick hidden agenda up your sleeve?”
If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought I detected a hint of pain flash across her face. The sign was gone before I had a chance to scrutinize it.
She reached for her purse and withdrew her phone. After a second of pressing buttons, she held it out to me. “See for yourself.”
Frowning, I took the phone and let out a string of curses. Several photos of Evelina, either shackled by her hands to a headboard or tied to a chair, moved across the screen as I pressed the next icon. Tear filled brown eyes, red and haunted, stared into the camera, begging to be rescued. Dread prickled my skin as I fought to get a handle on the fury spiraling through my body. My heart rate tripled to a point where I thought I might keel over from an attack. Nausea taunted my throat and crippled the effect of my lungs as it cried out for air. I was ready to kill someone. My grip tightened on the phone rather than reaching for my gun once more.
“Hate me all you want, Lorenzo but marrying a D’Angelo is all you can do now.”
I glared at her, pouring every ounce of hate I possessed into that look. “Did you even try saving her?” I sneered.
