Salvatore turned to me. “What happened to you that night. Do you remember?”
We walked out onto the balcony, and I leaned with my back against the rail while he stood with his back to the wall. “I was stolen from the car by a drug addict who wanted kids and couldn’t have any. Regardless of her addiction, she took care of me for about four years. When she died of an overdose I was put into the system where I met Declan. He’s about six years younger than me and I took care of him. After a couple of foster homes didn’t work out, I took Declan on the run, and we were rescued years later by a military officer who took us under his wing and the rest as they say is history. But, we have plenty of time to catch up on our lives.” I grinned.
With his eyes on the blue waters on the horizon, Salvatore appeared lost in thought until his gaze found me again. “About Gianna.” He rubbed his jaw and I tensed. “I’d really like you to consider staying.”
Linking my fingers behind my head, I leaned backward until my lower back stretched out. “As in us being a threesome?”
He nodded. “She loves you, you know that, right?” I nodded. “Then don’t break her heart. I did and I regret it every fucking day. Wasted years and I’m too fucking old to waste anymore.”
I chuckled. “I don’t think thirty-eight and forty-four are old. My cock still works the same as when I was twenty.”
He laughed. “Yeah, well kids do change dynamics. But I want this. Me, you and Ria.”
“Would you be this willing if I weren’t your brother?”
“Yes, because she wants this as well,” his reply came easily, answering my unasked question.
“I’ll think about it.” Unsure what our future held, the idea of being around family held an appeal all on its own.
“What do I call you? And what’s with the fucking pseudonyms?” Salvatore pulled me out of my reflections.
“When you’re a killer for hire, pseudonyms work.”
“How the fuck do you keep track?”
I shrugged. “Passports. “I was born Gabriel Ricci to our mother, registered as Gabriel Morrone by my druggie mom and now I’m Zayne Morrone because Ria called me her Zayne. You have a choice or, we could just stick to Skywalker and Obi-Wan.”
He threw back his head with a laugh. “Mafia don, Skywalker Salvatore and his assassin for hire, Obi-Wan Morrone. Fuck.”
When we stopped laughing, I asked, “Why did you change your name, it would’ve been easier for me to find you?” Given Declan’s skill, I knew I could’ve.
He shifted his gaze to the horizon, his expression changing to a darkness I knew would take a long time to disappear even if he’d gotten his revenge over Cassius. “Because Raphael Ricci died that first night Cassius touched me. When I escaped, I went back to the spot the accident occurred. Our father, who’d been visiting there every day since I disappeared, found me. Like he knew something bad had happened to me, the first thing he asked me when I climbed into the car was if I knew the meaning of the name Vincenzo.” He turned his head to look at me, his eyes glowing with triumph like he’d learned something that day. “When I told him I didn’t, he said it meant to conquer. And that’s who I became, Vincenzo Salvatore, the conqueror as he used to call me.”
“You didn’t just conquer, Vincenzo, you ruled. It takes a lot to overcome what you’ve been through and stand up so strong, the world fears you.” Admiration filled my voice for a man I thought was someone I’d hate for taking the love of my life. I moved closer to him and held out my hand. “I never said thank you for saving me from Monster and probably from becoming a lost cause if he’d had his way with me.”
Instead of a handshake, he drew me into a hug, his embrace tight. “I would’ve given my life for you then and now you’re back I still will, never forget that.” He said when we parted, and I nodded. “Do you have anything from our childhood?” His eyes took on a distinct shine.
“I was three, remember and the toys in my backpack disappeared.
“Come on, I want to show you something.” He re-entered the living room and I followed him.
Ria jumped to her feet and slipping between the two of us, she looked up at me. “You’re staying?” Her smile was soft, her green eyes bright with happiness.
“Do you want me to?”
She faked a pout. “Is that a trick question?”
I slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Remind me why I should stay. Give me an incentive.”
“Hmm. I’ll suck your cock every day for a year.” She laughed, reminding me of the innocent Ria I once knew. Not the mafia queen she’d become.
“That’s not an incentive, baby girl, that’s a given.” I winked.
She punched my arm. “Sometimes the people that hurt you the most, love you the hardest, you know that right?” she said, her eyes flicking between me and Vincenzo’s. He nodded and so did I.
“You’ve got the rest of your life to make up for it.” I tweaked her nose and she laughed as Vincenzo led us to a room.
He keyed in a code and when the doors opened with a soft swoosh. I stopped just inside, awe painted on my face. The room was designed to look like space, complete with a dark ceiling and tiny lights resembling stars and planets. The floor was a black void that gave the effect of walking on air. It would make a perfect playroom for boys. One wall was filled with large-framed photos of Ria.
