“Don’t allow Ursin to dictate your feelings.”
She considers that for a moment before humming low. “Sometimes, I forget you had years in the Bratva before I even looked at a gun. For a man who claims not to understand emotions, you’re pretty good at explaining them.”
Emotions make me uncomfortable, confused. They make my head vibrate, and no amount of tapping or counting helps.
“The Bratva was different then, but the minute you walked into the meeting room after your father’s death and stood up to Ivan, the flame was lit. Every day since then, your fire’s grown bigger, burning away what was.Da, today sucked. You feeling sympathy says everything about you. Ivan and Ursin never once visited families of their fallen.”
She casts me a look from the side. “Seriously?”
“Ironically, my father’s job was to do that.” Sometimes, he dragged me along, and I despised it even more than today. “You’re a much better Pakhan than Ursin. You ending the feud with the Cosa Nostra is just another example.”
We drive down the road to the mansion, nearing home, and she chuckles. “Does dating the enemy count as ending a feud?”
“Do you see us launching an attack on them, or them on us?”
She laughs again, except I was being serious. “You win.”
Didn’t realize it was a fight.
“Zeno believes staying together, travelling back and forth, will be fine. Long term…” Her expression scrunches. “We’ll have to see. Might need a different plan.”
“Did he make it back home?”Is Serafina home?
“Da. I wanted him to come right back, and I’ll be honest, I’m a day away from hopping on the plane to him.”
I stare at her for a moment before returning my attention to the road. This isn’t the Vanessa I’ve known, to be so attached to a man like this.
Something about these Mancinis…
“He’s planning on getting security for Serafina, so he’ll probably stick to Italy until that’s taken care of.”
The idea behind his plan has me exhaling. “After the kidnapping, it makes sense.”
“I agree.” We stop in front of the mansion, and I unlock the doors so she can slip out before I return the vehicle to one of the few multi-car garages in the back. “Thanks for coming with me. Has Dimitri been in contact yet? He’s quiet.”
“He’s hunting.”
“You find anything yet?”
“No, but I’m headed to the basement shortly.”
“Thanks.” She jerks two fingers in a salute before slipping out and heading through the front doors.
6
SERAFINA
The moment Madre releases me, the countdown truly begins.
Before Alessio freaks out more than he already has, I need to find him. Since landing in Rome, my phone’s yet to be on, because another stream of calls and texts would prompt Zeno’s nosiness.
Thankfully, I duck out of the living room, calling back to both of them, “Friends are eager to meet up. I’ll be home for dinner.”
I make it barely three feet before Zeno hauls me back around to face him. He stares, seeing through my lies in that Capo expression I tease him for perfecting: eyes slightly narrowed as they rove, mouth in a flat line that curves into a frown every passing second.
“You have to gonow? Stay home.” He glances at Madre, seeking backup. “Have a movie night or something. I’ll even stick around.”
“I told them we’d get together, and if I skip, they’ll show up here. Only for an hour, I swear.”
