Page 47 of Blood & Heartache

“Athos was having an affair with Flora?” I asked, making sure I hadn’t lost my mind and misheard him.

“It’s been a widely-known secret,” Santino commented. “Flora didn’t try to hide it, knowing your father had Casimira in his life and bed. She felt that entitled her to sleep with whom she fancied.”

“I don’t disagree with that logic. If she were waiting for my father to help her out in that area, she’d have bats living in her cave by now,” I muttered. “What I don’t understand is why Athos?”

“Because after a few years, he became loyal to her and not your father,” Durant clarified. “To be honest, I have no idea who Athos sees as his boss now that Colmazio has passed. Mathis had such a blind hero worship toward your father, I fear he will be led astray by Athos. Like your father, he has such a commanding nature. Although he isn’t as loud and brash as your father was, that doesn’t change how effective his skills are. Athos prefers to manipulate and push you into making things your own idea so you don’t see how he encouraged you to do it.”

Like the bastard had just done to me, I thought, growling as my hands balled into fists, begging for the chance to punch him right in his lying fucking mouth.

“Athos and Mathis have been detained,” I shared. “If your concerns are accurate about Flora, then would it surprise you to know that she’s spending some quality time with Harvey O’Hagan?”

“With you cutting her off and making it so she doesn’t have any connection to the Caprioni Family, you really left her no choice. I had my suspicions that she might be a plant for others… it seemed too convenient for her father to approach Colmazio about a merger that involved marriage. Things just aren’t done that way anymore. It reeked of foul play, but the deal was too good to pass up,” Prospero said. “If I can offer you any advice, Lady Astin, it’s this. Get an iron grip on your place here in the Family, no matter how much blood must be shed. You must have the backing of the Family in order to survive the storm I believe is coming for you.”

“Is that in reference to those who wouldn’t want to see a female in power or more along the lines that I’m the last Raffa? I have a feeling that taking over one of the two positions that will put me in command of extremely influential Families isn’t what certain people want,” I pointed out.

“You’re right that both play a factor, but I’d say the latter is your biggest threat,” Gianni agreed. “Hold the oath ritual tonight. Anyone who hesitates or questions your new method, instantly remove them from the Family. Doing that once or twice will bring out those who truly oppose you. They’ll want to fight for their ideals to be heard instead of the silence you’ll give them.”

I had to hand it to Gianni. He was a bloodthirsty son of a bitch, and I was here for it. This is the way the mafia was supposed to be, steeped in blood, loyalty, and the tears of widows whose husbands chose poorly. It’s true I wanted to change some things, but the reason families like ours have survived the turning of time was the ruthlessness we used to carve our space in the world. Right now, I needed to bathe my throne in blood to wash away the sins of those before me.

“It’s decided. I’ll start the night with my lieutenants giving me their oath to show the Family I have people watching my back. Then I will have my uncles brought forward, and at even the slightest hesitation, their blood will be the first to spill. This will prove to the Family as a whole that it won’t matter what ties you have to the new boss. If you’re not truthful in your oath, nothing will save you,” I announced. “It would be my honor to have you men standing with me on my left so all will know where your support lies.” The men nodded their heads and muttered their agreement.

“We all wish your father had more time to prepare you for all that’s to come but know that we old coots shall give whatever knowledge we can. Each of us grew up in Italy under the founding families you’re born from. I believe out of the things your father waited to prepare you for, it was interacting with these people. The rules they follow are cutthroat, merciless, and carried out with a swiftness that many have underestimated,” Benito offered before standing. “If there is nothing else you need from us presently, there are a few things I’d like to attend to before this evening's events.”

“Just one question,” I stated as I also stood. “Was Mayor Wilson picked by my father, or had he chosen another who didn’t seem to make their way into office?”

Durant gave me a wide smile as the rest of the men stood. “Lady Astin, you have a mind the likes of which I haven’t seen in years. Colmazio was clever, knew how to command his people well, but he didn’t see how things connected the way you’re proving to. Your father left the task of vetting options for mayor to his brothers. It’s my opinion they chose poorly regarding what’s best for the Family but would work far better to their advantage of manipulation.”

“Thank you, that helps as we wade into that particular shitshow,” I said, smiling at them all. “I’ll see you later tonight, and I suggest wearing clothes that won’t show stains.”

That had them all chuckling as they left the conference room, leaving me with far more information and just as many questions. Taking my seat again, I let out a heavy sigh of exasperation as I rubbed my temples. God, would I ever go a day without a headache? Hands removed mine and started to massage my scalp, making me groan in pleasure. I didn’t even care which one of my guys was doing it because it felt amazing, and I wasn’t going to tell them to stop.

“Do you want to start tackling the situation with the mayor or leave it alone for now?” Ryker asked, telling me he was the one with the magic fingers.

“Right now, I don’t care what the hell we do as long as you don’t stop whatever it is that you’re doing,” I mumbled. He let out a huff of laughter but kept up with the massage.

The sound of chairs being pulled back told me they wanted to get a handle on all things mayor, and I couldn’t blame them. We needed to know what the fuck was going on with the police investigation and what people were saying.

“Why don’t we start with what we do know,” I suggested.

“Well, for starters… ding-dong, the cheating ‘ol mayor is dead,” Hound spoke up first in a cheerful sing-song sarcastic voice.

“Not really breaking news, asshole,” Ryker snapped. “Why don’t you show us your super skills and tell us something useful?”

“Fuck off, Ry-ry. There’s no need to be nasty just because I’m Luna’s favorite since you fucked up,” Hound shot back. “But because I’m a team player, I’ll be more than happy to share what I know.”

Their snarkiness was cute, but if we were going to deal with this matter, then I wanted to get the ball rolling. Reaching up, I took Ryker’s hand and pulled it away from my head as I sat up. “As adorable as you two are, none of this is helping my headache or lessening the mountain of shit that’s piling up on my plate. So let’s compare dicks later when it’s not standing in the way of getting work done.”

“Wait,” Hound asked, leaning forward toward me. “Are you going to be the judge of this contest?”

“Do I need to be?” I muttered.

“I mean, you are the one whose opinion matters, and it helps you know your choices. I feel it’s better to have all the information in hand when you’re deciding which dick you want to rock your world,” Hound reasoned.

“Oh God!” I groaned. “Now there are two of them.”

“Hey now,” Braxton piped up. “I’ve been on my very best behavior all day, so it’s not fair to bring me into this.”

“The fact I didn’t even need to clarify what I meant should tell you everything you need to know,” I pointed out. “Anyway, we need to back this train up and head down the right set of tracks. Now, who can tell me where we’re at with the mayor situation?”