Page 58 of Blood & Heartache

“How do I know you’re not going to do it anyway since I can’t even fight you,” he challenged.

“Because that would be boring. I’d much rather fuck with your head while causing you immense amounts of pain. Plus, if I’ve gotten the information I need, then you’re of no further use to me. I don’t waste time on things that have no value,” I informed him. “So what will it be? Answers or feeding on your entrails?”

Taking a deep breath, he let out a quite impressive roar for how weak he was becoming. “Two hundred, I have two hundred who are loyal to me. All of them will be wearing a Celtic knot pin on their suit jacket. It’s how they know who to trust since we never meet as a large group, only keeping it to gatherings of ten or less. They aren’t permitted to tell anyone, not even their wives what the pin means. If it’s discovered they leaked information, they’re disposed of immediately to keep the mission secret.”

“Huh, you know that sounds an awful lot like a plan the founding families would think up. Very Roman Empire if you ask me. I suppose that makes you Brutus, now, doesn’t it? Gathering your own people to stab Caesar in the back for taking the nation in a different direction,” I mused aloud. “One more thing before I bring this conversation to an end… is there anyone else besides the three of you snakes slithering around in my home turf I need to deal with before going to Italy?”

“None that I’m aware of, but if you take the fight to the motherland, they’ll destroy you and everyone you care about. To attack the founding families is to sign your death certificate because no one will have your back, and you’ll be fighting alone.” Piggy gasped, fighting to get every word out as his body started to fail him.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” someone announced from the doorway.

Looking over, I found all of Astin’s men, along with her bodyguard, had filed their way into the room.

“No matter what comes our way, she will always have us standing beside her,” Ryker stated. “Plus, you forget, she isn't just a Caprioni.”

Stepping to the side, he revealed none other than my grandfather, Frediano Raffa. He looked exactly the same as he had in my memory. Only this time, instead of looking at me with anger and frustration for not doing as I was told, pride shone in his eyes that looked so like my mother’s. He gave me a nod then stepped forward so the bastard pig could see him more clearly.

“I told you this day would come, Athos. I just didn’t expect you’d be one of the idiots helping to herald in the war that’s about to occur,” Frediano muttered with disgust. “Unfortunately for you and all those who oppose Astin, she’s Raffa blood. With my own hands, I ensured she was sworn to our Family as she is to her father’s. If a fight is what they want, then we Raffa will wade into battle under the command of the true heir to the Family, along with my full support.”

Frediano tucked his hands into his pockets as he shifted his gaze to me. “Finish him, child. It’s important we get you to the oath ceremony on time because now is the moment to finally claim your birthright and place in our world. There will be no more hiding in the shadows after this.”

Grandpa made a fair point, and I’d learned all I needed from this piggy. Time to end things as I said I would. Even monsters can manage to keep their promises—most of the time. Taking the knife I stabbed it into the man’s heart, and I left it there so I could take his head in both hands. Taking a deep breath, I twisted my hands, snapping the neck with a sickening pop and knew that piggy would never squeal another squeal again. His lies and betrayal landed him where he is today—dead and labeled a traitor. Yanking the knife out of his chest, I made quick work of severing his head. The blade got stuck in the tendons of the spinal column, but with a little two-handed effort and all my body weight behind it, I snapped the vertebrae apart. With a soft thud, the head lolled side to side as I wiped the blade on my blood-soaked dress, cleaning it off as best I could. Grasping a handful of hair, I picked up the head and approached the others.

“Thanks for letting me use your knife, assassin,” I said, offering it back to Luca.

He smirked at me. “I thought you said you knew my name now?”

“Oh, I know what it is,” I countered, leaning in and resting a bloody hand on his crisp white shirt. “However, the bargain you struck never stated I had to use it.” Grinning at the desire in his eyes, knowing how badly he wanted me, I stepped back, admiring the handprint I had left behind.

Well, I suppose that means he’s mine now too, Astin. Anyway, my job here is done, and it’s time for you to put all my hard work to good use. Closing my eyes and taking deep breaths, I relinquished control back to Astin, allowing my presence to sink into the background.

The first thing I registered being back in control was how much my fucking leg hurt. Holy fuck balls, I don’t think it hurt this much getting shot. Granted, it was probably the fight with Luca that really pissed it off, but that had been worth it. I had to agree with Darkness that it was hellishly sexy to know Luca might actually be able to challenge me once I was healed. It seems we’d need to have another round to find out.

Reaching out, I grabbed the lapel of his black jacket and pulled him to me. Saying nothing, I claimed his lips and kissed him deeply before pulling back as he tried to reach out to me. “Just in case you didn’t believe her when she told you, but I’m incredibly interested.”

“I didn’t doubt her,” Luca murmured, then brushed a kiss on my lips. “Darkness wouldn’t waste her time lying to someone about a matter she’d consider trivial. That being said, I’m never going to complain about you deciding you want to kiss me. That’s always welcome.”

An unfamiliar voice cleared his throat, pulling my attention away from Luca. “We have matters to attend to, child.”

Yeah, that wasn’t going to work for me. Darkness might not have given a flying fuck that he called her child, but I fucking did. Ignoring the screaming pain in my leg, I turned to face him and chucked Athos’s head at him. Faster than I ever thought possible for a man his age, he caught the still-bleeding head in both hands before it managed to get his clothes dirty.

“I’m not your child. Don’t ever fucking call me that again. To anyone outside of these eight men who can use my name, I’m to be addressed as Lady Astin, Mistress, or Boss,” I informed the man who claimed to be my grandfather. “Do we understand each other, Gramps?”

“Yes, Granddaughter, I believe we most certainly do,” he answered with a smile, something I felt he didn’t often do with how foreign it seemed for him. “You may address me as Grandfather, Master Frediano, or Don Raffa if you wish, but I’d prefer Grandfather if I’m being honest.”

“What gives you the right to call me Granddaughter?” I demanded. “I don’t recall you being part of my life in any way that gives you any place in my life to use that term.”

“That’s because you were too young to remember me spending time in your home. In fact, besides your father and Casimira, I was the only other person allowed to hold you, my little gioia,” Frediano shared. “Your third birthday was the last time I saw you before the bubble we’d built around you shattered. Shortly after that is when the founding families discovered you were a girl, and my daughter could not have any more children. It was a secret all of us kept for as long as we could, knowing the danger it might bring to you, Astin.”

Pausing, he seemed to consider his next words carefully. “Did your father ever tell you about the day you were born?” I frowned, shaking my head. “Natalina almost died from bleeding, but they were able to save her at the cost of being unable to have another child. This made you even more of a treasure than you already were. When they handed you to your father as they rushed your mother to surgery, all you did was stare at him. Not once did you cry or seem upset you weren’t being held by your mother who carried you for those long nine months. That was the moment we all knew you’d be a daddy’s little girl.

“Colmazio was just as enamored with you as you were with him lying there as you looked into each other’s eyes. He kissed your forehead and announced his intention to have you at his side, leading the Family. Said together you were going to change the world and a queen they would never see coming. Then he handed you to me, and I saw in you what had him make that declaration. So I vowed then and there that I’d do all I could to make his vision become a reality. No matter what it took or how far we had to push you, I knew you’d be unlike any the families had seen before, and I was right.”

I was surprised to hear him talk about my father with fondness and respect. I’d assumed the two men hated each other. From what he was saying, it would appear to be quite the opposite. Clearly, I needed to do more research into the files Daddy hid away for me. Knowing that Athos was working against the Caprioni Family, all the missteps and secrets made far more sense. Now it was time for me to right all the wrongs that had befallen us, starting with the members of the Family giving me their oath of loyalty.

“I’ll admit I’ve lost all concept of time. Have people begun arriving?” I asked the guys.

They all nodded, but Liu actually answered me, “Everyone who got the invite is here. They took your demands seriously.”