Page 7 of Blood & Heartache

Gunner took a seat in the recliner on the opposite side of Jace. Luca leaned against the back of the couch, and Atticus sat on the other side of Braxton. Now that I had their attention, I told them what I knew of life for Astin growing up and what Glenda told me about after I left. Thankfully, no one interrupted me, but I could see the shock and anger growing in their expressions.

“How the fuck could they let this happen?” Braxton demanded. “Her uncles were there, so how could they not notice things were not going well?”

“Apparently, they left before things got really bad, but part of me wonders if that was planned. Otherwise, they would have intervened. What I really want to do is find out from them who trained her, what they did, and why it got so intense,” I shared, slipping my hand into my slacks pocket. “We have gone through some fucked-up training, but none of it would have caused a mental breakdown like that.”

Atticus raised his hand, but when I gave him my attention, he didn’t speak. Letting out a sigh, I motioned to him. “You have something to share, Atticus?”

“Yes, only to point out that not all of us have undergone the same kind of training. For example, I was told I had to learn how to shoot and handle a gun. Other than physical fitness to prove I was in shape and could run a mile, there was no need for me to learn how to fight hand to hand. For you to assume that you had the same training as the person who would be the underboss and one day lead the Caprioni Family is quite foolish,” Atticus stated.

The man had a point. I couldn’t assume what I’d undergone in training was anything like the others. Each of us had a different role to play, and that factored into our preparation to take the position.

“You’re right. Each of us had to go through different training. Leaving us with no idea what she survived, which is why I agree with Ryker… we need to know what happened,” Luca said. “Thing is, do we really believe those two will tell us anything? They’ve been protecting that information for a long time, no doubt at the boss’s orders.”

“Their boss is dead,” Atticus stated. “Any verbal agreement would no longer be valid.”

“Yeah,” Jace drawled. “That’s not how it works. If Boss made them swear to keep their mouths shut, it won’t matter that he’s gone, they’ll do it. You know who they would tell, though…”

Anger shot through me. “No, we’re not asking her to do that. I can’t even imagine how that could set her back if she heard them explain what happened to her. We don’t even know if she knows about her alter or not. It’s out of the question. There’s no way in hell I’d let you put her through that.”

Jace sniffed then turned to Gunner. “Now who’s the one being an asshole and making choices for her?”

“This is completely different, and you know it,” Gunner argued. “Besides, while this matter is something we need to look into, it’s not the most pressing problem we have to face right now. I’d think we’d be focusing our attention on Harvey. He’s the mastermind behind the attack on the boss.”

Walking over to the other recliner, I fell into it and groaned. “It’s like everything is on fire, and there’s no good place to start putting it out. I can’t believe the arrogant son of a bitch showed up to the visitation last night. What I wouldn’t give to shoot him dead right then and there.”

“I’m pretty sure we all know the only person allowed to kill that evil bastard is Astin,” Braxton pointed out. “Me and my cock are far too attached to risk making a move on that front without her being part of it. The look on her face when she saw him told me whatever ending she was going to give him would be slow and tortuous.”

I let out a harsh laugh. “Have to agree with you there, but how the hell are we going to move forward when she needs time to process all that’s happened?”

“Maybe you should stop trying to decide how she needs to deal with all this.”

My head snapped to the left, where I found Liu standing in the doorway to the games room. Never in all my time here in the manor had I seen him step foot in here. He had a room on this floor just like we did, but he was always looking after the boss, so we hardly saw him. Now that Colmazio was gone, did that mean he’d become Astin’s errand boy? Technically, he was part of this family, and it earned him the right to a job at the top of the ladder, but would Astin see it that way?

“I agree with Liu,” Atticus interjected. “Unlike the rest of you, I’m aware I have no skills in dealing with people when they’re struggling with emotions. Since I’m aware of this shortcoming, I don’t feel the need to predict or navigate how someone is or should be feeling. Astin will tell us what she needs, being incredibly vocal and independent on such matters. What we should be doing is gathering information so when she’s ready to deal with things, we aren’t two steps behind. None of us have experienced what it’s like when there is a powershift of such magnitude within the family. If history tells us anything, it’s the moment when people feel they can make a move to take more power or knock others out of power.”

We sat there looking at Atticus, shocked at the number of words he’d just spoken along with the fact he was one hundred percent right. Had this side of him been hiding behind the awkward social skills and literal thinking? Damn, Astin seriously had a gift for seeing through the bullshit and finding the truth behind things.

“Well, fuck,” Gunner muttered. “That makes perfect sense. No one knows what really happened with the attack, only that we went for a meeting and got hit. Since Astin took out everyone present but us and Boykov, there’s no chance of a leak. This means we need to make sure our story is solid and gives people a reasonable explanation without pointing fingers.”

“They’ve given us leeway because of the funeral and to show respect for Colmazio, but that will end tonight. The old boss is buried, and the new one hasn’t claimed the throne in their eyes yet. This means it’s open for the taking no matter what the will says,” Liu informed as he came to join us. “Once word gets back that she removed protection from Flora, it will cause waves of panic. Flora is the daughter of a shipping tycoon, and the agreement upon their marriage was that Colmazio would be the one to inherit the company since Flora was his only child. Technically, Astin is holding true to the contract, but I can see the Miklas clan causing trouble anyway.”

“Perfect. It looks like we’re adding another name to the list of people we need to watch out for. Is there anyone we shouldn’t keep an eye on?” Braxton asked. “Because it seems like the whole world is nipping at our heels right now.”

“That’s exactly how you’ll look at the world from now on if you want to keep your position for long,” I commented. “Liu is right… this is going to bring out the worst in people. The only ones we can trust to watch our backs are the people in this room, Glenda, Boykov, and of course, Astin. I don’t care how long you’ve known a person, Harrison proved to us all that friendships can turn when the incentive is large enough.”

Jace frowned, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “So Liu is one of us now? Just like that, you trust him with Astin’s life?”

Crossing one leg over the other, I met his challenge with a question of my own. “You trusted him with the boss’s life, so how is this any different?”

“You know what I fucking mean. His loyalty has always been to Colmazio, so how do we know he’s going to give the same to Astin? Because they’re family? You can’t seriously believe that,“ Jace shot back, then turned his attention to the man in question. “Give me one reason why I should trust you want to watch Astin’s back as much as we do?”

Liu had never been one to speak unless he had something to say, but the others didn’t know him as well as I did. During my time being trained by the boss when I first got here, I saw the transformation in Liu being away from his mother. The boss seemed to know how to bring him out of his shell and give Liu the backbone he’d forgotten he had. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I didn’t have my doubts about Liu’s intentions when it came to Astin, but I’d never doubt how loyal he was to Colmazio. That man truly was his idol, and he respected the fuck out of him for good reason. So was it that loyalty to her father had him sitting here with us or maybe something else?

“Jace, I’m going to kindly tell you to fuck off asking me something like that,” Liu answered. “The only person I owe that answer to is Astin, and if she has the same concerns, then I’ll happily explain myself to her and her alone. If you continue to treat me like the enemy, then I’ll remind you that I’ve been the right hand to the head of this family for ten years. I know more than enough to destroy this whole operation in the blink of an eye but doing so would be disrespectful to the late Master, and that’s something I’ll never do willingly.” Turning on his heel, he left us to wrestle with that reality.

Leaning my head back, I rubbed my forehead in a vain effort to stem off the building migraine. The truth of the matter is we needed Astin, but that was the last thing I wanted to ask of her right now.

How the hell had things ended up like this?