Alessio
The tension in the room ran high as we all waited for Leonardo to enter. “I want no fights, no guns, just stay chill, don’t say a word-and I’ll do the talking,” I commanded the men, making sure no one would do something out of the ordinary.
Dante clicked his tongue, “You telling us or yourself?”
Good question.
The door opened, and Leonardo entered with his men, a wicked smirk plastered on his lips. Among them was Anson, and I felt a storm of rage brewing inside me.
Our eyes locked, and he carried the same smirk as Leonardo, his eyes quite different from the last time we had met. I could hardly believe this was the same man who had begged me for mercy when his life hung by a thread and I was kind enough to let him live.
Now he was glaring at me, as if daring me to make a move, and it took every ounce of self-control not to react. I had to remember the bigger picture and the reason we were here. I would get my revenge, just not today.
Leonardo seated himself directly across from me, Anson sitting beside him. “I hope you don’t mind I brought my future son-in-law,” Leonardo began, already getting on my nerves. “He would also love to hear what you have to say.”
I couldn’t help the scoff that escaped me under my breath at Leonardo trying to make it seem like some peaceful family gathering. “Where’s Maxine?” I asked, noticing she hadn’t entered the room.
“I don’t think that’s any of your concern,” Anson said.
Leonardo extended a hand to silence him, chuckling a bit. “Since he’s asking politely, Maxine is downstairs,” he spoke.
“Your ‘future son-in-law’ is right though, she’s not my concern-I’m here for him,” I declared, redirecting the conversation to that thing he brought into my territory.
“What about him?”
“He killed my uncle, got my brother’s hand amputated, I’m sure you’ve heard of Domenico’s heart attack-and as payment for all the damage he’s caused, I’m going to need you to hand him over,” I stated, laying my demands on the table without a hint of hesitation. I knew it wouldn’t happen, but it was never too late to try.
Leonardo cleared his throat, his face turning serious while Anson’s smile grew bigger. He was proud of what he had done. Each little thing made it more difficult for me to keep my composure.
“An eye for an eye, or I will start taking heads. I think you are familiar with that,” I said.
Leonardo leaned back, chuckling, “I have the whole west behind me, all willing to help if you try something crazy-so I suggest we let bygones be bygones.”
Bygones be bygones?
As I locked eyes with Leonardo, it became clear he wasn’t bluffing. He genuinely believed he could murder my uncle over a failed engagement and expect us to move on as if nothing had happened. Somewhere deep down, he did have a conscience and feared going to war with us because he knew he didn’t stand a chance.
Leonardo’s impulsive behavior had been driven by pure hatred, but he hadn’t thought about the aftermath until now. If he did, he would’ve never put a hit on my uncle.
He was strong, but we would always be stronger. He could get together everyone in the west, but nothing was more powerful than an angry Fanucci, and there were many of us.
“Hand him over, and we can do just that,” I played along with his game. Thing was, it wasn’t only Anson I was after. Yes, he was part of the problem-but I needed everyone to pay.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Leonardo let out a breath. “We’ve already put so much effort into planning the wedding, handing him over will be a bit difficult.”
This was typically Leonardo. He would rather risk his family’s life than take embarrassment for the second time. Besides, he was smart enough to realize that this wouldn’t just stop at Anson.
“Then we’re done talking,” I declared sharply, cutting off any further negotiation. Then I looked at Anson. “You and I will meet again, I can tell you that.”
“I’m sure we will,” Anson chortled under his breath. In that moment, a part of me itched to pull out a gun and shoot him right through the head, ending all of this once and for all.
I know we couldn’t go around the truce, but how could I stay calm and let a nobody talk to me like that? Leonardo knew exactly what he was doing when he took him with him.
“You know what you can do for me?” Anson dripped with an arrogance that made my skin crawl. “You can keep that bitch if you want-but I will need my daughter.”
I began feeling dizzy, forcing myself to keep everything bottled up. First, because he called Mena a bitch and second, because it was well known he didn’t give a fuck about his daughter. All he could do was use her to torment Mena further because he was obsessed with her.
I balled my fist under the table, counting in my head to keep myself from doing something crazy. “She is not going anywhere,” I said, calmly.
“I knew you’d say that-so now I’ll be giving you an ultimatum,” Anson suppressed a laugh. “You’ll bring my daughter to me, or I’ll come get her myself. I’ll fight you if I have to, no weapons-just our fists. I know I can take you on.”
Take me on…?
I laughed out loud at Anson’s threat, the guys joining in because they knew he had lost it. I could tell even Leonardo cringed at his weak threat because the man had lowered his gaze with clenched teeth.
“You think you can take me on?” I cackled, turning to the guys. “He kills one man, and now he thinks he has an iron fist.”
The laughter that followed made him grunt in dismay. “You really don’t know what kind of demon you unleashed when you killed my uncle,” I told him. “You think you have all this support, but you have nothing,” I gestured to all of those on the Baldini side.
“While you’re being used as a pawn, planning on which suit you’re going to wear for the wedding, I’m laying with the woman you truly love, and that little girl you neglected calls me Daddy.”
Anson breathed heavily, his eyes turning dark as he took in my words which had clearly affected him. It was the truth.
They were only using him to do their dirty work. Leonardo, who had never wanted his daughter, felt like he had finally gained a son he could use as a shield. If he was really all that, the so-called ‘Leone’ would’ve come to us personally to take one of our heads.
“You got caught up in all of this without knowing what it would cost you-”
“That’s enough,” Leonardo swallowed hard, cutting me off. “Since we couldn’t come to a solution-we should take our leave.”
“Yes, you should,” I agreed, standing up to leave the room before anyone else. If I had to look at any of these people any longer, none of them would come out alive.
Walking down the stairs, I paused at the bottom, looking at Maxine. Her head hung low as she avoided eye contact, but what caught my attention were the bruises on her wrist. She, too, got dragged into all of this.
“Maxine,” I called out softly. She trembled, barely holding herself upright. I had never seen her like that before.
My heart clenched. I was angry because she didn’t have to tell me anything for me to figure out who had done this, and I felt guilty because I wasn’t able to prevent it.
“Max,” I tried again, gently lifting her chin, forcing her to look up at me. The state of her face sent me into shock. Her lips were swollen, her tearful eyes beaten and black.
“He did this to you?”
“N-No,” Maxine shook her head with wide eyes full of fear, then she stepped back and lowered her gaze to the floor again, fumbling her hands.
I heard footsteps coming from the stairs, and Leonardo and his men passed by, heading outside without a second glance. Only Anson stayed behind, immediately stepping beside Maxine. He aggressively pulled her behind him as if he was claiming his property.
“You still beat women?” I scoffed.
“You know how it gets,” Anson grinned, wrapping his arm around Maxine’s waist. His nails dug into her skin. “Sometimes when they don’t listen, you need to whip them into shape. Isn’t that right, Maxi?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Yes, who?”
“Yes, Anson.”
He tugged Maxine’s hand, dragging her away with him. “By the way,” he stopped to look over his shoulder. “If you don’t know what I mean, you should ask Mena. She should know all about it,” he said before disappearing from my sight, and it was good he did.
I would even put it on my Mom’s life, I would kill him. I wasn’t worried about him because he wasn’t like me. He wasn’t a match for me. Gun, fist, a piece of paper-the weapon wouldn’t matter. I would kill him.
Thoughts of Mena flooded my mind as I couldn’t believe she had to endure this monster for so long. How many times would he have laid his hands on her over the years? How many times must she have trembled in fear?
All of that, and she still didn’t want to see him dead. She was still hurting, but so was I-and I wasn’t going to let him slide.
That’s why I didn’t want to tell her anything, or want her to know about anything.