“To warn you.” Was all Cara said, but those three words were enough to get his full attention if it was still divided. “Diavolo’s at my father’s.”
Luca leaned forward, clasping his hands in concentration.
“The time has come then?”
“Yes, it has.” She confirmed.
Both were speaking in parables… half words. Despite not using complete sentences, they understood each other.
“I’m surprised Adonis let you leave the house at all.”
“He didn’t have a choice. My presence there would only cause chaos. It was better for me to be away, believe me.”
“Still, you could’ve sent someone. It’s not safe for you to be moving around unprotected. Adrian had recruited a lot of people. The threat would be too overwhelming for a mere dozen guards.”
“I don’t have a dozen and have you forgotten what I said?” Cara stressed. “I needed to warn you.”
“Yeah. From what? Adonis couldn’t come himself to do so?” He scoffed, rising to his feet to get his pills.
One of the few things he was grateful about for Cecelia’s visit was that she brought medications. He’d been postponing doing that for days.
The kidnapping of the men had left Luca feeling weak. He was wary and hesitant in the mansion, unsure of who to trust.
“Adonis didn’t send me.”
His hands, about to pick up the glass of water by its side, halted for a moment, then downed the pills before turning back to her.
“He doesn’t know why you’re here?”
“He doesn’t.”
“Does this have anything to do with why your father has been visiting our warehouse in the North?”
A proud smile broke through Cara’s face; she had doubted that Luca would easily catch on to her father’s actions in his dishevelled state, but it seemed he was still as attentive as ever.
“You never cease to amaze me. What gave us away?”
“He came here a month ago, saying he had a package he’d like to keep and wants a place no one would ever think of. I couldn’t think of anywhere better.”
“Seriously, nowhere better?”
“No one would suspect a wine storage. So tell me. What’s all this about? Why is it a secret from Adonis?”
“Because your friend doesn’t see any other way, but his.”
“Is it weird that I strongly agree with that?” Luca chuckled, the sound carrying away some of the seriousness in the room.
“I’m happy you’re fine now,” She said honestly, feeling a tug at the simple smile on his lips.
“I won’t say I’m 100%, but I’m getting there. The moment all this is over, I’m taking a break.” Luca said. “We just have to make it through the next few days unscathed.”
His mind raced, considering the possibilities and the challenges ahead. The total number of men in the mansion didn’t even add up to a hundred. They got about eighty, but over two hundred bailed, including the ones brought in from Italy.
He had made a call to Dominic to see if he could spare any more, but it was impossible. The home in Italy was even bigger than the one in the US. If Adrian was going after them too, they’d need to be ready.
“Do you think your father could lend us a helping hand?”
Cara waved him off. “That isn’t up for debate. He has no choice, and they’ll be here as soon as he tells them to. It seems like you know it all, so I don’t need to say much.” She breathed, hoping he’d understand. “My father… kept… something valuable in the warehouse; it’s really important to us. It’s our last hope.”
“Last hope for what?”
She knew she was walking on a thin line, but her father’s assurance echoed in her mind. They had to trust the plan, even if it meant keeping Luca in the dark for now.
“You’ll know in due time. Just make sure it’s safe. Put the mansion in order. Tina and Sarah would be kicked out soon. I’m sure my father told you Matthew is staying with Jacob.”
“He did, but-
“Good. Just in case we don’t win…”
“That’s impossible.” Luca immediately retorted. “Didn’t Adonis tell you? He has gotten his hands on the papers that prove Adrian is involved in the trafficking of the girls.”
Cara paused, the sentence sounding like news yet it didn’t deter her from completing her instructions.
“That’s his role to play. I have mine. There’s a great chance that Adrian wouldn’t go down without a fight, and when that happens, you’d know what to do. We need to avoid unnecessary blood baths.”
“You talk like you won’t be present. Is Adonis sending you away? That’s smart. I don’t think it’s safe for you to be here either.”
She smiled, refusing to speak on that topic. “You were right about Sarah; she’s reporting to Adrian, but my father seems to think he’s threatening her with something.”
“Your father?” Luca frowned.
“Yes.”
“How does he know this? How do you know this?” He asked, sounding confused. Things were starting to sound different than what he expected. He had thought he was in on the plan… that he was up to date about everything, but she was dropping words that seemed like clues of things he didn’t even know.
Cara went mute again, the memory of her visit to her father’s room replaying fresh in her mind.
****
The Reconciliation Morning After Cara And Adonis’s Big Fight…
“Camilla?” The elderly man frowned in surprise. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping? Why are you here? How’s Adonis?” He pelted questions at his daughter.
“He’s asleep. I’m here to see you.”
“Come in.” The door opened wider, and Cara walked in, taking in the mini flat in the form of a room. It explained why he was hardly down except to discuss and eat with them.
Her eyes caught a picture of a young woman smiling brightly into the camera with a baby in her arms. The muscular arms of a tall man with a firm look and a slight tilt of his lips were woven around them. If it wasn’t for the look on his face, no one would’ve guessed he was older than her by a decent amount of years.
The face of the young woman showed no worry, appearing to be free of stress, unlike that of the man, which displayed the mark left behind by experience.
It was the third time she had seen a picture of her biological mother.
“So, what would you like to discuss?” Miguel asked, interrupting her thoughts. She’d expected the conversation starter to be about Adonis, but that was just the way he was. He never questioned and stuck his nose in things like that. Always waiting for her to speak of her own free will.
“I need your help.”
“Yes, you said that before. For what?”
“The Bernardis. I want to destroy them all.”
Miguel paused.
“I’m sure you don’t mean those words literally.”
She smiled, “It’s exactly as it sounds. I’ve given it a thought. What better way to end this all than to give it a reset?”
He chuckled. “We tried that before. Look how it ended up.”
“And that can be attributed to too many secrets. Bad cleanup. We need to put everything in the right order. Know our enemies and allies.”
Miguel studied Cara with a scrutinising look. He couldn’t believe she would think this way, or decide to take action on her own. He didn’t want her involved in their world. He’d already lost someone dear and wasn’t ready to lose another. But there was no harm in hearing her out, so with an encouraging gesture, he spoke,
“What do you suggest?”
“We give Diavolo the throne as he wants.”
“The Bernardis would lose their crown if he becomes king. Giving Adrian the crown equals giving him credibility-giving him the stepping stone to taking over the entire mafia world. That won’t work out right.”
“Oh, he’ll be getting a throne… no, just the Bernardis. I mean, what’s a throne without the power to rule?”
Miguel stroked his chin.
Could she be…
“What are you trying to say?”
“He wants the throne, right? What’s the Italian mafia without the Bernardi family?”
****
Cara blinked as she brought her mind back to the present. Everything had played out exactly as she and her father envisioned it to be.
It wasn’t easy… especially hiding it from everyone else. This was a plan whose effectiveness relied on fewer people knowing about it.
She smirked at Luca. “As I said, wait… until Adonis plays his part-I believe all he has left to do is get a sample of Diavolo, am I right?”
“I should be asking you; I haven’t spoken to him in weeks.”
“That doesn’t matter. I’m telling you now so you don’t have to-
Beep beep.
A text flashed across the screen of her phone and Cara’s breath hitched, the message blurred, and she blinked rapidly, trying to regain focus.
The moment she’d been dreading and waiting for… it was here. But the relief she expected was replaced by a hollow ache in her chest. Trying her best to compose herself, she looked up at Luca, forcing a smile.
But he could see past her bitter expression, and from the way her hands trembled as she held the phone, Luca knew whatever she had seen wasn’t good news.
Alert, he stood on his feet. “What is it?”
Cara glanced at her phone once again like she was trying to confirm if the text was real.
“I guess you’d have to take up more of that burden you detest.” She answered shakily, rising to her feet. “We should be on our way to the hospital.”
“Why? What happened? Cara speak to me!”
“Adonis collapsed. He’s at the hospital.”