AIR I turned over on Luca’s side of the bed. His scent could still be smelled, and my heart swelled. Luca had left before dawn to go to Washington DC to see if the current Sub-Chief was in control of the situation after Gotthard’s death, but he would be back that evening. I forced myself to get out of bed because I was actually hungry. I could not even remember the last time I had been hungry in the morning.
When I went down to the kitchen, Demetrius was already sitting at the bar counter, reading something on his cell phone, but he got up as soon as he saw me.
“I’m not the queen,” I said with a laugh. “You don’t have to get up.”
He looked at me for a moment, then sat down again. He was different from Romero. He was not so approachable. I took a tea and a banana and leaned on the counter opposite him. I could see that he did not know how to handle me.
I could only imagine what Luca had said to him.
“How long have you been a Made Man?” I asked him, holding my cup in my hands and blowing on it to cool it down.
“Five, no six years now. I was introduced on my fourteenth birthday.”
“And now you’re forced to be my bodyguard,” I said curiously. “I bet you wouldn’t have chosen that job.”
He shrugged, but I could tell I had touched a nerve. Of course , he would never have said that. “I do what Luca asks me to do.
And that he allows me to protect his wife is an honor. It shows me that he places great trust in me.”
“That’s true,” I said. Especially since Demetrius was not only protecting me, but also our child. “And you won’t be my bodyguard forever. I heard you’re going to be Sub-Chief.”
Demetrio shook his head. “It’s not decided yet.
Only if I prove my worth. And even then…” He grimaced.
I tilted my head. “Luca doesn’t care that your father isn’t married to your mother.”
“Others do. “It was his affair,” he said with a bitter grimace .
I had heard that she killed herself because of the affair, but I couldn’t ask him for details. I had no right to pry.
I nodded, “Many will not like to see you rise in rank.
They’re the ones you shouldn’t worry about.”
Demetrius’ eyes flashed in assent, as if he was beginning to see me as a human being, not just something he had to protect.
LUCA Aria was lounging in the deck chair on the rooftop terrace, enjoying the first warm days of spring.
Now her belly protruded unmistakably, which was why she was confined to the attic most days. Until now, almost no one knew about her pregnancy, except her immediate family and a few loyal soldiers.
I had absolutely no intention of changing that. Dante and his family had completely disappeared from the public eye since Valentina had given birth to their son six months earlier.
Apart from a few minor attacks in Pittsburgh and the photo fiasco, Dante had kept himself hidden, perhaps for his children or because he was planning something big.
“What’s wrong?” asked Aria softly, observing me standing on the threshold of the rooftop terrace.
I shook my head and approached her. “Nothing.” She frowned but did not insist. I sank down beside her and she shifted a little to give me space. ” You don’t have to carry your worries alone, Luca. Being pregnant does not make me fragile.”
I smiled darkly. She was fragile, vulnerable. It was where my enemies would aim if I gave them a chance, and I had so many enemies, no longer in the Family, not since my last cleaning, but there were still enough left. Matthew and I, together with my men, had done so much killing in the last few months that I could no longer get rid of the pinkish tinge on my skin. But for every enemy I killed, a new one emerged.
Aria stiffened, and I did the same in turn. Her hand reached out, grabbed mine and pressed my palm against her belly, and that’s when I felt it: a kick.
I closed my eyes because it still seemed impossible that I would become a father, that Aria would carry our baby girl.
“Have you thought of names?” whispered Aria, and I opened my eyes, still dry, still dry.
It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about . “My grandmother’s name was Marcella.”
Aria’s blond eyebrows rose. “The female version of Mars, the god of war?”
I leaned down and kissed Aria’s belly, then her lips.
“Our daughter will be strong. She will not bow to a husband. She will never have to fear a man, I swear.”
“Marcella,” Aria said in a rough voice, and that look in her eyes got me every time, still after almost five years.
It always got me.
My cell ruined the moment and I groaned. Couldn’t my soldiers handle a fucking thing without me? But when I looked at the screen and saw Horatio’s name, I immediately responded and stood up. “What’s wrong?” It was not yet time for his monthly report, and if he felt the need to call it was a fucking bad sign.
“Dante has been contacted by Benedetto Falcone.”
“What?” I growled.
Aria sat up, wide-eyed, and I turned my back on her.
“When?”
“A couple of days ago. Falcone seems to be looking for support. He’s getting weaker. Many of his men are beginning to resent his sadistic and unpredictable ways. He wants to make a truce with the Outfit.”
If that happened, this war would reach New York and not just the outer borders.
“What did Cavallaro say?”
“He doesn’t trust Falcone and refused a meeting.”
“Will he change his mind?”
“He might, but I doubt it. I also heard a rumor from one of my contacts in England. A rumor about Falcone’s son.”
“Son?” I vaguely remembered that the head of the Camorra had several sons, but that was all I knew. I hadn’t bothered with the Camorra.
“The eldest son Remo. He is seventeen years old and disappeared with his brothers from the boarding school they were attending. I don’t think it’s still public knowledge in Las Vegas. Falcone may be anxious to keep it a secret.”
“Why?”
“Because Remo Falcone allegedly wants to kill his father and conquer the West.”
“Should I be worried about him?”
“I don’t know, but from what I’ve heard he spent the vacations killing for his father and the rest of the time for fun.
His brothers may have gone to that school, but Remo is a born and bred killer.”
As if I needed another concern to add to my list. “If he’s busy killing his father, he won’t cause trouble elsewhere, I assume .”
“Maybe. But if a new Chief pops up in Las Vegas, they could go back to the old power if he can unite the subchiefs of the West.”
“I’ll consider doing something against the Camorra, but for now I don’t want to give them any more reason to work with the Outfit.”
“Understood.”
“Keep your ears and eyes open, Horatio.”
“I will.”
He hung up, and when I turned around, Aria was back there, her palm against my stomach and worry on her face. I forced myself to smile. “Nothing to worry about.”
She tilted her head with a knowing expression.
Matthew and I were leaving the Sphere and heading home to our wives when a young man at the bar with dark hair caught my eye. He held himself with an air of confidence and barely restrained violence.
His dark eyes locked into mine and he did not look away. He was a teenager, but his eyes revealed that he had seen and done more than most adult men. I paused and so did Matthew.
“Do you know him?” I asked quietly, reaching for my Beretta.
Matteo shook his head, slipping his hand under his jacket as well.
The guy smiled a crooked fucking smile and stood up. Scars dotted his arms and one crossed his eyebrow. With one last defiant look, he left my club. Matteo and I followed him, and the moment we stepped outside I pulled out my gun, my eyes scanning the dark street for his sign.
“Luca Vitiello,” said a voice from the dark.
I pointed my gun in that direction. “Go ahead,” I ordered .
And he did, raising his hands with that same crooked smile on his face. He showed no fear. I beckoned to Matthew, who lunged and grabbed the guy’s arm and pressed the knife against his throat. The guy didn’t try to defend himself , didn’t even flinch, just stared into my eyes, and I pulled out my knife. We would see how long he would keep that crooked smile. Matthew dragged him deeper into the darkness and I got very close to the crazy asshole.
“Tape?” I asked Matteo.
He shook his head.
“I won’t yell,” the crazy asshole said.
“We’ll see,” I said softly. “Who are you?”
His smile widened and I lost my mind. I grabbed his arm and lowered the knife. Matteo plugged his mouth with his hand, but he didn’t need to. The guy shuddered but made no sound, and I wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t like pain. A challenge.
Matteo gave me a look as he removed his hand from the guy’s mouth.
“Who are you?” I growled.
“Remo Falcone.”
Shit. “And what, pray tell, are you doing on my turf?”
“I’m looking for an alliance. I will kill my father and all his men and conquer Las Vegas, and you can be my ally or my enemy, it’s up to you.”
Matteo huffed. “To think that there is someone crazier than you and me.”
I turned my coldest smile on Remo. “How about I kill you now?”
“Then my brother will have to hurt your wife.”
I grabbed his throat. “What did you just say?”
“Your penthouse is well guarded,” he insisted. ” There is no good shooting position even for the best shooter in all but one of the surrounding buildings. There is a window in a nearby high-rise that allows a free shot if someone is leaning against the railing of your roof. It is a difficult shot. Few men could hit a target from that distance.
Few men could have understood that point. Fortunately one of those men is my brother Nino, a real genius. And your beautiful wife is leaning against that railing as we speak .”
I removed my hand from his throat, my stomach contracted hard. Matteo met my gaze, lowering the knife.
“What do you want?” I said with barely controlled anger. I focused on that because other emotions would weaken me, and I had a feeling Remo knew how to use weaknesses.
“Just your attention,” he said. “I’m not going to hurt your wife.” He brought the cut on his arm to his lips and sucked out the blood. “I want you to stay out of my fight and I don’t want you to help my father, no matter what I offer you. Soon I will be Chief and then I want you to remember this day,” he said, his lips and teeth covered with his own blood.
Crazy and dangerous.
He took a step back.
“I thought you wanted to know if I was ally or enemy?”
He tilted his head. “I think you might need more time to think about it. Maybe someday we can do what should have been done a long time ago: destroy the Outfit and divide our territory. When my father contacts you, remember that I could have killed your beautiful wife and I didn’t, Luca. I don’t care about your territory, but I want what is mine and I will do anything to get it.” He backed away slowly and disappeared into the shadows, and then a motorcycle engine roared.
I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket and called Aria.
As soon as she answered, I hissed, “Get in now!”
She caught her breath, but I heard movement. “Luca, what’s going on?”
“Where are you?” I asked, already running toward my car. Matteo was behind me, talking to Demetrio and ordering him to send out every available soldier to look for Nino and Remo Falcone.
“In the living room. Demetrio is pulling down the blinds.
What’s going on?”
“Stay inside.”
I hung up, my pulse quickening in anger and fear at the same time.
“What the fuck was that?” muttered Matteo.
“A warning,” I growled. The camorra had never been the focus of my attention. Now that was going to change.
As soon as I stepped into the penthouse, Aria came running and I clutched her to my body. Orpheus had joined Demetrius. She looked confused and frightened. “What’s going on ? No one is telling me anything.”
“False alarm,” I reassured her, and she frowned.
I kissed her forehead, then moved to Orpheus. “Find someone who’s been a sniper. I want to find that place.”
Orpheus nodded and ran off.
We didn’t find the place until a letter was taped to the door of the Sphere two days later with directions. I wasn’t sure what kind of game Remo Falcone was playing, but I couldn’t risk a fight with him as well. Dante and the Outfit had to remain the focus of my attention. I could not deal with the Camorra, moreover.