“I hope now that this is settled we can all go back to our normal lives. Ines has suffered so much. She needs a break.” “Serafina will heal, and with her our family.” I wished my words had turned out to be right. A few months later, Serafina told us that she was pregnant with Remo’s child, and any hope of forgetting what had happened was dashed forever.
We had all secretly prayed that Serafina’s twins would look nothing like their father. It was our only hope at that point, our only chance to give these children a future in the Out fit. Ines called me shortly after Serafina gave birth to a son and daughter, Nevio and Greta. She was breathing heavily, her voice low and desperate. “They look like them.” I held my breath. “His hair?” I had seen pictures of Remo Falcone, dark hair and even darker eyes. “The hair, the eyes, everything. Especially the baby. It’s as if Remo had modeled him on himself to torture us.” “Ines,” I said softly. “These children never need to know who their father is.” She emitted a choked sound. “They are his photocopy, Val. People will talk. It is impossible not to know whose children they are. Heaven have mercy, what should we do?” “All we can do is help Fina cope. How did she take it?” Some rape victims could not bear for their children to look like their attacker, but so far Serafina had recovered surprisingly well. She had insisted that she had not been raped. Dante and the others did not believe her, blaming it on Stockholm syndrome. I wasn’t entirely sure, but I had no right to pry unless Fina confided in me. “She is completely in love with them. It’s like she doesn’t even notice that they look like the Falcones.” “They are her children.” “I know I shouldn’t say this, but I wish she never had them,” Ines whispered. I wasn’t sure Ines had exaggerated the similarities, but when I saw the twins for the first time two days later, it took an effort not to show my shock. They had pitch-black hair and impossibly dark eyes. They did not look like Cavallaros or Miones. They were Falcons, at least by blood, but they would learn to be part of our family, the Outfit. Later that day, I found Fina in the nursery with her twins, leaning over their shared crib, a sweet smile on her face. She looked up briefly when I entered before turning her attention back to her babies. “I know what everyone is thinking,” she said fiercely. “I’m not blind. You all want them to leave.” I shook my head. “No, that’s not true, Fina. It’s hard for your family to accept who their father is, that’s all.” Fina giggled joylessly. “Why can’t they accept him when I can? Why can’t they see them for what they are? Innocent children.” I stopped beside her. Nevio and Greta were sleeping close together , their hands touching. They had each other and needed their bond to defy the judgment of our world. “It will take time.” “I will protect them no matter what.” I squeezed her shoulder. “You are their mother, of course you will.” A thump was heard and Dante stuck his head in. “Dinner is ready.” He walked in, his gaze striking the children before focusing on Fina. He couldn’t bear to look at them. I hadn’t noticed him before. “I’ll be down in a bit,” Fina said with a strained smile. I followed Dante outside and we intertwined our fingers, facing him. “What was that?” His eyebrows rose. “What?” “You couldn’t even look at the children.” Dante’s mouth tightened. “If you had come face to face with Remo Falcone, and then looked at Nevio… damn, Val. That kid would look just like that bastard.” “But it’s not Remo. It’s Nevio Mione. He’s a part of our family, a part of the Outfit.” “I’m not sure the boy could ever be part of the Outfit, at least not in a prominent position. My men would never accept him.” I opened my eyes wide. “Don’t tell Fina. Not yet. She will never forgive you if you punish Nevius for his father’s sins.” “I will not punish him, but I must keep the Outfit in mind . A son of Remo Falcone will cause too much discord. Not to mention that Falcone blood brings with it madness.” I tightened my lips.
“I think you let your hatred for Remo override your logic, Dante. Don’t lose yourself in unnecessary fury.” He smiled darkly. “Val, every time I think of Remus, and that is every time I look at Serafina or her children, all I am is pure rage and thirst for revenge. I will not rest until I get my revenge.” I swallowed hard because her eyes showed absolute determination. Nothing I could say would change that. “Don’t let him destroy everything we care about.” “I won’t let him destroy anything.” Months passed and we returned to a temporary routine in Chicago. Dante and his men worked diligently on revenge, but Dante kept his promise. The boys and I were untouched by his quest for revenge, and even Dante seemed calmer and less troubled. I thought we might be well on our way to mutual ignorance with the Camorra. Perhaps I had been foolish. Every dream of peace, of normalcy was shattered when Dante, Danilo, Pietro and Samuel got their hands on Adamo Falcone, Remo’s younger brother. Shortly after Dante received news of the capture, he prepared to leave for the safe house where they were holding the boy. A boy, only 15 years old. Dante was withdrawn, lost in thought as he wore his jacket over the holstered gun and knife. A knife he would use today? “Dante,” I said softly. “The boy is fifteen years old. Serafina said he never hurt her.” “He’s not innocent, Val,” Dante growled, his eyes flashing with anger. “He’s part of the Camorra. He’s a Falcone. You don’t know the first thing about this family. If you knew, you would not even consider asking me to spare Adamo Falcone.” His anger struck me unexpectedly. I nodded slowly. He was right, I knew nothing about the Falcone family, apart from the rumors and the few things Serafina had said since her release. What I did know was that Adam would pay for a crime he had not yet committed. Perhaps he had become as cruel as his brothers, but at that moment he was not. “Leonas will be inducted in three years, will that make him guilty of your crimes as well?” Dante stiffened. “It’s not the same thing.”
Wasn’t it? I didn’t know. In less than two weeks Leonas would turn nine, in my eyes he was still a little boy, but to our enemies he was a future Chief in the making, a potential enemy. “Dante?” called Peter, his voice ringing with open impatience. I shuddered. “I have to go now. We can continue this discussion tonight.” He hesitated, then came toward me and kissed me on the lips before leaving. I followed him slowly, but stopped halfway down the stairs. Samuel turned a smile to his father, who smiled back. Their hunger for revenge was tangible. Dante did not even bother to hide the grim hunger for blood. I clung to the railing, feeling a little lost. Before they left, Dante looked up again, but his eyes reflected no conflict. Adam Falcone would be granted no mercy. He would have suffered in his brother’s place. I went down the stairs and into the living room, where I found Ines, Sofia and Anna with the twins. Nevio was crawling on the floor while Greta was clinging to Ines. The little girl looked a little lost without Fina. “I don’t like that Fina will be there when they torture that Falcone boy.” Anna gave me a wide-eyed look. I hoped she would not find out about the torture, but Ines was lost in her worry and did not even realize what she was revealing in front of our girls. “Fina said the boy is not much older than Sofia and me, only fifteen,” Anna said.
“He is a camorrista,” said Ines. Nevio crawled toward me, and I took him in my arms. His dark eyes flashed at me, and I tried to imagine how Dante and the other men could only see wrong when they looked at that boy. I sighed. “I don’t know Adam Falcone.” “Does he deserve to be tortured?” asked Sofia curiously. Ines shrugged her shoulders. “Fina didn’t deserve to suffer either.” Anna looked at me for answers. I did not know what to say. Sofia and she were 12 years old and had also suffered the consequences of Remo’s actions. Both had been homeschooled, protected from the outside world, their golden cages more restrictive than mine had ever been when I was a child . Footsteps were heard and Santino appeared, dragging struggling Leonas behind him. “What’s going on?””I heard noises from the armament, found him stuffing his pockets with guns as if preparing for war,” said Santino curling his lips, releasing Leonas who gave him a grim look. Santino had assumed the role of Anna’s bodyguard this summer . Dante had been wary of having a former Enforcer near our daughter, but in the end had considered him the best option to ensure Anna’s safety when he was away . “Leonas, what is this about?” Leonas shrugged his shoulders, tucking his hands into his pants. I looked at him with half-closed eyes. “I just wanted to help Dad deal with that bastard Falcone.”
“Language,” I said abruptly. “And how were you going to do that ?” Again that stubborn shrug. “Get a cab to the safe house and help them torture him.” I looked at my little son, my almost nine-year-old, trying to understand what had happened. This war had taken his innocence too quickly, being surrounded by men thirsty for revenge and blood. “You will never touch a gun again without permission. Understand?” Leonas’ eyes widened slightly at my tone. I had never raised my voice like that with him before. Finally he nodded. “Thank you, Santino,” I said. He nodded, then turned on his heels and left. He would return to his post of guard until we left the house. Anna rolled her eyes. “You are an idiot. Do you really think Dad would have let you stay?” “He knows I can handle things differently than you can.” Anna crossed her arms over her chest. It was an ongoing argument between the two about Leonas going to school while Anna had to stay home. Sofia elbowed her and whispered something in her ear. They got up and hurried away. I sighed, looking down at Nevio wiggling in my grip. Ines dropped onto the couch with Greta asleep, looking tired. “When are we going back to Chicago?” asked Leonas. “Soon,” I said. I put Nevio on the floor and bent down to be at Leonas’ eye level. “Please don’t talk like that again in front of your sister and Sofia. I don’t want any of you to think about what Dad does in his work.” Leonas tilted his head in curiosity. “Mom, I will be the Chief,” he said with absolute certainty and as if that settled the matter. I smiled wistfully. “I know, but until you are initiated you will be just my baby.” He furrowed his brow as I pulled him to me and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Mom,” he protested. When I did not let go of him, overcome with emotion, he finally softened and hugged me. For some reason he seemed to be consoling me. Valentina was already in bed when I came home that night. My body was still buzzing with adrenaline from the torture and sweet satisfaction Remo would deliver the next day. I had dreamed of that day from the moment Remo had kidnapped Serafina. Revenge was near now. After checking on Anna and Leonas, I crawled into bed with Val. He turned and came closer. Despite our discussion today, I felt the same need to hold her close to my body. I gave her a kiss on the forehead. “And?” “Remo agreed to exchange with his brother.” Even I could hear the grim triumph in my voice. “He must know that you will brutally torture and kill him, but he still turns himself in for his brother?”
I could hear the confusion in Val’s sleepy voice. “I thought he didn’t care about anyone.” “Yes, for his brothers,” I said in a neutral tone. Val had a tendency to try to see things from two sides, to look past someone’s flaws, but with Remo, this was useless. “You’re going to have fun, aren’t you?” I was not like some of my men who craved the thrill of torturing others, but with Remo I would enjoy every second of his agony. I brushed Val’s throat with my nose. I did not respond , because Val wanted to hear something else. My calm and controlled appearance often made her forget my uncivilized nature , the depravity I kept hidden from her and our children and would always do. “Remo will receive no mercy from any of us.” Peter, Samuel and Danilo were just as eager for bloodshed as I was. We would bring Remo to his knees together, rejoice in his demise and, once dismembered and purged from this world, find a way to put the burden of his actions behind us and move on. I drove the car to the meeting point, Danilo beside me. Peter and Samuel sat on either side of Adam who was leaning forward, breathing heavily. When I parked the car, he looked up and his eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. Those damn Falcone’s dark eyes. He was only fifteen, but he didn’t seem to care less if I shot him in the head or not.
“Time to trade you for that fucking brother,” Samuel said, his voice strained with impatience. “You don’t know anything about Remo if you think he’s going to give you what you want,” Adam muttered. “And what do we want, Falcone?” growled Danilo. “Break him. But my brother is indestructible. You should have kept torturing me. It would have been more fun.” I pushed open the door. “I don’t have time for this nonsense, boy. Your brother will break. It happens to everyone.” Remo, Nino and a third man, probably another Falcone brother, waited beside a car. Samuel lifted Adam out of the back seat and pulled him toward Danilo, Pietro, and me. Remo’s expression hardened. No sign of his previous triumph or provocation. I made a sign to Samuel and he pushed Adam toward his brothers. Adam fell to his knees, holding his broken arm against his body. The way he looked at Remo revealed a connection that made no sense to me, not from what I knew of the Falcons. Remo touched his brother’s head the way I sometimes touched Leonas, then they took each other’s arms. Samuel stepped forward and hit Remo’s face, then kicked him in the groin before smashing the gun against his temple. Remo passed out with that fucking twisted grin on his face. I beckoned to some soldiers. They rushed forward and grabbed Remo, then carried him to a car where they stuffed him into a trunk.
The Falcone family was already in the car, but Nino looked at me with pure calculation.
I got back into the car and we drove back to the shelter where we would dismember Remo over the next two days.
Samuel let out an incredulous laugh and patted Peter on the back, who smiled tensely. Danilo leaned back against the backrest with a deep sigh.
“We got him,” Samuel said. “We really got him. Fuck. I can’t believe we can tear the bastard apart.”
“I get the honor of cutting his dick off,” said Danilo.
“We agreed, yes.” Danilo had not yet recovered from Serafina, or from the fact that Remo had disgraced her. His reign over Indianapolis had become stricter and more brutal than his father’s had ever been, but he was effective and loyal, so I let him do what he felt was necessary, even if it was fueled by his unbridled fury. Maybe after Remo’s death, he would have been able to move on. Maybe all of us could have.
Serafina was waiting for us in the safe house. Pietro gave me an uncertain look. He did not like the idea of her witnessing the torture, but as Serafina had said: she deserved to be there.
We dragged Remo into the vast hall. I hadn’t said a word to Remo yet, hadn’t even looked at him directly. I knew I would have a hard time holding back if I did, and I wanted to be behind soundproof walls before that happened.
Serafina paled when she saw Remo.
“Angel,” murmured Remo.
I turned toward him, my eyebrows furrowed. Angelo?
Samuel did not give Remo a chance to say any more words by hitting him with a fist.
“This is your chance to ask for forgiveness,” Peter said.
Remo looked at him until his gaze finally met mine. No sign of fear yet. That would soon change. Every man had a breaking point. He looked again at Serafina. “Do you want me to beg forgiveness?”