A door closed abruptly and I sat on the bed where I was reading, unable to fall asleep while Dante was in the safe house torturing Remus. I slipped out of bed and slipped on a robe. I approached when a female cry rang out:
Ines.
I froze on the steps at the scene unfolding before my eyes. Ines was clutching Pietro’s shirt, shaking her head.
Her hair was in disarray and her face was frantic.
Sofia, Anna, and Leonas stealthily descended the steps but hovered near me, obviously as confused as I was.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Samuel threw me a glare of lightning. “Dante let Remo go!”
I descended the stairs. “Why would he do that?”
The door opened and Dante walked in, looking as if he had come straight from a battlefield.
“Ask him,” Samuel spat.
Dante squinted his eyes.
Ines staggered toward Dante, an accusation looming on her face. “Did you hand my daughter over to the man who raped her?”
“Ines,” Dante said in a voice meant to placate her, his gaze briefly resting on the children. “Serafina chose him.
She helped him.”
Ines raised her arm and struck Dante in the face.
Leonas gasped beside me. Anna and Sofia watched with their mouths open and my body contracted in horror.
Peter quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him, but his expression was full of anger toward Dante as well . “She is confused! You should have stopped her.
You stole my daughter from me. You took her away.”
Tears slid down Ines’ porcelain skin.
“I did what I thought was best,” Dante said as if Ines had not just slapped him.
“For whom?” whispered Ines abruptly, nodding toward Anna. “For your daughter?”
Dante simply looked at her.
“What about the twins?” I asked.
“She brought them with her,” Samuel muttered.
“Wasn’t that her choice then?”
Dante shook his head slightly, wanting to keep me out of the conflict, but I would not let him deal with their anger alone.
Ines turned a sad smile on me. “Of course, you stand by him even when he sacrifices my family.”
“Leave Val out of this,” Dante cut Dante short.
Ines began to tremble. “Get out of my house. All of you.”
I blinked.
“Mom,” Sofia began, but Ines rushed toward Dante and pushed against his chest. “Out. From. Home. Mine!”
“Ines…” Dante tried again, but she shook her head and stormed out.
“Go away,” Peter said.
Dante straightened his shoulders and nodded.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, completely stunned and overwhelmed.
“Get your things,” I said to Leonas and Anna.
They hesitated, but I pushed them upstairs and they finally moved. I quickly followed them and put on jeans and a pullover over my nightgown, then slipped on my barefoot sneakers. I grabbed my travel bag and hurried out.
“Leonas, Anna!”
They reached me a moment later, looking completely terrified. “What’s going on?” asked Anna.
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure.
When we arrived in the lobby, Pietro held open the front door as if he couldn’t wait to get us out of the house as soon as possible. Santino waited on the front steps while Taft and Enzo sat in two cars.
Samuel and Ines were gone.
Sofia was clutched at Peter’s side and my heart broke when she and Anna hugged each other tightly as if it was a final goodbye. It wasn’t. It couldn’t be.
I took Dante’s hand, feeling the need to show him my support.
He squeezed me lightly. “I hope you will understand my decision soon.”
Peter squeezed Sofia even tighter at his side. “I understand , Dante. You protected your children and gave up one of ours in turn. This is not the first time.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant.
We went outside and Peter closed the door.
I grabbed Anna with my free hand and Dante grabbed Leonas’ hand, and together we headed for our car.
I did not turn back, not wanting to make this look like a real goodbye.
We drove for a while before Leonas spoke from the back seat in a confused tone. “Why did you let Uncle Peter throw you out? This is your town, too.”
Dante nodded, without taking his eyes off the road. He looked exhausted. How long had he been awake? “It is, but it’s Pietro’s home, it’s his family, and even as Chief I have to respect that, and especially as part of their family. They need time to grieve.”
“But Fina is not dead,” Anna whispered.
“No, she is not,” Dante said. “But she is lost to us.”
Anna bit her lip, looking out the window. “Sofia said Fina is in love with Remo, and she wants to raise the twins with him.”
“That’s not love,” Dante said.
Wasn’t it? Maybe a twisted love, but love often brought pain and sacrifice. I did not know what Fina felt, much less what happened to Remo Falcone, but I did not share Dante’s certainty in either case.
“How do you know?”
“Because Serafina is not herself, not right now. If she were, she would not have betrayed her family, her education, simply everything for a man like Remo Falcone.”
I touched his thigh. Anna’s eyes were wide and incomprehensible. It was already difficult as it was. I did not want to upset her further.
Dante cleared his throat and his expression relaxed.
“Will I see Sofia again?” asked Anna softly.
I turned in my seat with a smile. “Sure.”
Dante said nothing.
We remained in a state of shock after Serafina left with Remo. A stronger and longer lasting paralysis than the one after her abduction, because this one seemed more permanent. When Remo had kidnapped Serafina we were certain we would get her back, that we would do everything we could to bring her home. This time a sense of ultimate loss hovered in our minds and hearts. One that even the boldest hope could not dispel.
Our family was broken. For the first time, I feared that we would not be able to make things right.
Ines and Peter had kicked us out of the house. Ines and Samuel had not even said goodbye to us. I could feel Ines’ pain almost as if it were my own. She had lost her daughter, not to death, but the end result might have been the same. Just the thought of losing Anna froze my heart. Dante had increased security measures. We were not going to let it happen again.
Anna would be safe even if the gilded cage became even smaller, even more oppressive. Her safety was Dante’s top priority . Santino was his constant shadow now.
We had arrived in Chicago early in the morning and Dante had immediately disappeared into his office, sleepless after hours of driving, and had not left since. I knocked, waiting for his answer. Gabby had brought him a few cups of coffee but he hadn’t eaten anything.
“Come in.”
He looked tired, and when I entered, I found that he looked tired, too.
He leaned over his desk, his hair a mess, a rare sight and a sign of his inner turmoil. I closed the door behind me and looked at my husband for a long time, worrying deeply about him. Finally he looked up, with a look of deep concern in his eyes. I showed him the tray with bread and cheese. “You have to eat.”
His eyes followed me as I approached him, trying to hide my anxiety. Dante had asked me not to hide my feelings from him, but at that moment he needed me strong. The weight on his shoulders was already too heavy for him. I had called Bibi in the afternoon to get an idea of the current mood in the Outfit. Dario was well settled in as an advocate for the Outfit. To say that everyone was in turmoil would have been an understatement.
“You are not alone. I’m here. Talk to me. Don’t back down again.”
Dante leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “I’m not backing down from you, Val. You are my lifeline. You and our children.”
I touched his shoulder and he surprised me by pulling me onto his lap. The last year had been hard, almost unbearably so. We had to find a way out of the darkness that was clouding our lives at that moment. “We will get through this together.”
Dante nodded slowly. “I hope Ines, Pietro and Samuel will forgive me in the end.”
“You did what was right.”
“Did I?” His eyes flickered with doubt and worse with guilt. “I tore Serafina away from her family. I allowed her to leave for an uncertain future. The Falcone family are unpredictable at best. They are crazy. I only met their father Benedict once, and believe me, any son of his must be deranged.”
“She chose him, Dante. She’s not a child.”
“I know, but it’s hard to admit that children eventually outgrow the rules we set for them.”
“Why don’t you eat and lie down a little later?”
Dante shook his head. “I invited your parents to dinner.
I need to talk to your father. We need to make plans to ensure the power of the Outfit.”
I sighed and kissed him on the cheek. “At least, eat something.”
Dante took a slice of cheese and stuffed it into his mouth. I stood up, but Dante took my hand. “I want you to be there when I talk to your father.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. He nodded abruptly. With an encouraging smile, I walked out, leaving him to his thoughts.
Leonas rushed toward me. “Can Ricci and RJ come tomorrow?”
“RJ?” I asked.
“That’s Rocco’s new name. It’s much cooler.”
I ruffled Leonas’ hair.
“Mom!” he said indignantly, dodging my fingers. “My hair!”
I laughed. Had the vanity phase started so early nowadays? God, he was growing up so fast, and so was Anna. A deep longing pervaded me, for another child, another little human being to care for and remind us of the beauty of life and our bright future. Because I still believed in it: a beautiful future.
“Of course they can.” I was worried about how Rocco senior’s situation might affect Leonas’ friendship with the man’s children, but fortunately it had not. His lack of paternal compassion had something good in it after all. Leonas smiled, smoothed his hair, and ran off again. Almost nine.
I had to organize his birthday party, even though we seemed to be stuck in a period of mourning. Life had to go on, especially for our children.
Dante and I had been trying to get pregnant for two years now. It had not worked out. I had even considered hormone treatment, but with everything else that was going on, I didn’t want to strain my body any more than necessary. Maybe I needed to accept that I was too old, even though many women had children well into their forties and I was only thirty-six.
I went down to the basement, past our panic room and grabbed the box of Christmas decorations. I had not yet found time to hang them, but now that we were back in Chicago for good, I wanted to create a Christmas spirit.
After arranging the decorations, I called Anna and Leonas. Anna had spent the last hour on the phone with Luisa and no longer sounded so dejected.
“But we still don’t have a tree,” Anna said thoughtfully as she lifted one of the delicate glass balls.
“You’re right. We’ll get one tomorrow. For now, let’s decorate the rest of the house. How about decorating all the fireplaces?”
Anna and Leonas grabbed some items and rushed to the fireplace in the living room where they began to think of the best decoration. I watched them for a while, my heart warming.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Gabby hurried to the front door. Zita was no longer so mobile, she was getting older, and so Gabby had taken on more than her duties.
My parents came in. Dad had also gone completely gray and the wrinkles on his face had turned into deep furrows, but Mom was following a strict dietary regimen so she was still looking good for her sixties. Mom continued to dye her hair brown, too vain to let a hint of gray show. She smiled when she saw me, despite the anxiety in her eyes, and ran toward me. We hugged each other longer than usual. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
Father also hugged me and kissed me on the forehead.
“How is everyone?”
“The children are putting up Christmas decorations and Dante is in his office.”
Dad nodded with a solemn expression.
“Mom, can you help Leonas and Anna? Dad and I need to talk to Dante.”
Mom nodded and ran into the living room.
Dad scrutinized my face. “He trusts you a lot. And he is absolutely right. You are smart and reasonable.”
“I’m not going to be a councilor,” I said firmly, surprising me but not Dad. I fantasized about that position from time to time, but after everything that had happened with the Camorra, I had realized that I did not want to take part in such decisions. I didn’t want to be responsible for the torture of teenage boys, for all the other horrible things that were going on in this war. I still would have given my opinion to Dante if he had asked me, and even if he hadn’t, but that was it.
Dad nodded, “It’s for the best, Val. Right now, it’s not the best time for that kind of change, anyway, and I’d rather not have you involved in everything we do. Women should be protected. The more you get involved, the more you get targeted by our enemies.”
Fina had not been involved and had been attacked anyway, but in the end I agreed with my father. “I guess that means you will have to live forever so you can advise Dante.”
Father laughed. “This disgusting low-carb, white-meat diet your mother tortures me with must be good for something.” He paused. “Do I still want to see my third grandchild grow, or have you and Dante given up?”
I bit my lip. We hadn’t talked about it for a while, but we hadn’t taken countermeasures either. “No, but maybe it wasn’t supposed to be that way.” Sadness resonated in my voice, betraying my lack of acceptance of the matter.
Dad touched my cheek. “Maybe now is the perfect time . We all need something good.”
I nodded but said nothing. We headed for Dante’s office and entered after I knocked. Dante looked less ruffled than before and stopped with a composed expression to shake my father’s hand. His mask was in place, impenetrable and strong.
“How’s the general mood?” asked Dante as we settled down in the armchairs in front of the fireplace.
Dad shrugged his shoulders. “Divided. Many are glad to be rid of the Falcone twins. You know how people worried that their appearance would attract Remo’s attention, and that man’s attention is never a good thing. It is better to get rid of them and him. An escalation of the war with the Camorra and the Family is something many people want to avoid at all costs.
Fortunately, the Sub-Chiefs seem to lean toward that view.”
He sighed. “There are the others, of course. The people who think you should have killed Remus and led the attacks on both the Family and the Camorra.”
Dante nodded thoughtfully. “I guess Pietro and Danilo are among them.”
“Maybe, but neither of them has made their opinion on the matter public. They are family, or will be in Danilo’s case. That’s an advantage.”
“Pietro won’t badmouth you in front of the others,” I said.
Although Ines, Samuel and Pietro were distressed and even blamed Dante for it, they were still family and neither of them was prone to emotional outbursts of revenge.
“He is a loyal man,” Dante said, with a hint of regret in his voice.
“He is,” agreed Dad. “I have to be honest. Even the people who think you made the wise choice worry. The Family and the Camorra will join forces, now more than ever, to destroy us and divide our territory.”
“Luca has Marcella and Amo to protect. Remo has Nevio and Greta. Do you really think they’re going to let this war escalate?” I said.
Dante ran his fingers through his hair, his lips thinned. “I doubt that Luca will intensify his efforts. Remus is hard to read, but even he will probably think twice before risking anything.”
“Is there any way to push them apart? To cause dissension between Remo and Luca?”
Dad laughed.
Dante also smiled bitterly. “Theirs is a bond of convenience. Luca and Remo are not allies or friends; they temporarily ignore each other. It doesn’t take much to have these two at each other’s throats again.” Dante looked out the window for a moment before continuing. “I will not foment a conflict between them, not at the moment . We might get caught between their fronts and I won’t make peace with either of them.”
I feared that was the case. “How will we win this war?”
“We cannot win,” Dante said. “I don’t think either of us can win.”
I exchanged a confused look with Father.
“So what?” he asked.
“Our goal must be to make ourselves untouchable. The Camorra and the Family can remain our enemies, as long as they hesitate to act, I don’t care.”
I tilted my head. “How do we make ourselves untouchable?
New allies? But even then, it would be two against two as long as the Camorra and the Family work together.”
“The Corsican Union won’t run the risk of being dragged into our war, and you can’t consider a connection with the Bratva, can you ?” asked Dad to Dante, horrified.
Dante made a scornful sound. “Even if the Bratva might be open to free cooperation now that their non-aggression pact with Falcone is broken, which I doubt, I have absolutely no interest in cooperating with Grigory.
They are as bad as the Camorra. Our values are worlds apart.”
Few things were untouchable. The police, for the most part. We bribed them, threatened some, but didn’t attack any. Until we targeted them and paid them enough, they ignored our presence, except for the occasional arrest of soldiers or our drug dealers. My eyebrows knit together. What did Dante have in mind?
“Giovanni, this is where your contacts come in, and you, Val, will also be vital to my plan.”
“My contacts?” asked Dad.
“Yes, you know how to present yourself in certain circles. That’s the kind of man I need by my side.”
Dad squinted his eyes thoughtfully. “What kind of circles?”
But I had already caught up. Since I no longer ran the casino, my main job had been to chat with politicians and their wives. The men were good customers in our brothels and casinos, and many of them enjoyed a discount on cocaine or heroin. Their wives loved the parties we threw, the thrill of the forbidden and, most importantly, our almost unlimited funds.
“You’re playing golf with senators and the mayor. You have always managed to minimize underworld rumors about your family. You are the man who will help me lead the Outfit to new cooperation.”
Awareness descended on Father’s face. “You want to set foot on the political scene.”
“Yes, I think we need to make ourselves even more indispensable to the political elite of our city and state. You are friends with some senators.”
“They will be cautious about being associated with organized crime. It’s nothing that will win them extra points in the elections.”
“Unlike the Camorra and the Family, we have been careful. While speculation is circulating, we cannot be linked to any scandal. The elections are approaching. I’m sure you know some ambitious senators who strive to become more. Let’s help them reach for the stars if they help us too.”
“If we had more friends in the political elite, we could protect ourselves from attacks,” I said.
“And it could also be good for business, lucrative contracts, legalization of certain forms of gambling,” reflected Pope .
Dante nodded, “Sure. I want the Outfit to be ready for the future, and I think our way should be to camouflage ourselves even better, to look like sheep and hide the wolf inside us.”
“I’m going to start probing the ground.
Tomorrow I will play golf with Clark senior. Maybe he can talk to his son.”
“Is his wife of Italian descent?”
Pope nodded. “Every year they vacation in Italy. They have a villa on the shores of Lake Como.”
“It will take some convincing. Many of my more old-fashioned people will not appreciate this new direction I am taking,” Dante said.
I smiled, feeling a new sense of hope. “You will convince them .”