Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Enzo shrugs a little. He seems convinced. I stand and study Dominic, trying to decide what to do with him.
“Stefano? Break his other hand.” I toss him the hammer.
The big man catches it. “Got it, boss.”
“Wait,” Dominic says, panicking. “I told you the truth. Please, Dad’s hiding in Ridley, he’s in Ridley, he’s—”
Stefano expertly smashes the kid’s other hand, breaking three fingers in the process. We leave him curled around his hands, whimpering, spitting, and sobbing on the pavement, but still alive.
“You sure we shouldn’t kill him?” Enzo asks as we get back into the Spider. Stefano pulls out and heads back to the depot ahead of us.
“This is a more effective message.”
“But now everyone’s going to know we’re making our own moves.”
“If Corrado wanted this coup to be public, he’d have armed guys shooting Raf and Don Serrano as we speak. He wants to be subtle about this. If he starts accusing us of breaking his son’s hands, then he’ll have to start talking about why we’d do something like that. He has too much to lose.”
“It’s a gamble.”
“True, but remember, he’s got a third son. All else fails, we find that fucker and kill him.”
Enzo smirks as we drive away from the strip club. I catch a glimpse of Dominic trying to fumble with his phone but struggling to use his broken hands. Poor fucking guy.
“Almost makes you not want to have kids, right?”
I think of Fiorella’s mouth pressed tight against mine. “Almost, but not totally.”
Chapter 24
Fiorella
“Are you sure it’s a good idea that you’re here?” I pause outside the church. Men in black suits and women in dark dresses linger nearby in groups. I recognize most of them from the family, but nobody approaches me, not yet anyway.
Luca leans in close, an arm wrapped possessively around my waist. “I’m positive.”
“Do they know it was you?”
“Most likely.”
“Then it’s pretty fucked up that you’d come to the funeral of the man you killed.”
He shrugs lightly and bends down to brush his lips against my neck. A shiver runs down my spine. “You look beautiful, la mia donna. Something about you in mourning black makes me hard.”
I try not to smile, but I can’t help myself. “That’s weirdly sweet.”
“Come on, keep your head high. This is your family, isn’t it?”
“Mostly.” I let him lead me toward the church. Butterflies roil in my stomach, but this is my place. Even though I’m leaning on the arm of a killer, I belong here. The Serrano family is as much mine as it was Tommy’s.
I greet a few people lingering out front: aunts and uncles, cousins, and family associates. I introduce them to Luca, and I can’t tell if anyone knows that he’s the one who put Tommy in the casket. My husband is charming at least, and he sticks right by my side the whole time, like he doesn’t want to let me get too far from his sight. We head inside together, and instantly the stress around my chest lightens as Elisa hurries over.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” I say as she gives me a big hug.
“Raf’s up front with Uncle Corrado, but I decided to wait for you.” She squeezes me tightly. “The vibes are so fucking bad.”
I glance past her. There are more men lurking around the church’s front room. Most of them are Famiglia members, some direct relatives, but most of them are soldiers and low-ranking made men. They would’ve all known Tommy well. A few throw looks at Luca, but they seem more curious than outright hostile, which is probably a good thing. I wouldn’t put it past my husband to start a fight in a freaking church.
“What about Dad?” I frown at Elisa’s reaction. She shakes her head lightly and looks at the floor. “What’s wrong?”
“He was pretty bad this morning.” She laces her fingers through mine. “Come on, we should head inside.”
I want to ask a million questions, but Elisa’s pulling me toward the doors. We sneak in the back and get a spot in the last pew just as the funeral begins.
Dad’s really so bad that he can’t come to his own nephew’s funeral? I don’t know how the family’s going to react to that. As the Don, it’s his duty to come to every single function, especially the important ones like this. He’s barely holding on to legitimacy, and this isn’t going to help his case at all.
At least Raf’s up front. I can see my brother awkwardly shoved beside Corrado and a few of the aunts. Most of them are actively crying over poor Tommy’s closed casket as the priest performs the service. Raf’s shoulders are tense, and I can only imagine what he’s feeling. Corrado’s his direct enemy, and Raf’s partially responsible for Tommy’s death, even if it was Luca who pulled the trigger.