Chapter 18
The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls. - Edgar Allan Poe
Santino
M y heart pounds away, thumping erratically inside my chest, and I swear anyone around me can hear it as I make my way to mio fratello. Matteo asked to see me, and ever since my wife was questioned by him in his office, I’ve been on edge. It wouldn’t be so bad if Luciano were by my side to help me face whatever’s coming, but he’s with Rorik, Cristiano, and all of the wives.
We’ve been on high alert since before my and Luciano’s weddings, and then on top of it, being holed up inside during the cold months when we’re used to taking trips… well, it’s making us a touch more stabby-er than we’d typically be. So mio fratelli took some of the men to help with protection of the famiglia and reserved a few private tours. Last I heard, they were headed into the city to start at the Museum of Natural History, as Violet has turned into a little history buff. Cristiano loves that sort of stuff too, so the two of them are probably more excited than anyone else in the group, especially being they have the entire facility to themselves to geek out over.
Matteo stands; his expression unreadable as I approach him with caution at the forefront of my mind. “You wanted to see me,” I say, attempting to keep my voice steady despite the nerves fluttering in my gut.
“Sì, fratello,” he greets, moving for his chair. He’s out on the fourth-floor balcony, which overlooks the many acres sprawling behind the property. The gardens are all dead and miserable right now after the harsh weather we’ve been having, so I rarely pay attention out here unless I’m watching for enemies.
“What’s going on, Matty?” I respond, since he’s keeping it informal. Maybe this isn’t Capo business after all, and I can stop stressing as much.
He gestures to the chair closest to him, and I take a seat, grateful for the warmth from the outdoor space heater behind us. The staff has two of the fireplaces roaring as well, so it’s toasty where I’m sitting. I relax back into the plush, oversized navy-blue chair and cast my gaze outward, taking in the white skies. “Fuck, more snow,” I comment, gesturing to the sky, and he nods.
One of the staff from the kitchen approaches, bringing us hot chocolate with Baileys. She sets down some fresh mozzarella, oil, and bread. We both thank her and wait until she’s gone to grab our cups. I take a piece of the hard sourdough baguette, dipping it in the oil and helping myself to a bit of the cheese. The flavors of basil and oregano explode over my tongue from the rich oil.
I swear we have the best chef; I love that woman.
The hot chocolate warms me from the inside out as I savor the creamy richness of the Baileys and the sweet afterthought from the mini marshmallows. Across from me, mio fratello takes a sip and lets out a satisfied sigh, appearing more at ease than I’ve seen him be in a long time. The snow continues to fall around us, softening the world’s appearance into a false sense of tranquility. We all know the snow can be deadly; it only takes one bad storm or ill-prepared moment, and your life could change forever. Most people hate the bitter cold… but to me, it’s another layer of protection when it comes to mio famiglia. Our enemies would freeze to death if they were to try and sneak up on our property without the proper gear or heated vehicle. It makes me sleep a little easier at night knowing our men would stop them before they were to get to the people we care most about.
“Winter is holding on as long as possible this year. We should probably be grateful. I have a feeling we’d be dealing with much more at our doorstep if it were warmer.”
So we are talking business, then.
“What has changed? None of them had the balls before to come at us, let alone to show up at the Vendetti Estate.”
“They’re desperate. People make stupid mistakes when they feel they have no choice. We’re more than aware our enemies are closing in at this point. Our every move being scrutinized and plotted against; they want us to feel cornered. It’s their mistake, because we’ve been doing this far too long to simply roll over and allow them to take what’s ours. The incident with the wedding has only added fuel to the fire. Now, instead of wanting to take the head of the snake, I want to chop the whole body up,” Matteo confesses, determination flickering in his stare.
“I know,” I immediately agree, my voice tinged with concern. I’m aware of how badly this is affecting our entire famiglia, not only Valentino. “Our backs will be against the wall before long. We need to act swiftly if we're going to come out of this unscathed.”
He dips his head, then sips from his hot drink. I eat some more mozz and bread, savoring each bite. After a moment, I finally get up enough courage to ask him about the laptop. I won’t be able to stop stressing out over what went down until I know for sure he’s no longer suspecting my wife. “Did you find something from Mischa’s search history?” He told us things checked out, and she was telling us the truth when he’d pulled her into his office last week during our meeting, but not about anything they could’ve discovered since.
“Nothing we didn’t already know. I meant it when I said her story checked out. If I didn’t have full faith in it, she’d be hanging in the basement right now,” he promises without a trace of an apology in his expression. He’s emotionless as he states the fact, knowing full well I understand better than anyone what it means to have her hanging in the basement.
After all, I did help Capo get information out of Fiadh O’Toole down there, amongst plenty of others on whatever job I’ve been ordered to take care of. My fingers curl into fists, thinking of Mischa in the same place. I clench them tightly at my sides, grinding my teeth to keep from saying anything in return. About how I wouldn’t allow him to hurt her. And that I’m the only one who will keep my wife in line, not my brother. He may be the Capo dei capi, and I respect him more than anyone in this famiglia, but Mischa is my wife. He should expect me to put her above all others, same as he does with Violetta.
“Calmati, fratello. No reason to be angry; she’s innocent. Sì?”
I nod. Though calming down isn’t the easiest thing for me to do, and it never has been. I’m a somewhat chill guy; I get along with everyone for the most part, mind my business, and try to make sure the wives are comfortable here. I help them if they ever need it, love my nieces and nephews, and do my job. I’m a soldato, so my work is the messy shit. I get rid of a lot of people for this famiglia, and over time, it’s turned my heart darker . I crave control now, which is why the twins fit so well into my life. They offer it up on a silver platter, and I fucking love both of them for it.
“The man who tried to kidnap your moglie is dead. Luciano saw to it. The men who attempted to kill her father and killed his men are dead. Our famiglia saw to it. Romano still digs when he can on where Fiadh could be hiding. He’s in Italy more than any of us right now, so if she were there, he’d find out about it.”
“I get it, but it still doesn’t explain why we’re still watching over our backs. Why we’re still being hunted. We should’ve killed them all by now,” I practically hiss, ready to go out and take care of things myself. “You’re telling me there’s absolutely no new information? That I have to constantly worry about the man and woman I’ve come to love could still be killed because of some stupid clover-chasing puttana? How is she even heading up the Irish Mafia if she’s never on their goddamn throne? I want her dead, Matteo, fucking dead !”
I sit back, breathing hard after my rant. I hadn’t realized I’d sat forward in the first place. Fuck, I hope I wasn’t too loud. I sort of black out when I get to a certain point in my anger over something important. The staff chooses that moment to interrupt. Our dish and cups are quickly cleared away, replaced with fresh cups of coffee already fixed the way we both prefer, along with glasses of water.
“Thank you,” we say in unison, then are left alone once again.
My gaze meets Matty’s once more. “Send me. You don’t have to tell a soul. Give me her last known whereabouts, and I’ll go hunting for her alone. Take care of her in the middle of the fucking night and be home before anyone knows different.”
“It’s unnecessary.”
“How do you figure?”
“Look, Santino, I want her dead more than anyone, trust me.”
“But?”
“But we haven’t found her.”
“And?”
“And… we can’t kill her.”
My mouth hangs open at his statement. Is he fucking high? Of course we’re killing that crazy bitch. “I-I don’t understand,” I stammer the words, attempting to hold on to myself and not freak out until he can give me something more to work with on this. “Do the others know this, or have you only shared with me the fact you don’t want us killing the woman who has made it her mission in life to make ours a living hell? Think of your children, Matteo, think of your wife!”
At my outburst, he suddenly stands. His hands are on my shirt, tugging me up from my chair in the next breath. I didn’t know he could still move this fucking fast and was so strong . He’s gotten older, I don’t want to say softer because he’s more Ruthless than ever, but he’s yanking me up like I’m still a kid and he’s a spry twenty-five. He glowers, glaring down his nose at me, seemingly bigger and more powerful than ever as he growls, “Mind your fucking tongue with me, Santino. I’m still your Capo. And mia Violetta is always the first person I think of, capisci? Ordering me to think of mio bambinos, as if you need to lecture me? You forget yourself, your place, little brother.”
My head tips, eyes flicking down, offering him the respect he has no doubt earned. The hard way. I know better than to say shit like that to him; we all do. He’s proven over the years how insanely possessive and obsessive he is when it comes to Violet. He’s the type of codependent that if something ever happened to her, I think he’d literally wither away and die. Or go on a psychopathic killing rampage, but only time will tell.
His fists in my shirt relax, patting the material before he pulls me in for a hard hug. “I love you, Santino. Never forget, I will always have mio famiglia’s best interest in mind. Always.”
“I love you too, fratello.”
“I won’t let Mischa get hurt. I will make sure she’s protected, and with you as her marito, she’s already safer than you realize. You remind me of myself when I was your age. I would’ve buried anyone threatening my wife.”
“You still would.”
He nods, a smirk twisting his lips up. We take our seats once more. This time he sighs, growing frustrated, and meets my stare. I notice something different shining in his gaze than before, and I don’t know how to read it. Is he disappointed in something? Sad? I’m not used to it from him, so I remain quiet, not sure what to say.
“I asked to see you today since everyone is gone,” he admits. It’s just him and me here today; everyone not with the wives had other business to take care of. I was surprised he didn’t have something he wanted me to do, but obviously this is why. He continues, “I have news. I think Valentino knows where Fiadh is.”
I sit up, eyes wide with interest and shock. “He does? Is he sleeping with her again?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know, but I don’t think so. He never stopped his own search for her, no matter how much he pretended to. He’s been obsessed with her from the start.”
“So what are we going to do?” This could be the chance we’ve all been waiting for. We’ll finally have her whereabouts and can bury her along with anyone else with the same blood. They all need to die, and maybe once the bloodline is expunged completely, our famiglia can move on.
“Nothing, fratello. We’re going to sit back and let him take us to her.”
“You think he’ll betray us?”
“I think a Vendetti in love is a blind man. I think anyone trying to get in our way when it comes to the person we love is a fool. I won’t be the idiot who gets in his way right now, but I’ll be waiting for when she fucks up and we find her.”
“And then?”
“I’ll bury her.”
There’s the brother I know.
He’s not being reckless with the Irish; he’s being the typical Matteo Ruthless Vendetti I’ve known my entire life. And when he’s ready to take Fiadh O’Toole down, I’ll be right there beside him.
Because when you come for the Empire, you pay the price… in blood .