Unspoken Betrayal (Casino King)

21. Vitorio

My brother's fist slams into my jaw again and the world spins for a second.

I grunt and swing my body back to face him.

"Get it over with." Luca snarls, looking exhausted and beaten down.

"I won't kill you," I shout at Luca.

"If you want to live through this, you are going to have to. It's you or me. One of us is not walking away from this." He swings at me again, and I duck.

"Just fucking stop." I can feel the blood dripping from the cut on my lip and my left eye is throbbing, already starting to feel swollen. Luca looks terrible, also covered in blood. His one eye is so swollen he can't even open it properly.

"Luca. Stop." I say again, more calmly.

He runs at me and shoves me, but I just stand my ground. I can't fight him anymore. He is my brother. He let Nicki go, sort of, and I know he isn't going to kill me. If he was going to, he would have done it already. Even if there is no love here, he knows that killing his own brother would have detrimental consequences for his businesses. It would spark a series of rumors and questions amongst our allies, even our rivals, that he can't answer. It would make our family look weak.

Luca throws his hands in the air in a frustrated huff.

"You fuck everything up." He mutters darkly, wiping his face with the back of his hand, staring down at the blood that is smeared across it.

I shake my head; there is no point in arguing with him.

We are both breathing heavily, exhausted, emotionally drained, and hurting.

For a moment I stare at my brother. My brother. My own flesh and blood. I don't know who he is anymore. I don't know what he has done, or what he is capable of. He kidnapped Nicki and locked her in a freezer. My jaw clenches.

I shut my eyes. If I let my thoughts go down that path I am going to want to kill him again. What I actually need to do now is get to Nicki. She has been through hell today, and I want to be there for her. She shouldn't have to be alone right now.

Luca is pacing up and down outside the warehouse entrance.

I turn my back on him and start walking away. I can't stand here all day playing stupid fucking games with my brother.

"Where the fuck are you going?" he yells.

I keep walking. If he wants to stop me, he is going to have to fight me again.

"Don't you dare fucking walk away from me." His voice is shaking with anger.

"I'll see you around, brother," I shout back, not turning to look at him.

"You and that little bitch of yours are going to pay. Nobody betrays me and gets away with it." He screams with force and vengeance.

I wave my hand in the air. Not bothering to respond again. No matter what I reply, at this point, it will only escalate the situation. My legs feel heavy, and my head is throbbing.

I climb into my car feeling confused and drained.

Before I start the engine, I run my hands over my face. What the fuck just happened? That was crazy.

I am so glad Danny arrived, even after I told him not to. He got Nicki to safety.

I pull the burner phone out and dial his number.

It rings three times and then cuts off.

Odd.

I dial again and this time it cuts off after two rings.

He might be worried that someone else had the number or took the phone from me. I guess he is making the choice to keep Nicki safe. But how do I find them if he won't answer my call?

I open the messenger app and type out a message, hoping that this will work.

Me: Danny, it's Vito. Are you guys safe? Call me when you can.

He reads the message but then goes offline afterward without replying.

My jaw tightens. I don't like this. But I have to give him the benefit of the doubt here. He went out of his way to help us. He came after me even when I told him it was too risky. He saved my life, and Nicki's. I toss the phone onto the passenger seat. I'll give him time to respond to me when he feels it is safe to do so.

With no other option at the moment, I drive myself back home.

Not caring about the media, nor the hunting party out to find me, or the chaos of everything that has been going on. I just need to go home, get some food, take a shower, and close my eyes.

Nicki is with Danny, and I know he will keep her safe. I will have to wait until tomorrow to try and reach them again. He must have a good reason for not answering. I just hope it isn't anything bad that has happened.

Showered, fed, and laying in bed alone in the dark, I find myself really missing her.

During the last few days, I haven't been away from her for that long, and I am realizing now just how much I love having her around me, even when it seems that our world is falling apart with everything that is going wrong.

She and I are meant to be together.

I already knew how I felt about her, but it becomes even clearer when you are forced to be apart. And tonight is filled with the unknown. I just wish I knew where she was.

I roll onto my side, running my hand over the empty pillow next to me.

I close my eyes with images of her smile on my mind.

She went through so much today, and all I want to do is hold her in my arms and tell her that everything will be ok.

I drift off to sleep, welcoming the dark emptiness and lack of thoughts. My body is aching, and my heart feels empty without her.

In the morning, I wake up to the sudden intrusive sound of knocking on my bedroom door.

In fact, not just knocking, but rather sounding like someone is trying to break the freaking door down.

"Calm down," I demand, as I climb out of bed to throw on a pair of sweatpants.

I yank the door open, feeling annoyed at the rude awakening - and find my head of security standing there with a look of panic on his face.

'Victor, what the hell is going on?" I demand.

"You need to come out. I can't deal with this on my own."

The wide-eyed panic of his expression is something I have never seen on him before, and I have seen him in some very dangerous and difficult situations. "I'll be there in a second. Let me get dressed." He nods and hurries away. What the hell is going on?

I quickly get dressed into one of my dark suit pants and a white shirt, washing my face, wishing I could have had a more relaxed start to my day. My stomach is tightly knotted, and I have to go and figure out what has upset Victor so much, and I haven't even had a coffee.

As I walk downstairs, I force my mind to wake up, focus, and be present.

But when I walk into the living room, it's total chaos.

There is a group of armed men, along with their bodyguards, muttering and talking at the same time. But these are not just random men; they are men I know and who are supposed to be my allies.

"Where the fuck are they?" One of them steps forward with a look on his face that tells me he is willing to die for this cause.

"Who?" I ask, confused as fuck.

"Our families." Another man steps towards me as well, his fingers wrapped tightly around the grip of his handgun.

"Can someone please tell me what is going on?" I hold my hands up to show that I am not armed, and not about to engage in a gunfight.

I want to ask how the fuck they all got into my house, but I think to keep this situation under control, I should first address whatever it is that has them foaming at the mouth.

"Vitorio, where the fuck are our families? My son is missing."

"And mine."

"My wife and daughter were taken."

My brows knot as the confusion deepens. "I don't understand?"

"Luca fucking took them all. He went on a fucking killing spree and then kidnapped the remainder of the people. He has our families. Your brother. What the fuck are you two up to?"

An old friend of mine steps close to me and lifts his gun towards my face. "Tell me now before I put a bullet right through your fucking skull." He growls.

"Marco, my brother and I had a falling out. We are not seeing eye to eye. Whatever he has done, he has done without my knowledge or consent."

"He is still your brother." He snarls darkly.

"I will fix this." I stand my ground, not moving away from the gun pointed at my face. I have to remain calm and keep reassuring them. I know how quickly a situation like this can escalate, especially with so many egos in one room. Misunderstandings happen quickly, and then it's gunshots and death all around.

"How the fuck are you going to bring my uncle back to life?" Lizoro yells from the crowd of angry men. "Luca's men slit his throat and left him to bleed out on the living room floor. His wife found him like that. No one should have to see their loved one like that."

My mouth drops open in shock. Realization sweeps the edge of my mind as I start to understand what has happened.

"Everyone who helped me," I mutter, rubbing my fingers against my eyes.

"What's that? What did you just say?" Marco snarls, stepping closer, his eyes full of rage.

"Luca has acted against everyone who has been helping me."

"Helping you with what?"

"I've been trying to find out what happened to my father and to Leonard Dellacroce. I want to know the truth. At first, I thought it was one of our rivals - but instead of that - everything led me to believe that someone in my family was not playing by the rules. Last night Luca revealed a side to himself that I had never met before, and now everyone who helped me in the investigation is suffering. I think he is retaliating."

"Vitorio, we have been working with your family for decades," Marco says, lowering his weapon slightly. "I want to believe you, but how do we know you aren't working with Luca?"

"Give me a chance to prove it. I'll rescue your families, the people who he took, and I will find a way to expose everything he has been hiding. I want to clear my family name. This is not who I am."

"We don't have a choice but to work with you. We just want our families back. After that, we can discuss any continued future alliances."

"That's fair." I nod, sitting down on one of the sofas. "I have to make some calls. You're welcome to stay and work with me or go and wait for my update."

Some of the people leave, wanting to get back home in case Luca is still on the path of destruction. Some stay to help.

I start calling all of my strongest allies to form a task force big enough to tackle whatever it is we need to do to get these people home safely.

I have to fix this mess I have created in my search for the truth. I have put so many people in danger without even knowing it, by moving around so carelessly, not understanding the full impact of what it is I have been investigating.

I will find out exactly what Luca is up to, and what he is so desperate to hide, and I will expose all of it. It's time to clear the Vitali name. My family is not going to be dragged down by whatever the fuck Luca is doing.

I have a feeling a lot is going on beneath the surface that I have no clue about.

I work all morning, hunting down information, and after several phone calls, I discover where Luca has taken his hostages. My allies and I create a plan to raid the place this evening. Our goal is not to attack Luca, not yet, but rather the focus is on rescue and recovery. We have to go in carefully but with the full force of everyone available to assist us.

Their families' lives are at risk, and my family name is in the dirt right now.