Chapter 30 Blaze #2
Ezio sits in a chair with lights shining on him. It’s the basement room of the frat house, but with slightly different decor.
“What’s your big secret, then?” a voice I don’t recognize asks. It must be one of the previous frat leaders.
Ezio smiles at the camera. “My name isn’t actually Ezio Roland.”
Huh. A simple name change isn’t a huge secret usually.
“Oh? So what is it actually?”
“My name is Ezio Romano,” Ezio answers.
I tilt my head. Is that supposed to be significant?
I check with Pandora and Asch, but they seem equally confused.
“So what? Tell us a real secret,” the frat leader says.
Ezio laughs. “That is a real secret. My grandfather was Lauro Romano, of the Romano Family. The Romanos who were eradicated ten or so years ago.” Ezio’s grin turns brittle. “The week after my tenth birthday, my entire family was massacred.”
I pause the video. “Does that mean anything to you?”
River shakes his head. “I don’t know anything about a Romano family,” he says, then looks at the three of us. “Do you?”
“No. This doesn’t seem like a good enough secret for the frat, unless there’s more to it,” Asch says.
Pandora’s lips are parted, though, and her eyes are wider.
“Romano. Romano.” She tilts her head, then traces the shape of Ezio’s younger face. “Do you think…”
She pulls her phone out and types a text to somebody. Then she taps the button to make the video continue.
There are still a few seconds left.
“Nice sob story. So what?” the frat leader asks.
Ezio shrugs casually. “I’m going to avenge my family. I know who murdered them. I figure I’ll kill everything he holds dear. That’s my promise. I’ll do whatever it takes to get back at the fucker who destroyed my life.”
“So who is the fucker?”
I hold my breath.
“Giulio Pavone,” Ezio says. The video ends.
Pandora’s phone rings.
I startle and nearly fall on my ass.
Pandora answers the phone, but she sets it to speaker.
“Hi, Uncle Slayer,” Pandora says, her voice shakier. “Um. Are you alone right now?”
“Yeah,” a masculine voice says from the other end of the line, sounding alert and terse. “Why are you asking about the Romanos?”
“Randomly. The name came up.” Pandora moves to the couch to sit next to River.
“Came up where?” Slayer asks. “No one named Romano should—” He interrupts himself, then continues, “No one should be talking about the Romanos anymore. Who’s talking, Panda?”
“Are they the ones? The ones who kidnapped me when I was a baby?” Pandora asks.
She’d been kidnapped as a baby?
Christ, no wonder she’s the way she is.
“Yes,” Slayer says bluntly.
Asch gives me a look, but I shake my head.
“Tell me what’s going on. Do I need to come up there?” Slayer asks.
“Nah. I can handle myself.” Pandora leans against River, and he wraps his arm around her shoulders. “I’ve got an entire harem, I’ve got three knives, I know where the heavy duty table saw is… That’s plenty.”
She has a harem?
No, more to the point, she has three knives?
“A harem and three knives wouldn’t mean jack shit if a Romano is involved,” Slayer replies grimly. “They’re supposed to be gone for a reason.”
“Well, from what I hear, you massacred the entire family.” Pandora giggles wildly. “Did you help? Or did Papa do it all on his own?”
“Do you have me on speaker?” Slayer demands. “Panda, I swear, you and Giulio…” He sighs. “All right. Plenty of people think that the Pavone family is responsible for the Romanos.”
I can barely get myself to take a breath.
This is what was missing.
This is why Ezio wouldn’t let it go.
Even if Pandora hadn’t been involved, he would have focused on her.
Shit, and I’m the one who asked about the Pavones in the first place. I told my father I was seeing Pandora Pavone. After twenty years, Ezio might have forgotten about his revenge—well, no, he was already set on it ten years ago, but for all I know he was too busy working for my father.
Until I delivered Pandora right into his lap.
“Yeah I’m recording so I can snitch on you to the pigs,” Pandora says glibly. “Anyway, that’s all I wanted to know I guess. Give my love to the fam.”
“You’re coming home for Thanksgiving, right?” Slayer asks. “Giulio is already planning an all-out feast.”
Pandora glances around the room. “Umm… can I bring some friends?”
My brow furrows, and I shake my head.
River’s eyes narrow.
“You know the more the merrier,” Slayer says, “but don’t think I’m going to get distracted that easily. If anyone is harassing you and saying they’re from the Romanos, they need to be dealt with. Let me, Giulio, and Damien help.”
“Nah. I’m not into the whole damsel-in-distress stuff,” Pandora says. “Not anymore, I mean. But if I’m kidnapped and need an entire family massacred, I’ll let you know. Bye!”
She hangs up before Slayer can do more than sputter a response.
Pandora glances around. “Well, you heard him. The more the merrier! I’ll let Papa know that you’re joining us for Thanksgiving.”
“I am not joining you for Thanksgiving,” River says, releasing his hold on her. “Your family hates me.”
Asch’s brows furrow. “That sounds awkward,” he remarks. “What are you going to say, that you wanted your three boyfriends there?”
Pandora tilts her head. “Yeah? It’s not like they’ve got room to judge.”
I groan. “Pandora, we can’t just…. Let’s focus on the immediate problem. Thanksgiving is for after.”
“In two weeks!” Pandora holds up her phone. “Look, Papa read it and gave it a thumbs up. You’re all coming.”
“No,” River says. He flexes the fingers on his left hand. “I have enough trauma without your entire family coming down on me.”
“They aren’t coming down on you!” Pandora lets her hand fall to his crotch. “But I might go down on you.”
“Ha ha, very funny,” River grumbles. He grabs her wrist, but he doesn’t push her hand away.
I imagine Pandora’s wrist wrapped around River’s cock, or in her mouth. It’s a hot image, and I find myself interested in seeing it happen whether I’m participating or not.
Most guys would get jealous, right? But I’ve never been jealous. I’ve always wanted to share with Asch.
Sharing with River feels just as natural.
Then I remember what Pandora looked like at the mercy of my frat brothers.
The spike of anger serves as a big reminder that I can get jealous.
And that I have enough of a conscience to feel remorse.
“Fine, fine. But before we make lofty Thanksgiving plans, let’s figure out what we’re doing here,” I say.
Pandora sticks her tongue out at me. “Well, we know Ezio has it out for me. Do you think asking nicely will make him give up?”
“No,” Asch says. “I don’t think there’s anything any of us can say to make him leave you alone, not after hearing that.” He glances at me. “Your dad might be able to get him to back off, but…”
But neither of us really thinks that he would.
Pandora starts giggling. “I don’t think getting Papa involved would be a good idea. Do you, River?”
River’s brows furrow. “I don’t know, Pandora… Maybe you should. I know you can take care of your own problems, but sometimes it’s okay to ask for help, remember?”
Pandora’s smile drops. “I’m gonna ask again, River-with-only-four-fingers, do you think it’s a good idea to send Papa into a situation where we want to keep at least some people alive and healthy?”
River grimaces. “No,” he says. “No, but I don’t know what we’re going to do, and I don’t particularly like feeling fucking helpless.”
I cough to draw attention to myself. “You two are forgetting that we do still have a few aces up our sleeves. Namely, me. I’ll find out what facility Sam—”
“Samantha,” Pandora corrects.
I nods. “Okay. What facility Samantha got taken to. Asch and I can look around and keep people distracted while you two get her out.”
“Is your dad just going to tell you?” Pandora asks me. “My parents expect me to take over eventually, but Papa hasn’t detailed any of the really grim shit he does.”
It’s my turn to smile darkly. “Yeah. My dad started training me the day I turned fifteen.”
There were so many meetings where I sat in and had to be silent while he negotiated with people. He’d quizzed me afterwards, asking me what I’d learned.
He’d yell if I didn’t pick up the right lessons.
He’d ask me what the best course of action would be. The disappointment if I gave the wrong answer was immense—but the high I experienced when he agreed, when he approved? It made it all worth it.
When I’d said I would have the leak we’d discovered killed, he’d even squeezed my shoulder in acknowledgement.
Asch is weirdly silent as we talk, but when I glance at him, he shakes his head.
“Okay. So we sort of have a plan,” River says. He drapes an arm over Pandora’s shoulder. “We’ll find her and get her back, Pandora.”
I take my phone out and check the time. Is it too early to call? Too late? Shit.
Now I’m second guessing myself.
He’ll be more than disappointed if he finds out the truth. If he smells even a whiff of betrayal, I’m fucking dead.
I don’t think for a second I’d get special consideration for being his son.
“Okay.” I tap my phone to open the calling app. “But I’m not going to be putting it on speaker.”
Pandora pouts. “Boo. Spoilsport.”
“Should we leave?” Asch asks, his eyes narrowing as he looks between Pandora and River. “I’m sure River and I can keep Pandora busy.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s fine. Just… stay quiet.”
Pandora opens her mouth to say something, but River covers it with his four-fingered hand. She doesn’t look put out by it though.
Judging from River’s reaction, she’s probably licking his palm.
I tap the button to call my father.
It takes three rings for him to pick up.
“Blaze,” my father greets. He sounds suspicious.
“Hey, Dad,” I answer, hoping I sound as calm as I feel.
I won’t show weakness.
Not even to him.
“I was wondering, who’s in charge of our east coast merch?” I ask. I lean back in the armchair, feeling strangely self-conscious with Pandora, River, and Asch all staring at me. “I was going to call Menard, but then I remembered he quit.”
If by “quit” we mean got dumped into the bottom of a lake.
My father pauses. “Any particular reason?”
“Yeah, I met an old friend who was interested in a specific product line. I remembered we still had limited stock that matched his specifications.” I resist the urge to tap my foot.
Asch’s expression goes blank in that way of his that means he doesn’t want me to know what he’s thinking.
“An old friend? Who? I can reach out to him directly,” my father says.
Shit, shit.
If I say a specific name, he could double-check.
If I give him no name at all, he’s going to be even more suspicious.
And the longer I pause, the more suspicious it gets.
“Ezio,” I say. “I want to surprise him. He deserves getting exactly what he wants after everything. But I can’t exactly ask him if I’m going to surprise him, y’know?”
My father says nothing for a few seconds, and I wonder if the game is already up, if I’ve fucked our plan before it even got off the ground.
But he finally says, “That’s a good idea. He’s never been forthcoming about his interests, but it’s good to know he has them. You can reach out to Tim.”
Tim?
Which Tim? There are three possible Tims—no, one of them is still down south, and I think Short Tim is on my dad’s shit list right now.
“Okay. Thanks,” I say.
“Let me know how it goes,” my father adds. “I’d love to see his reaction myself.”
I paste on a smile, even if he can’t see it. “Yep. Will do. Thanks, Dad.”
I hang up before the conversation can drag on even more.
My hand is thankfully steady as I lower the phone. Not weak at all.
I lied to my father and somehow pulled it off. I have no idea if I’d have been able to pull that off in person, though.
“You get what we needed?” Asch asks, his voice as bland as his expression.
“Yeah. I know who to get in touch with.” I look to Pandora and River, expecting similarly disapproving looks.
Pandora is simply smiling. “You’re so hot when you’re being a manipulative dick.”
“Not the word I’d have used,” River says, “but that was good. Nice thinking about Ezio.”
Pandora moves off the couch and back over to me. “Do you want a reward for all your hard work?”
I snort in amusement. “I’ll take sex, but I don’t need a reward for a simple phone call.” Then I sigh. “And I’m not done. I need to call Tim and sell him some story about why I need to know where Samantha went.”
Pandora pouts, but she nods too. “Fine. More planning. We’ll save the sex for after we return victorious.”
Victorious.
I love how optimistic she is.
But she’s not wrong. We’re going to do this. I’m not going to let Zayden’s ghost—or Ezio—ruin what I have with Pandora.
I said Pandora deserved everything she wanted, and I meant it.
Starting with this.