Chapter 22
SILAS
My men have been asking questions regarding the witch with the emerald eyes.
Especially after she brought a gun to my head in front of some of them.
The only person I speak to about personal matters is Valen, and even then, it’s limited, especially when it comes to her.
They all understand that she is off-limits.
No one is to fuck with her, and all of them are to be respectful when they see her.
If I find out under any circumstances that any of them disrespect her in any way whatsoever, they will end up on her table.
“Should we discuss who you are seeing?” my sister, Gia, asks.
She’s been in a somber mood since our uncle’s passing and funeral.
Now it’s just us two. Well, sort of. While my mother only had us two, my father had four brothers, and each of them had their own children, so we have many cousins.
Many of them work for me, while some want nothing to do with the family business. Others I don’t like.
I’m not a particularly sentimental or attached person, but my family is the exception.
Lotti is currently putting my niece down for a nap as I sit with my sister, quietly enjoying the scones Lotti made.
Well, my sister is; I find them far too sweet as I take a sip of my black coffee while looking over some paperwork.
We haven’t spoken about Uncle Pietro’s body or the chase it took to get it back, when I’d all but given up.
I try to keep my sister out of business affairs as much as possible, providing her with the lifestyle she deserves and the protection she needs.
I still don’t know who the culprit is, but I suspect it won’t be long before I do.
My meeting with Elias and Michalis wasn’t all for show.
Some seeds need to be planted. I don’t think Elias will turn against his family or whoever he’s protecting; however, with the suggestion of taking over as the head, I know someone like Michalis will be tempted to do so.
He’s the kind I can’t stand the most. Focused on ambition but lacks loyalty.
I wasn’t lying to Leonore when I went to the strip club because I had met with Elias. As I suspected, his family had started dealing in underhanded movement that he’s since closed down. I was surprised when he told me, but I suspect they’d caught on to us sniffing around where we don’t belong.
“No,” I tell her. She sits right next to me at the table and locks eyes with me. I immediately look away from her surprised expression.
“So you are seeing someone?” Her voice rises.
“No,” I repeat, deadpan.
“It’s not what I heard…” she says, wiggling her brows.
“You need to stop listening when the men drink,” I say, irritated at the bunch of gossips. She leans back and appraises me, looking me up and down. I hate it when she does that.
“Well, lately it feels like it’s the only way I find out what’s happening with you.
” She doesn’t mean for her words to hurt, but they do.
Everything I do is for this family. Well, up until recently, when I’ve become curious about another particular woman.
The less my sister knows, the better. At least that’s what I thought.
“They respect you, but they also wonder why you do certain things, though they don’t ever have an issue with it. ”
I place my papers down. “Are you saying one of my men have an issue?”
The edges of her mouth tilt, and I realize I’ve fallen into her trap. “Nope, I do. Because I want to know more about her.”
I click my tongue. “There is no her. Do you really want to discuss the women I fuck? Do you want a list of when and where and how many times?”
She scrunches her nose at my words as Lotti walks in and practically scowls at me. I can see in her wise gaze she’s thinking, Don’t speak about women in such a manner.
“Alexis is down for her nap. I’ll get you some more jam, Miss Vescari,” she says politely, but her scowl remains directed at me.
When she leaves the room, Gia bursts into laughter, and I miss how carefree she once was. Her husband, Pedro, died just over two years ago in a motorcycle accident and was dead on impact, so Gia never got to say goodbye.
She has never moved on and, to my knowledge, doesn’t plan to.
Besides, she doesn’t need to when it comes to my niece’s activities; I am more than happy to step up when needed and be there. While I didn’t always like Pedro, he was a good father. And good to my sister.
She was a complete mess for the first three months, so my men and I stepped up and did as much as we could.
Before that, I had never really looked after a child.
Gia did everything perfectly up until her husband’s death.
When she refused to get out of bed for a whole month, I knew I needed to step in.
I have always been close to her, but the death of her husband has brought us even closer.
We’ve both come to realize we have each other in this life, and while I’m content not knowing every little detail of her life, she loves to know every detail of mine.
She wipes away tears from her eyes, and although I’m not particularly fond of being laughed at or silently scolded by Lotti, I memorize this moment of my sister, knowing that what I’m building is all worth it.
I have too few of these moments nowadays.
“Gosh, no. I don’t want to know any of that,” she says, shaking her head.
“I just want to know if you finally decided to date. You know everyone is expecting you to marry, have kids,” she begins to rattle.
“I don’t want kids,” I tell her quickly. I don’t need any additional responsibilities beyond what I have now. Anyone who is attached to me is a target, which is why I have my sister and niece so heavily protected, even if she calls me overbearing.
“I know, but still.” She shrugs, and a silence hangs in the air.
“Still, what?”
She plays with the tips of her almost-black hair, a small sheepish smile on her face. “Well, it’s just us. Creating a big family would be nice.”
“We have a big family. I have men out there who would die for you,” I remind her.
“Yes, I guess you’re right,” she says, a little quieter now. “But sometimes it’s worth taking a risk on something that could be beautiful, Silas. If someone’s caught your attention, maybe you should think about it more seriously. You should enjoy your life as well.”
My eyebrows dip. I do enjoy my life. Killing particularly. Seizing more control and power over the city. Providing and protecting for this family. This obsession I have with Leonore could crumble all of that away. Yet it seems I can’t stop coming back to her.
My phone begins to buzz on the table, and when I look down, it’s from an unknown number.
My sister slides her hand over mine and squeezes. “Just remember, you deserve happiness too.” Then she stands and takes her plate with her, just as Lotti returns with a new container of jam.
Gia pushes her out as I bring the phone to my ear.
The voice is distorted but clear. “I know who killed Pietro Vescari. I’ll send a location in three days. I’ll bring the culprit, and in exchange, you’ll fulfill my request. Come alone.”
The phone cuts out.
Well, this just got more interesting. Like a moth to a flame, I’m certain I know who was on the other end of that call. But nothing ever surprises me these days. Well, perhaps except a little raven with deep-plum hair.