30. Lia
Chapter 30
Lia
Antonio's piercing gaze meets mine, his expression unreadable. "Can I talk to you?"
Before I can respond, Dante's hand tightens around mine. "Not without me." His tone leaves no room for argument.
A part of me wants to assert my independence, to prove I can handle this on my own. But the larger part, the part that's grown accustomed to having support, appreciates Dante's protectiveness. "Dante comes too."
Antonio nods, quickly accepting that Dante and I come as a partnership. He gestures ahead, leading us through the opulent hallways of his home.
My heels click on the white marble tile, the only sound over the serene of his home. He flashes his hand over a scanner and we enter a study, its walls lined with leather-bound books and a large screen ahead, with a flashing beacon.
The heavy wooden door closes behind us with a soft click.
I keep my eye on the screen as Antonio gestures for us to sit on a plush leather sofa. He takes a seat across from us in a high-backed chair.
"What's the beacon?" I ask.
He smiles. "Your tracker."
The hair at the back of my neck stands on end.
I shake my head. "I removed it. It's in the ocean."
The tension in the room is unmistakable as he leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "I know you did. Do you know how stressful that was for me, thinking you'd been kidnapped?"
"Not stressful enough." My voice rises with each word as I point to the screen. "You had two trackers inside me? Where the fuck is the other one?"
Antonio smiles. "You'll never find it. No scanner will find it. So forget it. I'm only telling you it's now switched on, so you know you'll always be found. If…"
"If I'm kidnapped … or worse."
He nods. "Your life will change dramatically and you'll be grateful we always know where you are at all times." Antonio's voice is softer than I expected. He glances at Dante and continues. "The only place the tracker cannot pinpoint your exact location is in your home."
I feel Dante stiffen beside me, but I keep my focus on Antonio. I squeeze Dante's hand, letting him know I appreciate him putting something in our home that prevents me from being watched there.
"I want you to know something important." He pauses, his eyes flickering briefly to Dante before settling back on me. "You don't have to become the Boss of all Bosses." Antonio continues, "What you've already accomplished is amazing. And it was long overdue. As a Syndicate head, I respect you for that. Deeply. As your father, I'm conflicted."
"Apart from being a woman, I'm no different from Romeo," I tell him.
He shakes his head. "Romeo was born into this world to lead."
I tilt my head, suddenly confused. "Romeo is older than me. Yet you told me you were with my mother." I can feel Dante's questioning gaze on me, but I keep my eyes locked with Antonio's. "Were you unfaithful to her?"
He looks surprised at the question at first as his eyes flicker between me and Dante. "Romeo is not my child. I've brought him up as mine, but he is my older brother's son. He is the first son of the first son, and therefore the legitimate heir. I'm the second son."
His words hang in the air, heavy with implications. I nod, understanding. "Romeo and Mateo are actually cousins."
"Yes."
"So why am I different from Romeo?" My voice is steady despite the concern building inside me. "I'm the first child of the first child. Why am I different?"
Antonio leans back, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Because you deserve a choice. This life... it's not an easy one. And you've already sacrificed so much. If you want to step away, to focus on your family and your future, no one would think less of you. Least of all me."
I take a deep breath, considering Antonio's words carefully. "I appreciate that, Dad," I say, meeting his shocked gaze. "But my mother died for me, and I've killed enough people that I don't want to take any more blood in her name." I smile at Antonio. "But my ultimate act of revenge is becoming the very person those men want eliminated—a female ruling over the Syndicate. I can't walk away from that."
Antonio nods, a look of pride crossing his face. "I thought you might say that. But I needed you to know you had a choice. Whatever you decide, you have my full support." He stands. "Today, we'll swear you and Dante in."
"Not Romeo, Lorenzo, and Gino Gallo?"
"Gino Gallo is a coward and has disappeared to Italy, but we're monitoring him." He pauses for a moment. "And I've spoken to the other families by telephone, and your father …" He swallows, "is here as a Rossi to give his agreement for yours and Dante's inauguration."
When I look confused, he continues, "With a Conti, a de Luca, and a Rossi in attendance, nobody can claim it wasn't officiated properly because the balance of power is tipped in the attendees’ favor."
"Where’s Romeo?"
"Keeping Amelie and Enzo safe until we know all threats have disappeared. Lorenzo is about to discover he's lost his brother and will be the new Bianchi head. He'll be pressured to find a wife and have children, considering if he dies, the Bianchi line will have to pass to one of his cousins."
"But why take Milly?" I’m still a little concerned she is somewhere with these men.
"Only your father stands in the way of creating a new syndicate." He nods carefully. "He can take his role or…"
My shoulders sag. "Or Milly can."
"Sorry, but now that Fredrico is proven to be alive, and Amelie and Amara are his children, we can no longer accept his adopted cousin to take over the position. So either your father takes it, or as his next of kin, Milly will be expected to."
"Milly doesn't want this. And I don't want this for her. I don't want her involved. You've just given me the option of not doing this. Don't make her do it."
"The Moretti line disappeared with your mother because the Syndicate refused to accept anyone other than your mother and her heirs. You are bringing it back to life and the reason I gave you the choice. Whereas, the Rossi family wants the position replaced with the next heir in the family. That was an adopted cousin until your father proved himself to be alive, and as Milly and Amara are his heirs…"
I hold my palm to his face, not wanting to hear anything else.
“It’s time,” Antonio says.
Mac Bailey stands outside the office where I found out everything about my life and beside him stands a petite woman with long, dark hair and darker eyes. Her eyes are on me as I walk toward my father.
"What are you doing here, Lucia?" Antonio asks, stopping in front of her.
"My brother isn't brave enough to take over, and he has officially agreed with the Gallo family in Italy that I will be the new head."
"That will need to go to a Syndicate vote. The others might not agree." Antonio opens the door to his office and ushers her inside.
"The balance of power is here, right now." She looks at Dominic and Antonio, before glancing at me. "I only need yours and Dominic's votes."
"I'll need to speak to your brother first," he responds. "I need to hear from his mouth that he is renouncing the position."
Her lips purse as she stands in front of the bookcase and stares at Antonio. "Who killed my father?"
As Dante stands in front of me, my hand slides up my thigh and I grip my gun. This is a girl who may or may not find out about how her father was really killed and I don't want her shooting my dad if she somehow already knows.
"I offered you my position. Why would I try to kill you?" Eduardo’s words—her father's words to Dante—play in my head. As they have over and over since I heard them.
My eyes meet hers. She smiles and says, "We've never met."
"You're right," I reply, and get a sneer in response.
"I'm not sure how you got into my house without my permission. You're not on the invite list for today," Antonio says.
From my periphery, I can see his hand reaching for the gun in his drawer. I know it's there. It's the same place he put it the day I broke into his home.
"I told them I was here in the place of my father." Her voice is high and scratchy on my ears, like she is getting nervous or angry. "You would never had denied him."
"I offered you my position. Why would I try to kill you?"
Her father didn't try to kill us.
She did.
His daughter—Lucia Gallo—the woman who Dante was supposed to marry, is who wants me dead.
As I turn to her, she whips a gun out of her pocket and points it at me. Hatred blazes in her eyes when I meet her dark gaze. "He was mine."
A mirthless laugh escapes my lips as I observe Lucia's trembling hands. Despite her bravado, I know she won't pull the trigger. Antonio's gun is now trained on her, ready to fire the moment she makes a move.
"He was always mine," I say. My voice is calmer than I know she feels. "I was always his."
Dominic's deep voice cuts through the tension. "Drop the gun, Lucia. You're making a monumental mistake." The warning in his tone is clear. She won't leave here alive if she persists.
Lucia's chuckle is bitter, devoid of any genuine humor. "My father made the mistake," she spits out. "I told him who she was. I told him to get rid of her, but he was stupid and na?ve. I am not."
"I was never yours, Lucia." Dante's voice is calm.
She ignores him as she stares at me. “Everyone thought I was weak while I was the one searching for you.”
Antonio's voice is steel as he issues another warning. "Put the gun down. You've proven you're ready to take over the Gallo family's role in the Syndicate."
"He hurt me," Lucia snarls, dipping her head toward Dante.
Dante takes a step back, moving closer to me. His voice is bitter as he says, "You're going to die today, Lucia."
Her eyes track his movement, a sneer twisting her lips. When she speaks again, her voice is eerily emotionless. "And I'm going to hurt you," she tells Dante, but her gaze shifts to me, filled with hatred. "You took what was mine. Now I'm going to take you."
I lift my arm, point my gun, pressing the trigger.
I hear the first gunshot, loud and jarring.
Then another gunshot, and I'm falling.
The world seems to slow down until I finally meet darkness.