Chapter 26
ZAVIER
M y ears rang as Stefano’s goon hit me again, blood dripping from my lips and onto the floor. My body ached from being roughed up, and they’d only been playing with me so far.
My wrists burned from the restraints, the chair they’d put me on being solid metal so I couldn’t even try to throw it around to break it.
“Stop playing dumb with me,” Stefano growled from close by, running his hands down his fancy suit as he stepped closer, silently motioning to the goon to leave us alone. “You know exactly what information I’m talking about, Lopez.”
“I don’t,” I spat, trying to sit up better, ignoring the sharp pain in my wrists as the rough rope burned. “I’ve told you again and again, Ander never spoke to me about your private business stuff. I didn’t even know I was moving drugs for you, or I never would’ve touched it.”
His hand snaked out to grab my chin tightly, pain blooming under his grip where bruises had been forming from the punches.
“This has nothing to fucking do with my bastard son, and everything to do with you, your daddy, and the Demons. If you think this game you’re playing will get you killed fast, it won’t. I will hold and torture you for fucking years if that’s what it takes.”
“What the fuck does me moving drugs have to do with that piece of shit and his crew?”
“Everything!” he bellowed, his grip tightening to the point I thought he’d break my damn jaw. “We had a deal, kid. You and that prick stole from me!”
“I didn’t!”
He backhanded me, his ring cutting my cheek and leaving a burning sting behind.
“You can’t deny our deal!” he snapped, gripping my face hard again. “Who’s idea was it, hmm? Did Kristoff come up with it, or you?”
“Come up with what? I really don’t understand what you’re so mad about. I never made a deal with you and my father, I was too busy running from that fucker myself.”
“You looked pretty cozy sitting on your Demon throne. Who can you hide behind now? They’re all fucking dead and left you to handle the fallout.”
I frowned, assessing his face. He was serious. He thought I’d made a deal with him.
There was only one reason for this confusion, and that fucker was still causing me grief from his grave.
“Fucking Jeremy,” I scowled, wincing as his fingers dug into my jaw.
“What was that?” he demanded.
“Jeremy,” I repeated. “I had a twin brother who was Kristoff’s good little bitch boy. It must have been him.”
“No, I specifically dealt with Zavier Lopez, not Jeremy. You can’t pull that trick on me,” he snorted. “I worked with you for years, so I think I know who I was dealing with.”
“Doing what?”
He stared blankly at me for a moment before releasing me and stepping back to eye me.
“Okay, I’ll play your game. You and Kristoff approached me, remember? You wanted in on my skin trade business and said you could move bodies through the States for me. It came to my attention that you had been skimming money off my profits by increasing the costs on the down-low and taking the extra. That wasn’t yours to take, Zavier.”
Nausea swam in my gut as I stared at him, and I wanted to throw up. “I’ve spent the last year helping women and kids who were trafficked. I never would’ve worked in that business, it’s disgusting.”
He chuckled, but there was no humor behind it. “You’re a great actor, Lopez. I’ll give you that. What have you told my son?”
“It. Wasn’t. Me.”
It made sense now how Ander knew so much about the skin trade and deals being made. That fucker had the damn information from the source.
“If it wasn’t you, then why have you been running from me?” he scoffed.
“Um, your guys ran me and Raven down. Kind of made me not want to be welcoming to you,” I replied dryly.
“Is that what it’s going to take? I have to drag that bitch down here, kicking and screaming, and hurt her over and over again in front of you until you break?”
My jaw clenched, my hands balling into fists behind me. “Leave her out of this. This has nothing to do with me, let alone her. If you just want money back, tell me how much and I’ll sort it so you can be on your merry way. Working with Kristoff and his piece of shit son was your mistake, but I’ll pay their debt if it makes you fuck off.”
“This isn’t about the money, that was just what made me realize you decided to fuck me over. It’s the information you hold that can’t get out. I could forgive you for being a dirty thief, but if you want to keep your life, you need to agree to come back to Italy with me. The only way you stay breathing is if you’re locked up somewhere I can keep an eye on you. Now, what the fuck have you been telling my son?”
“I didn’t even know he was your damn son until Dante barreled into town and fucked things up.”
“Liar,” he tsked, backhanding me again. My vision swam, and it took a second for me to get my bearings. “You befriended him, coerced him into your fucking bed, and?—”
“Dude, I love Ander, but not like that.”
“His name is Andre!” he snapped, kicking the front of the chair and sending me toppling backwards, my head smacking against the floor. I blinked hard, trying to stay awake. I couldn’t pass out, I had to focus. “What have you told him?!”
“Nothing!” I threw back, my arms and hands burning from the pressure of me on top of them. If I moved too much, I was going to break my damn wrist.
“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? Slide into his life and turn him against me.”
“He’s always been against you. He fucking hates you.”
“He was fine before coming here and getting into bed with you! I could’ve ignored it, let you have your little secret as long as he married the woman I’d made a deal with, but then something changed. You fucking told him about those women, I know you did.”
“Surely he knows you traffic women.”
“He doesn’t fucking know about the ones we sold that belonged to my men!” he hissed, standing over me. “He helped Elio look for his wife for months when she went missing. He had no fucking idea it was us!”
“You sold one of your men’s wives?”
“To the buyer you brought me!” he spat, starting to pace and lose his cool. “He can’t fucking know. My men can’t fucking know.”
“How many of their wives have gone missing?” I asked slowly, his eyes narrowing on me.
“Four. Two daughters and a few of their nieces and nephews too. The buyers you provided paid top dollar.”
My stomach rolled. “How old were they?”
“You already know that, Zavier. Your father bought a few,” he huffed with annoyance.
“How. Old?”
“Tommaso was five. Kristoff had lost his plaything to those fucking crews years ago and never got over it. No kid felt the same, he told me.” He dropped his eyes to my jacket, shaking his head slightly. “Your father would be rolling in his grave at seeing that jacket on you.”
“I hope the fucker throws his back out in the process,” I gritted out, knowing exactly which plaything he was talking about.
His nephew. Maddox fucking Donovan.
“How can you proudly wear that after wearing the Demons’ jacket? Do you have no loyalty?”
“I never wore the Demons’ jacket. Like I said, Jeremy was his bitch boy, not me. Kristoff was sick, and I’m glad Maddox got out. Unlike me, who endured that shit until I was a teen and could escape. They fooled you, Stefano. I’ve never met you until you rolled into town with vengeance in mind. The guy you’re looking to punish is already dead and buried. Your secrets died with him until you just spilled them to me,” I said bluntly, and I could tell he was starting to believe me.
“It was you.” Uncertainty lined his words now.
“It was my twin,” I said sharply, my ears picking up the sound of the door opening.
At first, I thought it was the goon coming back to beat me some more to try and make me break, but then I heard it.
“Papa? What did you do?”
Dante didn’t sound curious, he sounded pissed, and I could’ve sighed with relief as he appeared above me and pulled the chair up to take the weight off my arms.
They’d gone numb, so hopefully they didn’t have a damn shootout while I was still tied to this damn chair.
He was beat to shit and looked like hell, but it was like he barely felt it from the way he was moving.
Then I noticed his goon by the door with his arms crossed, Stefano’s face paling slightly.
“Elio, I?—”
The man cursed him out in Italian, I assumed, his face full of anger as he stared his boss down.
I jerked when Dante dropped his hands to my wrists to untie me, having no problem showing where his loyalty laid.
Apparently, it wasn’t going to be with his father.
Ander
We were almost at the location when my phone buzzed, and I glanced down to find live footage playing. My heart hammered at seeing Zavier tied to a chair, Elio smacking him around.
They hadn’t gotten serious yet, but they would.
“What is it?” Knox asked from the driver’s seat, his eyes on me in the rearview.
It had taken two seconds to update them at the compound before we were piling into vans and hitting the road, the hours feeling like days.
Raven and the guys were in the van with Knox and I, Beckett and Maddox with us too. Rory and some of her guys were in the other vans with the Thieves, and hopefully, it would be enough to overpower Stefano’s men.
“I’ve got a live feed,” I answered, flicking my gaze back down and turning the volume up.
“Stop playing dumb with me. You know exactly what information I’m talking about, Lopez,” he stated once Elio had left them alone. The van was quiet as everyone listened, trying to hear what was being said.
My phone only went so loud, but the footage was surprisingly clear.
The back and forth wasn’t a surprise, whatever his problem with Zavier was, was obviously one-sided. The deal he claimed he had with Zavier confused me, but it seemed to confuse Zavier just as much, which was good.
I trusted him, but seeing how confused he was just cemented the fact that Stefano was acting fucking crazy.
The voices were quiet for a second before Stefano raised his voice again.
“No, I specifically dealt with Zavier Lopez, not Jeremy. You can’t pull that trick on me,” he snorted. “I worked with you for years, so I think I know who I was dealing with.”
“Jeremy?” Raven asked from her seat beside Reid, her eyes wide. “Why are they talking about him? He’s been dead for over a year now.”
“That might be the case, but from the sounds of things, he pretended to be Zav in a business deal,” I answered, my thoughts confirmed as they kept talking.
It had all been a misunderstanding, I fucking knew it.
I rolled my eyes as Stefano started the same old argument about how I was apparently letting Zavier dick me down in my spare time, but my blood turned cold when Stefano kicked the chair over and exploded at him.
“He doesn’t fucking know about the ones we sold that belonged to my men! He helped Elio look for his wife for months when she went missing. He had no fucking idea it was us!”
“You sold one of your men’s wives?”
“To the buyer you brought me!”
I almost snapped my phone as I clenched my hand around it, fury filling me.
Elio had been devastated, he still hadn’t lost hope that she’d come home one day. They had a rare type of love for being in the mafia.
Where a lot were business deals and arranged marriages, theirs was pure and real.
It was almost unheard of within our families.
No wonder Stefano hadn’t done much to help, he’d been the one behind it.
“Fuck. He’s been backstabbing his men?” Knox asked and let out a low whistle, the rest of the conversation confirming it.
Beckett and Maddox went deathly still when Stefano brought up some kid that had been taken away from Kristoff years ago, my eyes sliding to Maddox’s.
They didn’t say his name, but from the expression on his face, it was definitely who they were referring to.
The van ahead of us slowed, and Knox let out a sigh. “We’re here. Everyone stick to the plan.”
“Wait,” I blurted out, all of them pausing and looking over at me. Dante had just entered the room on the camera, and I held my breath to see what he’d do.
He looked like shit, but he was walking free.
Had it all been an act?
Within seconds I knew he’d heard the conversation too because he helped Zavier up, and then Elio entered with a pissed off look on his face.
“This might change things,” I said carefully, knowing they wanted to take them all out, but if I could avoid a massacre, I’d prefer it.
“It changes nothing,” Beckett hissed, her gun tightly in her hand.
“It does. Stefano just blew up his loyalty card, his men won’t defend him now. There won’t be a war between the crews and the Ricci family if we just have Stefano taken out.”
“They all deserve to die,” Maddox grunted, checking that his gun was loaded and not looking at me.
“Your anger is with the Demons, not my family,” I said firmly, his eyes narrowing as I continued. “I know these men. They’re family men who are just following orders. We could walk in and take Stefano right now and they won’t do shit.”
“Those men?—”
“Are no different than you,” I barked, not caring about pissing them off. “If one of you fucked up and betrayed a bunch of people, would you prefer you all to go down for it?”
My phone rang, and I answered it quickly, knowing exactly who it would be.
“What a beautiful morning for justice,” Antonio practically purred, his keyboard clicking away in the background.
“I was starting to think you flipped on Dante,” I grunted. “What’s the play here?”
“I live streamed it to everyone. I don’t think you’ll have a problem walking straight in.”
“And if I do?”
“C’mon, man. Have some faith in me. Put one of those ear pieces in and I’ll guide you through. Dante’s holding Stefano, so you’re good,” he insisted, and Knox automatically started handing out the ear pieces so we could all hear.
We climbed out, parking the vans in a way that we could use them as a shield if things went south, but it was dead quiet as we approached the building.
“I’m not being led into this shit by a mafia tech bunny,” Slash grunted as he appeared beside me, making Antonio snort.
“Stay in the car then, big guy. Make sure someone cracks a window for you.”
“Ant,” I warned, not needing Slash to bulldoze his way in and start gunning people down.
“If it barks, it’s a dog,” he sighed dramatically, and Slash gave me a dirty look.
Yeah, they weren’t likely to be buddies any time soon.
I reached for the front door but it swung open, and Fabio appeared with a dark look in his eyes. Everyone raised their guns instantly, but he just held the door open wider and motioned for us to pass.
“Andre.”
“Ander,” I corrected bluntly, my eyes scanning the room for trouble as I stepped inside, speaking Italian. “Is everyone standing down?”
“No,” he sighed, his expression tight. “Philip has gathered some men to try and extract Mr. Ricci from the situation.”
“What’s he saying?” Beckett bit out, not being able to be left out of anything, as fucking usual.
Fabio turned his attention to her, assessing her for a moment before replying in English.
“Some men are standing with Mr. Ricci still. You’ll need to keep your eyes open in here.”
“Antonio has eyes open for us too,” I stated, grasping Fabio’s hand tightly in mine. “I’m sorry about your sister, my friend. Dante and I will find answers, I promise you.”
He nodded, stepping back as we all made our way through the building.
There were missing ceiling panels throughout, meaning there were hiding spots above us for a possible attack. The paint was peeling from the walls, and old junk was spread around the place as we walked deeper into the building.
“Blake’s being held on the opposite side of the building. I can give your tech friend access so he can guide a team to her, while I guide you to Stefano,” Antonio offered, and within seconds, Will moved into our view with a thumbs up, letting us know he had contact with Cruz.
“Will can take a team to Blake. Can someone with a familiar face to her go with them? Fuck knows what they’ve done to her, so someone she recognizes might be a good idea,” Knox stated, turning to me.
I wanted to make sure she was okay, but there was no way I was choosing her over Zavier.
Before I had to make the choice, Reid nodded. “Logan and I can go to Blake. Bring our boy out safely.”
Raven looked worried about splitting up, so I gave her shoulder a nudge. “We’ve got Zav. Most of the manpower will be trying to defend Stefano if we run into trouble, so Reid and Logan will be fine.”
“We need to keep moving,” Rory said as she appeared beside us, her eyes on Raven. “You good?”
“Is splitting up a smart idea?” she asked hesitantly.
“We’re all trained for this. Spreading out covers more ground,” she promised, motioning for us to walk.
I started moving, glancing back to find Raven walking alongside Beckett and Maddox, her gun drawn and eyes scanning the room. I didn’t want her here where she could get hurt, but she deserved to be here for Zavier.
We were family, and we’d bring him home together.
Slash was making hand gestures to Rory and some of his men, but Maddox caught my gaze, flicking his eyes to Raven then back to me with a nod.
He had her back, and I nodded a thanks as I turned my attention to the front again. These people might not like me, but they loved Raven.
They’d keep her safe.
“You’re in a dead spot. Heads up, eyes open,” Antonio said as we turned a corner, Knox moving ahead of me with some of the Thieves. Their training was made for this kind of thing, so I let them lead.
We’d barely made it to the end of the hallway before gunfire sounded, all of us scrambling for cover. The Thieves started firing back, all of us splitting up to spread ourselves across more space to avoid being cornered.
“You want to go left, but there’s gunfire between you and there,” Antonio warned. “You’ve got three men that I can see, but who knows how many in the current dead spot.”
“We’ll wing it,” Knox answered, glancing at me from his hiding spot just up ahead.
I nodded, not really having a choice in the matter, then he threw something up the hallway to make some noise.
Gunfire sounded immediately as people came out of their hiding spots, some of us surging ahead to shoot back, clearing the way for everyone else.
I kept checking on Raven and the guys, but they were staying back, thankfully.
The hardest part was when we had to pass through the main room in the middle, leaving us surrounded by many doors. I had no idea where people were hiding, so we had to move as a group while facing different directions to cover each other.
How many of his men were sticking by him despite his betrayal? We’d killed five already, and they were still coming.
“I thought you said we’d be clear, Ant,” I scowled as we got to the other side after taking down another three men.
“I said you should be. I never promised,” he said dryly, my eyes catching on someone behind us.
I aimed my gun and fired, Beckett’s eyes going wide as it skimmed past her head and hit the guy right in the forehead. She turned slowly, seeing him on the ground not too far from where she stood.
A lot of my problems would’ve been handled if I’d just let him take her out, I had a feeling she was going to be around a lot from the way her and Raven had formed a friendship, but it would’ve started way more new problems.
Couldn’t have the Psychos’ princess die, it would be fucking war for real then.
She looked back at me and gave me a nod of thanks before we kept moving, the flicker of a red dot appearing in my peripheral.
“Sniper!” Slash barked, making everyone dive to the side as the gunshot went off.
Knox and his guys were already on it, shooting down a man from a spot high up in the rafters. We really had to be careful of that.
“Rory!” Raven’s shout snapped everyone to attention as we looked back, finding Rory swaying slightly. Blood dripped down her neck as Raven tried to hold her up.
“It’s just a scratch,” Rory said firmly, but her words slurred a fraction, making Slash curse as he took over from Raven, swatting Rory’s hand away from her neck to look.
I frowned, seeing the small scratch that definitely wasn’t bleeding enough to make her unsteady on her feet, but then Slash’s hand grabbed her shirt to lift it out of the way of her midriff, finding more blood hidden.
I couldn’t see a wound, so it was hiding somewhere higher.
“You got fucking shot and didn’t say anything?” he hissed, and she flipped him off.
“I felt fine. I don’t think it hit anything important.” She pulled the collar of her shirt down a fraction, showing a bullet wound near her shoulder. “See?”
“You’re losing blood and going to pass out,” he bit out, looking over at us. “We?—”
“Get her out of here. We’ve got it,” Stone called out as he appeared from nowhere, ordering a handful of men to cover them on their way out so the rest of us could keep moving.
Raven appeared beside me, her eyes hard. “These assholes?—”
“They're going down, baby,” I promised, quickly giving her a kiss. “Eyes ahead and up. Did you want to leave? You can head out with Slash.”
“No. I’m staying with you guys,” she said sharply.
“I’m not going to make you leave, Bluebird. I was just offering. Stay with me.”
With our group shrinking by the damn minute, we finally reached the room that Antonio said Stefano was located in, and I wasn’t surprised to shove it open to find Stefano tied to a chair while Elio beat the shit out of him.
The room wasn’t too large, and it was mostly empty other than the metal chair in the middle of the room that Stefano was currently tied to, and a few old pieces of furniture that had obviously been left here to die.
“Brother! You made it!” Dante grinned a little manically, and as much as I knew we were pretty safe in here, I still cursed when Raven ran past me and across the room.
Zavier stood beside Dante, his arms opening for her as she practically plowed into him. The wince on his face told me he was definitely hurt, but he was standing, so that was all that mattered.
“Dammit, Bluebird,” I snapped, but she ignored me as she gently grabbed Zavier’s face and started fussing over him. If she had Zavier, then I could focus on Stefano.
“I will have your head!” Stefano sputtered through blood as Elio stepped back, clenching his blood-coated fists.
“Might want to lower your voice, traitor,” I said flatly, his eyes finding me as Elio moved out of the way.
“You!” he spat. “You’ve been nothing but trouble since I brought you home!”
“You mean since you stole me from my fucking mom,” I replied bitterly, moving towards him, walking past Zavier and giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze on my way by. “You really thought I’d worship you and kiss the ground you fucking walk on after you took me? I was twelve. I was a sheltered kid with a good education and a loving family. You swooped in, murdered my mother and little sister in front of me, then dragged me back to Italy to beat me into submission. Loyalty isn’t earned by creating fear. It creates hatred and resentment.”
“You’re my son!”
“I’m not your anything. Possibly your karma, but that’s it,” I answered. “Hey, Ant. You want to make sure everyone’s out of the building for me?”
“Suck my dick and I’ll think about it,” he chuckled in my ear piece, but his fingers were already flying over the keyboard. “Looks like most are out. The other guys have just gotten to Blake so they’re heading out now. I’ll get a message through to Fabio to make sure everyone else is leaving. How much time do I have?”
“Minutes.”
“I can work with that.”
“That traitorous little—” Stefano started bellowing, but Elio punched him in the mouth with a growl, cursing him out in Italian.
“I already have a plan, you know?” Dante said dryly, pointing to a gas can by his feet that I hadn’t noticed before. “Figured the Devil would feel right at home in the flaming pits of hell.”
“How poetic,” I deadpanned. “You pour, I light the match?”
“I think I should light the match,” he argued, and I rolled my eyes, turning to face him.
“You’re inheriting a damn kingdom, Mr. Mafia Heir. I just want revenge for my family.”
He grumbled, but I knew he was going to let me do it before saying so.
He would get his revenge by taking over and changing everything he hated that our father did, but I needed blood for what he’d done to me.
Elio stepped forward, bowing his head slightly. “If I may? No son should bear the weight of killing his father.”
“The weight on my shoulders will be lifted if he dies by my hand,” I answered. “Would you like another minute or two to beat him?”
“I just want to find her,” he said quietly, flicking his gaze to Dante, who nodded.
“Once I take that seat at the head of the Ricci family, I promise you things are changing. Pledge loyalty to me and you will have your answers. I want to find out what happened to every missing person within our family. That’s what we are, Elio. Family.”
“I’d like that, boss,” he replied without hesitation, stepping back. “I’m done. He’s all yours, Ander.”
I smiled slightly at the use of my preferred name, motioning for Dante to proceed.
Satisfaction washed over me as Stefano started to panic, begging for his life as Dante doused him in gasoline.
“It’s really funny that you think we’d listen to your begging,” Dante hummed, covering his emotions well.
Deep down, this was killing him, he just didn’t want anyone to see it. It was another reason I had to be the one to light the match.
Despite growing up under Stefano’s iron fist, he’d always known him as his father.
“I begged. No one heard me,” I added, and Dante tsked as Stefano tried to spit on him.
“I remember many sleepless nights lying in bed as a child, black and blue after you and your men worked me over with fists to toughen me up. I begged until I learned that it just pissed you off more.” He punched Stefano, his voice going flat. “All you’re doing is making me angry, Papa. I thought tough men didn’t beg or cower? You expected a six-year-old boy to be strong, but you can’t be? How embarrassing.”
Today would be a fresh start for our family, and as I pulled my lighter from my pocket, I glanced back at Raven. “Take Zav out. I need all of you to go.”
“Wait, what?” Raven asked, taking a step towards me. “I’m not?—”
“Raven. I don’t want you seeing this, and I need to do this alone with Dante. Make your way back out and we’ll follow,” I said firmly, seeing her thinking about it for a moment before she nodded, taking Zavier’s hand.
“If you’re not out in a few minutes, I’m coming back to look for you.”
If I wasn’t out in a few minutes, I’d be dead, but I wasn’t about to tell her that.
“Deal,” I nodded, motioning to Knox. “Dante and I are fine on our own. Take them back out. Beckett? Keep my family safe.”
“I can do that,” Beckett answered, hesitating before adding, “You’d better make it out of here, Lavaro. I can’t deal with Raven if you don’t. She’ll cry. A lot. I will bring you back and kill you myself if you put me through that.”
“Face it, you’re worried about me.”
“In your dreams. I just don’t do tears,” she grumbled, motioning for Raven to follow.
“Be safe,” Zavier said sternly as he moved closer and clapped me on the shoulder, taking Raven’s hand to pull her from the room. She stared back at me, and I blew her a kiss to try and relax her.
This wasn’t going to be pretty, and the last thing I needed was her refusing to leave.
Elio stood by the door, his gun in hand. “I’ll wait outside the door, just in case you need cover on the way out.”
“We’ll only be a second. You can go with them,” Dante called out, waiting for him to leave before letting some of his pain show on his face. He was so bruised, and I made a mental note to check him over properly when we got out of here.
“Tell him he looks like shit,” Antonio said way too cheerfully in my ear, making me scoff.
“Antonio wants you to know you look like shit.”
“If that fucker wants to stay on as my tech guy, he’ll shut up,” he answered, but his small smile gave him away.
“You useless, ungrateful—” Stefano was pissed, but we weren’t going to humor him. This wasn’t his show anymore, it was ours.
“What are you waiting for, Ander? Set him on fire so we can leave,” Dante said exasperatedly, crossing his arms. “I don’t have all day, I have an empire to run.”
“I could, but I want him to be terrified first,” I said bluntly, sneering at Stefano as he continued to glare at me and spew his hatred. “Grab anything you can find so we can start a fire.”
“Brother, just?—”
“If I set him on fire, it will all be over fast. I want him locked in this room, tied to his chair, not knowing when the flames will touch him and ignite from the gasoline,” I gritted out. “Help me or leave, Dante.”
“Savage,” he chuckled, helping me drag anything in the room towards the back corner. The old musty couch and a few chairs would do the job nicely.
“You killed my family,” I started, grabbing Stefano’s chin to force him to look up at me. “You took me from my home, beat me, raised me with fear, and now have the audacity to wonder how your sweet boys could do this to you. You didn’t raise men, you raised monsters who hate you. The thing about monsters is once you let them loose, they have a tendency to turn on you. You came after my best friend. You ran down my girl and killed her unborn child. You’ve stalked and hurt those who I see as my family. The only good thing about you? I got a brother out of it. He’ll run your empire better than you ever could.”
“He will destroy everything I spent so long building!” he threw back, making me smirk.
“That’s the plan. Burn in eternal suffering, Stefano. If I stumble across you in hell one day, we’ll do this again.”
Dante moved towards the door as I lit the couch on fire, making sure it was crackling and spreading through the material first before tipping what was left of the gasoline all over the floor then making my way out of the room.
Stefano was shouting for us to release him as he fought his restraints, and I closed the door and locked it, watching his panic through the small window.
“Coming?” Dante asked when he realized I wasn’t leaving.
“In a minute,” I answered, getting great satisfaction when Stefano broke his restraints and ran towards us, frantically jiggling the handle and throwing himself at the door.
“Andre Ricci you open this fucking door this instant!” he bellowed, but there was no anger in his tone, just pure fear.
The flames and smoke started filling the room, and Dante grabbed my arm. “Ander, c’mon. We have to go.”
“Just a little longer.”
“You’re as sadistic as he is, you know that?” he said dryly, leaning back against the wall opposite the door to eye our father who was now frantically banging on it.
“I should be offended, but I’m not,” I joked, taking a small step back as the flames drew closer.
I heard it in his voice the second they touched him, just before he ignited with a scream.
“Satisfied? Can we go before we’re toasted Italian marshmallows? This place has a storage room of flammable looking chemicals,” Dante informed me, a little bit of tension in his tone. I knew I had two seconds before he’d start dragging me out, and I smiled slightly, watching as our father pounded on the door as the flames consumed him.
“Let’s go,” I nodded, both of us running in the direction of the entrance.
We’d just turned into the final hallway when Raven appeared, Reid not far behind her.
“Go!” I snapped, knowing this place would be one big ball of fire soon, snagging her arm and dragging her behind us. We flew out the front door into the morning sunrise, and we’d just gotten behind one of the vans when a loud explosion rang out, almost knocking us over.
Car alarms blared and more smaller explosions rang out, earning me a dirty look from Dante.
“We were almost barbecued.”
“You’re fine, cry baby,” I teased, and Antonio sighed.
“My boy is sensitive, Ander. You know that. You’re welcome, by the way.”
I went to thank him but the connection went dead, so I took out the ear piece and put it in my pocket and turned to check on everyone else.
People were crowded behind the vans, my eyes landing on Blake as she stood with someone’s shirt over her shaking frame, her face bruised and her wrists bleeding from ropes.
Her eyes landed on me and she hobbled over as best as she could, throwing her arms around me with a sob. I didn’t want to shake her off, the girl was traumatized, but I didn’t hug her back until Raven shot me a look to comfort her.
“What did they do to you?” I asked quietly, stroking her back and making her flinch. If she’d been completely naked tied to a chair, anything could’ve happened to her.
“Mostly mind games. They whipped me a couple of times and hit me, but apart from that, they didn’t touch me,” she choked out, not pulling away. “Thank you for coming for me.”
I relaxed a little at knowing they hadn’t sexually assaulted her, but guilt still flickered inside me for her being dragged into this in the first place.
“You can thank your sister. She called me to tell me you never made it home.”
“Is she okay? Oh my God, has Child Services?—”
“She’s fine. The Thieves sent a team to watch her, and we bullshitted a little to say you were staying with me longer. Promise,” I explained, releasing her as she stepped back to wipe her eyes, giving Raven an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, I just?—”
“Don’t be. We should see if the guys have some sweats or something in the vans for you, you’ll feel better,” Raven encouraged, hesitating before stepping closer and holding out her hand. “I’ve got you.”
Tears burned in Blake’s eyes as she took Raven’s hand, the girls moving towards Stone and Knox to find some pants.
Sirens sounded in the distance, and Beckett walked over to assess me. “Skeet said to be honest about this with the cops. It’s too hard to cover up, and we can name drop Stefano. They’ll find his body anyway.”
“What about me and Dante? They’ll drag us in,” I scoffed, and she rolled her eyes.
“No. Claim it was a mass kidnapping. Dante is beat to shit, so are Zav and Blake. Just say he lured you here by threatening them and then it all went to shit.”
“What happens when our stories don’t line up?” Dante asked tensely, knowing she owed him nothing.
“They won’t give a shit. Most of them are in our pocket. As long as they can pin the blame on someone, they’re fine. To make it look like they solved a case with someone like Stefano Ricci? Yeah, that’s pure gold to them.”
“What happens next then? I think we should all meet for a proper conversation,” Dante stated, making Beckett grit her teeth.
“As much as I’d rather just shoot you in the fucking face, my parents want to speak with you and Antonio. I expect you know where to go?”
“Oh, definitely. Antonio dug up the blueprints of your house ages ago, I know the address,” Dante said with a straight face.
“I didn’t know I could hate anyone more than you, Lavaro,” she bit out, and I couldn’t fight the smile even if I’d wanted to.
“What do you mean? We’re best friends now, aren’t we? I saved your life in there,” I pointed out.
“I don't know what you’re talking about.”
“C’mon, don’t be a bitch, Donovan.”
“Bite me,” she threw back and stalked off, his eyes sliding to mine.
“She’s kind of hot.”
“You have no hope,” I chuckled, dropping an arm around his shoulders as we watched Blake and Raven talking, a large pair of sweats now covering Blake’s legs.
“I’m sorry, you know?” Dante murmured after a moment, his eyes scanning the people around us. “Do you think Raven will forgive me?”
“Probably not, she’s prickly. To be honest, I’m still pissed at you for hurting her.”
Raven’s eyes met mine just as Blake was encouraged to head over to the first ambulance that arrived. Rory had vanished, so we knew she wasn’t going to the hospital like Blake would.
With Blake being taken care of, Raven walked over to me, her voice quiet. “Blake’s more shaken up than she looks. We need to keep an eye on her until she goes home.”
“You want that?” Dante asked with a frown, running his eyes over her face. “He used to fuck her, right? Don’t girls get weird about that?”
She stared at me, silently telling me to shut him up, and I winced.
“You’re going to get me in trouble, shut your mouth.”
“Why? Raven knows you’re loyal. Why’s she glaring at me? All that shit between us is water under the bridge, right, Raven?”
My brother was an idiot.
Raven didn’t even hesitate to punch him in the eye, muttering about mafia assholes as she walked off, and Dante huffed to cover the pain.
“She’s still mad?”
“Of course she’s still mad. You kidnapped her and hit her,” I deadpanned.
“She’ll learn to love me eventually,” he hummed before holding out his hand. “I need your phone. I have some calls to make.”
“Is Antonio around? He’s always close by. Can’t he give you some tech?” I sighed, sensing the annoying asshole before he even spoke.
“Present,” Antonio exclaimed, dropping an arm around my shoulders with a grin, his shaggy blond hair falling over his blue eyes. “Hey, my second favorite Ricci brother.”
“Ah, my second favorite tech bunny,” I deadpanned, making him gasp.
“I’m not your first?”
“Absolutely not. If I knew more nerds, you’d be below them too.”
He gave me a look of understanding, patting my chest. “It’s okay, you’re grieving, so you’re saying things you don’t mean.”
I gave Dante a look and he smirked, putting Antonio in a headlock. If anyone could make Dante act like a childish asshole and relax, it was Antonio.
“Leave my baby brother alone. You’re coming with me into the Donovan palace. Your rival should be there. Right, Ander?”
“I can ask Cruz to make an appearance, yes,” I grumbled, and Antonio’s eyes lit up.
“You’ll bring Cruz? He impressed me. He’s good, I’ll give him that.”
“Well, he practically wants to choke on your cock. He acts like you’re God.”
“He’s my favorite tech bunny too then,” Antonio said slyly. “I need to run off for a minute though, so I’ll meet you there. Can’t have the cops bothering me. I’m a ghost, and you know it. I’ll bring you a phone, Dante.”
“Food would be good too,” Dante said dryly, earning a salute in return as Antonio walked off down the street as if no one would notice him. He’d alter any footage close by to make it seem like he was never here.
“You’ll come home with me, right?” Dante asked randomly as he kept his eyes on his friend, and I let out a sigh.
“Dante—”
“Papa’s gone, we can oversee everything personally ourselves. I can put you in charge of some of the men. I want your input on so many things,” he insisted, but I shook my head.
“Italy was never my home, bro. I belong here with Raven and the guys.”
“They could come too.”
“I don’t want them to upend everything like that, even if they said they would. They’re finally getting their lives on track, and to be honest, I feel so much more myself when I’m here. For the first time in a long time, I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore, or lie to those I care about.”
He studied me, and relief filled me when he took my shoulder in his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I hope she brings you the peace you deserve, brother.”
“She does,” I murmured, eyeing Raven across the yard as fire trucks and police finally started pulling in. “One day, I’ll bring her to Italy to visit you, as long as you’re okay with the guys coming too. It won’t be soon, it’s going to take a while for any of them to agree to that.”
“I still can’t believe you like to watch other men fuck her,” he said with a scrunch of his nose.
“It’s hot. Sue me,” I chuckled, ruffling his hair. “You really need a bath. You reek.”
“I’ve been held captive, asshole. I’ve been pissing in a bucket, so a shower was probably a little far from things I could negotiate,” he said flatly.
“Let’s get this shit over with and go entertain the Donovans for a few hours,” I smiled, steering him towards the others so we could check on Fabio and Elio.