22. Crossroads of Fate #3
Nicolo sits behind his massive desk, the silver in his hair gleaming in the lamplight. He looks older than I remember, but I guess we’re both a little older than the last time I was here. His dark eyes are as sharp as ever.
“Ezekiel.” He stands, spreading his arms wide. “Welcome home.”
“This isn’t my home.” I remain by the door, hands loose at my sides. “Not anymore.”
“No?” He moves around the desk, every movement deliberate. “Then why did you come back?”
“You know why I’m here.”
“Ah, yes.” He settles into one of the leather armchairs, gesturing for me to take the other. “Sorry to hear about the boy. Leo, isn’t it?”
Heat flashes through my chest. “Where is he?”
“Please, sit.” When I don’t move, he sighs. “We’re family, Ezekiel. There’s no need for such hostility.”
“Family?” I bark out a laugh. “Is that what you call using the Columbus mafia to kidnap my nephew? Having Alessandro’s men watch my house? Threatening my wife?”
“Such accusations.” He pours two glasses of scotch from a crystal decanter. “I’m hurt that you would think so little of me. Family means everything to me—you know this.”
“Like it meant everything when Clara died?”
The name settles over us like poison. Nicolo’s expression doesn’t change, but something dark flickers in his eyes.
“That was unfortunate.” He sets one glass on the table beside the empty chair. “But necessary.”
“Necessary?” My fists clench. “She was innocent. Just like Leo. I know you know where he is.”
“No one in our world is innocent, brother.” He takes a slow sip of scotch. “You of all people should understand that by now.”
Memories flash through my mind—Clara’s smile, her father’s blood on my hands, the way her eyes hardened when she learned the truth. I push them away. That’s not why I’m here.
“Leo has nothing to do with our world,” I say. “He’s a child.”
“And yet here you are, dragging him into it.” Nicolo’s voice turns sharp. “By marrying a cop, no less. What were you thinking, Ezekiel?”
“Leave Eve out of this, and tell me where he is.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He sets his glass down with a soft clink. “She’s part of the family now, isn’t she? Which makes her my concern.”
“She’s my concern,” I growl. “Along with everything else in Columbus.”
“Ah, yes. Columbus.” He smiles thinly. “Such a … quaint little operation you’ve built there. The nightclub, the vigilante activities—sabotaging my operations—very creative. But ultimately insignificant.”
I force myself to stay still, to keep my breathing even. I should have known he’d figure out I was the one behind the subtle attacks on his operations. I don’t respond. He’s trying to bait me, to make me lose control. It’s an old game, one he taught me himself.
“What do you want, Nicolo?”
“The same thing I’ve always wanted.” He leans forward, suddenly intense. “For you to take your rightful place in this family. To stop playing hero in the Midwest and come home.”
“That’s not happening.”
“No?” He spreads his hands. “Think about it, Ezekiel. Your problems in Columbus would disappear overnight. The Costa family would fall in line—under your rule of course. Your wife and nephew would be under my protection—the family’s protection.”
“Like Clara was under your protection?”
His eyes narrow. “That was different.”
“Because she knew too much?” I take a step forward. “Or because she made me question my loyalty?”
“Because she made you weak.” He stands, all pretense of warmth gone. “Like this cop of yours is making you weak. Love is a luxury we cannot afford in our world, brother. I taught you that.”
“You taught me a lot of things.” Another step. “Like how to identify a lie.”
“Oh?”
“You want me to believe you had nothing to do with Leo’s kidnapping?
” My voice drops to a dangerous whisper.
“That Alessandro just happened to have the resources and the intelligence to hire a professional impostor? The surveillance capabilities to track Eve’s movements for weeks?
You know where he is, just tell me so I can go home. ”
A ghost of a smile touches his lips. “Perhaps Alessandro’s more resourceful than you give him credit for.”
“Or perhaps you’re losing your touch.” I meet his gaze. “The Nicolo I knew would never be so sloppy. Leaving a paper trail back to New York? Having Alessandro contact me directly? Amateur mistakes.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He moves back behind his desk, putting the barrier between us. “But I’m sure I could help you for a price.”
Ice slides down my spine. Is this all part of his master plan? “What do you want from me?”
“I’m giving you a choice.” He pulls a folder from his desk drawer. “Your old position is waiting for you. Full authority, unlimited resources, my complete trust. All you have to do is say yes.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then you go back to your little kingdom in Columbus.” He shrugs. “But don’t expect my help when it all falls apart. And it will fall apart, Ezekiel. You can’t protect them forever—not without my support.”
“You underestimate me.”
“No.” His voice softens with something like regret.
“I think I estimated you perfectly. Why do you think I let you play your games for so long? I knew eventually you’d need me.
Eventually someone hungry for power would invade your territory.
Eventually you’d realize that there is no escaping who you are, who I made you to be. ”
“You didn’t make me anything.” The words come out like steel. “I made myself.”
“Did you?” He opens the folder, spreading photos across his desk. “Then explain these.”
My breath catches. The photos show every major operation I’ve run in Columbus—every criminal taken down, every play for power. But from this angle, without context, it looks like something else entirely. It looks like I’m building my own empire.
“You see?” Nicolo’s smile is triumphant. “You’re more like me than you want to admit. The only difference is, I embrace what I am.”
“You’re wrong.” I force the words past the tightness in my throat. “I’m nothing like you.”
“No?” He taps one of the photos. “Then what do you call this? Vigilante justice? Please. You’re just playing the same game with different rules. But the game remains the same, brother. It always will.”
“The rules matter.” I meet his cruel eyes. “The people we protect from the likes of you matter.”
“Ah yes, the people.” He sighs heavily. “Like your precious Eve? Tell me, does she know the full extent of your activities? Does she understand what you really are?”
“She understands more than you think.”
“Does she?” His eyebrow arches. “Then she knows about Clara? About what really happened that night?”
My hands curl into fists. “That’s in the past.”
“Nothing is ever in the past in our world.” He gathers the photos back into the folder. “You know this. Just like you know deep down that you can’t keep straddling both sides forever. Eventually, you’ll have to choose.”
“I already have.” The certainty in my voice surprises even me. “I choose her. I choose Leo. I choose the life I’ve built.”
“Even if it means losing everything?”
“Even then.”
He studies me for a long moment, something unreadable in his dark eyes. “You really do love her, don’t you?”
I’ve never said the words, have hardly even allowed myself to think them directly. But standing here, facing down the man who taught me love is weakness, I acknowledge this truth.
“Yes.” It feels like breaking chains. “I do.”
“Then you’re a bigger fool than I thought.” He closes the folder with a sharp snap. “Love won’t save you when Alessandro comes for revenge. It won’t protect Leo from what’s coming. Only power can do that—the kind of power I’m offering you.”
“You’re wrong.” I turn toward the door. “Love is the only thing worth protecting.”
“Pretty words.” His voice hardens. “But words won’t bring the boy home.”
I pause with my hand on the doorknob. “No. But I will with or without your help.”
“You don’t want to do this, Ezekiel” For the first time, there’s real pain in his voice.
I keep the head trained on the door as I swing it open. “Stay out of Columbus. Stay away from my family. Or the next time we meet, I won’t be so gentle.”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“No.” I smile grimly. “I’m finally doing something right.”
“This isn’t over,” Nicolo calls as I rush down the hallway. “You can’t protect them forever.”
“Watch me.”
I make it to the car without resistance—either Nicolo’s men aren’t prepared for this level of defiance, or he’s letting us leave to make a point. Either way, I don’t care.
As the SUV peels away from the compound, Eli glances over at me. “That went well.”
I laugh despite myself. “Define well.”
“You’re alive, he’s alive, and nothing’s on fire.” He shrugs. “By our standards, that’s practically diplomatic.”
I stare out the window at the passing city lights, already wondering what comes next. Nicolo won’t let this go—he can’t afford to, not without losing face. But maybe that’s exactly what I need.
“Call Seb,” I tell Eli. “Tell him to be ready when we land. It’s time to end this.”
“And Eve?”
I think about my wife waiting at home, probably pacing the floors with a drink in her hand. About the way she looks at me like I’m worth saving, even when I don’t believe it myself. About the fierce love she shows Leo, the strength she brings to our unconventional little family.
“We tell her everything,” I decide. “No more secrets.”
Eli nods, already dialing. As we speed toward the airport, I close my eyes and let myself fully embrace the truth I’ve been fighting for so long.
I love her. I love them both. And I’ll burn down heaven and earth to keep them safe.
And this time, I’m bringing an army.