29. SIENNA
29
SIENNA
I stare at Sofia for a moment before blurting out, “Are you serious? You caught him with how many women at one time?” I glance over at Gia, who doesn’t look surprised at this news.
“You heard me,” Sofia grins. “Hell, between my brothers and the Caruso boys, I don’t think a single girl in school didn’t sleep with them at one point. Well, except me, obviously, because ewww. After a while they stopped trying to get them one at a time and seemed to have a contest for how many they could handle at the same time. I can’t remember if it was Massimo or Zeno that had the most by the end of it. Alessio was being groomed to take over as underboss, so he didn’t have as much free time, I guess.”
“Yeah, but three at one time? How the hell does a man even have that kind of stamina?” I ask, trying to figure it all out in my head. “I mean, I get being young and in your prime and all that, but still, after the second one, wouldn’t you be dehydrated? I doubt the girls would have waited too long between rounds for their shot.” I should probably be jealous, but I’m too fascinated over the whole thing to care.
“Viagra?” Gia giggles, looking embarrassed but also fascinated by the conversation. “Honestly, I don’t even want to think about any of the other women Nico’s been with. They’re probably a lot more experienced and prettier than me and that would just make me insecure.”
I give her a firm look. “You are stunning, and experience doesn’t matter as long as you’re having fun. You’ll gain your own experience, and with the way Nico looks at you, and that kiss we walked in on earlier, I don’t think you have a single thing to worry about.” Then I grin at Sofia. “Neither do you, from the way Dante looks at you.”
Sofia flips her hair and gives me a wicked grin. “Of course I don’t. I’m far too fabulous for him to consider any other women. Not to mention, he knows that if he strays, I’ll slice off his cock. I’m fine if he wants to be done with me, but he’s to give me the respect of telling me that, not sneaking around behind my back.”
“You scare me sometimes,” Gia admonishes with a shake of her head.
Sofia shrugs. “It can be useful to keep people on edge.” Then she grins back at me. “Though I’ve never put a knife to his throat and taken a picture. That honor lies solely with your sister.” Then she gives me a dramatic slow clap. “And might I just say that you will forever be my hero for that. Few get the jump on a man like Alessio. Probably why he’s so taken with you.”
I smirk and give a half bow. “Honestly, I was so mad that I wasn’t thinking, because normally I wouldn’t ever consider it, but desperate times and all that. And he tied me up first, so it was just revenge at that point.”
“Revenge that got you in a whole heap of trouble,” Sofia snickers. I flush at the memory of what Alessio did when he caught up to me in Greece, including with that knife. I might need to revisit that, because as angry as I was at the time, it was hot as hell.
“What did happen when he caught up to you?” Gia asks curiously. “If I did that to Nico, he’d be so pissed at me. I don’t even want to know what he would do…I don’t think?” She looks away thoughtfully.
Sofia and I grin at each other, but before I can say anything, I hear a distinctive growl. I turn my head and let out a curse when I see just what is heading for me. I hear shouts, and a scream, and then a wicked laugh as Hades barrels into me, knocking me to the floor. He puts his paws on my chest, lowering his face as he growls at me. “Fuck,” I hear someone yell. “Get him off of her. Now!” I vaguely recognize Alessio’s panicked voice.
I let out a dramatic ooomph when Hades then flops down on top of me, whining and crying as he slobbers all over me. “Hades,” I laugh, trying to dodge his tongue getting into my mouth or nose. “I know, I know, I missed you too,” I laugh, scratching him even as he rubs his head under my chin and acts like a little puppy. “I think you’re getting fat. Your mother must be spoiling you too much. Don’t worry, we’ll whip you right back into shape.” I hear a snort and turn my head to see Rori surrounded by Nico, Alessio, and Alonzo, grinning and looking completely unafraid considering who is around her. Alessio is watching me with concern, but when my eyes catch his, I smile and he relaxes. Nico looks pissed, as does Alonzo. “Hades, off,” I order, and the big lug instantly climbs off and sits politely as I get to my feet.
Sofia quickly moves to help me, eyeing the dog warily, but then grins when he gives her arm a sweet lick. “Aren’t you sweet?” she coos. “Such a big, strong boy but you wouldn’t hurt a fly, would you?”
“Like fuck he wouldn’t,” I hear Alonzo mutter.
Gia steps forward hesitantly, and I hear Nico let out a low growl of his own. “He’s not going to hurt her,” Rori tells him calmly. “He likes women, as you can clearly see.” Gia holds out her hand for him to sniff, and like the gentleman he is, he nuzzles it and then licks it gently before nudging her to scratch at his head. Nico goes quiet, but I can see that he’s a hair’s breadth away from snatching her back if the dog so much as looks at her sideways.
“Awww,” Gia giggles, giving him a good couple scratches. “You’re so soft, sweetheart. And you’re almost as big as me.” He gives her his best doe eyes and settles into the pets and scratches the two women are giving him.
Which leaves me to turn to Rori. I’ve never been so happy to see her, but also so pissed. I give her a big smile as I head toward her, but we’ve been friends for far too long for her not to know what’s coming. She barks a command at Hades just as I reach her and sock her in the nose. She stumbles back, and I hear Sofia and Gia gasp behind me, while Alessio curses, and Alonzo catches her before she can crash into him. Nico makes no sound, but I can feel him watching me. “You stupid bitch,” I yell at her, even as she shoves away from Alonzo and swipes at her bleeding nose. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing here? You are not supposed to be here.”
“You still punch like a girl,” Rori wheezes. “Did you seriously think I was going to leave you to deal with this alone? Like fuck. You’re my best friend, and if you die, I’d have to come here, resurrect you and then kill you all over again.”
“Do you not realize you could be dead right now?” I demand, hands going to my hips, and I shoot Alessio a don’t-touch-me glare when he reaches for the one I punched her with. He, of course, ignores me and grabs my hand as I continue to berate her. “You’re lucky the guards didn’t kill you or Hades! Then it would have been me resurrecting you and killing you all over again. And just so we’re clear, I’d kill you far more slowly and painfully than they ever did for doing that to me.”
“Or, you could thank me for discovering a weak spot in their security so they can fix it,” she points out, taking the napkin that Alonzo passes her from the table next to us.
“How did you manage to get in?” I demand, narrowing my eyes at her as Alessio presses a kiss to my knuckles and releases my hand, but doesn’t move away. I hear a low warning growl, and turn my head to command, “Friend, Hades,” which instantly makes him subside.
Rori grins and shoots a look up at a very pissed off Alonzo. “I found the non-guarded part of the maze, and had Hades lay out on the grass looking all scared and pathetic, panting really heavy. This one,” she says with a jerk of her thumb to Alonzo, “happened to walk by and see him. When he reached him, he leaned down to check him out and I just stepped out behind him and put a gun to his head. Simple.”
“You’re leaving out the part where you released the beast and let him snap at my balls,” Alonzo grits out.
“Oh, yeah, that,” Rori grins. The crazy bitch is enjoying this; I roll my eyes at her. “Easiest way to keep him from turning around and getting the gun. Besides, Goliath, with the size of you, he probably thought they would be much more his size to play with.” Alonzo growls something under his breath that I can’t catch, but from the widening of Rori’s grin, she definitely did.
I sigh, then I turn to Alessio and Nico. “I’m sorry for my best friend being such an idiot,” I tell them both in exasperation. “But I’ll vouch for her.”
“Vouching means nothing when her family are cops,” Nico snaps at me.
“Nico,” Alessio says warningly. “Pissed or not, you don’t speak to her that way. Ever.”
“Sienna, it’s fine,” Rori butts in. “I get it, and I knew coming here had its risks. If it takes some time for everyone to realize I’m not a threat and I couldn’t care less about my family, that’s fine. As long as I know you’re safe, and I’m here to help you, that’s all I care about anyway.”
I turn toward her, pulling away from Alessio to hug her tight. “I’m not sorry for punching you,” I tell her softly.
She gives a low chuckle as she hugs me back just as tight. “I know, but you didn’t break it, so we need to work on your form.”
“I was holding back and you know it.” I pull away, grinning at her. “I’m so happy to see you.” I hug her again.
“I’m happy to see you too. Especially surrounded by all these hot men. Damn. Who knew the mafia had a beauty requirement?” She pulls away, looking pointedly at Alessio before turning back to me. “Why the fuck did you run from him again? Because, damn girl, if it were me, I’d be running to him, not away.”
“Clearly you should have been listening to her, coniglietto ,” Alessio remarks, and I don’t need to look at him to know he’s smiling smugly. I can hear it in his voice.
“As interesting as this little reunion is, we have shit to deal with,” Nico interjects sharply. “Alonzo, seeing as she’s your new charge, she’ll be sleeping with you. Sofia, ensure he has a large enough space for the two of them and the demon she’s decided to bring along.” Then he turns and stalks away.
“Oh goody, I get to room with Goliath,” Rori drawls. She looks back at him. “I hope you’re not a cuddler, because Hades gets jealous. I also hope you don’t mind skin, because I sleep naked most of the time.”
Alonzo glowers at her silently. But since I’m looking at him closely, I see the way his jaw clenches and his eyes swirl with something akin to lust. If I didn’t think that Rori could handle him, I might put up a fight about this arrangement, but instead I keep my mouth shut. I’m curious to see what’s about to happen. Besides, if he tries anything, Hades will tear him apart. Rori just grins, completely unintimidated.
“Quit trying to make him uncomfortable when we both know that’s not going to work,” I tell her briskly. “Come and meet Sofia, who is that guy’s sister, and Gia, my sister. Ladies, this is my sister from another mister, Aurora O’Brien, but we call her Rori.”
Gia and Sofia step forward with smiles, Hades following and staring at them adoringly. “Nice to meet you,” Gia says shyly, shaking Rori’s hand.
“Oh my God, you guys look like twins,” Rori gasps, looking between the two of us. “You, darling, are stunning,” she adds to Gia, who blushes. Then she looks at Sofia, and back at Alonzo. “I can’t see the family resemblance, but you’re also stunning, so I guess good genes run in the family.”
Sofia grins as they shake hands. “My brothers got the height and brawns, but I got the brains. Now, let’s get you settled. I’m going to put you into a room close to Sienna and Alessio. I don’t have anything for Hades here, but I can send someone out .”
“I mostly just need dog food, but I have enough in my bag for a week,” Rori assures her.
“We’ll catch up with you both after,” Sofia says to Gia and I. “Alonzo, I’ll have your stuff moved at some point later today,” she adds briskly. He gives her a scowl, but nods.
“I’ll see you later,” Rori tells me with a smile. “Hades, come on.” Hades groans in a way that only dogs his size can, and then moves to her side, following Rori out of the room. Alonzo trails slightly behind, and I don’t bother to hide my grin at the slump in his shoulders as he accepts his fate.
“I give it a week. They’re either going to be screwing or trying to kill each other,” I tell Gia with a wild grin.
“Really?” Gia asks, surprised. “Alonzo seems so mad, I just can’t see it.”
“Don’t be trying to start shit, cara mia ,” Alessio warns, drawing my attention back to him. “Now, Nico is right that we have some things to sort through. If we leave you two alone, are you going to stay out of trouble?” He reaches for my hand again, which is sore, but only bruised. “We’re going to be talking later about you hurting yourself,” he adds, shooting me a dark look.
“I’m fine, and she deserved it. You probably should get used to that kind of thing, Caruso, because we often spar and get pissed at each other over stupid shit.” He doesn’t say anything, just shakes his head, kisses me quickly, and then heads off, shooting a pointed look at Tommaso and Mario who are observing all this quietly in the corner of the room.
“He really adores you,” Gia says quietly with a soft smile.
“How can you tell?”
“Because he looks at you the way Nico looks at me, even when I’m doing something to annoy him. Like you are his whole world, and no one else matters. And when he thought Hades was going to hurt you, he was panicked. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Alessio that way before. Not even with the whole wedding fiasco and people shooting everywhere. Oh! That reminds me, we need to talk to Nico and Dante about getting you access to stuff. That’s going to be important. Come on, we should do that right away, just in case.”
“What kind of stuff?” I ask curiously as we head toward Nico’s office.
“Oh, you know, certain rooms like the pool and all that,” she says absently, but my gut tells me that there is definitely more to it. Color me curious. “Oh, and we need to give you access to the gym and stuff too. You know, so you can keep teaching me to kick some ass.”
I laugh. “With Rori here, you’ll be even better off. She’s the one who really worked to train me the last few years. She has tricks that I still haven’t quite learned.”
“Do you think she’d be willing to show me?” Gia asks hopefully.
“Of course she will.” I loop my arm through hers. “Rori’s a bit like a rabid squirrel sometimes, and she can be intense, but since you’re family, and important to me, you’ll be important to her. Just be aware though, that if you want her to work with you, she is not going to go easy on you. It’s the best way for you to learn.”
“Honestly, I’m excited to learn. I hate feeling powerless, and I’ve been powerless far too long in my life.” She grins at me. “That means soon enough it’ll be me kicking your ass.”
“You’re a quick study, but I fight dirty,” I tell her with a wink.
We reach the office, pausing at the door when we hear what sounds like Pietro’s voice. But then we step into the room when we hear what he says next. “I called up an old contact of mine, and I’ve got some information that might be important. The Conti’s are always wanting to make connections, and it seems they were hoping that when Bianca married Giovanni, they would get access to his connections and power. But Giovanni completely cut her off from them and went back on any agreements, stating that he didn’t deal with small-time. Even then, he thought himself the Don and not the underboss. This branch of the Conti’s were from California, but Bianca’s grandfather was a major player on this coast at one time, and the consensus is Giovanni was hoping to deal with him, not her part of the family. It burned the bridge, but the Conti’s don’t involve themselves with their daughters much either, so they left it be. But my contact told me that there was also another discussion about ten years ago between Conti and another family, the Valentinos, and eventually Leonardo and Giovanni De Luca.”
“They made a deal with Aldo Valentino?” Alessio asks, surprised. “That bastard doesn’t do shit with anyone. What could there be to gain from him partnering with someone in the States?”
“But why were the Conti’s there?” Nico interrupts. “What would that accomplish? One would think they wouldn’t want anything to do with Giovanni if he killed their daughter, or granddaughter, depending on who was at that meeting.”
“Because they wanted to have a connection to our family so they could launder their money through Father’s company and also have a way to get their supplies into the States,” Gia says, drawing their attention. I look at her in surprise. Her face has a grim set to her expression.
“Gia,” Nico says calmly, gesturing her forward. She unhooks her arm from mine and moves toward him; Dante moves over, letting the guards know to wait outside, and shuts the door. That’s when I realize they’re talking to Nico’s computer screen, which means that this must be a video call. I step further into the room, and Alessio motions for me to come to him where he’s standing slightly behind Nico. He wraps his arm around my waist and presses a kiss to the top of my head before turning back to Gia and Nico.
“And how do you know this, cara ?” Pietro asks Gia gently.
“Because I would sit in the passageways in my father’s house and listen when they were talking, or if I was close enough, I’d sit in a chair nearby and pretend to read. No one paid any attention to me, and my father and brothers figured I was too stupid to understand what they were talking about,” Gia replies with a bitter smile. “Carmen’s maiden name was Valentino. She was part of the agreement to keep an eye on my father, which is why he didn’t ever hurt her, and never allowed my brothers to go against her.”
No one says anything for a long moment, but the tension is palpable. “And Carmen was the youngest daughter to Aldo, was she not, Gia?” Pietro asks finally.
Gia nods. “I didn’t deal with her much, and tried to stay out of her way as much as possible. She hated me because I was another woman in what was now her house; I reminded her of my mother, and whenever she saw me, she often would tell me how worthless I was or slap me. After about a year, she told Father she didn’t want me in the house anymore, and he got me the apartment. But sometimes I wondered if she figured out that I was listening, because every so often I would catch her watching me with this suspicious expression on her face.”
“And was another deal struck with Giovanni?” Nico asks her.
“Not that I heard. Giovanni was only there because he was the underboss. The Conti’s, I’m not sure what was up with them, but it could be that the Valentino’s worked out the deal that the Conti’s wouldn’t go after Giovanni for my aunt if Father agreed to the terms. I think Giovanni was pissed he didn’t get to marry Carmen or another one of the daughters, and he screwed that up by what he did to my aunt.”
“Do you know if it was your aunt’s father or grandfather at the meeting?” Pietro questions.
“I think it was the Grandfather, because I remember Father saying the Conti guy was old and had been friends with this Aldo guy for a long time.”
“Giovanni is lucky he didn’t die that day,” Pietro remarks thoughtfully. “Luigi Conti is not a man to cross, especially because of his strong alliance to the Valentino’s. I think they have a marriage pact in there somewhere, but I didn’t look into it that much. Either way, Leonardo would know the danger of not agreeing. Not only would they have killed Giovanni and his sons, but they would have killed Leonardo and his entire family for the insult.”
“Do the Valentino’s know that Carmen is dead?” Alessio asks.
“My contact said all is quiet there. But it won’t be long before they take notice. Word is going to get around, and when that happens, we will be the least of Leonardo’s worries,” Pietro answers grimly.
“Which is exactly why he’s staying so close to home, and probably trying to wait this out,” Dante suggests. “He needs everything to look normal until shit can get sorted.”
“I still don’t understand why Carmen was with Marco,” Gia states with a frown.
“What do you mean, she was with Marco, topolina ?” Nico asks, eyes going sharp. “She followed you through the passageway to the room, but Marco certainly didn’t.”
“No, she didn’t,” Gia says with a shake of her head. “When we got to my room through the passageway, she showed up in the doorway of the closet and called out to Marco, Sebastian, and Matteo in the bedroom. I’m not sure how she figured out where to find me, though.”
Nico and Dante share a tight look, and I get the sense they might know, but instead of answering that, Nico asks, “What did she say to you?”
Gia goes quiet as she thinks. Finally, she frowns and says, “She said she hoped I enjoy being your whore because I was about to learn what really happened to whores like me. And that they were going to have to fix the epic fuck-up I created. Though I mostly think that was more about me marrying you and not getting the deal done with Alessio as my new husband.”
I take in Nico’s murderous expression, but also note he rubs her back soothingly despite it. He’s furious about the whore comments, and rightfully so. Probably a good thing I didn’t meet this Carmen bitch, because I’d have killed her myself.
“Was there any indication that Carmen was dealing with Marco?” Dante asks her. “Your step-mother had some balls, going against your father with his own son.”
“Honestly, Carmen always struck me as the kind of woman who wanted to be on top, and if she thought Marco, or even Giovanni, was the way to do that, then she would try to get with them. Or, maybe she got bored with my father. I know he still had mistresses, and I’m pretty sure she had her own affairs, too. I always found it funny she didn’t really try to hide that, even from my father. I brushed it off as it being just a weird relationship thing, and was just glad neither of them was focused on me.”
“So you think her and Marco might have been having an affair?” I can’t help asking.
Gia looks over at me. “I mean, I don’t want to say that, but Marco clearly wants to stick it to my father, and what better way than by screwing his wife?”
“Do you think your father knew?” Alessio asks.
“There isn’t much that my father doesn’t know,” Gia admits. “So it’s possible. But considering he only married her out of obligation, in exchange for connection, he might not have cared. After all, if she was busy with my brother, she wasn’t poking her nose into his business.”
“Or she was using the affair to pump your brother for information,” Alessio suggests. “Marco’s an arrogant prick, and would probably blab it all out on his own.”
“Fuck, the De Lucas are a mess,” Dante huffs, exasperated. “Now we have to wait and see if the Valentino’s are going to retaliate against us for Carmen’s death.”
“Wouldn’t they go after Leonardo or Marco?” I question, confused.
“She was killed here, and Leonardo isn’t going to take the fall for this,” Dante explains. “Which means he’s going to send them our way.”
“We’ll keep our ears to the ground here,” Pietro insists grimly. “And we can probably get ahead of that before it gets to that point. Aldo might be a bastard, but he’s a reasonable one when it comes to knowing he cannot best us. Leave that to me.”
“Alright, then we leave that part alone. For now, we need to prepare for what’s coming our way, and also figure out how deep this collusion with Carmen has gone. Because if she went to Marco, I wouldn’t be surprised if she also was dealing with Giovanni in some way,” Nico muses. “Dante, get our men on that right away. I want to know every possible connection.”
“Done,” Dante says, pulling out his phone.
Nico turns back to look at Gia. “ Topolina , is there anything else you can remember from when you were living at home that might be helpful?”
Gia is silent again as she thinks. Finally, she replies, “Honestly, there is so much I heard that I don’t know if it’s important or not. I know where the warehouses are, and the secret stash houses, but I don’t know if any of that is useful. I mean, the other stuff I heard was day to day operations, and I’m sure there were lots of things said in my father’s office I didn’t hear. I rarely ventured deep enough into the passageways to get that far, because I always figured that he would have some kind of triggering system in there, and I didn’t want him to know that I had access to them.”
“Wait, so he doesn’t know that you can access them?” Dante questions.
She shakes her head. “I discovered one in my room when I was ten, and it was only after Matteo and Dario went back through it after beating me. They thought I was out of it, but I watched as they pulled on a wall sconce and the door opened. Once I was healed, I pulled it and went exploring. It took me about five years total, but by the time I was fifteen, I knew where every exit was, and what was used to open it. The only people who used the passageways were my father, brothers, and Giovanni. I’ve never seen my cousins in there, but I’m sure they know about them too.”
“Do you think you could draw it out for us?” Dante asks. Nico gives a sound of warning, but Dante ignores him. “Normally, I wouldn’t want to involve you in this any further, but this could be something we need if we have to go against Leonardo. He’s going to use those passages to escape, and if we know where he might be going, we can stop him or anyone else with him before he does.”
“I’ll do it,” Gia offers. “I mean, you’re right, and honestly that will be the first place he goes. They’re double enforced steel inside, so you won’t hear him, and you won’t be able to break into them through the walls.”
“Thank you, topolina ,” Nico murmurs, kissing her temple.
It occurs to me that, until now, I’ve only seen angry and passionate Nico when he’s with Gia. This is a whole other side to him, and any reservations I had about him melt away. He might be a Don, but he clearly loves his wife. I wonder if Alessio and I could ever get to that point?
I push those thoughts aside as Gia moves off of Nico’s lap and over to Dante’s desk, grabbing a pad of paper and a pen from Dante’s desk. She silently gets to work, and a thought occurs to me. I look up at Alessio and ask, “How did you all find out about me? I mean, that’s not just something someone possibly stumbles on, is it?”
“Aurelio’s contact found you,” Alessio explains.
“But how did he find me?” I press. “I mean, he didn’t decide that the De Lucas were hiding something, right?”
“He was already looking into Gia, so he kept on looking to see what other secrets the De Lucas were hiding I suppose,” Alessio shrugs. “See, until Gia was offered up in a marriage contracts, no one knew there was a De Luca daughter, because they hid her away. Aurelio’s contact doesn’t tell Aurelio or us about how he finds information, but he’s one of the best in the world and has been able to find information on people that they thought they buried.”
That does make sense. “But then, how did the De Lucas find out, if this was so hidden?” I feel like we’re missing something to this, but can’t put my finger on it.
“Your name was flagged on a search out of New York after we got back to Sicily,” Alessio explains, but I can see his mind working as well. “We never did narrow down who that was, though.” He steps forward. “Papa, is Aurelio with you?”
“No, but he’s on his way,” Pietro replies, but then turns and smiles. “Ah, he has excellent timing because he’s here now.”
Aurelio steps behind Pietro, and Alessio asks, “Aurelio, did your contact ever say who it was that flagged Sienna’s name? Do we know which family member found her? And how?”
Aurelio pulls out his phone and is silent for a moment as he goes back through his messages. After another moment he answers, “Looks like it came out of Giovanni’s section of town. But then the name was brought up not long after in Marco’s. Leonardo also picked up on it, but a day or two later. That also seems to be the reason that Dario got there first, before Giovanni and Marco’s men, because they headed for LA and Dario went to London.”
“But how would Giovanni even know to look for this kind of thing?” I point out, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “It doesn’t make sense. And I highly doubt your guy would let something like this be found, right? So, how did they know?”
“Someone had to have found it and told them,” Alessio agrees. “But who? I doubt the staff would mention it. And if Giovanni knew before then, he wouldn’t have wasted his time trying to marry off Gia and overtake Leonardo. He’d have gone and taken them, hidden them away, and built up his alliances before trying any of it.”
The tension in the room increases, but before anyone can offer any suggestions, Nico’s phone rings. I glance over at it, and freeze when I see the name on the screen.
Marco De Luca.