Chapter 36 Lupo
The morning comes too quickly.
I wake with Isabella in my arms in her room, Elena between us again. She climbed in sometime during the night, seeking comfort in this new place.
I would love nothing more than to stay in bed but I have business to handle. Business I've been putting off.
I slip out of bed carefully, not waking them. Shower. Dress in a suit, my uniform now. Check my gun.
Isabella stirs as I'm leaving. "Lupo? Where are you going?"
"I have something to take care of. I'll be back by lunch."
"Is everything okay?"
"It will be." I kiss her forehead. "Stay with Emilia and Elena. I'll be back soon."
She doesn't ask more questions. She's learning how this works. Trusting me to handle things. Trusting me to come back.
Ciro is waiting downstairs with the car. "Ready, boss?"
"Let's get this done."
We drive into the city, to a warehouse in an industrial area. One of our properties. Isolated. Secure.
The kind of place where people disappear.
Two guards are posted outside. They nod respectfully as we enter.
Inside, the warehouse is mostly empty. Concrete floors. High ceilings. A single chair in the center.
And Dante.
He's tied to the chair, his face bruised, lip split. Not tortured. I gave orders he wasn't to be harmed beyond restraint, but roughed up from the initial capture.
When he sees me, he flinches. Genuine fear in his eyes.
"Boss," he says, his voice hoarse. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn’t have a choice."
I walk closer, studying him. This man who was my bodyguard for eight years. Who I trusted with my life. Who left me bleeding in a field to die after he tried to kill me.
"Tell me why," I say quietly.
"They had my sister." His voice breaks. "The Florence family. They grabbed Giuliana. Said if I didn't—if I didn't kill you—they'd rape her. Torture her. Send me her body parts. Kill her slowly." Tears streak down his face. "She's nineteen, boss. Just a kid. She had nothing to do with any of this."
"Where is she now?"
"Safe. Ciro's men got her out after—after the restaurant. She's with my mother. They're both safe."
I look at Ciro. He nods confirmation.
"Tell me what happened," I say to Dante. "That day. Every detail."
He tells me about the drive to Florence. The "engine trouble." How he couldn't look at me when he did it. How he beat me until he thought I was dead while praying I wasn’t. How he left me in that field and drove away.
How he's hated himself every day since.
"I knew you'd come for me eventually," he finishes. "Knew I'd pay for what I did. I deserve it. I betrayed you. Broke my oath. I deserve to die."
He's right. By the laws of our world, betrayal has only one punishment.
Death.
The old me—the me from before the farm, before Isabella and Elena—would have killed him without hesitation. Would have made it painful. Would have made an example of him.
But I'm not that man anymore.
"You had a choice," I say quietly. "Me or your sister. And you chose your sister."
"Yes."
"I would have done the same." The words surprise him. Surprise Ciro too. "If someone threatened my daughter. If they said kill or she dies, I'd pull the trigger without hesitation." I crouch down so we're eye level. "I understand why you did it. I even forgive you for it."
Hope flares in his eyes. "Boss—"
"But." My voice hardens. "I can't let you back into the organization. Can't take you back like nothing happened. That would show weakness. Would tell everyone that betrayal can be forgiven if you have a good reason. I can't afford that message."
The hope dies. "I understand."
"Here's what's going to happen." I stand. "Ciro is going to untie you. You're going to walk out of here. You're going to take your sister and your mother, and you're going to leave Naples. Today. Within twenty-four hours, you'll be gone."
He stares at me, not understanding what I’m offering him. "You're—you're letting me live?"
"I'm giving you a chance. One chance. You leave.
You never come back. You never speak my name.
You never contact anyone from the organization.
You disappear completely." I pause. "And if I ever see you again, if you ever come back to Naples, if you ever do anything that makes me regret this decision—I will kill you.
And your sister. And your mother. And anyone you've ever cared about. Understand? I won’t have a choice. "
"Yes. Yes, boss. I understand. Thank you. Thank you—"
"Don't thank me. Just go. And Dante?" I turn back at the door. "You saved my life once. In Milano. Three years ago. Took a bullet that was meant for me. I haven't forgotten that. That's why you get this chance. We're even now. The debt is paid."
I walk out, Ciro following.
In the car, he's quiet for a moment. "The old you would have killed him. Isabella and Elena—they've changed you."
"Yes." I look out the window at the city passing by. "My love for them has made me weak."
"No, boss." Ciro's voice is firm. "They've made you strong. Strong enough to show mercy when you have the power to take vengeance. That's not weakness. That’s leadership."
Maybe he's right.
Or maybe I'm just a man who's learned that some things matter more than reputation and fear.
"Take me home," I tell Ciro.
"To the villa?"
"Home," I repeat. "To my family."
He smiles and turns the car toward Isabella and Elena.