Chapter 9 #2
Roman shakes his head as he cries a little.
“I never want to be that type of leader, to think I have the right to rule simply because it’s my title and position.
So…while this Council is unprecedented, I think the three of us can do a lot of good.
Not only for our Families, but for this world at large.
We can show them that times are changing, and we need to do so as well. ”
Emilio nods his head, his despair gone, and in its place is the mafia Boss he is beautifully becoming.
“I agree. They think we’re going to fail?
Let us show them how wrong they are. This only works with all three of us trusting each other, and coming to some type of agreement on decisions.
You asked what you missed at dinner, Roman?
Well, Antonio was trying to butt in and make choices he had no right to make.
I shut him down, but he made a comment that got me thinking, and I already said it at the table, but I would like to make this formal.
“Allesandro, and I’m going to assume Cristian, made all the final decisions, yes?
You could bring up a solution or idea, but at the end of the day, it was the Boss’s word?
” Roman and I give our agreement. “Well, that needs to be the same. We can’t rule and keep order if there’s not a clear hierarchy, but I don’t want us to operate as three separate Families.
It will never work; not when we’re all living under one roof. ”
“I agree,” I chime in. “Even though Marcus and Keegan formally requested to join me, and I am grateful to have them, please don’t feel as if I am taking them from you.”
I get a strained smile. “It hurt that they chose, I won’t lie, but I know they did what was best for them and their family.
I’m glad you have them. As I was saying, I gave Antonio an order to stand down, and he made a comment about how ‘I’m not the only one to make this call’, and he’s right, but I want big decisions like this—killing another Boss—to be a joint decision by the three of us.
We need to work together, and we can’t do that if the people under us feel as if they can play us against each other. ”
“Agreed,” Roman and I say together.
“You and Roman are already used to working together. I stayed in the background, working with the men already under my domain, and helping with Cole, which means we don’t know each other well, or how to work together.
Time and effort will fix that. Unlike you two, though, I was never trained to rule.
I am my father’s bastard, the spare in case my brother ever had to be put down, and Julian made sure I knew that I would never be as good as him.
The joke is on him now, that while he set me up to eventually be killed by the man I ended up married to, I am the one who killed him.
” I smile a little. “My brother and father were both small-minded men who stuck to the old ways and led the De Lucas so far into the dark ages that the Family almost tore itself apart after I took over.
“Now, they’re left with no options since Georgio was killed. It’s why I asked Jude for advice, because even though he didn’t know his family were traitors, he still has insider knowledge that will be beneficial to us.”
“You’ll be a great leader,” Roman says. “You have us, and we won’t let you fall.”
I smile at him and brush some of his hair from his forehead. “Thank you, Figlio Mio.”
“So, we’re in agreement?” Lio asks.
“Yes,” Roman says. “Siamo uniti contro i nostri nemici. We stood united before and completed our task, if we keep that in mind, there’s nothing we cannot do. We will meet, we will discuss, and we will discuss again, before any final major decisions are handled down. Whatever affects us all.”
Resting my forearms on my thighs, I lean forward.
“We have to trust each other to make independent decisions as well.
Yes, the big Family-altering things will need to be a joint decision, but there are other things, such as bringing in staff to help supplement what one of the others has brought in, or giving out tasks when we have objectives and goals to meet, where we need to trust that the person handling that will do the best they can.
“Marcus and Keegan are mine now, but you know their skillsets best, Emilio. If there is a task you feel they can do that I have not already given them, please do so. They may defer to me, but unless it is a direct contradiction to something I already need from them—which we will then discuss—please, don’t hesitate.
I will let this be known to them as well. ”
“I expect some growing pains, but I agree,” Lio says.
“We are in a unique position because our Families are shifting dynamics. Relationships are crossing Families, which is great. I know I would be lost if I didn’t have Benjamin or Hollis, and Benjamin wouldn’t be okay without Tennant.
Marcus and Keegan and Cole are happy with you, so I don’t begrudge them that. ”
“I wish Ignacio was on the playing field,” Roman says sadly.
“Not just because of my selfish need of him, but I know Benjamin needs him too. They may only be friends now, but the relationship is good for them both. Ignacio is a powerhouse, we could have used him for whatever tasks and missions we have coming.”
“We can still use his mind, he’ll see things none of us will.” Lio frowns and looks to Roman. “Hopefully, Tennant will work with him; the two of them could do great things if Ten got over himself.”
Roman rolls his eyes. “I think the thing with Dad has made Ten more amenable. Partly because he doesn’t agree with what my father did, but also because he knows how much Benjamin and I care.
Almost losing Benjamin because of it will have scared Tennant.
He doesn’t do well with the thought of losing any of us.
Benjamin probably doesn’t realize what he’s done, and Ten might not either, but I have a feeling those two will have a heart to heart sooner rather than later.
Tennant doesn’t like being scared, and losing someone he loves is his own personal nightmare.
This thing with Dad is going to hit him hard as well because of it. ”
“He has all of us,” Lio says softly. “We’ll help him through it.” He takes a deep breath. “Will…will Tennant go back?”
Roman looks down at his blanket and shrugs a shoulder. “I don’t know. With Hollis’s mental well-being on the rocks, Benjamin almost leaving him, and me being hurt, I want to say no, but…Dad has been his reason for breathing so long, I don’t know if he can survive without him.”
I cover Roman’s casted hand with my own, my fingers curling over his delicate ones. “We’ll figure it out. If choices need to be made, we’ll get through it, as a family.”
Roman nods sadly.
“In the meantime,” Lio says gently, moving the meeting along. “All we can do is plan our next move. Do you think Leandro truly has bugs in the Martelli mansion?”
“Guaranteed,” Roman replies. “Even when they’re discovered and destroyed—if that process hasn’t yet started—he’s already in their systems. Marcus was serious about the Martelli tech people kicking him and Hollis out and patching their holes, but I can tell you right now that won’t keep either of them out for long.
I don’t understand half of the tech stuff, but I know their backups and backdoors have backups and backdoors. ”
“While keeping tabs on the other two and that side of things is important—in case they make any moves against us—we can’t let it consume us,” I caution. “We have bigger fish to fry than spending all our time worrying about them. Otherwise, we’ll become no better.”
“You’re right,” Lio agrees. “There are some aspects—like what the lawyers are getting up to—in which we’ll have to use whatever access Hollis and Leandro have, but to prove we’re effective and fit to rule, we need to get our own results.”
“You don’t think the Martelli lawyer would give you her findings should something turn up?” Roman asks.
Lio shakes his head. “Allesandro helped make her, so her loyalty—and bank account—belong to him. The Amato one?”
Both Roman and I shrug. “Hard to say,” he answers. “Sinclair is enough of a troublemaker that he’d do it just to stir up trouble, but Dad is the one who paid for his schooling, and got his operation off the ground.”
“Then we need to either stay one step ahead of the LEOs, or make sure we’re extra safe, so as not to get caught.
I’m fairly certain Sinclair will bail us out of trouble should we need him to, but we need to be cautious we don’t do anything that will draw Allesandro and Cristian’s attention.
We don’t need them pointing the ‘I told you so’ finger at us,” I say glumly.
“Yeah,” Lio agrees. “So, we’ll use Ghost, the twins, Marcus, Keegan, and once Tennant is cleared, him too. This is when we really could have used Ignacio, but we’ll make do.”
“Joel can help with ground work as well. Tennant has him organizing the Amatos, along with one of my guys, Enzo, but if need be, we can leave Enzo in charge of that,” Roman tells him.
“Tennant will want at least one of my bodyguards to stay here in the house with me, but they can take rotating shifts out in the field as well.”
“We still have eyes on the apartment building the cops have been using. We’re tagging all the faces that pass through, but there’s also the list Allesandro gave Marcus and Antonio,” Lio muses.
“It was full of high-value targets. I don’t know what he was thinking, or doing with it, but I’m not sure we should aim so high.
Yes, the Fire Chief panned out, as we found Luca there, but aside from the cops, judges, etcetera, on the list, the rest aren’t easy to get to. ”
Roman reaches out for Lio’s hand again and freezes when his friend flinches. Carefully, Roman sets his hand down, and we both watch as Lio takes a deep breath, and is the first to initiate contact, setting his hand over Roman’s.
Everything that happened at dinner, and his reactions now…
it looks more and more as if the worst actually came to pass.
I feel sick to my stomach. I’ve been abused and tortured by the people who were supposed to love me.
Cristian…he did what he did when I was held captive by him, but then I repaid the favor tenfold.
Whatever Allesandro did to Lio, though… Something tells me it wasn’t to turn the tables of the game.
No, Lio’s responses to touch, the way he’s been holding himself since the night of the rescue…
It all reminds me of the Hollis from just a few short years ago, before he started opening up to Tennant and Roman about his past. The one who doesn’t like to be touched, who still will flinch when someone gets too close in his personal space, or who will pull a knife if he’s surprised…
I don’t know what happened to the hacker, but I saw the file of the man who kidnapped Tennant in an attempt to get to Hollis, and…there are only a few conclusions one can come to with that knowledge.
I get why Antonio said and did what he did at dinner… I almost want to give him the okay to take Allesandro out…but Lio’s right, that type of choice can’t be on any one person, not in this Family.
Doesn’t mean I won’t take the opportunity myself, though, should it be presented…because no one should ever be violated like that.
Finding my voice amongst the chaos of my thoughts, I tell them, “Then we start small. Continue with the LEO angle, help Hollis and Leandro get what they need so they can work, and find the man behind the curtain.”
Roman snorts, but doesn’t call me out on my The Wizard of Oz reference, nodding his head in agreement.
“Once we have a starting point, we can go from there. We know we’re looking at a female fed, and someone with higher connections—either another fed, or someone with clearance who can organize everything from a kidnapping to multiple fires, to arrests and raids.
I don’t believe the woman is the mastermind.
Not because she’s female, but because too many people have interacted with her; either in person or over the phone.
This mastermind…they don’t want to be caught, they’re comfortable having other people do their bidding for them to prevent that. ”
“Yes,” Lio agrees. “We’ll check out those we’ve already targeted, on a much smaller scale than before, working our way up, and we’ll go from there.”
“Sounds good. I know we’re all anxious to get started, but let’s reconvene in the morning and start handing out orders and tasks,” I tell them. “Besides, I think Antonio is busy tonight.”
Lio laughs. “Oh, yeah. He’s going to get his first real taste of what having a full-time dominant is like, I bet. I don’t know if I’m jealous or relieved someone is finally taking the brat in hand.”
“Both,” Roman says. “So that means you should probably go find Hollis. Let him help you through whatever it is you’re going through, and maybe it’ll get you some good sleep.”
“Yeah,” Lio agrees softly. “Maybe.”
If I thought he’d allow it, I’d hug the young man, because sitting across from him, I don’t see a fellow Boss right now, but someone who could be a second son, and all my instincts are screaming to take care of him.
Since I can’t, I can only hope he goes to someone who is able to, because no one deserves to be alone with their demons. Not even those named Death.