Chapter 57
One Month Later
“Andresano?” I hear Elodie’s brother-in-law ask over the phone.
“How are you, LeBlanc?” I reply.
“I’d like to know how interested you are in visiting the United States.”
I go on alert instantly. I know the question isn’t random.
I met Elodie’s entire family about three weeks ago, and it took me very little time to understand that Abaddon was right: both Amber’s husband, Beau, and their brother, Amos, aren’t ordinary businessmen as the world believes but men with many secrets.
“I’m always willing to visit my wife’s homeland. What’s this about?”
“Nothing to discuss over the phone, but I’d like you to come to Louisiana as soon as possible.”
Now I’m certain the trip is of interest to me. “A courtesy visit?”
“We can call it that. Or I could say it’ll be the end of a cycle for you.”
My pulse speeds up. It doesn’t even cross my mind to ask how he knows about my family’s story. I’m sure that, by now, they’ve uncovered everything about me.
“I’m on my way.”
I hang up, already on my feet, and halfway to the car—after telling my pilot to prepare my private jet—I call Abaddon.
He’s currently using what he calls a secure phone for special clients, so I can reach him whenever I need.
“He got him,” I say as soon as he answers.
“LeBlanc?”
“That’s right.”
“I figured it would happen. Beau’s reach is much greater than mine. What are you planning to do?”
“I’m heading to New Orleans to end this story once and for all.”
He stays silent for a while before saying, “I’m working on something, but I can’t tell you yet. Once I have confirmation, I’ll let you know.”
“What could it be?” I ask, suspicious it might have something to do with Dino. I told him about the conversation I had with my mother.
“Like I told you once, Gianni, I work with certainties. I don’t have all the answers yet.”
“Call me the moment you find out what you’re investigating.”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
When I hang up, I decide to text Elodie.
She’s on a trip to Asia. She’s still working as a flight attendant, but she’s always accompanied by security guards, no matter where she goes. At first, she protested, but I didn’t back down, so she eventually gave in.
I plan to be back before she returns in four days, because I’ve prepared a surprise for her, but still, I send a message.
Me: I’m going to the United States.
I hit send and, to my surprise, a few minutes later I receive a reply:
Romniya: Business?
Me: Yes.
For now, she doesn’t need to know that everything will be over soon. The less she knows, the safer she’ll be.
I feel like I’m inside a movie, but by the state Fiorello is in, I know what’s happening is very real.
He’s hanging from chains, bleeding, and I think he’s got several broken bones, too—inside a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in rural Louisiana.
When I arrived in the United States, there was a car waiting to take me to Beau. But it wasn’t just Elodie’s brother-in-law who greeted me. Amos was there, too.
Without even saying hello, Amber’s husband said, “We’re doing this for you because we consider you family now, but I don’t think I need to remind you that from this moment on, we’ll share a bond that goes beyond your relationship with my sister-in-law.”
I don’t take it as a threat—it’s a fact. We’ll be accomplices.
“But that doesn’t mean I won’t kill you if you hurt my sister,” Amos says.
“Don’t threaten me,” I warn. “I appreciate that you caught him for me, but I’m not a servant to either of you, and I’m no boy. Elodie is mine. I’ll love and protect her until my last breath.”
For a moment, we just stare at each other, until Beau is the first to move. He hands me a revolver.
I shake my head. “I need a knife.”
After he gives me one, I approach the half-dead man.
“Ah, the brother of the whores,” the bastard says.
He knows he’s going to die and only has his words left as a weapon.
“Whores?” I ask, slicing lightly across his thigh, making him look at me.
I know what he’s thinking.
Fiorello is naked, and I cut dangerously close to his cock.
“You could’ve had a quicker death, you know?
I mean, I would’ve hunted you down anyway, even without knowing you were Angelo’s son, because of what you tried to do to Elodie.
But you didn’t have to suffer so much. After all, it was only an attempt.
You never had her.” I smile, watching his face twist with hate.
“I didn’t even know you existed until about a year ago.
And then you decided to carry on your heritage of rape. ”
“How do you know that?”
“I had people watching the girls. More than once, your men tried to get close to them. Every one of them was eliminated, but we never managed to reach you. And then today, I get this gift. You’re the last son of a bitch.
You know what that means? My sisters and our future generations are finally free from your cursed, senseless vengeance. ”
He screams in pain as, with one precise cut, I slice off his cock.
I aim the knife at his heart and drive it in as deep as I can.
“For my grandmother, whose virginity was stolen on the eve of her wedding by your rapist ancestor.” I push the blade deeper. “For all the women in my family who suffered at your hands. It’s over. Enjoy your trip to Hell.”
Italy
The next day
As soon as I set foot on Italian soil, I call Tommaso and arranged a meeting. It’s pure luck that Gaetano is in Tuscany, too. I need to talk to both of them at the same time.
For an hour, we walk through Tommaso’s vineyard while I tell them our entire story in detail.
“What happened to that last man?” my older brother asks, his face slack with pain.
“I’ll never tell you, but I want you to know the cycle is over. Donatella, Giovanna, and all our female descendants from now on are safe.”
“Jesus Christ!” Gaetano says, running both hands over his face. “You should’ve shared that promise, Gianni. You carried that weight alone for years.”
“No. Nonna made me promise. It was my responsibility.”
Tommaso opens his arms to me and Gaetano, and as we approach, he says, “In the remote chance something like this ever happens again, I want you to swear you’ll never hide it from me. I’m the oldest. It’s my duty to protect you.”
“No,” Gaetano says. “It’s our duty to protect one another. Gianni did what needed to be done to make sure our sisters and daughters can live without fear. I would’ve done the same.”