Chapter 27
Rosie
It’s been a week since I practically moved in with Enzo, and knowing I can’t hide in his arms forever, I’ve forced myself to leave the apartment.
Our first stop is the cemetery.
Armed with a stack of tissues, I follow Enzo to my fallen men’s graves. I take a moment to read the name engraved into the temporary marker before placing a flower beside it.
With every step, a face flashes through my mind.
They were a constant presence in my life for years, and they died giving their all to protect me.
When I reach Raffaele's grave, I can’t stop the tears from falling.
He wasn’t just my underboss but a close friend of Augusto's.
Jesus. This should never have happened. You should still be here.
For a couple of minutes, I just stand and stare at his name, struggling to accept that he’s gone.
Eventually, I force myself to move, but when I reach Alessio’s grave, I can’t hold it together anymore and move down to my knees.
Placing my hand on the area he’s buried, I clear my throat and say, “You were always there. A constant. Someone I trusted with my life for years.” I have to pause to take a shaky breath as the tears keep streaming down my face.
“Thank you for your sacrifice, my friend. I will never forget it.”
Looking up at the sky, a cry tears from me, and I finally get to mourn my selfless men.
Enzo crouches behind me and wraps his arm around my front. I grab hold of his bicep and struggle through the ragged sobs.
Once I manage to calm down enough, I ask, “Their families?”
“They’ve all been compensated,” he answers.
He helps me to my feet and links our hands together as we walk back to the Mustang. I lean into his arm and shove the grief down because soon I’ll have to force a smile to my face so I don’t cause the family any worry.
“Are you still okay going to Adriano’s place?” Enzo asks.
Everyone has agreed to meet at Adriano’s house because he has one of the biggest properties that will be able to host everyone.
“Yes. I can’t keep putting it off.”
Enzo tugs me to a stop, and taking hold of my chin, he tips my face up so I’ll look at him. “If you’re not ready, I’ll cancel it right now.”
I shake my head. “No, let’s go.”
He opens the passenger door, and my eyes touch on Ciro and Nathan where they’re sitting in an SUV. I get in, and Enzo shuts the door. While he walks around the back of the car, I pull on the seat belt and clip it in place.
He slips in behind the steering wheel, the car shifting beneath his weight, and when he starts the engine, he mentions, “Dr. Milazzo is coming over at five, so we need to be home by then.”
“Okay.”
At my last checkup three days ago, I asked the doctor to bring a birth control implant with him when he comes by again.
Seeing as I’m in a relationship now, I want to be ready when we take the next step. The last thing I want is for things to get awkward, because neither of us considered birth control.
The thought of being intimate with Enzo eases some of the weight off my heart, and the corner of my mouth lifts.
Since Enzo gave me my first kiss, we now spend half the day making out. It never goes further than us removing our shirts. I’m grateful that he’s giving me time to get used to us, but honestly, I’ve been waiting years, so I feel things can move faster.
But I’m sure as hell not telling him that.
“What’s on your mind?” he suddenly asks.
“Nothing,” I blurt out too fast, which makes his eyes snap to me while he steers the Mustang toward the gates of the cemetery.
“That doesn’t sound like nothing.”
Letting out a nervous chuckle, I shake my head, then try to change the subject by saying, “I want to start looking at buildings so I can create a new fortress. The family has been left exposed for way too long, and God only knows what –’
“Stop right there,” Enzo says, his tone firmer than it was a minute ago. “There is no fucking way I’m letting you return to work yet. Everyone can manage just fine for a couple of weeks.”
“I know that,” I mutter. “But we can at least look at buildings. It will take months to get everything up and running again anyway.”
“Could you just be patient a little longer?” Enzo asks, giving me a pleading look.
Damn, he’s become next-level overprotective, so much so that he won’t even let me have my own phone.
Reluctantly, I sigh. “Fine.”
When we’re not heading toward Long Island, where Adriano lives, but into the heart of Manhattan, I frown. “Where are we going?”
“To pick up your prescription glasses. I got a call that they’re ready.”
“So soon,” I gasp. “I thought I’d have to wait another week or so.”
Dr. Milazzo arranged for an ophthalmologist to check my eyes, and after all the strain, I now need to wear glasses whenever I watch TV, read, or work.
Enzo turns into an underground parking area of a random building, and when I notice all the guards standing around belong to the Falcos, I raise an eyebrow at my boyfriend.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” He chuckles, which makes me curious as hell.
I see cars parked everywhere, recognizing most of them, and a wide smile stretches across my face. “Everyone is here? I thought we were getting together at Adriano’s?”
Enzo keeps a quiet, secretive grin tugging at his mouth as he brings the Mustang to a stop. After we get out, he takes my hand and leads me to a set of elevators.
“The building belongs to me,” Enzo says, his hand tightening around mine. “I bought it a few years ago and was going to turn it into office space, but that’s not happening anymore.”
I look up at him, my eyebrows pulling together while we wait for the elevator to open. “What do you mean?”
Enzo’s eyes lock with mine, then he says, “It’s yours now.
” My lips part with surprise. “You’ll build the new fortress there, bella mia, but this time, your center of operations won’t be sitting above ground where anyone can reach you.
It’ll be beneath the building, reinforced like a damn vault.
Concrete, steel, blast doors, escape exits, its own air supply, everything you need to be protected. ”
“Holy shit,” I gasp.
Enzo pulls me into the elevator and presses the button before he continues, “You can still run the world from behind your screens, but no one will ever get close enough to touch you again. Not unless they go through me, the family, and every wall I’m putting between you and them first.”
God, my heart.
His eyes soften on me as he cups my cheek. “But I want you to take it slow, Rosie. I won’t allow you to overwork yourself again, and every night will belong to me. Normal working hours from now on. Got it?”
I nod quickly, then throw my arms around his neck and kiss the living crap out of him.
The elevator slows, then the doors slide open, and when I pull away from Enzo, I suck in a surprised breath.
The entire lower level is lit with warm golden lights, soft enough not to hurt my eyes. Pink and gold balloons line the walls, and across the far side of the room hangs a massive banner.
Welcome home, Rosie.
My hand flies to my mouth as everyone turns toward us.
Mom. Dad. Grandma and Grandpa. Gianna, Riccardo, Christiano, Damiano, Gabriella, Adriano, Augusto, Georgi, and every single person I consider family.
For a second, nobody moves, then Dad steps forward, and everyone comes toward me at once.
Enzo stays beside me, his hand never leaving mine while I’m kissed on the cheeks, fussed over, and held so tightly I can barely tell where one hug ends and the next begins.
And I feel more loved than I ever have in my life.
When they give me breathing space again, I wipe tears from my cheeks and grin at them. “Wow, you know how to make a girl feel special.”
“It’s so fucking good to have you back,” Christiano says, and instantly everyone quiets down. He comes to stand in front of me. “The other capos and I have put together a little spending money for you, so you can turn this place into whatever your heart desires.”
I hold out my hand to him. “Oooh, do I get a credit card?”
Christiano surprises me by pulling out his wallet and actually placing a black card in my palm. “There is a limit.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “Three hundred million.”
Jesus.
All the equipment I can buy with that kind of money rushes through my mind, and I swear I begin salivating.
“I have one condition,” my boss says, his tone clearly stating it’s not up for negotiation.
I let out a sigh and roll my eyes. “I should’ve known there’d be a catch. Let me hear it.”
“No bombs.” My heart squeezes in my chest as his eyes lock with mine. “Ever again. Instead, rig the place with a gas that will knock intruders out so we can deal with whoever dares to come after you. And if it malfunctions, at least it won’t kill you and just give you a good nap.”
A chuckle bursts from me as I nod. “I love the sound of that.”
With the business part concluded, everyone gets a glass of champagne, and as I give all my loved ones a few minutes of undivided attention, Enzo sticks to my side like glue, not taking his hand off my back for a single moment.
Things actually feel like they’re returning to normal.
Just as the thought crosses my mind, Dad comes to me and holds out a phone. “I set it up for you.”
“Aww, thank you, Daddy.” I take the device from him and swipe my thumb over the screen.
“You still have the same number,” Dad mentions.
When Mom walks to us with a box in her hands, I grin. “Oooooh, more gifts!”
“Yeah, you’re not going to like this one,” Dad mutters. “But none of us will tolerate any arguments.”
When Mom opens the box and I see the injection, I instantly know what it contains.
A tracking device.
Not even thinking of arguing, I push up the sleeve of my sweater and hold out my arm.
Dad takes the injection from the box while Mom pulls out an alcohol swab. She cleans a spot on the inside of my upper arm, then Dad steps closer.
“You ready?” he asks.
I nod. “Do it.”
Enzo’s hand brushes up and down my back as Dad presses the needle into my skin. There’s a sharp sting, but it’s over in a few seconds.
Mom immediately covers the tiny mark with a small square of gauze, and Dad tapes it down with careful fingers.
The moment feels very emotional for some reason.
“There,” Dad says, his voice rough. “All done.”
I pull my sleeve down and smile at my parents. “Now you can find me if I go missing again.”
Dad nods as he pulls me into a tight hug. “I’ll always find you, Rosellina.”
As the welcome-back party continues, I feel more like myself, and by the time we have to go home to meet Dr. Milazzo for my checkup, my heart doesn’t feel as heavy anymore, and the pressure from the nightmare I survived loses some of its hold on me.