Chapter 15
She said: Don't get too close. It's dark inside. It's where my demons hide. And I answered: Get too close, there is a hell inside of me it's where your demons can live. - TheMindsJournal
Luciano
“ W e still haven’t found out who sent the man to kidnap Mischa,” the Capo states. He’s furious, and I can’t blame him. It’s unacceptable to go this long and not know much more than we did on our wedding day. “It has to be Fiadh O’Toole; I’d bet my bottom dollar on it.”
“Agreed,” Salvatore nods, appearing more solemn than usual. My guess is he’s already received Capo’s opinions on this matter, and he’s having to hear it again in front of the rest of us. I don’t miss the way Matteo’s angry stare momentarily pins on Valentino either. No matter how much time passes, we’ll never forget how he was fucking the enemy on the down low. There’s no telling how long it would’ve gone on had he not gotten caught, and that’s the part sitting the heaviest on us all. Loyalty is everything in the mafia, especially in our famiglia.
“Anything?” Matteo growls. “Does anyone in this room have something new to tell me about this puttana, or do I have to rely on Yuri for everything these days? The Russian seems to get more done than my own fratelli.”
“Send us,” I cut in, ready to get more payback. I may’ve killed the man who was attempting to kidnap Mischa, but I have a feeling the same people he works with also attacked the Russians and the Vendetti Estate. I want them all to get what’s coming to them. Preferably sooner than later.
He scoffs, “I’m not sending you out of the country to get murdered. You’re Vendetti; I know you all have your own contacts. People kiss our asses constantly, attempting to sample a piece of the Empire. They want to be us, beg to marry our bambinos someday. Fucking call them and find out what they know. Capisci?”
I exchange a quick glance with mio fratelli, silently communicating our determination to find out the truth about Mischa’s almost-kidnapping. Santino silently nods in agreement, his jaw clenched as he stares at Matteo with steely resolve. We may be underestimated, but we are not to be trifled with. We have our own ways of handling business outside the confines of the Estate, and they usually end up with someone being buried. I doubt our fratello, the Capo dei capi, would accept anything less at this point.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” I assure him, my voice filled with unwavering support. He may be the head of this famiglia, the boss, but he’s also the brother I respect the most and hate to disappoint. He practically raised us, taking Romano’s rage from my mother’s death on his shoulders when he could, to lessen the burden on us.
“We won’t rest until we’ve uncovered every last detail,” Salvatore promises, his back ramrod straight with determination.
Without missing a beat, I reach for my phone and send a discreet message to a contact who I know moves people quietly from one country to another. I need to see if anyone has requested transport to come or go to Ireland recently. If so, it could be the break we need to figure out who’s pulling the strings behind these attacks. We will stop at nothing to uncover the truth of this latest betrayal, as the Vendetti name demands respect. Matteo, our protector of this famiglia, will keep digging and punishing whoever he needs to until we ensure those who cross us pay the ultimate price.
With their blood.
Rolo, the transport guy, texts me back, saying he has moved a few people to and from Ireland. I don’t know why I didn’t think to ask him sooner. I immediately speak up, “My contact says he’s moved a few people traveling to and from Ireland.” I wait for him to text me again and add, “He’s willing to give me names, but he believes they’re fake.”
Matteo’s brows shoot up. “Give him Cristiano’s number if he’ll speak to him. I want Cris to get every little detail he can out of him. What’s this contact want in return for his information?”
I text Rolo back, including Cristiano’s number and letting him know we’re expecting his call immediately. “Nothing, aside from hoping to do business with us at some point.”
“If he’s willing to sell out his passengers, then he wouldn’t hesitate to do it to us. We’ll take his information, but our business will remain elsewhere,” he replies without a second thought and gives Cristiano a barely there nod, conveying his orders. He trains his attention on Salvatore, “See what’s around his pick up and drop off points. If we can’t get real names, maybe we can find images from nearby cameras.”
“I’ll put Cassio on it,” Sal responds and tugs his phone out. He quickly types out the order, confirming it’s been sent.
Matteo leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of him as he contemplates the next move. The oversized painting of him and Violet takes up the wall behind him. It’s a reminder to anyone who stands in front of this desk of who sits at the top of the Empire.
Cristiano’s phone rings with a call from an unknown number. He answers in front of us with a curt, “Who is this?”
On the other end, Rolo's voice carries through the line. “I have names for you, but like I said to your brother, they could be fakes. The last transport I moved heading to Ireland was a group of three—two men and a woman. Gave me cash up front, didn't ask questions.”
Cristiano quickly jots down the names on a piece of paper as Rolo recites them. “Rory McCarthy, Kieran Fitzpatrick, and Jack Hayes. I knew Kieran was a fake, considering she’s a woman and came up with a male alias. It’s not my business to dig into their stories, though, just to get them where they need to be. Undetected.”
Matteo's eyes narrow at the mention of Rory McCarthy. I can tell the name strikes a chord with him, but I’m not sure where he’s heard it before. None of them are familiar to me, so I keep my mouth closed, listening to Cris hang up, and we all train our attention back on Capo. “Rory McCarthy, I’m pretty sure it’s one of the men Romano was meeting with at the club in Italy.”
“Romano?” Valentino finally breaks his silence, questioning the one thing we’re all wondering about. “Why is our father meeting with anyone Irish in his club in Italy? Do you think he’s aware?”
Matty immediately shakes his head. “No, he’d hired him for something. I only remember because I had called when Rory was around, and Romano had said his name. When I asked if he was safe and keeping his head down, he told me Rory McCarthy was nothing but a local and he had nothing to worry about. I had him briefly looked into, but he came back clean. I’m guessing we didn’t dig far enough to find what we needed.”
“Fuck,” Santino grumbles. That word pretty much sums it up.
If we call Romano to warn him, he’ll be on the defensive, acting as if we think he’s too weak to look out for himself. If we don’t inform him and something happens to him… well, it won’t be any more skin off my back, but he does have our little brother in his life to care for now.
I’m not concerned about his wife; something about her doesn’t fit. How she and Romano just so happened to meet in his club and she supposedly wanted nothing to do with him at first? I find it highly unlikely. I’d hedge she was waiting for her chance with him; after all, he’d be an easy way to live a comfortable life. Especially if she was broke enough to have to work at the club and live in her small, shitty apartment. There’s always the prospect of her getting killed being associated with the retired Capo dei tutti, but it didn’t seem to faze her when he brought her home and we met her. Naturally, we were all skeptical of her ambitions, but Matteo claims we need to back off and allow our father to enjoy his retirement after living the life of Capo.
A knock interrupts before we can say anything else. Valentino’s closest to the door, so he answers it. He opens the door about a foot, enough to stick his head in the opening, brow raised as he listens to what the person on the other side has to say. A moment later, he’s stepping back, opening the door wider. He glances at Matteo, “You’re going to want to hear this.”
Severo, one of our most trusted Mademen in the Empire who is typically at Matteo or Violet’s side, steps over the threshold. I can tell with one glance it’s something important. He’s the only person outside of mio fratelli and their wives to know we’re in a meeting right now.
“Excuse the interruption, Capo,” he greets respectfully.
“What is it, Severo?” Matteo demands, sitting forward with this unexpected turn of events.
“It’s our monitoring system. There was a ping on someone digging for information. We found them when we ran a system search on the dark web. From there, we were able to follow their trail and eventually pick up a location.” Severo pauses, but Matteo gives nothing away, staring him down.
After a beat of silence, he continues, “Capo, the location… it came from one of the personal laptops on the Estate.”
Matteo sighs, glancing around the room. “Ask mio fratelli while they’re all here. I’m not surprised they were searching; we’re exhausting every avenue on this manhunt. You already know this.”
Severo clears his throat, quickly peppering his gaze at each of us before saying, “Sì, I do, sir. Uh, the laptop doesn’t belong to them.”
At this, all of our eyebrows skyrocket in shock. Could this be the traitor we’ve so desperately been searching for? Finally? And in our own home, to top it off! They will bleed for this, and the best part of all, we can grab them right now without them having the faintest idea we’re on to them.
Santino quietly comments, “I had wondered if it was someone on the staff. Fuck, I should’ve gone with my gut.”
Severo sighs, his shoulders tight. He is seriously sweating over this new information, which is not like him. He’s calm, been in the game for a long time; hell, he was around to work under my father for many years. What could be so bad it has him nervous to speak up? “Capo, you may want to hear this privately.”
Matteo stands, staring Severo down. “Say what you came to say, Severo. I’m losing patience.”
“It came from one of the wives’ laptops.”
A few of us draw in a collective, silent breath of surprise. I did not see that one coming. “Who?” he demands, his voice low. “Wait,” he holds up a hand. He pins his stern stare on each of us, asking, “Was it one of you? Tell me now.”
I shake my head. My brothers follow suit, all of our answers a resounding no.
Our Capo swears, running his hand over his face before asking, “Who? Give me a name.”
“Arianna.” By the dejected expression he wears, he definitely did not want to confess her name aloud.
Cris immediately shouts, arguing it’s untrue, threatening to kill him for speaking her name. We jump into action, separating our younger brother from having it out with the well-trained Mademan. Cristiano would kill him to prove his point, and Severo, being utterly loyal to the famiglia, would let him.
Severo speaks over our furious brother, telling Matteo, “But it’s not all.” Our stares fly back to his face. “I knew if I came to you with this, you’d require proof. So I followed the location, pinpointing it to a specific part of the house. I cross-checked it with the cameras and found another wife using Arianna’s laptop.”
We’re all waiting with bated breath. This can’t be happening, not with one of the wives. We trust them; they’ve practically been through hell to be married to mio fratelli. I won’t believe it until I have absolute proof, those women are devoted.
Mothers to the Vendetti future.
My heart pounds away in my chest, beating so quickly I nearly think I’m having one of my freak-out breathing things happen again. I find Santino’s gaze, his filling with concern as he notices me growing pale. I can feel the color draining from my face as I wait on whatever news is coming. My heart will break because I’ve grown to love these women as something more than just sisters through marriage. But it’s mio fratelli I worry about the most. This will absolutely destroy them. Our famiglia doesn’t handle betrayal well, but it coming from the woman they love? Well, it’s enough to make them wish they were no longer breathing, and the thought of losing one of them to this, frankly, is terrifying.
Santino moves to my side. I watch him, noticing how he’s exaggerating his breaths so I’ll mimic him. He does it without speaking so no one else will pay us any attention. If only the breathing and counting technique would fix this train wreck.
“Mischa was using her laptop.”
Santino bursts out, “No fucking way!”
At the same time, I say, “There has to be a mistake.” Our stares lock on Matteo, imploring our Capo to put an end to this madness.
“Bring her to me,” he orders, and Severo turns to do his bidding. We’re right behind him when our fratello says, “Not you two. Santino, Luciano, you’re staying here. If you push me, I’ll have her brought downstairs, and I’m sure you don’t want that,” he threatens.
“Fair is fair,” Valentino comments. Bastardo. He may’ve been fucking the enemy and had to watch her get tortured, but I’m not. I would know if Mischa was working for the Irish. I was there when she was taken, I saw with my own two eyes her reaction. I felt her bloody body tremble against me when I took her into my arms after I’d killed him. She’d have to be a damn good actress and fortunately for her, I can read her like an open book. Let’s hope mio fratello is able to see the same thing I do when I demand her honesty and loyalty.
We wait, the air filled with tension. I can’t speak; my mind is too busy racing as I try to remember every time I’d noticed she was left alone. While me and Santy worked, it was never for too long. One of us or Rorik was always around her, checking in, eating together, or whatever. Oh, fuck. Please don’t let Rorik be involved in this. Matteo will be even harder on him because he’s a man, and I don’t know if my little Russian prince can hold his shit together long enough to survive the Capo’s questioning.
The door opens once again, an angry Mischa being closely followed by Severo and a few of the other men who work the Estate during the day. Severo must’ve called for backup, expecting a fight. She’s led inside, one of the guys passing off a laptop to Severo, who in turn places it on Matteo’s desk. The screen’s still lit up, showing the damning proof.
Matteo’s expression is completely passive, hiding his emotions aside from his furious stare. It bores into Mischa as she stands before him, appearing tiny compared to Capo’s towering frame. He’s the tallest out of all of us, his presence eating up the space around him in his finely tailored suits. Even if you had no idea who he is, you’d still find him unbelievably intimidating.
Her hands tremble at her sides, giving away her nervousness, even though she has her moments of bravery, I’ve discovered. She’s smart enough to know something is not right and she’s at the center of attention. In this famiglia, unless you’re getting married or having a bambino, garnering the Capo’s attention is a bad thing.
“Explain yourself,” Matteo orders, his voice cold and unforgiving.
Mischa draws in a deep breath, steeling herself for being questioned in a room full of intimidating men. No one here will save her in this; she has to be able to sway us to believe her, and so help me, I want to with everything in me. She’s too damn important to be stabbing us in the back. She means too much, not only to Santino but to me as well.
“I was trying to gather information,” she confesses, her voice unwavering. “I have to know more about the Irish and their plans. I need to help protect our family.”
Valentino scoffs incredulously, and Salvatore places a hand on his shoulder, silencing him. Thankfully, because I don’t think I can handle his shit on top of this right now. We all watch as Matteo studies Mischa intently, searching for any hint of deception in her words.
“I was researching... attempting to discover any possible information that could help us. I swear, Matteo, I would never betray the Empire or the family. I made a vow to both of your brothers on my wedding day that they’d have my loyalty. L-Luciano saved my life. You all saved my papa, trusted him enough to let him stay here when he was hurt. This is my family now too, and I refuse to be pushed aside like a trophy wife. I’m smart, I can help. Let me help you, please, Capo.”
Our brother’s expression remains unreadable as he studies her, weighing her words carefully. The room remains silent, waiting to see where this goes, the only sound being the soft hum of electronics in the background. Then, without warning, he reaches out and grabs the laptop, twisting it around to reveal the screen. He looks over the open page, scrolling lower, then clicks a few times to see what’s on the other open tabs.
She holds her breath as Matteo scans the contents, his eyes narrowed. After a tense moment, he stands to his full height once again, casting a gaze around the room before pinning it back on our gorgeous, curvy woman. “Severo will be reviewing your history, confirming your explanation.”
“He’s welcome to; I have nothing to hide.”
“No? Then why use Ari’s laptop and not yours if you have nothing to hide?”
“Because I’m new here. I expected your men would be tracking me and monitoring anything I do. I wanted to prove I could be useful to you all before your men decided to break down the door to question me.”
Mio fratello softens just a touch; I can see it in the way his fingers relax at his side, releasing the fist he’d had his fingers curled into. A flicker of something akin to respect crosses his features before he closes the laptop with a decisive snap and stares head-on at Mischa once more. There’s a threat coming; I know it.
“You have spirit, I’ll give you that,” he comments, his tone unreadable. “Severo will confirm what you claim, and we’ll put an end to this speculation. Make no mistake, if we discover any trace of deception...” he allows the implication of his words to hang in the air, unspoken, yet understood by all.
Mischa nods, her resolve unwavering. She has to know she’s putting everything on the line by involving herself in the dangerous world of the Mafia. Part of me wonders how far she’d be willing to go, to take it, to protect those in her newfound famiglia.
Capo’s piercing gaze lingers on me and Santino for a moment before he turns on his heel and strides toward the door without a word, leaving the room in a disquieting silence. Severo follows close behind, his expression inscrutable as he shoots one last suspicious glance at Mischa before disappearing through the doorway. I don’t like this one bit. Not only because I would be such a blind fool if she’s guilty, but because this will cause a new war. One we can’t afford right now, facing down the Bratva on top of the four-leaf-clover collectors. Thank Christ Dante’s marriage has calmed down the beef with the Chicago Crew, or we’d be stretched entirely too thin, wasting away from the pressure of our combined enemies.
I run my hand over my jaw, noticing the stubble needing to be shaved again already, and meet Santino’s worried stare, exchanging a tense look. Uncertainty gnaws at my gut. Mischa continues to stand her ground, chin held high despite the palpable tension in the air and being surrounded by the intimidating presence of mio fratelli. It’s evident she's determined to prove her loyalty to us, no matter the cost. Because if she’s guilty, I have no doubt in my mind that Matteo Vendetti will slit her throat like any other enemy threatening the safety and sanctuary of his famiglia. It’s why he’s Ruthless ; he never stutters in whatever he may have to do.
Minutes tick by, feeling like hours… hell, it could be at this rate. I’m too busy gnawing on the inside of my cheek, a habit I haven’t had since I was a boy, allowing it to distract me from watching the clock. Finally, the sound of footsteps echoes from the corridor outside, and I release a sigh. My heart quickens as mio fratello re-enters his office, his usually stoic face betraying a trace of surprise.
Beside him, Severo wears an inscrutable mask, adding to the suspense that hangs thick in the air. Matteo clears his throat, breaking the heavy silence by saying, “We’re still looking into everything, but for the most part, your story checks out.”