Chapter 36 ROSE
ROSE
Ichew my thumbnail raw, pacing the length of my bedroom like a caged bird. My stomach twists in knots, tighter with every breath.
Dan straightens his tie, cool and composed, like we’re just heading out to a Sunday brunch, not a showdown with my brother.
“Dark grey looks good on you,” I murmur, my eyes raking over him despite the storm inside me. “Matches your eyes.”
It’s the first time I’ve stopped pacing since I woke up this morning, and it lasts all of three seconds before the anxiety pulls me back into motion.
Dan’s hand catches my wrist mid-step, his fingers warm and steady. He tugs me closer, anchoring me to his chest. “Stop worrying. Everything will be fine.”
Fine, he says. He has no idea how volatile this could get. Has Dan forgotten what he did the last time he was here? “You have no idea how much my brother hates you,” I breathe, my chest tight.
A crooked smile tugs at the corner of Dan’s mouth. “He’ll probably hate me even more after our meeting.”
My heart drops like a stone. “Why? You won’t hurt him, will you?” Elio and I have had our differences, but I love my brother.
“Because I have a load of dirt on him and his operations,” he says too casually, as if we’re just talking about the weather.
“And I’m unarmed. My only ammunition is the USB stick in my pocket.
I may rough him up a little, but I won’t kill him.
” His grin widens and I can’t tell if he’s joking or not.
Hairs prickle on my skin. “Dan, you wouldn’t…” My voice falters. “He’s all Mamma has left here. He’s my brother.”
“It’s just leverage.” He says it like that’s meant to reassure me, but it doesn’t. “Are you ready?”
I’ll never be ready, but I force a deep breath, wrap my fingers around the door handle, and pull it down. As we step into the hall, I squeeze Dan’s hand tight, like a lifeline in the storm. I remind myself this isn’t the past. History can’t repeat itself. He’s here with me. He stayed till morning.
My chest tightens even more when Angelos appears in his pyjamas, climbing the grand staircase. He freezes at the sight of us, eyes narrowing, lips curling in disgust at the way I’m holding Dan’s hand.
“What are you doing here?” Angelos snaps, his narrowed eyes focusing on Dan.
My heart aches. The boy who used to reach for my hand now looks at me like I’ve betrayed him.
I push the pain aside, wondering how we’re going to tell him the truth when he’s been poisoned against his true father.
Guilt gnaws at my insides. It’s all my fault.
I never should have sent him those stupid letters, pretending they were from Magnus, but I never wanted him to feel unloved like I did.
I should’ve realised a mother’s love was enough, but I never felt enough for him.
“Dan’s here to see Uncle Elio,” I say, keeping my voice even. “Have you seen him this morning?”
“He’s having breakfast with Nonna,” Angelos replies, his lips still tight.
“Did you find a charger for your Switch?” I ask, desperate for a moment of normality.
“Bruno gave me one.” Angelos walks back down the stairs with us, like he doesn’t want to miss anything.
“Angelos, will you wait in your room? Dan and I need to speak with Uncle Elio.”
Dan stays silent, which is just as well. He doesn’t need to pour oil on this fire. I focus on my boy, on my racing heart, on keeping it together as he huffs and climbs back up the staircase to his bedroom.
As we approach the heavy wooden doors of the dining room, I hesitate, my palm slick against the handle. Dan squeezes my hand and nods reassuringly, and I inhale and push the door open.
Cutlery clatters against the plate. Elio rises from the head of the table like a storm brewing over dark seas. His chair scrapes back with a screech that sets my nerves even more on edge. Mamma sits beside him in her wheelchair, frail but defiant.
“What’s he doing here?” Elio’s voice is low and controlled, but full of bitterness.
“He’s with me,” I say quickly, stepping into the room before Dan can speak.
“I’m unarmed. I need to talk to you.” Dan lifts his hands in surrender, but Elio’s already drawing his gun.
“You can go to hell,” my brother spits, pointing the gun at Dan. “Rose, step aside.”
Mamma’s frail hand slams against the table. “Elio! Put your gun away. Listen to what he has to say.”
“He killed Father,” Elio growls, finger tightening on the trigger. “Why would you want to hear what he has to say?”
“Because your father was a tyrant,” Mamma answers calmly.
My breath catches in my throat. Old wounds fester in my mind, but now is not the time to think about Papa.
“How the hell did you get in here?” Elio ignores Mamma’s pleas and holds the gun steady.
My heart twists. I open my mouth to speak, but Dan steps in, his voice even and steady.
“You need better security,” he says. His calm rattles me more than my brother’s fury.
“I let him in. He’s with me.” I shield Dan with my body, afraid if I move an inch, Elio will shoot.
Elio’s glare cuts into me like a blade. “I should’ve known. This isn’t the first time you’ve let him into our family home, Rose. When are you going to learn?”
Heat creeps up my neck, but I don’t waver. I hold my ground, standing in front of Dan like a shield, though inside, I’m shaking. Thank heavens Angelos isn’t here to see this.
Dan lifts his hands higher. “I have intel you’ll want to see,” he says evenly. “Information about you, Elio. Evidence that could see you rotting in jail for the rest of your life.”
Elio’s eyes narrow, his finger twitching dangerously on the trigger. Sweat beads on his forehead, but his aim doesn’t falter. “You dare to come into my home and threaten me?”
Dan keeps his voice level, unflinching. “I’m merely stating facts. How this plays out is up to you. But I have a proposition.”
Elio’s jaw ticks. For a heartbeat, I wonder if he’ll pull the trigger, anyway. But then he lowers the gun just a little. “You’d better start talking, Bianchi, before I silence you once and for all.”
We move to the table. Dan takes the seat across from Mamma, but I can’t bear to let go of him. I stay at his side, my hand tight on his arm, like he’s the only thing tethering me to solid ground.
Dan’s words are sharp and deliberate. “I want a truce between our families. The Messinas are taking over the docks and intercepting cargo.”
Elio scoffs. “What the hell has that got to do with me?”
“Because the cargo they’re intercepting is yours, as well as Riccardo’s. If we teamed up, they wouldn’t dare operate in the vicinity.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Elio snaps.
Dan reaches slowly into his pocket, and I hold my breath. Elio’s hand twitches, holding the gun, his eyes darkening with suspicion.
Dan produces a small USB stick, holding it between his fingers like a grenade ready to blow. “Intel on the Messinas,” he says simply. “If you cooperate, I keep the intel I have on you to myself.”
“What’s in it for you?” Elio growls, mistrust oozing from every word.
Dan’s eyes flick to mine, full of warmth, almost making me forget the chill in my blood. “A truce. No more family rivalry.”
Elio sneers. “Why the fuck would you care?”
Dan’s voice softens, but it feels like a blow to my chest. “Because I’m sure Rose will want her family with us when we marry.”
My breath catches. My fingers tighten around his thigh beneath the table as warmth ripples through my chest.
“I think you’re forgetting,” Elio bites out, venom dripping from his words, “that my sister is already married.”
A bitter taste fills my mouth. Acid creeps up my throat.
Dan’s gaze hardens, his voice dropping to a low growl. “I got rid of the bastard once.”
I turn to him, my heart lurching. “That was you?” My voice is barely above a whisper. “You put him in prison?”
Dan’s hand covers mine, firm and sure. “I’ll finish the job properly this time,” he vows. His voice is like unbending steel. “He won’t have the luxury of a cell after everything he did to you.”
Elio places the gun next to his plate and nods to the USB stick in Dan’s hand.
Dan throws it the short distance across the table and my brother catches it, a curl on his lips as if he just scored a home run.
“I’ll take a look at this before I make any deals with a Bianchi.”
The door creaks open, a familiar voice slithers into the room. “Isn't this a cosy family reunion?”
I whip my head around, my throat tightening painfully. Icicles scrape down my spine.
No.
Magnus strolls along the back wall, behind Mamma and Elio, casual as you please, plucking from the breakfast buffet like he’s a guest at a family brunch. And behind him… oh please, no.
Angelos.
My breath lodges in my throat. I can’t move. I can’t speak.
My son follows Magnus like a shadow, as if he belongs at his side.
Terror claws at my insides. My legs tremble beneath me, my knees weak.
Dan stiffens like a coiled spring beside me. I feel the tension radiating off him, his whole body ready to launch across the table and rip Magnus apart with his bare hands.
Mamma’s voice cracks the tension. “Who let the dog in?”
Magnus pops a grape into his mouth, smiling like the devil himself. “My dearest mother-in-law. Have you forgotten we’re family?”
I gasp for breath. It’s as if he’s taking up all the air. “Angelos,” I rasp, my breath tight in my lungs. “Come to me.”
Magnus’s hand crawls onto my son’s shoulder, like a deadly spider, weaving him into his web.
Dan rises from his seat, slow and steady, baring his teeth. My brother’s gun rests on the other side of the table next to my brother’s plate. He’d have to be fast to lunge for it, but he wouldn’t risk shooting Magnus with Angelos so close to him.
“It seems the boy and your brother are the only ones around here who know loyalty,” Magnus says, his words like a blade to my chest.
I can’t tear my eyes from Angelos. He won’t even look at me. His young, conflicted face is pinched tight, his lips drawn into a stubborn line. What’s happened to my sweet boy?