2. Domenico
Chapter 2
Domenico
T he family sit around the table, my father already talking about violence and destruction, while I consider the delights that tonight will offer. I want nothing more than to see her again. She’s been on my mind since I woke, and she’ll be in my thoughts until I fall asleep tonight.
Since meeting Lelia, I haven’t considered just what falling for her would mean. I don’t know much about love, but my obsession with her is rather distracting.
“Isn’t that correct, Domenico?” My father’s booming tone snags me from the memory of her full lips to the boardroom where he’s sitting at the head of the table.
“I’m sorry. I missed what you said,” I tell him honestly. I know my father may hate the fact that I am not focused on him, but the truth is far better than telling him a lie.
The long sigh that falls from his lips is something I’ve gotten used to over the years. Even though I’ve been away from the organization for a long while, there’s always been disappointment in his eyes whenever my father looked at me. Perhaps it was my utterance of the words, I’m a lover not a fighter , once when I thought I’d fallen in love for the first time.
Maybe it was something else. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
“I asked you if you were ready to move in on the organization in a full-time capacity. I then said you are part of the family, you’re a Montesano.” His voice drops an octave as he murmurs our family name, the one I wear proudly and always will. But deep in my gut, the idea of hurting Lelia in any way stings. No, it doesn’t just sting, there’s a pain so acute, it’s as if someone has taken a knife and is slowly slicing through my heart.
It’s stupid.
I shouldn’t feel this.
Perhaps I’m finally losing my mind.
“Yes,” I finally give him the answer he’s looking for. If I were to say anything other than what he needs to hear, I may be the one with my head on a chopping block. The same one Father uses to end the lives of his enemies.
Just then, the image of Lelia being led to the dungeon pops into my head and I have to force it away. I have to make sure it’s gone for good because anything else would land us both in trouble.
“Of course, Father. I’m ready to make you proud.” Even as I say the words, I know they may be true, but they’ll never be because deep down, he knows who I am, and I’m not like him. “But I would like to keep as much of a low profile as I can. If they don’t know who I am, our enemies won’t know what’s coming.”
My idea causes him to pause, and I can tell there are a few hundred things racing through his mind. He wants to tell me no, but what I’m proposing is not at all a bad idea. There are men out there who would try to hurt me to get to him, which means if they don’t realize who I am, we’ll be safe. I’ve never been a part of his dealings, and this would make sense.
But there’s another reason I’m allowing him to think about it—Lelia Vitale.
“You will start tomorrow by leading a team in to find the men who are trying to take over the streets. I want you and your cousins to meet with informants in the city.” My father’s voice is stern. There’s no fighting this. Even though I wanted to stay out of the public eye, he is wanting the opposite, and that’s where we have always clashed.