31. 31 - Caterina
31 - Caterina
M y apartment hasn’t changed. My things are exactly where I left them, my robe tossed over the chair.
Nothing is out of place. But I turn, my eyes narrowing. “Who’s been staying here?”
“Me.” Gio tilts his head in curiosity, and a hint of wariness. “How did you know?”
“Because it’s far too clean, for one.” I head into my bedroom, my head turning. “I need to get ready.”
“Dom said he got hold of everyone.” He follows me in.
I blow out a breath. “Some will join because they want to. Others will because they don’t want to miss out. And others will report straight back to Matteo.”
“Assuming he’s alive.” Gio takes a seat on the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees.
“He is.” My voice is grim. “Talking of cockroaches. My knife wasn’t at the right angle to get his heart.”
But he’s injured, at least.
I disappear into the shower, sinking into the familiarity of my own things. My own shampoo. My own hairbrush.
When I walk out forty minutes later, I pause in my doorway. “Well. This is cozy.”
Luc glances up. “Come and eat. We have time.”
The others are seated around my table. And the familiar sight creates a suspicious prickle at the back of my throat. I glance at Stefan with a smile.
He fits here. All of them fit here. How strange that they once seemed so out of place. Several cold beers are scattered across the table, and Luc nods to the chilled bottle of white. “Pour us both one?”
I press my lips to his shoulder as I glance over. “Lucia taught you very well.”
“She did.” He piles the carbonara into a bowl. “This was a quick one, though.”
“Have you spoken to her?”
He nods, his warmth soaking into me. “I did. Dante did, too. Do you want to call?”
My chest constricts. “No. Not if everything is fine.”
He sets the pan down, turns to face me. “Little crow.”
Smiling, I shake my head. “It’s not that. I don’t… I’ll be distracted. Later, maybe. After the call.”
He studies me. “Fair enough.”
I slip into the seat beside Stefan. His arm immediately wraps around the back of my chair. “I like your apartment.”
“Me too. You can blame Gio for the cleanliness, though.”
The daylight fades as we eat, all of us quiet as we demolish the food.
It’s been a long day. A long year .
Stefan toys with my hair. “Is there anything I can do? Before the call?”
“No.” I frown. “If they don’t listen, we’re in trouble.”
“If they don’t listen, they are fools,” he says shortly. “You’ll persuade them, Cat.”
He has a lot of faith in me. They all do.
Dante stops at the door. “We could stay.”
“You know as well as I do that you can’t.” I sigh. “We need to be ready.”
He presses his lips to mine. “Use whatever you need to. We’ll do what is needed.”
I get changed as Dom is setting up, slipping on a black camisole and blazer over sleek black trousers. After a moment, I add my black heels, too, despite them not seeing my feet.
My hair is slicked back into a bun, sharp pins keeping it in place and my make-up smoky.
“Will I do?”
His eyes skate over me as he sets the laptop down. “Always, but yes.”
I take a breath. In, and out.
I will have one chance at this. One .
One final game. There will be no more hiding for Matteo or I if this works as we intend it.
“Thirty seconds,” Dom murmurs. I sit in front of the darkened screen, and wait.
The screen flickers to life in front of me. My own face appears first.
And then, slowly, others.
One by one, more faces. Faces I recognise from my childhood. Some of whom I have known all my life.
My uncle crosses his arms, smiling at me. “ Buonasera , Caterina.”
“ Buonasera . It’s good to see you, Marco.”
We say nothing else, aware of the eyes on us. My face remains impassive as I sit silently.
Everyone. I can’t see anyone missing. Every senior Corvo soldier, anyone with men under them, sits in front of me. Close to a hundred, spanning every part of the country. The majority are based locally.
Finally, I incline my head. “ Benvenuto , everyone. Thank you for joining me.”
I take a moment to cast my eyes over the sea of faces. “I appreciate that this was last minute.”
“Indeed.” Eduardo Cavalli clears his throat. “I’m sure that I speak for us all when I say that we’re interested to know why this meeting is taking place.”
I take a breath. “I am asking for your help. All of you. And I would ask that you listen to me speak, before you make a decision.”
Murmurs. Some nods. Some of the faces don’t change. Others look unhappy. Some, curious.
Steepling my fingers, I begin. “You are aware that Matteo Corvo has claimed the role of the capo dei capi . And capo of the Corvo family. A role that he installed himself in after murdering my father and two other capos in cold blood at a peaceful meeting.”
I pause, letting the information sink in before I continue.
“The Cosa Nostra is built on the bonds and rules we have created over hundreds of years. Alliances. Family. Matteo Corvo has ripped that apart in the name of power. He runs unchecked, spilling blood at every opportunity. Murdering children. There is a tenuous balance in our world, a balance we need. A balance between upholding tradition, respect for the hierarchy and adapting to the world as it changes around us.”
“Family,” I say quietly. “Honor. Loyalty. Matteo cares nothing for any of it. And none of us will remain untouched by his greed. He will come for your families, if you do not follow him. Maybe not today, but one day. He will take your daughters, twist your sons into men that you do not wish to recognise. He will destroy the Cosa Nostra if left unchecked, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen. I will not stand by and watch the Cosa Nostra burn.”
“Pretty words,” someone interrupts. I scan the screen. “Good evening, Ricardo.”
The older man doesn’t smile. “A lovely speech, Caterina, but a little redundant. Except for one thing. You are no longer a Corvo, but an Asante . If the rumors are correct, you even wear their brand in your skin. And as such, this discussion should not include you.”
Calm.
“Ricardo.” I tap my chin. “You have three daughters, correct?”
He stiffens. “What of it?”
“Tell me,” I say shortly. “If your daughters were taken, and forced into a marriage with falsified records, would you stand for it? If they were beaten, branded, drugged and raped, would you stand by and watch that happen?”
“I – of course not,” he blusters. He looks to the other faces on the screen. “It would be cause for retaliation, as well you know. Wars have been started for less between the Families.”
“Indeed.” My tone is ice-cold. “And if they were carved up, the pieces of their body scattered across your gardens, would you accept that?”
Plenty of them shift uncomfortably at my stark words. Ricardo reddens.
“We are not talking about the Fusco—.”
“ Any one of your children could be Nicoletta Fusco ,” I snap back at him. “Any one of them could be me . Amie Corvo, my father’s widow, is laying in the hospital as we speak and may never see again because of what Matteo did to her. He tortured her for his own entertainment, and he will do worse if he is not stopped.”
I force myself to take a breath. “As for my own circumstances - your daughters are lucky to have you, Ricardo. My father’s body was still cooling when Salvatore Asante took me by force at Matteo’s request. I had to retaliate for myself. You could always ask my husband how that worked out, if you can find the parts of him I left behind when I was finished. Do you have any other questions about my marriage?”
Ricardo flushes. “Ah – no.”
“I may wear the Asante brand in my skin now,” I say quietly. “But my name is Caterina Corvo. I will always be a Corvo, until the day that I die. It is a promise I have lived by my entire life. Matteo sold me off in an attempt to prove otherwise, and yet I am here. I’m fighting for our future, for your future, while he hides away in my father’s house, content to drink his wine cellar and play at being the capo dei capi with his paid mercenaries surrounding him.”
Elio Maranzano is first to speak in the silence that settles over the call as I finish. “What exactly is your plan?”
“Two nights from now, my men and I will be visiting Matteo. This uncertainty has gone on for too long, and every day, more blood is shed.”
“With what allies?”
I lean back. “Dante V’Arezzo. Luciano Morelli. Giovanni Fusco. And Stefano Asante, the new capo. I’m happy to assure you that he bears no resemblance to his predecessor. They have agreed the use of their men. Matteo has a significant number of paid men in his pocket which we need to counter. Some of them, I can see on this call. They stayed silent as Matteo whipped me.”
More men sit up at that. Several drop off the call altogether.
“There is a new alliance in place.” I tap my finger on the table. “Across the Cosa Nostra. A permanent alliance, to help us weather the challenges we face on the outside. Opportunity. Growth. Strength. We have spent too long on petty squabbles and disagreements, and it has caused a chasm across our world that others like Matteo have exploited.”
I wait for the murmurs to die down. “Assuming, of course, that I remain the Corvo capo. Should Matteo continue, I can assure you that our world will look quite different in the very near future.”
I gaze into the screen. “I will not beg. But we will march, and I will remember who stood by and waited for the coin to land before choosing a side. I expect an answer this evening.”
I’ve barely ended the call before my phone rings. “Marco.”
“Well done.” My uncle doesn’t waste time. “Some will be angry, but if it works, it won’t matter. Do you think he’ll take the bait?”
“I hope so.” I meet Dom’s gaze. His gray eyes glitter as he straps on his weapons. “We’ll find out. How quickly can you get your men here?”
“We’re leaving now. I was holding off for the call. I’m already receiving messages.”
“I trust your judgment. We do need men, Marco. But we need to tread carefully.”
“I understand. I will not waste it.”