16. Chapter 15
Tucker
Lucian’s jaw had been clenched since my father walked through the door the night before. At this rate, his dentist was going to have a lot of work to do on his teeth as he had to be grinding them down.
We walked into the same room we’d interrogated Leo in and there were four chairs bolted to the floor with four hooded figures sitting in them. “Here is your final test, boys. You are to execute the innocents sitting in these chairs. This will show your willingness to put the family above all else.”
As each of us were handed a gun and walked to the chair we’d been appointed, I thought back on the conversation the guys and I’d had the night before.
“When they hand us the guns, why don’t we just turn and shoot Lucian? We all know the world would be a better place with him not in it.”
Sandro shook his head. “If any of you three shoot him, I’d have to execute you.
If I shoot him, the syndicate will execute me.
Patricide is strictly forbidden. It keeps sons from killing their fathers to take their power.
If I die, the family goes to Marco’s dad and trust me when I say, he’s no better than Lucian. ”
Marco nodded. “He’ll for sure be bidding on that girl's virginity. He has a thing for girls that aren’t exactly legal yet.”
As I pulled off the hood of the guy sitting in the chair, I wished I could turn the gun on Lucian. He was still a kid, probably only sixteen. His mouth was bound so he couldn’t talk, but his eyes were wet with tears, fear reflecting in them as he knew what was about to happen.
“He’s a child, Lucian.” My father’s voice had me looking over my shoulder. “Why are those three killing grown men and my son has to kill a teenage boy?”
Lucian rolled his eyes. “Because your son is soft and I want to know that he can take care of my daughter at all costs.”
“This is bullshit and you know it.” Apollo put a hand on my dad’s shoulder, but he just shrugged it off. “Is this because me showing up earlier than you expected forced you to stick to your word?”
Lucian’s jaw ticked. “No. These men were captured yesterday afternoon, before your arrival in New York. Now, we’d all like to get on with our afternoon, especially my men who will have to clean up this room and dispose of the bodies.”
“I’m sure you’ll understand that we have brought our own disposal crew for the body of Tucker’s kill.”
Lucian’s head whipped toward my father, looking at him for the first time since he spoke. “Do you not trust me?”
My dad laughed. “Not at all.”
I expected Lucian to be mad, but he just laughed. “Fair enough. I’d do the same for my heir.” The tension in the room dropped as it seemed that they were now in agreement, even though I knew my dad was still furious. “On the count of three. One. Two.”
I looked at the boy in front of me and pictured Brennan.
They were about the same age. This boy hadn’t done anything to deserve the bullet that was about to go in his brain, but neither had Bren.
All I was doing was choosing Brennan’’s life over his.
“I’m sorry.” It was a whisper, not loud enough that Lucian or anyone other than the boy in front of me would hear.
He closed his eyes right as Lucian spoke the last number. “Three.”
All four guns went off at once, and there was cheering from Lucian’s men behind us.
When I turned, Lucian’s face carried a wide smile.
“Well done men.” This was the first time he hadn’t called us boys, and I hated the fact that it was because we’d now taken innocent lives.
“All that’s left is the blood oath. Then we’ll head back to the estate.
We need to meet before the celebration tonight.
Tomorrow, they’ll get their tattoos to symbolize their commitment to the family. ”
Lucian started the oaths with Elio, then Marco. He was saving Sandro for last since that was his heir. When it was my time, I stepped forward, bracing myself for the pain of the knife slicing across my palm.
My dad joined Lucian, looking at the paper in his hand before he spoke. “Since your vow isn’t the one everyone else takes, I don’t have it memorized.” I gave him a slight nod, but contained the smile that wanted to break free at Lucian admitting he wasn’t fully prepared. “Repeat after me.”
“On my name and the lives of the ones I love, I swear loyalty to the Vitale family. Breaking this oath would not only bring shame to myself and the Givenchy name, but certain punishment. I will keep the secrets of the family and build no alliances with any of the other syndicate families without express permission from the head of the Vitale family. I will protect Arianna and our heirs with my life and avenge all wrongs done to them. So I swear in blood and honor.”
Lucian sliced the knife across my palm and my blood dripped onto the Vitale crest that was usually hung up in his office. I’d never known before today that the red on it was actual blood. I thought it was just designed that way.
When I stepped back, Apollo wrapped my hand with sterile cloth to stop the bleeding as he and my dad both clapped me on the shoulder and told me they were proud of me. I was sure they’d have more to say behind closed doors, but for now, that was all they could risk.
Finally, it was over. Less than a week and I would marry the love of my life and get the fuck out of this nightmare.
My family arrived about thirty minutes ago and it was so nice to see them all again. We were having a big dinner tonight in honor of my and Ari’s upcoming wedding, and now, everyone was in the back yard socializing and enjoying cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
Lucian gave my father a nod, telling him it was time to head to his office. He tried to make it seem like this was just a chance for all the men to celebrate, but I knew the asshole was up to something.
My father, uncles, and I joined Lucian, his brother Antonio, and Alessandro in his office. Everyone was poured a glass of bourbon, even me and Sandro.
Lucian lifted his in their air. “To the merging of two powerful families.” We all joined in raising our glasses, then took a drink. “Now, I want to discuss the wedding night.”
My father nodded and sat his glass down.
“Your family has traditions about how that is to go and we’ve agreed to honor them.
” We all thought it was barbaric that the bed sheets Ari and I had sex in would be hung in the banquet hall during brunch the next morning.
It was done so that everyone could see that her virginal blood was on them, verifying not only her purity, but that I fulfilled my duty of consummating the marriage.
Lucian nodded as he finished his drink. “Yes, but with the way things have been over the past couple of months, I wanted to discuss this. You see, while the bedsheets being hung is a more recent tradition in the past couple of generations, previously there was another tradition. The bedsheet thing was done to give the new couple privacy, but I don’t really feel comfortable with that as it’s been brought to my attention that there could be attempts to deceive me.
For that reason, I want to return to the former tradition. ”
I could feel the tension in the room thicken, though no one showed any emotion on their face. Not a muscle moved on my father other than his mouth as he chose his words wisely. “Please elaborate on what you’ve heard.”
“Our deal is that my daughter is a virgin on her wedding night, and your son is to provide us an heir as soon as possible so that the alliance is firmly in place. However, rumor has it that he is looking for ways to keep her from getting pregnant. Also, after having watched him during the brothel assignment, when he wouldn’t even look at the naked women and kept his eyes closed the whole time that he jerked off, I worry that maybe he isn’t attracted to women. ”
My dad crossed one leg over the other as he sat back in his chair. I knew him as well as I knew myself so I knew he was trying to figure out what exactly this old tradition was and how he was going to get me out of it.
“I assure you, sir, that I’m not gay. I simply closed my eyes out of respect for my future wife.
I’m looking forward to our wedding night and being able to lose my virginity.
” I was a shit liar, so I couldn’t address the part about trying to make sure she didn’t get pregnant or he’d know those rumors were true.
Dad brought his hand up to his face in a thinking pose.
It was how he always set when he was about to chew one of us a new asshole, but he wasn’t going to do that to Lucian, so I was a little confused.
“I know of no plan to keep Arianna from getting pregnant. If you suspected something, why didn’t you have the doctor test her blood when he checked her over earlier this week? ”
“I did. The presence of birth control was not detected, but there are other ways of keeping a baby from happening. Condoms, for instance, of which I know your son has a box in his room.” He lifted a hand as my dad leaned forward in his seat.
“None of my people have been in his room unauthorized. I merely saw him purchasing them when I was watching surveillance of the bodega near where he was sent to collect money.”
Apollo laughed. “If that’s what this is about, then it’s all just a big misunderstanding.
” It wasn’t. I absolutely had bought condoms for my wedding night, but Apollo was going to lie for me, because he could lie like a pro.
“Last Thursday, right? The day before they went to the brothel?” Lucian nodded.
“I told him to pick some up for me while he was out. When I talked to my wife the night before she told me she thought she’d be on her period when she got here for the wedding.
Women are so weird about period sex, and while mine isn’t against it, she says if I want her to put out during that time, I have to wrap it.
Something about the consistency of the blood when mixed with cum and it giving her the ick.
Anyway, after almost two months away from her, I plan to basically live balls deep in her for the next few weeks. ”
Sex was something my family never shied away from talking about, so hearing him say that wasn’t even weird or surprising. I learned what a hymen was at nine when my Aunt Silver first came to brunch with the family and had a bodyguard with her that she called her hymen guard.
Lucian ran his tongue across his front teeth as he thought about it, his eyes not leaving Apollo until he’d made his decision and turned his attention back to my father.
“Excuse me if I’m still skeptical. I’m sure you understand that you don’t get to this position without people trying to stab you in the back and undermine your authority.
” Much like he’d done by trying to have the blood oath before my father arrived.
“I must still insist on the older family tradition. As the contract states that our family traditions will be followed, there’s nothing you can negotiate on this. ”
He was right, and my dad knew it. “What is this older family tradition you want followed?”
“The consummation of the marriage will be witnessed. Myself, my brother, Sandro, my other lieutenants, as well as you and your brothers will be in the room to observe. He will take her virginity in front of all of us, then when he is finished, he will show us her blood on his cock and we’ll verify his semen inside of her. ”
Sandro’s eyes met mine and while neither of us changed our facial expression, I knew we were on the same page. This was fucked up and we were the only ones that could change it.
“That’s outrageous." My dad was furious and for the first time ever, I worried that he was going to lose his temper. “A newly wed couple should not have to consummate their marriage in front of an audience.”
Lucian shrugged. “It’s the tradition that I’m requiring.”
“I mean no disrespect at all, but I object to everyone in the room being able to verify I came inside her. Once those papers are signed and the vows said, her pussy belongs to me and me alone. I will not allow other men to ogle my property.”
All eyes turned to me. I didn’t take my attention away from Lucian, but I felt my father shift beside me.
This was the distraction he needed to get himself under control.
Much to my surprise, Lucian didn’t say a word about me not having the authority to speak.
“The verification is the only way to prove that you were able to complete your part of the deal. Simply getting your dick wet and breaking her hymen won’t give us an heir.
We need to know that you’re capable of finishing the job and see proof of that. ”
“I understand that. My proposal is that only one person does the verifying. I choose Sandro.” My eyes flicked to him and the look he gave me said he planned to kill me one day.
Lucian looked at Sandro, then back to me. “Why him?”
I had a litany of reasons, but only one I would give him. “He’s the heir to your family, as I am the heir to mine. We’ve worked all summer to ensure the future generations of the families work together, so who better to observe the beginning of the next generation?”
He still wanted to murder me, but after I gave him the main reasons I chose him, I felt confident that he’d understand.
Lucian thought about it for a minute, while everyone else sat silently, waiting on him to make his decision. Finally, after what felt like forever, he gave me a nod. “It is agreed. The consummation will be witnessed and Sandro is the one that will verify Tucker's virility.”