Chapter 17 Luca
LUCA
I work to rein in my tempter as I make my way through the house toward my brother’s office.
I’m not happy with having to leave Katerina and Enzo behind, but I have to ward off whatever bullshit is coming our way.
I know my brother—hell, both of them, probably—would like to sacrifice me to get the heat off the family, but I won’t make it easy for them.
When I push through the doors, the murmuring conversations instantly die.
A semicircle of stern faces turns toward me, the family elders in their tailored suits, my siblings arranged by rank.
Alessandro sits in our father's chair, naturally.
"Nice of you to join us," Alessandro says, voice dripping with disdain.
Adriano sits at Alessandro's right hand, looking conflicted.
Valentina offers me the barest hint of a sympathetic smile from her position on the other side of Alessandro.
I take the empty seat opposite Alessandro, refusing to lower my eyes.
The whispers start again, voices debating my fate without bothering to include me in the conversation.
"Shall we begin?" Alessandro asks, silencing the room with a raised hand. "We're here to discuss the… situation my brother has created with the Bratva."
I clench my jaw. "You want to know what happened?
" I lean forward. "Pyotr Petrov kidnapped my son.
The son I never knew I had until I came back here.
" I glance around the room, wondering how many of them knew. I’m a little surprised that all of them have eyebrows up to their hairline in surprise.
All except Valentina. But my guess is she suspected more than knew anything. Still, she could have called me.
Alessandro's expression doesn't change. "And you thought storming the Bratva compound alone was the appropriate response?"
"I did what any father would do. Or at least any father who cared for their son. We all know ours wouldn’t have. Maybe not even for you, Alessandro.”
“You’re such a drama queen,” Adriano scoffs.
I lock eyes with each person at the table. "Pyotr tried to get Katerina to betray the family. When she refused, he took our boy."
Adriano shifts in his seat. "How convenient that you show up after seven years, and suddenly, you're in the middle of a war with the Bratva."
I roll my eyes. “Are you this stupid?” Again I look at each person in the room. “This war started way before I got here. I’m the only one with the balls to stand up to them.”
Adriano looks over to Alessandro, probably wondering if he’s going to let me get away with such disrespect.
"Yet you left a pile of bodies behind," Alessandro says, fingers steepled. "Including Pyotr."
“That wasn’t my intent. But I was caught. If anyone pulls a gun on me, I kill them. Pyotr used Enzo as a shield and held a gun to his head.” I shake my head. “Tell me any of you wouldn’t have done exactly what I did.”
The room falls silent.
"I don't regret killing him," I say. "I'd do it again."
Valentina leans forward. "If what Luca says is true, Pyotr was already working against us. He could be the mole we've been hunting."
"Or perhaps Luca is the mole," Uncle Salvatore interjects from the end of the table. "He returns, and suddenly our shipments are being hit? Our secrets exposed?"
"That's bullshit," I growl.
"Is it?" Alessandro counters. "You abandoned this family once. Why should we believe your loyalty now?"
"I didn't abandon anyone," I say through gritted teeth. "Jesus fuck! I was exiled. There's a difference."
"Your choices led to that exile," Alessandro says. "And now your choices have brought the Bratva to our doorstep demanding your head."
I sit back, feeling like I’m in a netherworld. Is this what the family has come to? “Listen, the Bratva has been fucking with you while you sit around with your dicks in your hands letting them get away with it.”
They all bristle, but I keep on. “What happened last night, they started. They wanted Katerina to steal papers. They kidnapped Enzo to make it happen. Hand me over if you want, but you’ll just prove to them that you don’t have the balls to protect what’s yours.
” I look Alessandro in the eyes. “I’m not your enemy, Brother.
They are. Until you get that through your thick skull and take action, the Bratva will keep coming, and from what I’ve seen so far, they’ll burn you to the ground. ”
“You shouldn’t talk to your Don like that,” Uncle Matty sputters.
“He’s not my Don.” I study them. “I was kicked out, remember? I’m the head of my own family now. You can listen to my warnings or not, but you won’t be telling me how to run my life or prevent me from protecting what’s mine.”
The debate spirals, voices rising as family members take sides. Some argue for my defense, others for sending me to the Russians as a peace offering.
"Enough!" Valentina slams her hand on the table. "While we fight among ourselves, the Bratva is planning their next move. We need solutions, not accusations."
At least she seems to see the situation as I do.
Alessandro’s expression darkens as he realizes he's losing control of the room.
He stands, commanding the room. "The solution is simple. You leave New York by nightfall, or we turn you over to the Bratva."
I don’t know why his words hurt like they do. I guess deep down, I hoped he’d see me as his brother. As someone who was looking out for the family.
My fists clench. “I’m not leaving my son or Katerina.”
"It's what's best for the family," Alessandro says. "Your family, if I need to remind you, includes more than just your mistress and bastard."
I'm on my feet before I realize it, the chair crashing behind me. I push Alessandro against the wall.
"Say that again about my son."
Adriano rises, hand sliding inside his jacket. "Sit down, Luca."
"No." My heart hammers against my ribs. "Kill me if you must, but I'm done letting this family dictate my life."
Alessandro's face reddens. "This isn't negotiable. The Bratva wants blood. Yours or all of ours."
I study him. “When did you become such a pussy?” I push him again and then back off. “Handing me over isn’t going to stop them from going after you. If anything, it will embolden them. If you’re not going to fight for your business, you might as well hand it over to them.”
“You don’t know anything,” Adriano says.
“I know more than you, little brother. Look.” I hold my hands up. “If you want to kowtow to them, I won’t stop you. But I'm not leaving Katerina and Enzo behind. Not again."
"Then you've sealed your fate," Alessandro says coldly. "And perhaps theirs as well."
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Valentina's voice cuts through the tension. She stands slowly, commanding attention despite being the youngest and a woman. "Something doesn't add up."
Alessandro sighs. "This isn't the time for your theories, Val."
“What file?”
Everyone in the room looks confused.
“What does it matter?” Alessandro says, adjusting his suit jacket.
“What does it matter?” Valentina’s voice holds the same shock I feel at their dismissal of the Bratva’s attacks. “What’s in it? How would it help the Bratva? How does he know about it?”
I roll my shoulders. “Sure, give them the file. Maybe that will make them happy.”
“I’m not giving them a file.” Alessandro sits down.
“Why not? You’re willing to give them everything else they want.”
“Luca, sit down,” Valentina snaps. “I swear, dicks make you all dumb as rocks. Pyotr was aware of a file. Who told him about it?”
It’s as if a light bulb goes off for my uncles. “You’re saying there could be more than one traitor,” Matty says.
“Yes.”
Murmurs erupt around the table.
Alessandro's face turns to stone. "This changes nothing.”
“Of course not,” I scoff.
Valentina shakes her head at Alessandro. “Luca is right. If we hand him over, we solve nothing. The attacks continue. Attacks that someone in the family is helping coordinate."
For the first time since I arrived, I see uncertainty flicker across Alessandro's face. "Let's not forget the reality of what's happened. You killed Pyotr Petrov. Blood has been spilled, and the Bratva won't simply let this go."
“It gets worse. I might have killed Dimitri Volkov. He was there—”
“Fucking hell, Luca!” Salvatore bursts out. “The Pakhan's nephew?”
I shrug. “He was there. But I wasn’t made until I went inside. I can’t be sure he was one of the men I killed. Most likely, he lived and is the one who reported it was me who was there.”
I take in each person in turn. “Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same to protect your blood.”
Silence answers me. Even Uncle Salvatore, who minutes ago wanted me handed over, can't meet my eyes.
"That's what I thought." I straighten my shoulders. "Pyotr wasn't some innocent victim. He kidnapped my son. He threatened to use Enzo to destroy this family. And when I confronted him, he was ready to put a bullet in a six-year-old boy's head."
Adriano shifts uncomfortably. For all his loyalty to Alessandro, even he can't argue with that.
"The Bratva doesn't care about your reasons," Alessandro counters. "They want retribution."
"Then give them retribution," Valentina says, her voice calm but commanding. All eyes turn to her. "Just not the kind they're expecting."
Now we’re talking.
Alessandro narrows his eyes. "What are you suggesting?"
Valentina glances at me before returning her attention to Alessandro. "Luca built an empire from nothing in Chicago. He's proven he understands strategy, business, and when necessary, ruthlessness."
I watch my sister with newfound appreciation.
"We've been on the defensive with the Bratva for months," she continues. "Maybe it's time we stopped reacting and started acting. With Luca’s help."
"You want to reward him?" Alessandro scoffs.
"I want to use his strengths." Valentina looks directly at him. "Make him a member of the family again. Let him take point on the Bratva situation."
"You can't be serious," Alessandro begins. “We want to appease them, not light a fire.”
“Appease?” I ask, shocked. “Father is rolling in his grave—”
Valentina cuts us both off. "Luca has more reason than any of us to want the Bratva threat eliminated."
I feel the room's energy shift as her words sink in. This isn't just about punishing me. It’s about turning their liability into an asset.
I’m not particularly interested in helping my family, but I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to eliminate the Bratva bastards who put my son’s life in jeopardy. “I’ll find who's betraying this family, and I will end the Bratva threat. For Enzo. For all of us."
Alessandro's eyes lock with mine across the table.
For the first time since I've been home, I see something other than contempt. I see calculation.
“We need him,” Valentina continues to argue on my behalf. “It’s why I sent for him.”
The room goes still as every head turns toward her.
“You sent the letter?” I ask.
"You?" Alessandro's voice drips with disbelief. "Why would you do that without consulting me?"
Valentina doesn't flinch under his glare. "Because you wouldn't have allowed it. And like I said, we need him."
"We don't need anyone who turned their back on this family," Alessandro hisses.
"I didn't turn my back," I interject with a growl. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You know the truth."
"Semantics," Alessandro dismisses with a wave of his hand.
"Not to me." My voice is low, dangerous. "Not to my son, who grew up without a father because of it."
Valentina steps between us, physically breaking our standoff. "Not this again.” She rolls her eyes at us. “What matters is now. Father is dead. The Bratva is at our door. We need every Dante standing together."
A murmur ripples through the room. Even Uncle Salvatore nods reluctantly.
"I call for a vote," Valentina announces. "On whether to reinstate Luca in the family and let him lead our response to the Bratva."
Alessandro's face darkens. "You don't have the authority—"
"We've always been a family that votes," she counters. "Or has that changed under your leadership?"
The challenge hangs in the air between them, and I have to admit, little sis has bigger balls than my brothers do.
Uncle Matty rises first. "Against. The boy broke our code once. He'll do it again."
Salvatore looks torn but ultimately votes against me.
Then Adriano stands. "For," he says simply. "Family is family."
I’m beyond shocked, but I catch his eye, giving him a silent thank you.
Truth is, I’ve already decided I’m going against the Bratva whether the family wants me to or not.
But it will go better if they’re for it.
“For,” Valentina says, and I’m wondering when she got a vote. My father was always a stickler for keeping women out.
Alessandro was smart to see how her sharp mind could be a value to the family.
It’s now up to Alessandro, and I’m not feeling optimistic.
All eyes are on him.
"Seven years ago, you broke our code. Father had no choice but to exile you."
I clench my jaw, waiting for the blade to fall.
"But Valentina is right. We face unprecedented threats." Alessandro's eyes bore into mine. "Our father is dead. Our shipments compromised. We have a traitor in our midst."
The room holds its breath.
"I vote for reinstatement," he says finally. "Temporarily. You find the mole, you end the Bratva threat, then you return to Chicago."
Murmurs of shock ripple through the room.
"And if I fail?" I ask, not trusting this sudden reversal.
Alessandro's smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Then you'll wish we'd handed you to the Russians."
I understand perfectly. Success or death. No middle ground. But it’s always like that in the Mafia.
"Welcome back to the family, Brother," Alessandro says, extending his hand across the table. "Temporarily."
I take his hand, squeezing harder than necessary. "I'll find who betrayed us. And when I do, they'll pay for what happened to Father. For what happened to my son."
“I hope you do.” But I can see in his eyes that even if I fail, he can make me the perfect scapegoat. The sacrificial Dante when someone needs to pay.
I'm fine with that.
Because unlike Alessandro, I don't intend to fail.
Someone will pay for Don Lorenzo's murder.
For threatening my son.
Even if that person is in this room.