Chapter 27 Luca
LUCA
I pace inside my brother’s office, trying to deal with the imprint of my son's terrified face burned into my brain.
It’s another failure to add to the growing list. I should have been prepared, should have anticipated this level of escalation.
“Bratva has bigger balls than I gave them credit for,” Adriano admits. “Mother fuckers.”
I stop. “Let me go. I’ll kill them all.”
Alessandro sighs in that way parents do when tired of their child’s hijinks. “I have no doubt you’ll kill many, but not all, and it will only escalate the situation.”
Adriano frowns. “You are planning to retaliate, though, right? They can’t get away with walking into our property and—”
“Like Luca walked into theirs and killed Pyotr?”
I glance at Adriano, also worried my brother has gone soft.
“This tit for tat won’t get us anywhere. We’ll spend the rest of our lives retaliating. We have to put an end to it.”
“By killing them all, right? They nearly killed my son. They nearly killed one of their own in Katerina.”
Alessandro’s eyes narrow on me and my gut clenches as I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like what comes out of his mouth next.
“My security isn’t shit. How did they get in? We know they’ve approached Katerina, maybe—”
“Stop there.” My voice is low but deadly. “She’d never put Enzo in danger. Never.” Still, there is a kernel of something about Katerina.
Not doubt, per se, but a feeling like she’s hiding something.
Not that I’m going to tell them that.
“I tend to agree.” Adriano again surprises me by siding with me. “She could be working with them, but she wouldn’t hurt Enzo.”
This conversation is getting us nowhere.
I've faced death more times than I can count, but nothing has ever terrified me like seeing my family in danger.
And that makes me want nothing more than to exterminate the Bratva.
Eliminate them from the face of the earth.
“Let me handle this," I tell Alessandro.
"We'll handle it," he corrects. "That's what family does."
A month ago, I wouldn't have believed those words coming from him.
While I appreciate it now, I’m afraid he’s using it to try and control me… to contain me.
"The Bratva wants me," I say. "So I'll go to them."
Adriano rolls his eyes. “Such the martyr.”
I shoot him a look. “Don’t tell me you haven’t entertained handing me over just to get me and the Bratva out of the picture.”
He gives me a smug shrug.
I turn to Alessandro. “I won’t go unprepared, but I'm done letting them dictate the terms. I’m willing to hand myself over, but you need to make sure the Bratva burns with me.”
My brothers frown. “You’re signing your death warrant,” Alessandro says.
“I know it. So I need your word that you'll take out whoever I miss. You have the manpower. The weapons. Why not end this now?” I briefly consider bringing in some of my men, but I can’t afford to be low-handed in Chicago with my own enemies encroaching.
"And start a war that will spread across the entire East Coast?" Alessandro shakes his head. "You've been gone seven years, Luca. Things have changed. The Bratva has connections we can't afford to ignore."
"So we do nothing?" I slam my palm against his desk. "Wait for them to try again? Maybe succeed next time?"
"I didn't say that."
Adriano pushes away from the wall he was leaning on. "What Alessandro means is we need to be strategic. All-out war means civilian casualties. Police involvement. It means risking everything Father built."
"What Father built is already crumbling," I spit out. "Or did you miss the part where they've been infiltrating us for years?"
Alessandro's eyes narrow. "We're aware. But scorched earth isn't the answer."
"Then what is?" I demand.
"Surgical strikes," Alessandro says. "We identify their key players, take them out one by one. Clean. Quiet."
"While they keep shooting at my family?" My laugh is derisive. "No."
"You always were impatient," Adriano mutters.
I whirl on him. "And you’re being too cautious. How many more need to die before you're willing to get your hands dirty?"
Alessandro steps between us. "Enough. We're on the same side here."
"Are we?" I challenge. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're willing to risk Katerina and Enzo to avoid upsetting the balance of power."
Alessandro's expression hardens.
“This is my family. I guess you wouldn’t understand because you've never loved anyone, Alessandro. Never had a woman you'd die for. Never had a child whose life means more than your own."
Alessandro's jaw tightens. "This isn't about love. It's about strategy."
"Bullshit." I move closer, invading his space. "It's always about love. Why do you think I killed all those men? Why do you think I'm standing here with brothers who helped exile me asking for help? It’s not for the family business. Not for revenge. For them."
"We all have people we care about," Alessandro counters, but they’re just words.
"Do you? Who would you risk everything for? Who would you betray your own blood for?”
Adriano steps toward me, eyes flashing. "You started this whole mess, Luca. Or did you forget slaughtering half the Bratva and killing Pyotr?"
"They kidnapped my son!" I roar, turning on him. "What would you have done?"
"Found another way," he snaps. "One that didn't paint a target on all our backs."
"There wasn't time for another way." My contempt is palpable. "But you wouldn't understand either, would you? After all, you let the love of your life get killed rather than do what needed to be done."
The color drains from Adriano's face. In an instant, he lunges for me, murder in his eyes. "You son of a—"
Alessandro steps between us, shoving Adriano back with surprising force. "Enough!"
“Why don’t you turn that hatred for me onto the Bratva—”
“I said, enough.” Alessandro gets in my face.
The room falls silent except for our ragged breathing. Adriano looks at me like he’s calculating when and where he can kill me.
"Eva has nothing to do with this," Alessandro warns me quietly.
I know I've crossed a line, but I'm too far gone to care. "Doesn't she? Isn't that why he's the perfect soldier now? No heart left to cloud his judgment?"
Adriano moves but Alessandro puts out an arm, restraining him.
"Say one more word about her, and I swear to God—"
"Stop it, both of you," Alessandro commands. He looks between us, his expression hardening. "This is exactly what the Bratva wants. Us divided. At each other's throats."
I step back, still watching Adriano. His pain is raw and for a moment, I regret bringing up Eva, but I can't afford regret right now. Not when Katerina and Enzo are still in danger.
"We need a unified approach," Alessandro continues, maintaining his position between us. "But Luca, you need to understand something. You weren't here when Eva died. So don't you dare use her as a weapon against your own brother."
The rebuke surprises me by making me feel guilty. I look at Adriano again, and behind his rage, I see something I’m all too familiar with. Heartache.
"I'm sorry. I was out of line."
Adriano doesn't acknowledge the apology, but some of the tension leaves his shoulders.
"We can't afford to fight among ourselves," Alessandro says. "Tell me, Luca, are you with us or against us?"
Now I’m the one feeling offended. “With you? You exiled me and yet I’ve killed the men, one of whom was the only man who truly felt like a brother, for you. And you have the nerve to ask me if I’m with or against you?”
“How about you, Alessandro? Are you with me or against me? After all, my inclusion to the family again was only temporary.” I shake my head, feeling like an idiot to think for a moment that we might be family.
“We’re not against you,” Alessandro says. What stands out is that he didn’t say he was with me. “But we can’t go in half-cocked against the Bratva.”
“Yeah, well, I'm sure as hell not waiting for your permission to protect what's mine."
"What are you planning?" Alessandro's voice grows concerned.
"What you're too cautious to do." I move toward the door. "End this. Tonight."
"You'll get yourself killed." Alessandro steps into my path. "You go in alone, you won't make it past the front gate."
"I'll take my chances."
"This is suicide, Luca." He grabs my arm. "Think about Katerina and Enzo. What happens to them when you're dead?"
"That's why I'm doing this!" I wrench free of his grip. "Every second we wait is another second they're in danger."
Alessandro's eyes narrow. "You're not thinking clearly."
"No, I'm thinking like a father. Like a man who can't lose the woman he loves again."
"And what would you have me tell that woman when you don't come back?"
For a moment, doubt creeps in, but I push it away. "Tell her I did what I had to do. And Alessandro? If I don't make it back, you protect them. With everything you have. Promise me."
"You always were the most stubborn of us," he says, not giving me the promise I need. "Go out that door alone, and you're walking into certain death. Is that what you want your son to remember? That his father rushed headlong into a fight he couldn't win?"
I meet his gaze. "What I want is for him to grow up without looking over his shoulder. Without wondering if today's the day the Bratva decides to finish what they started."
I stare at my brother's face. How many times had I dreamed of smashing his features with my fists during my exile? Yet now, I need him.
"Look at me. Really look at me, Alessandro. What do you see?"
He hesitates, confusion flashing across his face.
"You see a Dante. A man with our father's blood, our father's curse." I step closer. "For seven years, I pretended I could escape that. Built my own life. Lived by my own rules. But the second I walked through those doors, I knew the truth."
I press my palm against my chest. "This blood isn’t just mine anymore. It's in my son. My son, Alessandro. Every time I look at Enzo, I see our legacy staring back at me."