Chapter 24
Sebastian
Nico guides her to the SUV and I stand on the porch, keeping a hand on Matt’s chest to prevent him from following.
“Give her space.”
Anger pours off of him, and he pushes my hand away. “Don’t tell me what to fucking do. She’s my sister. I’ve always taken care of her!”
I back up a step, shrugging dismissively. “I’m not saying you haven’t, but everything she thought she knew was a lie. Let her wrap her mind around it.”
Matt glances away, the red around his eyes the only indication how much this is affecting him. “And the FBI?” His hoarse voice is barely above a whisper.
“That’s out of my hands. I know Gianna didn’t hand you anything on me, but I can’t tell you what the Italians will do when they find out.”
He nods, accepting his fate. “Just… take care of her. Please.”
I swallow the growing ache in my throat. “I always will.”
Matt walks back into his house, closing his door with a soft click. The sound is a resigned note that twists my stomach with forewarning.
When I climb into the back of the SUV, she speaks before I’ve closed the door.
“I don’t want to go back to Chicago.” Her voice is strained, holding back sobs.
My eyes connect with Nico’s. “We’ll stay in a hotel for the night. How does that sound?”
She doesn’t reply, looking out the window she rests her face against.
“I packed us a bag just in case you wanted to take some time before returning,” I tell her gently.
Her nose scrunches and creates a small dip in her brows, but she still remains silent. I reach toward her. She shifts her shoulders inward to make herself smaller and I drop my hand.
My fist curls and I blow out a breath before settling my emotions. She’s not upset with me, I know that, but I’m going to be the one who gets the brunt of her anger. Her brother will be iced out until she’s ready to talk.
“Let’s get to the hotel,” I tell Nico. I’m half tempted to reach out to Luca, now knowing exactly where the little rat lives, but I hold back for Gianna’s sake.
I check emails as we drive, hyperaware of every breath and swallow she takes. Every sniffle and every time her hand wipes her nose and eyes. I’m so tense by the time we park in the garage that my muscles ache with the need to stretch.
“Do you want me to carry you up?” I offer.
Her lips curl into a minuscule smile and she turns to face me in the seat.
I take that to mean yes, and pull her into my arms before climbing out.
Nico grabs our bags, following us into the elevator and watching Gianna with a cloud of regret and grief.
He started this spiral, but it had been necessary.
There are no more secrets between us, and we can move forward with clearer minds.
Nico opens the door for us and I carry her straight to the bathroom, setting her gently on her feet and starting the shower.
“I don’t…”
“Wash off the day, Gianna. It will help,” I tell her, helping her out of her clothes before guiding her under the warm spray.
I lean on the counter, watching her in the water as she pointedly avoids looking at me while I listen to her quiet sobs.
She doesn’t protest when I wrap her in a towel when she’s done, drying off the water and ringing out her hair.
Then I move her into the bedroom and hand over her lotion as I move to our bags and pull out a pajama set for her.
“Did you know who I was in college?” Her voice is low and rough, as if she’s barely able to talk over the lump in her throat.
I shake my head, sitting on the bed next to her as she lathers her body up. “No, Gianna. Though, years later I started to doubt the men I had killed were ever after you because of me, but perhaps because they knew who you were.”
She nods, her movements slow as she gets dressed and brushes out her hair. “I feel like my entire life is a lie, like I’m not even sure who I am anymore.”
“Does knowing your familial history change the past? You can feel betrayed and hurt, but it doesn’t change who you are, Gianna,” I say, tugging her into my arms and falling onto the mattress.
“Doesn’t it though? Were my parents my parents?
Is my trust fund real, or is it an apology from a mob hit?
Is my brother’s company legit or is it a front for the mafia?
Is Gianna even my real name?” She turns onto her side, facing me.
“My whole life has been a very fabricated lie, even Matt hiding me from you. Every single one of my memories is corrupted with lies to protect people who frankly don’t seem to give a damn about me. ”
“I care—”
“You won’t even say I love you! You’re just as dishonest as he is!” She pushes at my chest until I let go, rolling to her side and giving me her back. My hands clench before I reach over, rubbing at her shoulder.
“You promised to give me time to explain. Don’t diminish my feelings for you,” I say through a thick throat, the words hoarse.
Her body slumps a bit. “I need time to myself to think about all of this. Can you do that? I want to go to my old apartment for space.”
A decline is on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it down. “I’ll have it arranged for you.”
I stay in Manhattan while Gianna lives in her Jersey apartment.
While I could have asked men in the Outfit to watch her, I agreed with Nico that private security would be more likely to go unnoticed by the Irish.
I’m not sure how they’d take it now that I’ve been sworn in, they were already temperamental before.
Since everything blew up in the open, we decided to move forward with our plans, utilizing the time we’re in New York to serve as a cover when I call Luca and Rian to meet.
The door clicks open, and I glance up in surprise as Luca walks in, earlier than we had agreed.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” I purr.
He rolls his eyes, moving to sit on the couch, his ankle resting on his knee as we watch each other.
“Heard you took the oath.”
I smirk. “Sure.”
He raises his eyebrow. “Is that untrue?”
“No, no…” I crack my neck, leaning into my chair. “What do you want?”
He seems surprised by my sharp tone. “You didn’t mention it last time.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” I say bluntly.
He nods, his eyes narrowed to slits. “I thought we had reached a point of cordial respect.”
My lips quirk. He’s so uptight and prissy it’s almost comical. “I imagine you can understand why I may not want to advertise that particular change.”
I fold my arms across my chest when he doesn’t answer, deciding to bridge the gap a bit. “You’re early.”
He hums. “Figure I have less chance of being stabbed in the back if I arrived before the Irish.”
Amusement pulls at my lips. “That’s not really their style. I heard they prefer a clean slit of the throat.”
His eyes flash with fury before he locks it down, narrowing his gaze at me. “One day your luck will run out and that tongue of yours will be cut out.”
I shrug, not concerned by his threat. “Perhaps, but not today.”
“Not today,” he concedes.
Nico comes in, pausing when he sees Luca. “How do you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?” Luca asks, a flicker of a smile on his lips.
“Getting up to our floor without alerting security,” Nico grits out.
Luca’s smile deepens. “This is my city.”
I wave at Nico to drop it. If I’m honest, I don’t care if Luca can get in and out of my building without alerting our security.
Perhaps I should, but I have nothing against him.
When I found out he wasn’t who hid Gianna from me, but just as blindly fooled, a kinship formed.
Maybe it’s the fact that he seems to genuinely love his father, like I do mine, that makes me respect him as well.
It had been a surprise since the pair are never overly affectionate in public, barely seen together at all.
Nico moves to stand behind me with a scowl. “Rian and Aodhan are on their way up.”
Nerves course through my skin, but I bury them deep. Neither man would hurt me, I’m certain of it, but I haven’t warned Rian we are having another guest. And I don’t want the headache of the Underboss of the Famiglia dying in my office.
“Why do you look like that?” Luca says sharply.
“Like what?” I question.
His eyes narrow. “Like you’re preparing for a storm…” He trails off, his jaw tightening when it clicks. “You didn’t tell him I was coming.”
I scoff. “Nor did you reach out when I suggested it.”
“I don’t follow your orders,” he spits out.
Shrugging, I pull at the collar of my shirt. “And I don’t follow yours. I felt this was the best way to get him in the room.”
Luca pinches the bridge of his nose before pulling a gun from his waist, setting it on his lap and staring at the door intently.
“Just aim to hurt, not kill,” I mutter under my breath. A single knock thuds against the door before it's flung open. Aodhan steps through, his attention drawn immediately to Luca. I give Luca credit for not immediately raising his gun as the man is already reaching for his.
“Stand down,” Rian grunts, pushing past him to move closer to my desk. “Ambushing me, James? Here I thought we were becoming friends.”
I gasp, holding my hand to my throat. “Friends? Don’t play with my feelings like this.”
He rolls his eyes, dragging a chair to face us both as his right hand moves behind him.
I’ve never dealt with Aodhan, most of my interactions have been with Cillian or Cormac, while Nico deals with Declan.
So it makes me curious that he brought Aodhan and not the two knuckleheads that showed up at our rendezvous point like bloodied grim reapers.
Luca flexes his hand, uncurling his grip on his gun as he stares at Rian. I feel the need to fan myself from the tension, but suppress the urge because I don’t think they’d fully appreciate the beauty of the joke.
“Let’s get this over with and this will be the last time I answer your call. I don’t appreciate being blindsided,” Rian says.
I frown. “What if Luca was looking to apologize?”
Luca’s head snaps to me, a growl-like noise strangled in his throat.
Rian’s lips twitch, his eyes not straying from the man on the couch.
I lean back into my chair, crossing my arms. “I actually wasn’t joking.”
“What do I have to apologize for, James?” Luca spits out.
Shrugging, I watch as Rian and Aodhan stiffen. “Maybe the fact that your people are out of control, and we’re losing people over it,” I say to soften the tension.
Luca’s jaw works back and forth before he glances back to Rian. “I guess I can take responsibility for a portion of the Famiglia working without my authority. I’m handling it.”
“Good boy.” I purr.
His hand grips his gun, moving to point it at me. “Figlio di puttana—”
Nico moves in front of me at the same time Aodhan draws his gun.
Laughing, I exchange a glance with Rian, who is rubbing the pad of his thumb on his bottom lip to hide his smile.
It feels nice to rile Luca up, better than letting my thoughts linger on the woman locked up in her apartment and ignoring me.
Luca lowers his gun, shaking his head.
I clap my hands before he can argue further.
“Alright. Our men picked up Arthur last night and had him transferred to Manhattan. Nico is going to fall back to Chicago while we… have a conversation with the man. Do any of your men want to come back with Nico to take out a few lingering loyalists to Arthur?”
Aodhan tucks his gun away. “I’ll accompany him.”
“Gio is tracking Matt. The Irish can have the rest of the men. I only want Arthur,” Luca says reluctantly.
Rian shrugs. “If he doesn’t supply any new information, he’s of no use to me. I want to know how this network of sparrows was created and stretched out among us all, and who is at the center of it all.”
Luca sighs. “I agree. This is making the Famiglia look weak and I cannot tolerate it any longer.”
I hum. “Then let’s party, gentlemen.”