Epilogue
Luca - Christmas Day
I stand in Dom's expansive living room, watching my kids run around the Christmas tree.
Last year, I watched them and remembered thinking how I’d done that as a boy with Gabriella and Elena. Even Dom until he decided he was too old to play with us.
Elena's hand slips into mine, and I pull her closer. On occasion, I still have those fears that this is a dream or the world is going to open up and swallow my happy life.
"You okay?" she whispers, her eyes searching mine.
"Better than okay."
La Corona families mingle together as they do every year, the Calabresis, Ferrazas, and our two families, Montis and Vitales, united. Marco catches my eye across the room and raises his glass. I lift mine in return.
My father sits near the fireplace, clarity in his eyes tonight.
He's having one of his good days. I feel like maybe the triplets are to thank for that.
They’ve given him new life.
"Attention, everyone." My father's voice cuts through the chatter. The room quiets as he stands, leaning slightly on his cane but looking every bit the Don he once was.
"Christmas is about family," he begins, his gaze sweeping the room before landing on Elena and me. "And today, I'm blessed to celebrate with not just my son and daughter, but with three beautiful grandchildren I never knew I had."
Rocco beams up at him, pride written across his face. The kid already worships his grandfather.
"And soon," my father continues, "our family will grow even stronger. Luca and Elena have announced their engagement."
Elena leans toward me. “And maybe a fourth child,” she whispers.
I’m sure I’ve got the goofiest smile on my face as she says that.
The room erupts in applause. Even Dom nods his approval from across the room.
"To Luca and Elena." My father raises his glass. "May you find lifelong happiness."
The ladies descend on Elena wanting to see her ring.
I give them space, moving toward Marco and Roman who seem to be comparing baby stories.
Maybe I’ll be able to join in next year.
Dom joins us. “Congrats, Luca.” He shakes my hand.
“Thank you.”
He eyes me. “You’d have married her with or without my blessing, though, right?”
“Yes.”
“Since you’re all here now.” Roman swirls his whiskey, ice clinking against glass. "I reached out to a few cops on our payroll to see how the Feds got involved. They have no clue but did say it wasn’t them who called.”
“I got a guy with access to the Feds and he says there’s no report,” Dom says.
My brow furrows. “You mean no call to the FBI?”
“Right. Plus, he says Agent Ricci didn't even file a proper report about finding him."
My stomach tightens. “What does this mean?” I can’t quite wrap my mind around it. “Rocco is clear that a man dressed as Santa lured him out. Another man took him. He said Ricci didn’t show up until early the next morning. Who called her?”
“Doesn’t mean she’s not involved,” Marco says.
“Or covering for someone.” Roman looks at each of us in turn. “She works for Blackwood, after all.”
I glance across the room at my children, laughing as they play a card game with my father.
“To what end?” I ask. “How does Rocco fit into this?”
“For two years, Blackwood has been trying to turn family members against each other,” Roman starts. “Not just Isabella or Gabriella—”
“Or Elena,” I add. “He approached her.”
“We know he got to Sal and Ernie. However, two years in, and we’re still solid. Business is booming. All this bullshit and they’ve got nothing to show for it.”
“We know that he learned, somehow, that Luca was Rocco’s father.
And it’s no stretch to think he’s not well enough versed to know what happened with Umberto,” Roman continues.
“He wasn’t a supervisor or the agent on the case, but he’d have access to it.
He’d know Luca was accused of betraying Umberto. ”
I nod, following Roman’s logic.
“So he approaches Elena, trying to use her fear of your taking the kids, but she tells him to take a hike. Again, he fails.”
“So he takes my kid?”
Roman shrugs. “Why not? I think he’s done playing by the rules. He wants La Corona gone and is tired of waiting for it to happen.”
“This, of course, is all conjecture,” Marco says, often the one to rein in Roman’s theories.
“Except the bullet that killed Gio isn’t any of ours,” Dom says. “It was a 9mm. Same as Feds.”
Many others use 9mm, but it is interesting. “Would he be so careless?’ I ask.
“Maybe. Maybe he figured you’d kill Gio or he’d kill you. When you didn’t, he killed Gio thinking I’d believe it was you,” Dom says. “Which I did at first.”
Roman nods. “It’s always about pissing one of us off. Whether it’s Blackwood or Ricci or some other person, we still need to be careful."
Dom downs his drink. “Fuck it. I’m tired of being careful. I say we flip the script. Use Ricci to get to Blackwood. She came to Elena alone in that diner, no backup, no official channels. And there’s no official report. That tells me she's operating outside bureau protocols."
“So maybe it’s her,” I say.
“Maybe, but I doubt it. She’s singularly focused on me. Every time she’s reached out to someone in the family, it was about me, whereas Blackwood wants dirt on anyone. So, I doubt it’s her, but we can use her.”
Marco shakes his head. "Too risky. We start playing games with federal agents, we're asking for trouble."
"We're already in trouble," Dom counters. "My family's been targeted. Our members and women have been approached, some turned against us. And Rocco was taken. What are we waiting for? Another kidnapping? Another setup? You ready to risk that pretty baby of yours, Marco?"
Marco remains silent, but I can see the conflict in his eyes. He's weighing the risks, calculating outcomes like the strategic leader he's always been.
I nod, deciding Dom is right. “We can't just react anymore. We need to understand what Blackwood really wants and stop him."
"You're both letting emotion cloud judgment," Marco warns.
“Damn straight. I’m pissed off,” Dom spits out.
I place a hand on Dom's shoulder, feeling a newfound kinship with my former adversary.
“You’ll need Leo on this,” Roman says to Marco.
He’s right about that.
Something like this requires all of La Corona being in agreement and on the same page.
“Leo won’t be a problem,” Dom says. “If we’re in agreement, he’ll be on board.”
“Why does it look like there’s business going on here?” Gabriella appears, her brows narrowed on Marco.
"Gentlemen," Elena says, “it's Christmas. Whatever conspiracy you're unraveling can wait until tomorrow, don't you think?"
“The kids want you to play hide and seek,” Isabella says to Roman.
Roman’s face softens immediately at his wife's intervention. Even Marco, usually unmoved by sentiment, relaxes.
Dom clears his throat. "We were just—"
"Plotting," Elena finishes for him, her eyebrow arched knowingly. "On Christmas."
"You're right," I concede, reaching for her hand. "This can wait."
The others nod in agreement, dispersing back toward the celebration. Roman follows Isabella to where Angelica and my kids are waiting to play hide and seek.
I don't let go of Elena's hand.
Instead, I pull her gently away from the crowd, toward a quiet corner of the room where a sprig of mistletoe hangs from an archway.
"Subtle," she murmurs, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"I've never been known for subtlety." I draw her closer until I can feel her heartbeat against my chest.
When I kiss her, the room around us fades away.
For this brief moment, there are no threats, no FBI agents, no painful history between us, just Elena, warm and real in my arms.
"I keep thinking I'll wake up," she whispers against my lips. "That this is all some beautiful dream."
I cradle her face in my hands, memorizing every detail. "If it's a dream," I tell her, "then I'm never waking up."
But I’m not sleeping. This is real. And while right now, our lives are peaceful, I know that danger still lurks.
Someone is still out to ruin La Corona, so I need to stay diligent to protect my family.
To protect this beautiful life I have. I'm ready for whatever comes next.