Chapter 10 #2
“So chi sei, caro. Sono Vicenza. Io sono l’ora di Adriano e Matteo. Sono qui per prendermi cura delle vostre esigenze.” (I know who you are, darling. I am Vicenza. I am Adriano and Matteo’s aunt. I am here to take care of your needs.)
My eyes widened. Their aunt? How could Adriano put this sweet woman to work for us? She was family.
“Vicenza, non puoi lavorare per noi. Sei famiglia.” (Vicenza, you can’t work for us. You’re family.)
She looked surprised for a moment before immediately shaking her head.
“Sono onorata di mostrare la mia ospitalità familiare. Non lo farò in nessun altro modo. Adriano ha cercato di fermarmi, ma ho insistito per essere qui. Non puoi fermare una donna italiana che ha deciso qualcosa. No?” (I am honored to show my family hospitality.
I will not have it any other way. Adriano tried to stop me, but I insisted on being here.
You cannot stop an Italian woman who has made up her mind. No?)
I shook my head with a smile. Somehow, I already knew arguing with her would be impossible. Alessandra stood beside me, watching Vicenza with a small smile.
“How about you stay here and help Aunt V while I get everything settled?” I suggested.
Her smile grew, and she nodded before turning to Vicenza and repeating my words in Italian. Thank goodness we had taught our children both Italian and Russian.
It was important that they could understand and speak both languages fluently, especially while we were here. Vicenza smiled brightly and ushered Alessandra toward the stove.
I watched them for a moment before smiling to myself. Then I made my way outside to gather everyone together.
Adriano Pov~
As we pulled up to the Basilio mansion where the council resided, I felt my fingers twitch with restrained anger. All I wanted was to have Aldo’s neck between my fingers and remind him exactly who he was dealing with.
But I had to wait. Not yet. I looked over at Matteo and Giovanni. Their expressions mirrored my own. They were just as prepared for whatever was about to happen.
We stepped out of the van, and I adjusted my suit jacket, buttoning it as we approached the entrance.
The doors immediately opened before we reached them.
Standing there was a man a few inches shorter than me. He wore a polite smile, almost as if he had been expecting us.
“Welcome, Capo di Capi,” he greeted. “I will show you to the council.” His thick accent was noticeable even through his English. We followed behind him, keeping a careful distance.
My eyes scanned every corner of the property, every movement, every possible threat. I didn’t know exactly what to expect from this meeting. But I knew one thing. Nothing good was going to come from it.
We stopped in front of a large wooden door. The man stepped aside and bowed his head slightly. I opened the door and walked in. I didn’t bother knocking.
Respect was earned, and after what had happened, they had lost mine. An older man turned around as the room immediately went silent.
Everyone seated around the large mahogany table turned their attention toward us. There he was.
Aldo Basilio. The head of the council.
While every member had an equal vote when it came to decisions, Aldo was the one who controlled the room. The one whose voice carried the most weight.
The moment I saw the smug smile on his face, my anger burned hotter. He stood from his seat and extended his hand.
“We finally meet, Adriano.”
I stared at his hand but made no move to take it.
“Formalities went out the window the moment you disrespected me and my family.” My voice was cold. His smile faltered as his hand slowly lowered.
“The disrespect began when you married that Russian,” he spat. “And then you had Russian children.” The disgust in his voice made my blood boil.
Before I could stop myself, my body moved forward. I was ready to put my fist through his face. Giovanni grabbed my arm, stopping me.
At the same time, Matteo stepped forward, towering over Aldo and making the older man instinctively take a step back.
I pulled away from Giovanni’s grip and stepped forward again, my eyes locked on Aldo.
I wanted to rip him apart. But this wasn’t the time.
“I don’t know what you’re planning,” I said, my voice dangerously calm. “But if you try to hurt me or my family, I will destroy every single Basilio sitting at this table.” Every word came out through clenched teeth.
Aldo sighed, stepping back. “Don’t make threats you can’t keep.”
His eyes narrowed.
“The worst thing you could have done was bring your entire family to Italy.” He smiled. “You’re on my soil now.” I stared at him for a moment before a small smile pulled at my lips.
He really thought I was foolish. He thought I hadn’t considered every possibility before bringing my family here.
But I had and now we were playing the same game.
“Be careful, Aldo,” I murmured. “Things aren’t always what they seem.” I turned and walked away. We left the mansion immediately.
Once we were back inside the van, I leaned against the seat, a smirk slowly forming. Aldo was predictable. A man who only saw one path.
He thought he was winning. He had no idea he had already made his move. Now I was waiting for mine.
“To the mansion?” Gio asked as he merged onto the freeway. I looked out the window, my mind already working.
“Yes.” I clenched my jaw. “Time to find the motherfucker messing with Ales.”
A.J. Pov~
“We are not going shopping with you,” I told Mom as she stood in the foyer, digging through her purse. “Damien, Marcio, Raf, Leo, and I are going out. Somewhere that doesn’t involve shopping.”
She looked up at me, unimpressed.
“Fine, but be careful.” She continued searching through her purse before pulling out her phone with a triumphant grin.
“Oh, and take Ales with you. She needs to get out of this house too.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Fine. She can come.”
Mom immediately gave me a look. “But Kalani and Kaia can’t.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Why not?”
“Because they’re crazy,” I said without hesitation. “Not normal crazy either. The completely out-of-control type of crazy, Ma. They would somehow end up drunk in the middle of the street, and we wouldn’t even know what happened.”
I was exaggerating. A little. But honestly, not by much. Those two were fearless.
They would take any bet, accept any challenge, and do whatever they wanted just because they could. They were strong-minded, carefree, and always ready for an adventure.
“Yeah, they get that from the Alexeev blood in them,” Mom said with a knowing smile. “Why do you think your Aunt Yana is crazy?”
I opened my mouth to argue but immediately stopped. She had a point.
“Take them with you,” Mom continued. “Ales needs girls around her too. Just be careful and watch out for your sisters.”
She looked between us, her expression becoming serious. “Your aunts and I are going shopping. The rest of the kids will stay here with Aunt V. Make sure you’re home by seven so we can all eat dinner together.”
She pointed a finger at us. “A minute late, and the Mafia search party comes looking for you. Got it?”
I laughed softly and leaned down, kissing her forehead. “Got it.”
I walked away, finding Marcio in the living room watching TV. The entire show was in Italian. Good thing we understood Italian.
“TV in Italian is still awesome,” Marcio said, completely focused on the screen.
I rolled my eyes, walked over, flicked the side of his head, and sat beside him.
“Where do you want to go, dipshit?” I asked, stealing a handful of popcorn from his bowl. He immediately pulled the bowl away from me. “I don’t know. We can walk around the city. We passed it on the way here.”
I sighed at his lack of an actual plan and tossed my last piece of popcorn at him.
I stood up. “Be ready in fifteen. We’re leaving then.”
Thankfully, I managed to get everyone moving, and fifteen minutes later, we were heading toward the city in one of the SUVs.
Turin.
That was where we were staying on the outskirts of the city, where the house was located.
As we drove closer, I couldn’t help the uneasy feeling settling in my chest. I knew the guys and I needed to stay alert.
The Italian Mafia was everywhere. They watched everything, even when you didn’t realize it.
Dad had told us before that they had connections throughout Italy. People everywhere. Eyes everywhere. And now they knew exactly who we were.
As long as we kept our heads down, stayed together, and didn’t draw attention to ourselves, everything should be fine.
At least, that’s what I hoped.