Chapter 24 #2
Finally, Adriano stepped forward. "Now we have to celebrate." I smiled at him. Of course he wanted to celebrate. Before anyone could respond, Ano V walked into the room. "Did someone say celebrate?"
Everyone turned toward her.
She smiled warmly. "Adriano, I think we need to go to the restaurant. It is time we show the family your favorite spot."
Adriano immediately nodded. "I agree." Gianna looked between everyone, then at her brother. "Really? We just grounded the kids."
Adriano shrugged. "They can still be grounded and we can still have dinner."
I laughed softly as Gianna shook her head.
AJ Pov~
"You have connections to all the Mafias?" I asked, staring down the man sitting in front of us.
He looked nothing like the dangerous criminal I expected. He was probably in his fifties, living in a huge luxury home with his wife and six kids. The kind of man who looked like he belonged at a family barbecue, not mixed up in Mafia business.
"Yes. That's how I was able to find out where Aldo would be and help her move without being noticed." The man answered calmly.
I narrowed my eyes, studying him for any sign he was lying.
"Damien?" I called out.
He and Leo were still going through the man's computer, checking every piece of information we could find.
"Everything checks out so far," Leo replied.
Damien leaned back from the computer with a smirk. "Hey, does your wife know about the money you have hidden in the Maldives?"
The man's eyes widened immediately. I turned my head toward Damien. "You don't have to answer that."
He shrugged but backed off.
Marcio, who had been watching the outside, turned toward us. "I think we've overstayed our welcome." I walked toward the window and looked outside.
A black SUV pulled into the driveway.
My stomach tightened. "Time to go, boys." Everyone moved instantly.
I walked back toward the man and removed the cuffs from his wrists. He rubbed them slightly but kept his eyes on me.
"There is going to be someone at your door in the next few seconds," I said, stepping closer. "You're going to answer every question honestly, except for one thing."
His eyes flickered toward mine. "We were never here."
He swallowed. "If you decide to tell anyone otherwise, we will know." I leaned closer, lowering my voice. "And we will come back."
I let the silence sit between us for a moment. "Maybe next time your kids won't be so lucky to be out of the house."
The fear that crossed his face told me he understood. "Understand?" He nodded quickly.
I smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good. Nice chat." We moved through the back door and headed toward our SUV. But the second we stepped outside, I stopped.
Three armed guards surrounded our vehicle. Guns pointed directly at us.
I immediately stepped in front of the guys, blocking them. I wasn't scared. I couldn't afford to be. I opened my arms slightly with a confident smile.
"Hello gentlemen." I tilted my head.
"Cosa posso fare per lei?" (What can I do for you?)
A voice came from behind the vehicles. "Finally, we meet." A man stepped forward. He was shorter than I expected. Black and gray hair, skinny build, and a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
The type of smile that made your instincts scream danger. He walked closer and extended his hand.
"I'm Aldo Basilio."
My entire body went still. "You must be Adriano Jr."
His smile widened. "I have been waiting for this day for a very long time."
Gianna Pov~
"Matteo, it doesn't make any sense. Why would they leave?" I asked, sitting back in my chair as I watched Matteo and Adriano pace around the room, both clearly frustrated with our kids' latest stunt.
"Clara is literally in the basement. Why would they even go down there?"
"I don't know," Matteo muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe they were just curious. Maybe they were tired of being stuck in the house."
Yana, who was sitting beside me with her legs stretched across my lap, shrugged. "Honestly, I think they were just tired of being told no."
"There has to be a reason," Adriano insisted, his brows furrowed.
I looked between the two men and immediately knew what was happening. "I think you guys feel guilty for being stern with your kids."
"No."
"Absolutely not."
They both answered at the exact same time. Yana and I exchanged a look before rolling our eyes.
"Hey, don't do that," Matteo said, pointing between us. "Because it's not true."
"Right," Yana muttered sarcastically. "You two are such pushovers when it comes to your kids it's ridiculous."
Matteo scoffed. "We're not pushovers."
I raised an eyebrow. "Matteo, you literally let Antonio negotiate his punishment last week."
"Because he made a good argument." He shot back. I shook my head, trying not to laugh.
Adriano sighed and crossed his arms. "Whatever the reason was, they still need to understand they were wrong."
I nodded in agreement. "Exactly. They need to understand that the rules exist for a reason. Especially with everything happening right now."
The two men finally stopped pacing and looked at each other.
After a moment, they both sighed. "Fine," Matteo muttered. Adriano nodded slowly. "Fine."
Yana smiled smugly. "You're welcome. We just saved you from feeling guilty for grounding your own children."
"I wasn't feeling guilty," Adriano immediately argued.
I laughed. "Sure, amore." He gave me a look, but the small smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.
~***~
2 hours Later
"I'm so excited! I haven't been to La Pergola in years," Ano V chirped, a bright smile lighting up her face. I smiled back as I adjusted Callie on my hip.
"I'm excited to finally see this restaurant everyone keeps talking about," I replied.
"Mommy?" Callie asked, twisting around to look toward the front door. "Can I ride with AJ?" Her eyes were already fixed on her older brother, who was standing by the door talking quietly with Raf and Marcio.
I chuckled. "Of course you can."
I glanced back at Ano V. "Excuse me for one second. And try to hurry up, husband," I called teasingly toward Adriano with a wink.
Walking over to the boys, I noticed their conversation immediately died the moment they saw me approaching.
AJ smiled. "Hey, Ma. Is everyone finally ready?"
"Almost." I shifted Callie into his arms. "Someone insisted on riding with her favorite big brother." Callie wrapped both arms around AJ's neck. "Hi, AJ!" she squealed happily.