98. Chapter Ninety-Eight
Chapter Ninety-Eight
Mariella
“ B rother?” I repeat, my gaze snapping to Teo.
He looks as shocked as me. His body tenses, and before I can react, he shifts, positioning himself slightly in front of me to shield me from this new threat.
Instinctively, I widen my stance, refusing to be pushed back.
Haven’t we just proven we work better together?
I get that he wants to protect me, but I want to protect him too.
Teo’s mouth tightens, his displeasure clear, but his eyes never leave the stranger lounging on the sofa.
“Who the fuck are you?” he growls through gritted teeth, his grip on the gun firm and steady.
The guy chuckles, unbothered, and jumps to his feet in a fluid motion. He can’t be much older than twenty, but he carries himself like a man who owns the world, confidence rolling off him in waves. There’s an air of authority about him, not unlike my husband’s, but where Teo is sharp, controlled and measured, this guy is all flamboyant arrogance.
“Is that any way to greet your brother?” he asks, a grin stretching across his face.
Teo’s jaw flexes. “I only have one brother, and he’s no longer with us.”
“Yeah, I heard.” The guy tilts his head, examining Teo like he’s an amusing puzzle. “I would have liked to meet my oldest brother, the fierce and mighty Gualtiero De Marco. But it wasn’t meant to be. Unfortunate timing, really.”
I step forward, unable to keep silent. “If you’re Mateo’s brother, why point a gun at him?”
Teo stiffens beside me, his hand twitching as if resisting the urge to yank me back. But I’m already locked in place, because the moment the stranger’s gaze collides with mine, my breath catches.
His eyes, they’re the same shade of brown as Teo’s. As Tiero’s. The same shape. The same piercing depth.
“That’s an excellent question, dearest Mariella. Or can I call you Mari?” His lips curl, amused. “We are family, after all.”
“Are we?” My voice is ice. “How are you related to Mateo? What do you want from us?”
“Well,” he drawls, “we share the same father. That makes us half-brothers, and—”
“That’s a lie!” Teo’s voice cracks through the room like a whip, his fury barely contained. He steps closer to intimidate this little shit, but the other man doesn’t even flinch.
If anything, he looks like he’s enjoying himself.
“I get it,” he says easily. “Hard to fathom that your perfect papà would sire another child. But you don’t really think he stayed celibate after your mother’s death, do you? I wasn’t exactly planned, but here I am nevertheless.”
That cocky grin reappears, like he relishes the chaos he’s causing.
“Trust me, I wasn’t thrilled about it either when I learned the truth about who my biological father was a few weeks ago. But I’ve come to recognize the benefits.”
“Which are what?” Teo hisses.
“A legitimate claim to the De Marco empire.” He shrugs, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “From what I gathered overhearing my dear aunt just then, you’re no longer interested in it.”
Teo and I exchange a look. What the hell?
“Aunt?” Teo asks. “Sofia Molinaro is your aunt?”
The guy laughs. “I know, right? Isn’t this the best soap opera?”
Teo’s expression is pure stone. “Niccolo Molinaro was your grandfather?”
“Duh. If Sofia Molinaro is my aunt, then obviously her father was my grandfather.”
His casual arrogance actually makes me chuckle. Teo pinches the bridge of his nose.
“I’ll admit, I didn’t realize what a crazy bitch she was. But damn, was she effective. The troops she rallied to sabotage your new activities? I was impressed.” He purses his lips, giving an approving nod.
Sofia was behind all the trouble Teo’s been dealing with? How the hell did she pull that off? I really underestimated her. I should have known something was up when she called me out of the blue.
“And since she did it all for the Molinaro family, well… it’d be a shame to let all that effort go to waste, wouldn’t it?” His smirk is almost playful. “The least I can do is pick up where she left off. I would’ve liked to talk to her, maybe even team up, but from what I gather, she’s dead now. But even before, she wasn’t exactly the ‘let’s share the spotlight’ type.”
“So you’re the sole Molinaro heir now,” I murmur, more to myself, but he catches it.
“Hmm. Not quite. My Uncle Marcelo technically outranks me. God, it’s weird calling him that given he’s only fourteen. Did you know he’s living with us in Chicago now?” he chuckles. “But let’s be real. He’s a kid. Not exactly leadership material.”
He waves a hand dismissively, seemingly unfazed that he’s swinging a gun around.
“And from what little I’ve seen, he doesn’t have what it takes. Spoiled little shit.”
My eyes widen. Either he has no filter, or he doesn’t care. Probably both.
And yet, against all logic, I’m relaxing in his presence.
A mistake. A dangerous one.
Because this guy, whoever the hell he is, doesn’t just take what he wants. He enjoys it too much.
“You’ve got a flair for the dramatic, haven’t you?” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
He rolls his eyes. “I admit, I do. My life is fun. People in our industry tend to take things way too seriously. Don’t you think, brother?”
Teo watches him, analyzing, searching for something.
“So you are Niccolo Romero,” he finally says, voice like steel. “The son of Bianca Molinaro, who married into the Chicago mob.”
The guy, Niccolo, throws his hands in the air.
“Finally! Took you long enough.” He claps once, like this is a game. “And please, call me Nico. Niccolo makes me feel so old.”
“How are you my half-brother?” Teo demands. “Everyone believes Salvatore Romero is your father.”
“So did I!” Nico starts pacing, unaffected by the swaying of the boat.
I glance at Teo’s watch. Less than fifteen minutes until everything goes up in flames. My stomach knots.
“Turns out my old man knew all along I wasn’t his,” Nico continues. “But he had a deal with dear old Grandpapa Molinaro for me to take over the De Marco famiglia once he got rid of all of you… no offense.” He winks.
Teo’s fingers flex. He’s barely holding himself back.
“Which brings me to the same point my seemingly late Aunt Sofia was at.” Nico’s smile vanishes. “The necklaces. I would really, really like them.”
His gun is no longer a dramatic device. It’s aimed at us again.
Teo regards him for a long moment. “So you want to be a crime overlord, huh? If I give them to you, and tell you where the third piece is, will you let us go?”
I whip my head toward Teo. He can’t be serious.
Nico studies him, his gaze sharp. “What if you change your mind one day and want your empire back?”
Teo exhales sharply. “I won’t. I’ve thought long and hard about what I truly want. Being the Don isn’t it. I want a quiet life with my wife. I won’t interfere. You have my word.”
The two men lock eyes, the silence stretching between them. Finally, Nico relents.
“Fine. I believe you. You were planning to fake your deaths, after all. Now I can claim I killed you, which will make it easier to take over and reunite the Molinaro territories and allies.” His lips curl into a grin. “And being the sole De Marco heir and possessing the three necklaces will give me a legitimate claim to your empire.”
He claps his hands together, his excitement palpable. “This is working out beautifully.” He shoots us a smug grin, wiggling his eyebrows.
“You still haven’t told me how my father and your mother ended up in bed together.”
Nico snorts. “If you’re wondering whether it was love, don’t. According to my mother, it was lust at first sight. She was about to be shipped off to marry my… well, let’s call him my birth certificate father. She wanted one last night of freedom, snuck out to a bar, met your father, and yada yada yada, nine months later, I was born.”
By now, both men have lowered their weapons, an unspoken, intuitive truce settling between them.
“Did my father know about you?”
Nico shrugs. “Apparently, yeah. What he did with that knowledge? No idea. And frankly, I don’t care.”
He checks his watch and lifts an expectant brow at Mateo.
“Now, if you wouldn’t mind handing over the two necklaces and telling me where to find the third piece…”
Mateo crosses his arms. “As soon as you get us to the island,” he counters.
Nico chuckles. “Works for me. Let’s move. Our sonar picked up the explosive on the bottom of the boat. Wouldn’t want to get toasted now, not when we’re this close to getting everything we want.”
I grab Teo’s arm and check his watch. A jolt of panic hits me.
“Nine minutes.”
Nico whistles, and the bedroom door swings open. Another guy, about his age, steps out, his gun tucked visibly into the waistband of his jeans.
Teo and I exchange glances.
Nico laughs. “What? You didn’t think I’d be stupid enough to come here alone, did you?”
With a firm grip on my hand, Teo tucks Sofia’s gun into his waistband, grabs the backpack with all our essentials, and leads us out. The four of us move fast, the storm still lashing the boat tied to the back of our yacht, though the worst of it seems to be passing.
“So this is your boat, not Sofia’s?” I ask as we climb aboard.
“Correct. We let the crazy bitch’s boat drift away when I got here.”
He starts the engine, and we speed off. The farther we get from Mateo’s yacht, the tighter the coil in my chest winds. Every second drags, my pulse hammering against my ribs.
As Teo’s watch ticks over to midnight, I hold my breath.
Boom .
A deafening explosion splits the night right on cue. The shockwave slams into us, sending a tremor through our small boat.
My breath catches as the force rolls through me, like a punch to the chest. Heat licks at my skin even from this distance. I whip around in time to see the fireball bloom, an inferno swallowing the dark. Flames rage, devouring everything in their path. By the time it burns out, there won’t be anything left.
Teo pulls me in closer . His arms cage me against him, his breath warm against my temple. When I tilt my head up, his eyes are already on me, burning with something deeper than relief.
No words. Just the silent pull between us.
We did it. We’re free.
For now.
If Nico keeps his word.