•Lorenzo•
Mamma disappeared inside the house and Giovanni left after I agreed we would be on the jet and everyone else stood outside Zio Alonzo's house, silent as they processed everything I had said.
"Now that I think about it this seems so obvious." Alessia breaks the tension with a smirk. "We've always known you were made differently than we are."
Leo snickers, a smile curls my lips and I feel Luca relax beside me.
"Do you remember him losing his mind over you going into his room?" Leo asks her.
Her eyes widened. "As if I could forget. He trashed my whole room. I can't smell nail polish now without thinking about him. He poured every bottle I owned on my clothes and my bed and the smell lingered for over a year even after getting all new stuff."
"You knew better." I shrugged, not feeling guilty for my retaliation in the least.
She gapes at me. "All I did was picked your lock, jumped on your bed and left the room. I didn't touch anything. What the hell were you hiding in there?"
I slip my hands in my pockets, remaining visibly nonchalant but internally feeling slightly panicked still over the thought of someone going through my things. "I stole some of my fathers clothes before his room was cleaned out. I didn't want them to be found. I didn't want anyone else touching them."
They go silent again, sympathy shining in Alessia's eyes. "I'm sorry. If I would've known I wouldn't have ever done that."
"You didn't know." I mutter.
Leo nudges Alessia with his elbow. "We should probably go say goodbye." She nods in agreement, giving me a sad smile before following him back inside Zio Alonzo's house.
I text the soldiers I had waiting and let them know to stand down, even though it should be obvious by now, and send one to collect Luca and I. They have no idea what went down between Giovanni and I, just that they were to shoot him if I gave the signal. I try to find it in myself to feel guilty for using Giovanni's men against him, he wasn't actually wrong in calling me a traitor, but I did what was necessary.
Luca's eyes meet mine, worry and sorrow darkening the hazel depths. "Ready to do this?" I ask, cocking my head.
"I don't know." He lets out a humorless laugh. "But I do know you thought of everything before revealing yourself because you always do. I know you have it handled even if they don't, I'm just here for the ride."
A grin tugs at my lips and every tense muscle in my body relaxes.
I grasp him by his chin, eating up the desire the move ignites in his eyes. "Where would I be without you?"
"You'd be fine, don't underestimate yourself." He smirks.
I shake my head. "It's you who's underestimating yourself."
The soldier pulls up in a silver car, interrupting our moment. I press a kiss against Luca's mouth and release him so we can get inside.
Our ride to the jet is quiet, both of us thinking too much over the events of the day to talk. I'm impatient waiting to hear from Franco that Polina made it to her hotel room safely but I know that won't happen for at least another two hours. When we get to the jet I send the soldier off so Giovanni doesn't kill him and we wait until the others arrive.
Giovanni and Nolani arrive ten minutes later with Nico and Nolani's two guards, Marcello and Dario. Luca and I follow them onto the jet, tension heavy in the air. We all take a seat, the cabin deadly silent. Mamma, Alessia, Leo, and Toni arrive next, filling the remaining seats.
Once we're in the air I'm the first to break the silence. I rise from my seat and crouch down in front of Rome who's strapped in his car seat, his eyes heavy lidded as he blinks up at me. I brush the back of my finger down his cheek and speak to him in Italian.
Nolani sighs, reaching down to unbuckle his straps. "You can hold him if you want."
I'm surprised at her words but I don't bother acting like I don't want to hold him. I quickly scoop him up before she changes her mind and take a seat, cradling him in my arms. He's the first baby I've ever held. His small stature and the tragic way he came into the world tugs against every protective instinct inside my body until I'm practically overcome with the need to keep him safe. He releases another yawn as I gently rock him in my arms, his eyes slowly closing. It should be illegal for me to hold something so innocent and fragile. It makes me question whether or not I should even touch him, as if the blood on my hands could taint him in some way. It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep but I don't give him up.
"I knew you hated me but I wasn't aware it was to this extent." Nolani says.
"My relationship with Polina has nothing to do with my hatred for you." I smirk, glancing up at her but she doesn't seem the least bit amused. I heave a sigh, dragging my finger across Rome's fist that's wrapped around my thumb. "I don't hate you. I hate that you've fried Giovanni's brain."
"Fuck you." Giovanni mutters, his arms crossed as he glowers at me from his seat.
Nolani quirks her head. "Are you sure it isn't jealousy of him being the Don?"
My smirk broadens into a smile. "What's there to be jealous of?"
Nolani purses her lips and Mamma shakes her head at me.
The cabin goes quiet again, everyone unsure of how things work now.
Nolani glances over at Giovanni before looking at me again. "So what's the plan now?"
I open my mouth to reply but Giovanni cuts me off quickly, "He'll be the Don."
I assume he doesn't want her to know about my impending punishment which means it's going to get bloody if he's trying to protect her from it. I've seen Giovanni torture men before, it's gruesome and quick. As soon as they piss him off they're dead. I can't say I'm excited but I am interested in how he'll go about it.
Nolani frowns, studying my brother. "You'll hand it over, just like that?"
Did she really expect a fight? Giovanni's been miserable since he took over.
Giovanni's gaze settles heavily on her, his eyes tired and he doesn't bother trying to hide it from her. "If it means I can give you and our son a safer life? Yes."
I look down at my nephew again. His brow furrowed, his lips puckered over whatever he's dreaming of. His dark curls are soft against my arm, his golden brown skin practically glowing with how healthy he is. He's come such a long way from the traumatic birth that forced him into this world. My stomach clenches as I wonder how alike Rafe would look if he'd made it this far with his twin.
"How could you hide her all this time after watching what her family put me through?" Nolani asks. "How could you hold him knowing she was inside your house?"
I shift my hold on Rome, laying him on my chest with my arm under his bottom before replying, "At first it was the need for revenge against Mikhail. She held secrets about the Bratva that we needed. After that..." I pause, contemplating exactly when things seemed to change from revenge to desire. If I'm completely honest my attraction to her was immediate. I felt it when I saw her in Alex's foyer and it only grew stronger the longer I was in her presence. "... Things changed. She couldn't cause anyone any harm while locked in my house. I knew where she was and what she was doing at all hours of the day. If I thought she was a threat to Rome or anyone in the community I would've killed her."
I would never fall for someone I thought was a threat against everything my father built. The interest would've quickly waned and she would've been just another person to die at my hands.
"I never thought I'd see the day." Nolani murmured.
I arch an eyebrow at her in question. "The day what?"
"The day Riot DeLuca fell in love." She smirked.
I lean back against the plush seat, my eyes sliding over to Luca in the seat beside me. His legs are spread wide, his arm draped over the back of my seat with his gaze focused on the window. I reach over, grasping his muscled thigh, gaining his attention. "I fell in love a long time ago." I come back to her gaze, mirroring her smirk and her eyes widen in realization. "We've just added another person to the mix."
"Oh." She squeaks and then clears her throat. "Well I'm still mad at you. You hid her and we could be using her right now. It's screwed up."
I purse my lips and don't bother replying.
After we land we make the drive back to the community. Alessia and Viola go to Raf's, Giovanni goes with Nolani and Rome back to his house to drop them off while Luca and I are escorted to my house so I can change out of my bloody clothes. Once I'm dressed we're taken to Toni's. Toni refuses to take his eyes off me, which is smart on his part but it won't stop me from cutting him when I get the chance. When I look at him all I see is Polina's hair wrapped around his fist, the fear in her eyes. I flash him a malicious grin, a promise of what to come in my eyes as I step around him and make my way to his basement.
It only takes Giovanni a few minutes to arrive, two soldiers trailing behind him.
I toss my bag down on the steel table. "Figured I'd lend you my tools, Fratello."
He unzips the bag and turns it over, dumping its contents out on the table. I wince at the clanging noise of metal against metal as my tools tumble out, my finger tapping against my leg. Stronzo. He knows what he's doing.
"Take your shirt off." He snaps. "Both of you."
"Absolutely not. Me, not him. I'm taking the punishment." I demand.
"That wasn't a question. You both betrayed the family." He glares at me. "I could kill him instead. He's not my blood, you are."
I grit my teeth as Luca tugs his shirt over his head. "Drop it, Enzo. I can take it. I deserve it." He mutters.
I quickly undo the buttons on my shirt and drape it across the table with Luca's, my jaw aching with how tightly it's clenched. Giovanni knocks both garments onto the floor with the flick of his hand and removes his own shirt, letting it fall at his feet carelessly. He's really trying to piss me off. He snatches up the leather whip from the pile of tools on the table and goosebumps scatter across my body at the sight. That's gonna hurt. I glance over at Luca who's eyes have gone cold as he sinks inside that dark hole in his mind, the same place he went when he would have to listen to his Mom being beat by his Father when he was a child.
I question how I'm going to get through witnessing him being punished, it's not something I've ever had to experience and I'm pissed at myself for putting him in this position. Merda.
"Face the wall and get on your knees." Giovanni barks.
We silently do as he says, every muscle in my body stiffening having so many people at my back. It's an uncomfortable feeling. Normally I wouldn't care but after everything that has happened I'm not sure I can trust any of them.
I don't even have time to take a breath before white-hot pain slices from my shoulder to my lower back and I bite back a grunt as the wound burns unlike anything I've ever felt before.
"What the fuck are you doing?" A feminine voice screams behind me, footsteps sounding on the stairs.
"How did you get in here?" Giovanni questions in alarm.
I glance over my shoulder, the wound on my back stretching with the effort, the pain taking my breath for a second.
"Have you lost your mind! You just whipped him!" Nolani screams at him, snatching the whip from his grip and tossing it across the room as if it were on fire.
Nico comes down behind her, his shoulders stiff.
"He's a traitor, Nola. This is a light punishment for what he's done." Giovanni replies through gritted teeth.
"A light punishment? His back is bleeding!" She exclaims. "Is this what Rome will have to deal with when he's older? Is this the way our life is going to be? If so I want out, I can't do this. You just whipped your own damn brother!"
The room grows silent at her words.
"You know what he did and yet you're taking up for him?" Giovanni's tone is hollow, disbelief filling every word.
"Yes. He may have betrayed you but not in a manner that really even affects you. I'm pissed at him too but using violence against him isn't going to solve anything. What you should be doing is assuring him you won't kill her so he'll bring her back here and have her help us find her father." She stomps toward me, taking my hand. "Get on your feet, this is ridiculous."
I slowly rise to my feet, the pain in my back almost blinding me as the wound throbs. She forces me to turn around so she can get another look and she gasps. "Go get Leo right now." I'm not sure who she barked the order to but a second later I hear the sound of someone ascending the stairs. "You let him do this to you, Riot? What is wrong with you two?"
I turn around to face her, a smirk on my lips. "Cognata, you actually sound worried. Don't you know you aren't supposed to show your emotions in front of your enemy?"
"You aren't my enemy if you're taking over and letting Giovanni be free."
I cock my head to the side, letting my smirk lift into a grin. "Who said anything about freeing him?"
Her soft features quickly morphed into a glare.
I walk over to the table and start placing my tools neatly inside my bag, ignoring the pain in my back. "We'll just change positions unless he would prefer to be a capo, maybe a capo in Sicily?" I look up at Giovanni to see his reaction.
He crosses his arms, scowling at me but I see the obvious interest in his eyes. Sicily is a lot safer for Rome and Nolani. It's as close to freedom as I'll ever be able to offer him.
Leo comes racing down the stairs looking exasperated. "What have you two done now?" He huffs, glancing between Giovanni and I.
"Got a mark on my back." I answer, continuing with my cleanup.
Leo steps around me. "A mark? You call this a fucking mark?" He grumbles under his breath. "Both of you are idiots."
Giovanni grabs the whip from the floor and hands it to me but before I can grasp it Nolani snatches it from his hand. "I'll be keeping this."
I raise my eyebrows, holding back a wince as Leo cleans the wound on my back. "Kinky." Leo's touch grows harder than necessary and I lurch forward and glare at him over my shoulder.
"Be still." He demands, ignoring my anger and getting back to work on the wound.
My gaze goes back to Giovanni. "As soon as we have Mikhail you're free to go to Sicily."
"Then bring the Ivanov girl back." Nolani pleads.
I shake my head. "Absolutely not."
"Why?"
"There's a lot that needs to be done." I reply vaguely.
I will bring her back. I glance over at Luca, we will bring her back kicking and screaming if necessary once everything has settled. Until then I like knowing she's in Moscow. As far from this shit as she could possibly be. Luca doesn't know but she's also my backup plan if things with Luís don't pan out. She offered once to contact her godfather in Moscow to help find her father. If I know Polina, and I'm certain I do, she'll go straight to him and ask him to hunt her father down. If not to come back to Luca and I then to know her sisters can safely come back to the states without someone in the family killing them.
"First we need to search all of Luís' properties." I state.
"Once we accuse him of harboring Mikhail there's no going back, you understand that right?" Giovanni questions. "You could possibly be cutting us off from our coke supplier, one of our biggest money makers."
"I'm very aware. That doesn't change the evidence pointing directly at him. Do you want coke to deal or do you want to kill Mikhail for what he's done?" He doesn't respond but I already know his answer. "We find Mikhail, hold Luís, and see if Valentina will still supply our coke."
Giovanni digs his palms into his eyes in exasperation. "If Luís has been hiding Mikhail all this time we can't let him live and Valentina will be too busy trying to retaliate to even attempt to make a deal."
"She'll have no choice. Who else is she going to sell to? The Bratva is gone, the Irish are on our side and when her lackeys find out I'm the Don you think they're going to go against me and sell the shit themselves?" I let out a dry laugh.
I feel Leo tape gauze over my wound before muttering, "There, I did what I could. Now can you two please stop. This is ridiculous."
"Thanks Leo."
He sighs. "It'll probably take two to four weeks to heal and you'll definitely scar."
It's not my first scar and I doubt it'll be my last.
I shoot Giovanni a smirk. "Look at that, you left your mark, Fratello."
Giovanni frowns and Nolani crosses her arms, scowling, mad at him all over again.
I snatch my shirt from the floor, gritting my teeth as the laceration burns from the movement and grunt as I slip it on.
"Here." Leo mutters, thrusting a bottle of pills at me.
I immediately unscrew the lid and toss one back.
"I want the Dons and capos at Raf's in an hour." I tell Giovanni before looking over at Nolani and give her a genuine smile. "Thanks for coming to my rescue, Cognata."
She smirks, the dimple in her cheek deepening. "About time I paid you back."
I grab my bag of tools and toss Luca his shirt, my eyes lingering on Toni with a warning before ascending the stairs. I might be in too much pain right now to do anything to him but I'll come for him later.
When we step outside Toni's house I let out a sharp exhale, "Merda."
"Are you okay?" Luca asks in concern.
I've been shot a few times, stabbed, had my own fair share of fights, but that was the first time feeling the lick of a whip. It probably didn't help that Giovanni was pissed so he put his all into the hit.
"I'll be fine as soon as the pill kicks in." I assure him.
"Do you think she's okay?" He asks as our shoes hit the sidewalk.
"I do. You know how strong she is." I bump my shoulder against his. "Once everything's settled she'll be back with us where she belongs."
He huffs out a light laugh, an agonizing look in his eyes. "You act like this transition is going to be easy."
A grin curls my lips. "Oh I don't expect it to be easy but that'll be part of the fun. If there's one thing I'm good at it's bending others to my will, you know that. With whatever means necessary."
I've built up my reputation for a reason. I'm well known, well respected, and well feared. Those who don't agree with me being the Don already know how going against me turns out for them. I have no shoes to fill, no need to prove myself because I already have. Repeatedly. They'll either bow or take a bullet to the head.
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Hey babe's, the next chapter we'll be back to the present.
Thoughts?
One last upload before the years over. I hope you guys have a safe and happy New Year!
Love youu🖤🖤
— Katy