He looked away briefly before pointing the gun at my head. “That’s a story for another time and another place. Now, there is no more talking to be done. You’re coming with me and for now, we’ll check on that lover of yours.”

  “I don’t think we have to worry about that.” Michael’s voice boomed in the darkness.

  I’d stopped believing in fairy tales, but not in dark tales of nightmares. In that moment as Michael shot off a single round, the bullet hitting Franco right between the eyes, I knew my heroes were men created out of evil, men finding a taste of humanity. There would be no white steed taking us to a magic castle, but there would be salvation.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Michael

  Revenge.

  The word lingered in my mind, my thoughts consumed with the notion. I stood by the window, the bright sun beaming in through the open blinds and drapes. There was no sense hiding any longer. Franco Massimo had been the assassin all along, obviously taking over the family business against his father’s wishes. Then again, maybe it was just another ploy, Franco directed by Dante all along. Now, we’d never know.

  I’d heard a significant portion of the conversation as I’d waited behind the door, the aim of my Glock never wavering. My gut had told me another hit would come soon. Granted, I hadn’t anticipated a betrayal from one of my own in such a short amount of time. Someone still believed I was weak.

  There were still pieces of the puzzle to finish putting together, but I felt assured that neither Francesca nor I were in immediate danger. Whatever players were left would be forced to regroup.

  “This is a mess, Michael. I’m not certain I can hide anything from the Feds,” Shane said quietly.

  I heard the closing of the door behind me, the coroner’s unit finally removing the body. Given the public location, I’d been forced to contact Shane, knowing he could at least squash the news for a few hours.

  “I’m not expecting you to. The man broke into my hotel room posing as a bellhop and attempted to kill the woman I love. Simple as that. He’s also responsible for the attempted assassination of my father.” I said the words in a matter-of-fact manner, even as I clenched my fist, hungry to find out definitively whether Dante was indeed dead. If not, there would be hell to pay.

  “Except Franco Massimo is one of the most notorious criminals out of Europe. There isn’t a law enforcement agency that doesn’t have him on their most wanted list. I suspect there’s a string of dead bodies planted in various locations throughout LA,” he commented, snickering under his breath.

  “Not enough.”

  “You need to lay low, buddy, until all this is over.”

  As if it was going to be over. There would always be a rival gang or wannabe mafia leader who would attempt to destroy the family organization. There would always be someone betraying trust. I’d yet to find out the traitor who’d obviously provided information to Franco.

  But I would.

  “And you need to make certain I have no issues going out of the country.” I shot him a harsh look.

  Shane seemed befuddled, finally shaking his head. “You’ve changed from the man I knew just a week ago.”

  I chuckled again and held out my hand, turning it back and forth. “The truth is that I’m exactly the man I was groomed to be, the one I forgot all about.” I could tell he was uncomfortable as hell. “What about the actress?”

  “Lila Shutterfield from Camden, New Jersey. She worked for an accounting firm and had never even had a speeding ticket. I checked the poor girl’s Facebook page. Seems she was wined and dined by Franco. She disappeared off the radar about a month ago. As you can imagine, her parents are devastated but at least they have answers.”

  Franco certainly had a way with women. I’d heard about his reputation. He was a sick fuck in a four-thousand-dollar suit, using a BDSM lifestyle as an excuse for abuse. The man deserved to die. “I’m going to make certain her funeral is paid for and any other expense her family needs. I’ll wire you twenty thousand dollars if you’ll arrange that.”

  He hesitated and I turned all the way around, shoving my hands into my pockets as I studied him. He seemed surprised at my behavior. Maybe there was a little humanity left inside.

  “Of course I will. That’s... generous of you.”

  “That’s the least I can do, Shane.” I was tired, anxious to talk with Francesca, and needed to see my father. It seemed the entire key to the puzzle rested solely on his shoulders.

  His eyes darted to my gun, the one I’d refused to offer up as evidence. Shane hadn’t bothered to push me, although there would be questions raised later. “I’ll file a report and stall as long as I can, but you will need to come in for additional questioning at some point.”

  “When I return.” My command was not to be questioned.

  “Oh, yeah, Italy. All right. Call me when you’re back. I’ll take care of the situation with the girl.” He walked toward the door, hesitating once again. “I think you’re going to be good for the city, Michael. At least you avoided a bloodbath.”

  When he walked out, I turned back toward the window, staring down at the world below. This was my city, a vibrant and glamorous town full of pretty people.

  I was no longer one of them.

  I sensed her presence behind me only a few minutes later. I’d heard the horror in her voice, the blatant fear. Whatever Franco had done to her in the past was something that we wouldn’t be able to ignore, but I had difficulty accepting. I might be a monster, but not in the methods so many Dons seemed to subscribe to.

  “You’re not going to speak to me?” Francesca asked as she moved to the other side of the window, placing her palm on the glass.

  “I’m not shutting you out. I’m just... processing.”

  “What about Franco?”

  “Shane will sweep the attack under the radar for now, allowing me to finish what needs to be done.”

  She tipped her head. “And what exactly is that? Dante and Franco are dead. Your father is alive.”

  I slowly turned to look at her. “There’s the question of your father’s involvement and your trust.”

  Snorting, she pushed her fingers hard against the glass until her knuckles were white. “I’ve made a decision. I don’t want the tainted money, Michael. Haven’t you already figured that out about me? I just want a life. Is that too much to ask for?”

  I moved behind her, placing my hand on top of hers. “Not at all. I want more than anything to give you that life.” I expected her to pull away, fearful of the man I’d become. Instead, she shifted her other arm back until she could grasp my fingers.

  “I met Franco in a coffee shop. It seemed like an accident. He literally ran into me, dumping coffee all over a new dress. We laughed but he was mortified, promising to rectify the situation. I had a little apartment away from my father’s residence at that point. I wasn’t hiding, which is how he was able to find my address. The next day, four of the most beautiful and expensive dresses arrived. I was flabbergasted and called him. He asked me out to dinner.”

  “He was dating your sister?”

  “Yes, but I had no idea. Up to that point she’d refused to tell me his name, although I knew something was terribly wrong.” Francesca squeezed my hand and rested her face against the glass. “It’s funny, he really was amazing for about three months. Then he became possessive. I’d been taught well by my father, so I started to look into who he was. He’d given me a fake last name, but I was able to put the pieces together. He denied who he was at first, of course. Such a bastard.”

  I remained quiet, although my anger level was increasing.

  “Guilt consumed me, and I finally said something to Sasha and while she never admitted that he was the same man she’s been seeing, I could tell in her eyes. She must have confronted him and that’s why he killed her.”

  “Her body was never found?”

  “No. No trace of her and my father tried, paying off people, promising hundreds of thousands of dollars for information alone. She disappeared without a trace. He was devastated, falling into such a depression. That’s why I waited to go to school. I took care of him until he could get on his feet.”

  I kissed the top of her head, my heart aching. Karma was a bitch. “I’m so sorry for everything, including the fact I abducted you.”

  She pushed away from the glass, slowly turning in my arms and caressing my cheek. “If you hadn’t, I would have been forced into a loveless marriage or worse, taken by Franco. You derailed Franco’s plans. He wanted you dead.”

  I lowered my head until I could whisper, “Better men have wanted me dead and there will be others.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  The ache in my heart would never go away. I knew what had to be done. I’d make certain that she was protected in every manner.

  Then I’d walk away.

  Unable to resist, I captured her mouth, pulling her up onto her tiptoes as I pressed our lips together. She felt so good in my arms, her body molding perfectly with mine. I wanted so many things for her, for us, but most of all, I wanted her to have the life she deserved.

  She slid her arms around my neck, tangling her long fingers in my hair, yielding to me as she had before. This was her will, her desire. The kiss became passionate as the electricity soared, my hunger racing off the charts. She was everything to me; the sun, the moon and stars, the very woman who’d managed to cut through all my defenses.

  As the kiss continued, I fought every barbaric need to sweep her in my arms, taking her to bed as I’d done before.

  But I refused, controlling my emotions.

  Even as our tongues entwined, our body heat increasing, I began to pull away. When I finally broke the hold, I immediately backed up a few steps. “I’m going to see my father then we’ll make plans to confront yours. I think you need closure, no matter the decision you make about your trust fund.”

  Francesca exhaled, folding her arms. “That’s fine but let me make this very clear. After we do, I never want to see him again.”

  I gave her a nod of respect, although I hoped she would change her mind. Family was indeed everything.

  * * *

  I did admit to myself that seeing my father sitting up in the bed, his color returned, at least gave me a moment of peace. I might not see eye to eye with Ricardo Cappalini, but I’d learned during the last few days that he’d certainly been well respected.

  “I’ve heard you’ve been doing a very good job in my absence, son,” Ricardo said with pride in his voice.

  I hadn’t heard that level of pride in years. Even when I’d been a capo years before, he’d ridden my ass hard. “I had certain issues to deal with, but they’ve been handled.”

  “And Louis?” I could see a twinkle in his eyes as if this were a test.

  “He’ll be allowed to live. In fact, I’ll keep him on, as long as he follows the rules.”

  He laughed, wincing as he did so. “You learned. You keep your enemies close.”

  “You knew he’d eventually make a move on you.”

  “Absolutely. I wouldn’t have allowed him to stay on if I thought otherwise.”

  I walked closer, sitting down in the single chair in the room. “You were grooming him to take over.”

  He shrugged and reached for his cup of water, taking a sip before answering. “I felt I had no choice. My son, my only son and the one I love so dearly wanted nothing to do with following in his old man’s footsteps.”

  Perhaps for the first time since I’d been a kid, I could admit I admired the man. “You’re a wise man.”

  “Evidently not as much as my son, Kelan.”

  “Michael. My name is Michael.”

  His eyes opened wide and he reached out. I grabbed his hand, scooting the chair closer. “I’m so damn proud of you, son.”

  “Pops, this isn’t just a social call. I need to ask you a difficult question.”

  He pulled away, shoving back the water. “Okay. You want to know about why Dante Massimo had it in for me, why he attempted to assassinate me all those years ago. And why he killed your mother.” Sadness enshrouded his entire face, beads of perspiration trickled down from his forehead.

  It was my turn to nod, my throat tightening.

  He eased back against the pillows, taking several labored deep breaths. “I already told you that your mother was a beautiful actress that I fell in love with.”

  “I’ve seen the pictures.”

  “I... I didn’t tell you everything. I should have years ago.”

  Every muscle in my body tensed, but I knew the instant he began to talk where this was going.

  “Your mother’s acting name was Daphne Phillips. That’s all I knew for the first few months. She had no knowledge of who I was until a reporter pictured us together and a scathing article was written in the Times the next day. I think she had suspicions given a mutual friend we had. After the article, I told her everything about me and my life, the responsibilities I had while I was preparing to take over from my father. I figured I’d lost her. There were no tears, no exclamations. Just silence from her. She walked out and I thought I’d never see her again.”

  “But you did.”

  “One week to the day she called me, asking me out for a drink. We went to our favorite little bar and she did all the talking.”

  He faltered, his eyes closing.

  “Who was she, Father? What was my mother’s real name?”

  “Her name was... Sophia Massimo.”

  All the light seemed to rush out of the room, the words echoing. “What. Did. You. Say?”

  “She was Dante’s only daughter. The bullet that took your mother’s life was intended for me. Dante killed his own daughter in an effort to take her away from me. From that day, he planned revenge, including murdering my only child, his grandchild. You.” He allowed the understanding to settle in. “And his vendetta has never stopped.”

  I jerked up from the chair, almost toppling it over, shaken to the core. I fisted my hands, blood rushing to my head. “All these years you could have told me. You could have fucking told me.”

  “What good would that have done, Michael? She was your mother and didn’t want that life, just like she didn’t want the life for you. She loved you so much. You were the light in her eyes, her heart child. That’s what she called you. When we learned she could never have another child, she was devastated but doted on you. I was such a fool not to share in those joyous moments. Yes, I wanted another child.”

  “That much I know, Father. You never gave a shit about me!” I sucked in my breath.

  “That’s not true. I wasn’t trying to replace you. I adored you more than I can say. I simply wanted to have a huge family because of your beautiful, loving and giving mother. She reminded me about love and humanity. She gave me reason not to turn into a monster. I don’t want to lose you like I did your mother. Please know that in your heart. You are my son, the only reason I fought to remain alive. You are my everything.”

  Words. I’d always condemned my father for the brusque words he said, the harshness in which he said them, but this was entirely different. I looked away, fighting the single tear that threatened to roll down my cheek. “Dante is dead.” The man would never be my grandfather, either dead or alive.

  “Are you certain of that?” he whispered, his chest heaving. “You can’t put anything past him. He is ruthless.”

  “That’s what I’m going to find out.” I headed for the door, stopping long enough to take another deep breath. “This is my family. You are my family, but I need some time. I just...” I couldn’t even finish the statement. Everything I’d known had been a lie.

  “I do understand. Know that the Borgata belongs to you now, Michael. If you want your legacy. I’m an old man and it’s time I step down.”

  The words wouldn’t come easily.

  “Or, if you want your life as Kelan, I’ll support you,” he continued.

  “I realized who I am, Father, and nothing is going to change that. I will honor the legacy of my family and continue to make money for this family, but on my terms. Sadly, I have to go. I still have work to do.”

  “Francesca.”

  I slammed my hand against the wall, wanting to feel a slice of pain, my laugh bitter. “Yes. I have to set her free.”

  “Think before you do that. I may not be the best father or a man you can ever trust again, but love is truly all that matters. Follow your heart, son. That’s what your mother would say and that’s exactly what she did.”

  “Yeah, Pops. I understand.” I walked out of the room, barely holding my shit together.

  And that’s exactly what got her killed.

  * * *

  Almost two days had passed, filled with arduous hours of cleaning up shit caused by Franco’s attacks. I made good on my promise to my father, bringing in Louis Saltori and explaining his new duties. Second chances were unheard of. However, I had a feeling the man would never cross me again. He seemed pleased with being in charge of the development end of the business. His master’s in business would come in useful.

  Francesca and I were set to leave for Italy in the morning. We’d moved back into my father’s house, at least on a temporary basis. I wanted everything to appear the same as when my father had been the Don. I couldn’t afford to have anyone question my authority.

  She’d remained quiet, processing the various tragedies in her own way. Much like I had to do.

  I stood by the back door, watching her swimming laps. She was by far the most beautiful woman in the world. For a short time, I’d been the luckiest man alive.

  “I have that information you were looking for, but you’re not going to like it.”

  I’d grown used to hearing Grinder’s voice and had certainly learned to appreciate his expertise as well as his loyalty. “What have I liked up to this point?”

  “That’s a good point, boss.”

  I swirled my drink, staring down into the amber liquid. At least the scotch no longer tasted bitter. “You can actually call me Michael, you know. I run a different ship.”

  “No can do, boss. You are the top dog and you earned that respect.”

 

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