“But he cares about peace, Adamo,” I said. “And he knows Remo will avenge you, even if he was the one who sent you to New York.”
“If he killed me, but he won’t. But he’ll punish me and force me into line. There I’m just a soldier. There I need to follow rules. Here I’ll always be your younger brother.”
“If Luca catches you taking drugs, he’ll torture you,” Remo said with a harsh smile. “And this time Serafina won’t be there to interfere. You’ll be subject to his rule and Luca doesn’t tolerate objections.”
“I know. But here I won’t change, because I don’t have to.”
“I’m thinking that maybe I should just stop being so lenient to you.” Remo grasped Adamo’s throat and brought his face very close to our brother’s.
“You could but you won’t. And you have your kids, and so does Nino. I’m sixteen. I’m old enough to decide. Send me to New York.”
“Adamo’s right,” I said firmly. “We can’t punish him. We won’t. Luca will. He’ll treat him like any soldier. He’ll be one Made Man among many. For one year at least. Maybe it’s enough.”
Remo stepped back slowly. “You don’t know what you’re agreeing to, being under Luca’s rule, not to mention that I doubt he’ll agree.”
“Why not? There’s peace between us, and I’ve been tortured by Dante. Luca hates Dante. Maybe he hopes for more info on him.”
“If war breaks out, you’ll be the first he’ll kill.”
“I’ll be the first to know if war breaks out, and you said it yourself, Luca’s got too much to lose, right?”
“He does,” I said quietly. “Like we do.” I needed to go to Kiara. This had taken too long already. “Ask Luca, Remo.”
Remo stared at me for a long time then grimaced. “Fuck. This is fucking bat shit crazy, and I should know.” He shoved a finger into Adamo’s shoulder. “But I’ll ask Luca and let’s hope you get your shit together while he’s your Capo.”
“You’ll always be my Capo. I’ll only work under him for a year.”
Remo laughed harshly. “Yeah, better not tell him that to his face either. Luca’s going to beat the shit out of you.”
I turned around and left them to it. Adamo was right. He needed to be away from our protection, from Las Vegas. The name Falcone protected him here, and maybe that was the root of the problem.
CHAPTER 28
NINO
Alessio was asleep in his crib when I entered the bedroom, his arms stretched out to both sides, little fingers curled into a loose fist. I bent over him, marveling at how peaceful he appeared, untouched by the events of the day. I stroked his cheek then quickly pulled back seeing the blood coating my fingers, hands, everything.
I went into the bathroom where I found Kiara, soaking in the bathtub, looking exhausted and pale. Yet, she smiled seeing me. I started to get out of my bloody clothes and dropped them on the floor.
“You have to be careful with your bandages,” Kiara said.
I searched the drawer for plastic wrap I kept handy for that occasion and wrapped it around my wrists. It wouldn’t hold long but it was better than nothing. The stitches would hold even if wet.
A myriad of things to say crossed my mind seeing my wife watching me in concern, but it seemed impossible to put them into words. “Can I join you?”
Kiara shook her head with a laugh. “Please.”
I glanced down my blood-covered body, then stepped into the tub and sank into the warm water. It turned pink at once, but Kiara didn’t seem bothered by it. She moved toward me with a sponge and started cleaning my face gently, then my throat and my shoulders. I regarded this woman, so full of kindness and love, cleaning me after my past almost killed her, after I came to her covered in the blood of men I’d tortured and killed to lay the past to rest.
“What is it?” she whispered, as she ran the sponge along my abs.
“I love you more than my life.”
Kiara touched my chest and kissed me. “The past is the past. We don’t linger, right?”
“Kiara,” I murmured. “What happened today, you must tell me if you have trouble dealing with it. I’m used to the darkness, I can deal, but if you need additional help, let me know. Don’t let this be your burden.”
Kiara smiled sadly. “It won’t be. I know you can deal with darkness, but so can I. I’ve lived through darkness. I’ve lived through it without anyone there to save me. I was alone with my fear, with everything. But today, I wasn’t, because I have you, and you’ll always save me. And because I have this family, who protects each other till death. I can deal, Nino, because the good outweighs the dark. Today even more than yesterday.”