Roman looks like hell.
We share a look after he passes her to me.
“She’s where she belongs,” he says with a nod.
“With both of us,” I say. “Her bodyguard.”
He smiles. “And her king.”
“Holy shit, what did I miss?” Tiffany shouts, interrupting us. “I was told you guys needed backup and like—”
“God, Tiffany!” Roman yells. “Could you have taken any longer?”
She, honest to God, is holding a corn dog. “Got hungry then got a text that you guys had it handled and figured… blood sugar, you know?”
I shake my head. “She is ALL yours.”
Roman narrows his eyes at me while I smile and walk off, feeling at least a little lighter, all because the worst bodyguard in history is holding a corn dog.
Mafia life.
Not normal.
Never normal.
Chapter Forty-Six
“Knights! The gift of freedom is yours by right. But the home we seek resides not in some distant land. It’s in us! And in our actions on this day! If this be our destiny, then so be it. But let history remember that as free men, we chose to make it so.” —‘King Arthur’, 1995
Del
When I wake up, it’s night.
A very attractive man sits next to me, with jet-black hair and even darker eyes, and he is checking my pulse. He’s wearing all black, and his smile is almost sinister, but I’m okay with it.
“Am I dreaming?” I croak.
“Could be a nightmare.” He speaks in a low voice that sends chills rippling down my spine.
“Yeah, okay, back off, Doctor Death,” a voice says.
It’s Chase, the man who gave me away at my wedding, and when I look farther, I see the rest of the bosses in the room and try to sit up.
“No, no,” Chase says. “Lay down; you deserve it. Nikolai here just thought it would be smarter for you to rest so you can heal.”
I rub my eyes. “How long have I been out?”
“Nearly a day.” Phoenix comes up next and sits on the bed. “How do you feel?”
“Like Doctor Death killed me.” I groan.
Nikolai chuckles and inserts something else into my IV, and before I know it, I’m falling asleep again.
I dream of a castle. I dream of the king of that castle and the way he looks at me while my bodyguard watches. I dream of a sword he holds to protect the kingdom, and then I smile in my dream as he passes it over to me—and shares it.
The minute my hands touch the handle, I realize it isn’t as heavy as I thought—because it’s being shared.
I wake up and feel so much better. I stretch my arms over my head only to realize I don’t have an IV anymore, and my side, while achy, feels pretty good.
The door opens.
Serena walks in wearing a black sparkly cocktail dress and red shoes, Izzy follows her, and then the rest of the girls enter.
“I hope you’re ready,” says Kartini, Tanks fiancé. Her dress is also black, her shoes red.
“For?” I yawn. “What’s going on?”
“The commission,” Izzy says. “And the crowning of a king.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
“Just because you can’t understand something, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong!”—‘The Sword in the Stone’, 1963
King
I’m ready, and I’m not ready.
I’ve lain next to her while she slept. I’ve held her hand while she moaned in her sleep, and now, I hope she’ll stand by my side—while we both rise.
Key members of every Family are in my house, everyone gathered around the living room, candles are lit, wine has been poured.
Each boss wears a mask that represents our new joint Families.
An intricate golden eagle covers half their faces. The women next to them match.
I keep mine off because I want to see her, fully see her, my queen, as she gets escorted into the room and stands by my side, accepting her future. The commission meeting has already ended, and while it was a bit chaotic, we all came to the conclusion that every Family remaining outside the States would become a part of the Cosa Nostra.
We would be one. From Sicily to the States.
Including the De Langes.
What was once five is now more than seven.
Each boss waits with their own Families and kids, smiling at me as I hear the sound of high heels clicking against the hardwood floor.
The girls were kind enough to get her ready, and the guys—my guys, the soon-to-be new bosses were only so happy to let their girls have some fun since things have been so stressful.
I stand in the middle.
Campisi—the Capo.
My father is not by my side.
He’s in my heart—my soul.
But my mom stands proudly next to me, holding my hand in hers, squeezing it tight.
Alfero. Abandonato. Nicolasi. Petrov. Buratti. De Lange. Sinacore. Vitela. Rossa. Di Masis.
We are all there.
We are strong.
And for the first time in years—we are one.
Del helped with that.
And I finished the job.
Serena appears first, then Vi, Izzy, Kartini, and finally Annie. They’re all in matching black dresses, their makeup perfect, their heels red in remembrance of the lives lost and the ones they will always vow to save.