Brows furrow and confusion laces their dark eyes, having expected Gia in her ridiculous heels and tight business dress, but instead, they get a younger, less put together version of her, probably wondering why I seem so familiar.
Their gazes linger on me for barely a breath before taking in the three men at my back. With guns drawn and nasty comments flying, the room erupts into total chaos.
Holding my head high, just as Levi told me, I keep myself moving, and as far as I can tell, the DeAngelis Grim Reapers at my back don’t even flinch under the weight of facing their enemy.
Moving into the space at the head of the table, I keep myself standing and prepare for the worst.
“What is the meaning of this?” an older gentleman spits from my immediate left, while another growls, “What have you done with Gia?”
I hold my hands up as if to silence them, and I’m surprised when they actually oblige. “For a group of men who are supposed to lead the largest mafia family in the world, I am disappointed,” I muse, scanning over each of their faces and trying to decipher who’s the biggest threat in the room. “I believed I was attending a meeting with men who understood the importance of professionalism, yet all I hear are tantrums and outbursts from way down the hall.”
“Who do you think you are?” that same older gentleman demands, his gaze cold and calculated. “You come in here uninvited, wielding the most pitiful of DeAngelis mafia at your back.”
Instead of rising to the bait, I lay my hands down on the table, intrigued by the way their guns slowly begin to fall. “Take your seats, gentleman,” I start. “And then I can explain to you all why you’ve been called here this morning.”
I wait a moment, watching as they all take their seats, their sharp gazes warily flicking between me and the boys, but Agent Davidson’s presence goes a long way in gaining what little trust I can. They’ve known him for many years, watched him thrive at Gia’s side, gain her trust, and become her most important player. If I were some kind of threat to them, he wouldn’t be standing with me … at least, they think.
Chairs scrape against the marble, and after a few short moments, their reluctant gazes turn back to me. “My name is Shayne Moretti, and I am the biological daughter of Gia Moretti.”
Gasps and outrage pour through the room, some men shocked to find that Gia had harbored such a scandalous secret, others immediately assuming I’m lying, while the few closest to me realize that their claim to the top spot just got a little bit harder. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that these men are the ones I need to be wary of.
The older gentleman to my right stands, slamming his hand down on the table. “Zeke, is this true? Does this … this woman speak the truth?”
Zeke—or Agent Davidson as I now know him—steps closer to the table, his face a mask of indifference, completely unreadable. “Yes, Alec, this is Gia’s biological daughter. She sent her away as a newborn because she knew the risks of bringing a child into this world,” he says, my birth certificate appearing between his fingers before he places it on the table. He slides it across the polished oak toward Alec. “Gia kept her away as a precaution.”
Alec studies the birth certificate before pushing it aside, letting the other men around him feast their eyes on it. He raises his head, his eyes full of skepticism as he scans over me before flicking straight to my back, his lips pulling up in a disgusted sneer. “So, why the hell would Gia’s sole heir be standing at our meeting table with the DeAngelis brothers at her back? Brothers who are rumored to have perished at their fathers’ hand?”
I hold my hand up, silencing his question. “We’ll get to that, and I’m sure all will be cleared up in a timely manner. However, the reason why I am here holds a greater importance,” I go on, holding his stare for a moment longer before addressing the rest of the table. “In the early hours of this morning, my mother—Gia Moretti—was slaughtered here in her very own home.”
Men fly up out of their chairs, their guns held firmly once again, all eyes going straight to the boys with heavy accusation. Chaos breaks out, and within the blink of an eye, a gun is pressed against my temple as men storm toward the boys.
The boys don’t fight back, just stand there as Moretti men move in on them. I turn toward Alec who stands with his finger on the trigger, his wicked plan for his future flashing in his mind. He can’t kill me, not without confirming my identity. After all, if he pulls the trigger and finds that I am who I say I am, meaning he kills the only true heir to the Moretti empire, he will be hunted out of nothing but sheer loyalty to Gia.
“Why don’t you go ahead and call off your hounds so that I may explain everything that has been going on over the past couple of weeks?” I suggest, raising my brow and not daring to flinch at the cool barrel pressed up against my head. “Or would you prefer to keep making a fool of yourself by showcasing an award-winning tantrum?”
Alec glares at me, not liking me one bit, but ultimately pulls the gun from my head before nodding to the men surrounding Roman, Levi, and Marcus. “We can talk,” Alec spits. “But DeAngelis scum will not be privy to our family meetings. They are unpredictable and not worthy of our trust. They will be held in our cells until further notice.”
The boys tense, their bodies ready for a fight, not in the least pleased with the idea of leaving me here undefended, but there’s no way around this. If I keep them here, the Moretti family won’t hear me, won’t even give me a chance to explain, but if they go, I might just be able to gain their trust.
“Fine,” I say, nodding to the men who surround my boys. “Take them to the cells. However, if any of them are harmed in even the slightest way, I will personally see to it that your lives are not worth living.”
The boys are captured, their arms restrained behind their back. “Shayne,” Roman warns, holding back as the two men at his sides try to force him away. He holds my stare but I nod, letting him know that I’m alright and that I know what I’m doing, but I know he sees the nervousness in my eyes, the fear that this could all go wrong in a matter of seconds.
Roman reluctantly allows them to take him, and my heart shatters at having to send them to yet another cell, but they’ll be okay. The moment this meeting is over, I’ll be straight down there, freeing them from the confines of those four small walls.
With the boys out of the way, I turn my gaze back to Alec and wave my hand out in front of me in a challenge. “Go ahead and take your seat,” I tell him, remaining on my feet to address them.
He reluctantly goes, and I press my hands back to the polished oak table. “Okay, where shall I start?”
“Why not start at the beginning?” Alec suggests, a snide tone to his response.
I nod before looking out at the sea of faces, none of which I can trust. “Very well,” I say, going right back to the beginning. “A little over nine months ago, I was kidnapped out of my city apartment by DeAngelis forces,” I say, skimming over a few of the details that probably won’t bode well for me. “At the time, I was unaware of my lineage, in fact, I had no idea who or what the Moretti family even was, but Giovanni DeAngelis knew who I was. He had somehow discovered that Gia was harboring a daughter and saw that as his way in. He plans on infiltrating the Moretti empire and using me to do so.”
“How?” Alec spit, fury blazing in his eyes.
I hold back my temper, knowing a snide remark isn’t going to get me far right now.
“I am sure you are all aware who those three men at my back were. They are the DeAngelis Grim Reapers, Giovanni’s own sons—Roman, Marcus, and Levi. Giovanni feared his sons so much that he imprisoned them in a castle, and to gain their cooperation, he gifted me to them to hold until he was ready to use me for whatever sick games he had planned. From what you just witnessed, it is clear I have formed a bond with the three DeAngelis brothers who share the same mutual hatred for their father as you do. They have suffered under his hold, as have I.”